Arthur has a fear, I think

[alice's mommy]

Okay...so in the last two days whenever I've gone for walks with Arthur and someone walks by us, Arthur does a quick speed-up and then looks backwards like he was afraid of the person...as if they were coming for him. ??? What's this!? He's never been afraid of people before! And then today, some man came up to me to talk about his rott that he had to put down that was 12 and how much he missed him. Arthur wouldn't get anywhere close to his hand when the man tried to greet him! The man didn't approach Arthur, just had his hand out and talked to him and Arthur went up a little bit then skirted back around me...then got a bit braver and went closer...but it was kind of like a mix between wanting to do that play-bow thing to him and dodging away from him in fear. ?! Is there a new fear stage at this age? What should I do to get him not scared of people?

BTW, he's never scared of people who come into my store...although the majority of them are women.

I wonder if I've inadvertantly caused this during our walks, as when someone walks by I kind of tighten the leash to bring him closer to me and to make sure there isn't any lunge to greet the passers-by.

[RiggersMum]

I don't think so. How old is he? Perhaps he's going through another fear stage, or these people he is reacting too are actually giving him a bad vibe.

[alice's mommy]

Arthur is six and a half months now. He was always so eager to greet other people, that this new behaviour of acting afraid has me worried. Nothing has happened with other people on our walks, so it's weird.

[jlhnokc]

If you are tensing up when someone is walking by, then yes he definetly could be picking up on that and in turn causing him to think there is something to be worried about...When I walk Jaycee she is either in a heel, or I tell her "walk on". That to her means she has a bit of freedom to walk around a bit and sniff and walk a bit in front of me, if someone is coming, or we are getting close to an intersection, I say heel and that brings her back to me. And heel to us is not a true heel position, we have not gotten that far yet, heel to us is I want her walking right next to me on my left side with her face by my leg. As she comes into the heel, I shorten the leash so she doesn't feel like I'm tensing up on her. We also practice this when nothing/no one is around, just for different drills on our walks...

[cerulean]

One of the books I have (How to raise a puppy you can live with) says that dogs often go through an "avoidance" or "fear" period around four months of age. Maybe since Rotts mature slowly, that's what this is. Hmmm, is it common among rotts ????

[SABELLESMOM]

I think it's quite likely the dog is feeding off your own negativity. This is kindly meant. Don't take offense, but the more casual and relaxed you are, the more likely he is to feed off THAT, instead.

Pups cue in to our reactions. Dogs prefer to be approached slightly from the side rather than dead on. Did the man walk directly toward him? Did he bend forward even slightly? Either of these may upset a young pup. It is seen as confrontational.

You can help him build his confidence! Take him to a class. Let him puzzle out what you want him to do and receive praise for it. Let him feel pride.

You, on the other hand, make certain you are non-challant. Don't baby him. Laugh. Make a funny comment about how goofy he's being. He'll catch on.

[alice's mommy]

Sabellesmom, I absolutely was tensing up as people walked by, wanting to be able to interrupt if Arthur were to try and "greet" someone. The man that approached us did come straight towards Arthur and was bending over him a bit (with hand outstretched).

Yesterday I tried walking him on a much looser leash and things went great! He automatically ignored other people and just seemed to like being away from my side. :) I made sure that as long as his rump was near my leg, he wasn't too far away.

Wow! Can they ever read body language, eh?!

[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.

[FilosFolks]

Hi all,

Also, didn't you get into a face off with a dog recently? All of this makes sense if you think about it, I'd be defensive too, and I agree with the above...good luck!!

Ailee