Recently, I worked with a Chihuahua who “hated” the owner’s new boyfriend. Turns out the dog didn’t “hate” the new boyfriend — hate is an inimitably human foible. More likely, the Chihuahua was fearful of men, or simply not used to men being around on a daily basis. Being afraid of men is very common, especially for dogs who live with single women.
Most dogs react fearfully as soon as the new man comes to the house. With some dogs however, all goes well until the middle of the night — the man gets up to take a leak and, on returning to the bedroom, he is greeted by a quietly snarling dog that has taken his place in bed. An ominous “greeting” indeed, especially if the man is standing there in the altogether.
If the dog shies away from men, or yips and yaps at men, or at worst snaps and lunges and maybe even nips men, the prognosis is good with immediate training. Without immediate training, the behavior towards men will progressively get worse and worse until, eventually, the dog bites. If the dog is already biting, owners need to seek help from a Certified Pet Dog Trainer right away. (Check out the Trainer Search at www.apdt.com.)
Speedy treatment is especially important because apart from threatening men’s feelings (and maybe their body parts), this situation means the dog is hurting, too. It is simply not pleasant to be scared of something and to have to confront that fear on a regular basis.
The solution is pretty simple. Put the dog’s food bowl in the cupboard. No more meals from the food bowl until the dog loves the company, attention, and affection of men. For two days, the owner should handfeed the dog ALL of his daily ration of kibble. (If you feed canned food or raw diet, change to feeding kibble until the dog is no longer fearful of men.) For another five days, invite a number of female friends to handfeed the dog and then, for several weeks, or as long as it takes, invite men to handfeed the dog kibble plus all sorts of tasty treats. (The owner and a few female friends handfeed the dog for seven days, so that the dog learns the games she will soon be playing with men.)
This technique is very effective. During the period when men are handfeeding the dog, it is essential that the dog never eats from a food bowl and never receives any food or treats from the owner. The only food that the dog eats must come from the hand of a man. We want the dog to make the association between male guests and a lengthy, yummy dinnertime. We want the dog to learn to love the presence and presents of men.
When men start to handfeed, it is unlikely that the dog will approach right away. Sit the man comfortably in a chair (perhaps with a sports program on the telly) and be patient. When the dog has approached to her safe-distance, instruct the man to toss a bit of kibble over the dog’s head so that the dog has to retreat to get it. As the dog sniffs the kibble, have the man toss three tasty treats between the dog and him. As the dog approaches again, it will be rewarded with three tasty treats. Practice this over and over. Ignore any barks or snaps, but be sure to praise the dog for being brave.
The dog’s fearful responses are exacerbated by not knowing what to do, so imbue confidence by teaching her how to act around men. Practice “come-sit-kibble” over and over. Then add a little variation — come, sit, and down-stay … kibble, kibble, kibble. Trust me: soon your dog will “love” men.
What do we learn from all this? Fear of men and children is extremely common in dogs and usually develops quite abruptly at six to eight months of age. The problem is utterly predictable and therefore easily preventable. Before they are eight-weeks-old, puppies need to meet and be handled by at least 100 people, mainly children and men. Puppies need to be socialized with yet another 100 people (mainly children and men) between eight and twelve weeks of age. Remember, the Critical Period of Socialization closes at three months of age. (To prevent risk of disease, socialization is best done in the safety of a dog’s new home.) Then, socialized puppies should attend Puppy Classes to learn bite inhibition and continue socialization. The Puppy Classes should be taught entirely off-leash so that the puppies derive full benefit from interacting and socializing with all the other owners in class.
Check out the many videos at www.youtube.com/user/DogStarDaily to learn more about training your dog to behave well in all circumstances and will all kinds of people.
Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian, canine behaviorist, and puppy-training pioneer. He is the founder of SIRIUS® Puppy Training and Scientific Director for www.dogstardaily.com.
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