Fearful Dogs

If your dog is fearful of people, they may back away from people, they may turn and run off, or because of their fear they may snap at someone.  I have a female who is fearful of people; she was not always this way.  Something happened to her when I was not around.  It either happened at a breeder’s kennel or a dog show.  We tried to ignore it and not play in to her fear; she is no longer a show dog. We tried for two years to keep her socialized.  Her fear of people has only increased with time. I have observed her actually growling at people.

Some people recommend the training method of hand feeding food to help a dog overcome their fear of people.  Here are some suggestions on how to utilize the hand feeding training method:

·         You will need a quiet area with no distractions.

·         Keep the food on a table where you have easy access to it.

·         Place some food in your hand, make sure your dog sees that you have the food. Close your hand, wait for your dog to act calm and then open your hand so they can eat the food.

·         Offer more food, each time waiting for you dog to be totally calm before you offer the food to them.

·         Once this is mastered, the next step for them to receive the food is to be calm and to look at your face.  As soon as they look at your face; offer the food. It is very important that you are not staring at your dog; you should observe them with your peripheral vision.  Most dogs become fearful if they are stared at.

·         Continue this training and increase the time that they are looking at your face and remaining calm; before you offer the food to them.

·         The next step is to add a key word, once your dog can remain calm and focused on your face for 10 to 20 seconds, say “ok” and offer the food. 

·         Once your dog has mastered the hand feeding with you, include other family members with the hand feeding.  From there you would include people your dog knows and accepts and finally willing strangers. 

This training method to help the shy fearful dog will take a very long time, so be patient.  The whole idea is to get the dog to be more receptive and trusting of people. 

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)
Click here to view our other blog; Barrels and Bibs.