[poohbearsmom]

Your Arthur is reaching a stage in his development when he can have "hinky" days. Simply control the situation calmly.

Just like you would do with a young puppy, allow Arthur to do the meeting and greeting, instead of allowing people to hone in on him. Stand and speak with the person and ignore Arthur. Perhaps slip a treat into the person's hand, and have them simply hold it down by their side for Arthur to investigate; have a tea party without him, in other words. This will take the pressure off of Arthur and help him learn that strangers are no big deal, especially if you're relaxed about it. Your emotions flow right down the leash at all times.

Be armed with plenty of goodies when you take him out. It's not important that he meets everyone along the way, but it is important that you do no reinforce his fear response, but rather redirect into an acceptable behavior. If you see someone coming along that you think Arthur might react to, gain Arthur's attention before he's beyond the point of no return. Praise him and reward him for responding to you, and before you know it (and more importantly before ARTHUR knows it!) the source of his discomfort will be long gone.

Give these things a try, and see if this type of proactivity helps Arthur realize he's just being a silly boy. It's likey just teenage williness he's going through, especially if you got a different response from Arthur after the suggestions Sabellesmom already made. Youth dogs can go in and out of fear periods between about 6mos and 14-15mos of age (refer to critical periods article in puppy development stickies).

Good luck.