Is your dog shy or does he react aggressively when approached by strangers or particular individuals? These techniques for human interaction with fearful dogs provide basic guidelines to help you better handle your dog, and to desensitize him to the stimulus that is causing him fear.
Practice these techniques, and then prepare a short statement to use with strangers, so that if someone tries to pet your dog you are prepared with an automatic response. Each step should be practiced over and over, for a number of days, to ensure that your dog is ready for the next step and doesn’t have a set back.
Keep the leash tension free, because the dog may see this as a signal from you that this person is a threat. Try to also remain relaxed at all times, because dogs are great at reading our body language.
1. The best thing to do initially with a fearful dog is to never allow someone to approach or pet your dog, until you are prepared to ask for their assistance in desensitizing him. It’s the owner’s job to protect a fearful dog from negative experiences with strangers, and to work on incorporating positive experiences into the dog’s life. Don’t be shy, at first, just say no. If you are embarrassed to say that your dog is fearful or isn’t friendly, you can say, “he’s in training, please don’t pet him”. Just make sure to respond quickly. Prepare ahead of time!
2. If your dog has ever growled at, lunged at, or bitten someone, always have a muzzle on during walks and human interactions. Use a basket muzzle, and teach your dog to wear it happily at home, with treats and short sessions, before using it around people.
3. Choose wisely who you allow to approach or pet your dog. Is your dog typically fearful of very tall people? Figure out if there is a pattern to the trigger. Set him up for success every single time, until he is making considerable progress. (A bad experience could set him back. Once you get to a point where your dog has begun to be desensitized to the stimulus, you can start to introduce him to a variety of types of people, and in more challenging situations.)
4. When you find a suitable helper, such as a calm friend or neighbor, stop a number of feet away, and ask the person to remain stationary and allow your dog to approach.
5. If you notice any initial signs that your dog is becoming fearful of the stranger, discontinue the interaction, but with a positive attitude. Redirecting your dog’s attention to something positive (a treat or toy) is a good method at this point. Calmly give your dog more distance. Letting him move away when he needs to teaches him that he can trust you to keep him safe.
6. If your dog is willing to approach the stranger, let him just sniff the person. They should stand still and not hover over or try to pet your dog.
7. Next, have the helper toss a treat on the ground behind your dog, so he can eat it while moving away from the person. As he gets more comfortable, the helper can toss treats closer to themselves. You want to get to this stage numerous times, for a number of days, before progressing to the next step. Your dog will already be thinking how nice it is to encounter strangers who throw treats on the ground.
8. When you feel comfortable that your dog is ready for more interaction, have the helper turn their body sideways and bend down, without direct eye contact. Again, the person should not lean over or hover over the dog, but just bend straight down. Then allow your dog to come up to them and sniff their hand (palm down). Ask the helper not to pet your dog at this stage. The interaction should be coming entirely from the dog.
9. Next, if your dog is relaxed, have the helper feed your dog by hand. Watch closely, because food can tempt a fearful dog closer than he is ready to be. If he grabs the treat and backs away quickly, go back a step.
10. The next step is to tell the helper to pet your dog under the chest for a few seconds, then stop. If your dog leans in or asks for more, they can continue. If he moves away, let him go. They should never put their hand over the dog’s head.
11. If introducing your dog to someone in the home, always introduce them outside before going into the home, and allow your guest to enter the home first.
12. If you keep up this interaction every single time that your dog meets someone new, then he will always have a positive experience, will learn to trust you when you say it’s ok to interact with someone, and will learn that most strangers are not a threat. If you have a setback, and you will, don’t get frustrated. Patience and repetition is the key to success.
Every fearful dog is different. These steps are a starting point, but lasting change comes from a plan built around your dog’s specific triggers, practiced every day at home. If your dog’s fear of people is getting in the way of daily life, book a free intro call to see if my program is the right fit.