I've posted this message in the puppy forum, but thought it might get to a few more people if i posted it here also. Sorry if I'm being a pain. About a year ago, our family purchased a 2 year old pekinese/maltese mix dog from an elderly couple that couldn't take care of him anymore. The dog was a very friendly dog, was great with my kids, great with me, however he was very timid of my husband. It continued to get worse over time, until it got to the point where the dog would growl and bark at my husband the second he saw him, and would continue until my husband was out of sight. My husband tried everything to become friends with that dog, to no avail. We eventually had to get rid of the dog, and decided to wait awhile and then look into purchasing a puppy rather than a full grown dog. About 2 months ago, we purchased a 9 week old miniature schnauzer, Louie. When we went to pick Louie up, he was scared to death, and the first several days the puppy was so frightened of everyone he wouldn't move, it was like he was frozen. I had even made a couple of jokes about how we paid an awful lot of money for this statue. However, after about a week, he warmed right up to me and my kids. Since then he has done beautifully with potty training, does great going in his crate at night to sleep, has learned how to sit on command, and is coming right along with learning how to fetch. Louie is definately more attached to me than anyone, which makes sense because I'm the only one here 24/7.....hubby and the kids are in and out with work and school and such, but Louie is good with the kids too.....wags his tail and runs to them when he hasn't seen them for awhile. The ONLY problem we are having with Louie is, just like the other dog, afraid of my husband. My husband has not hurt the puppy, or punished the puppy or anything like that, but he doesn't have that "puppy voice" and demeaner that many people have. He's got a very deep voice, and is kind of intimidating personality wise, although he's trying to show his more gentle side, (not really sure he has such a thing ), when he's around the puppy. Now, my husband is not being very patient in his mission to win over Louie. He'll make a little bit of progress by getting the dog to come sniff his hand, but then the next time he stands up and the dog runs away, or cowers, he gets frustrated and says "whatever" and rolls his eyes. I say Louie can read into that, and knows that my husband is not overly thrilled with the whole situation, and makes him lose any trust that he may've started to have. I think I have a bit of jealous hubby/jealous puppy thing going on, and I'm not quite sure how to handle it. I'm almost certain that my husbands demeaner is a big part of the problem, and I'm not sure how to go about helping my husband fix that without insulting him. ANY and ALL help or ideas on this would be soooooo appreciated. The kids and I were all heartbroken when we had to find a home for the first dog, and I can't imagine having to go through that again, even worse this time after bringing him home as such a little baby and watching him grow and learn things as we have.
help, hubby and puppy need to make nice.
- Thread starter catbender
- Start date
It's possible that your husband has a certain smell that dogs don't like. Or maybe some type of facial hair that 's visible. OR the colors of clothes he wears. Is your husband a big person? Maybe that is a reason we as well. Try to have your husband spend more time this is pup. My bf's yorkie had that problem. He was scared of everyone. Then eventually he grew out of it after 5 months later.
Find a treat that your dog can't live without. Something REALLY YUMMY (cheese, hot dog, steak etc.) to your dog. Have your husband offer him a treat multiple times a day AND get your dog to training classes immediatley to help with the socialization issues. At training, your dog will see all types of different people and dogs. This will build confidence over time. ALL PUPPIES NEED TRAINING CLASSES NO MATTER WHAT! After your dog responds better to your husband, your husband should take the pup to class to help build a relationship and trust. When puppies are young (before 8 weeks) they need to be introduced to tons of different people including a lot of men. My guess is, is that your puppy did not get this while he/she was at the breeders. This habit can be a hard one to break, but it has to be done before this escalates! If the puppy does not bite your husband at this point, then have your husband hold the puppy and pet the puppy (on the chest, not the top of the head) a lot. Don't coddle your puppy too much, they need to learn that they can survive without you at their side all the time. Once you enter a training class, the instructors can and will help you more with this. 
I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food!
I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food! 
showpug said:
Find a treat that your dog can't live without. Something REALLY YUMMY (cheese, hot dog, steak etc.) to your dog. Have your husband offer him a treat multiple times a day AND get your dog to training classes immediatley to help with the socialization issues. At training, your dog will see all types of different people and dogs. This will build confidence over time. ALL PUPPIES NEED TRAINING CLASSES NO MATTER WHAT! After your dog responds better to your husband, your husband should take the pup to class to help build a relationship and trust. When puppies are young (before 8 weeks) they need to be introduced to tons of different people including a lot of men. My guess is, is that your puppy did not get this while he/she was at the breeders. This habit can be a hard one to break, but it has to be done before this escalates! If the puppy does not bite your husband at this point, then have your husband hold the puppy and pet the puppy (on the chest, not the top of the head) a lot. Don't coddle your puppy too much, they need to learn that they can survive without you at their side all the time. Once you enter a training class, the instructors can and will help you more with this. I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food!
I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food!
Also, brushing your dog is a bonding experience. You may try asking your husband to easily brush the puppy. I also completely agree with the socialization and trianing classes. The puppy needs to know he can trust other people and animals besides just you. It is great that he trusts you, but he needs to build other healthy realtionships also. when he goes up to your husband, encourage him, and praise him. if you give him treats around your husband or better yet, have your husband do it, he will associate that with a positive experience and grow to trust your husbnad. It just takes patience and time, but it should work out fine with a little bit of work and socialization. Socialization is definitely the key.
showpug said:
Find a treat that your dog can't live without. Something REALLY YUMMY (cheese, hot dog, steak etc.) to your dog. Have your husband offer him a treat multiple times a day AND get your dog to training classes immediatley to help with the socialization issues. At training, your dog will see all types of different people and dogs. This will build confidence over time. ALL PUPPIES NEED TRAINING CLASSES NO MATTER WHAT! After your dog responds better to your husband, your husband should take the pup to class to help build a relationship and trust. When puppies are young (before 8 weeks) they need to be introduced to tons of different people including a lot of men. My guess is, is that your puppy did not get this while he/she was at the breeders. This habit can be a hard one to break, but it has to be done before this escalates! If the puppy does not bite your husband at this point, then have your husband hold the puppy and pet the puppy (on the chest, not the top of the head) a lot. Don't coddle your puppy too much, they need to learn that they can survive without you at their side all the time. Once you enter a training class, the instructors can and will help you more with this. I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food!
I would also recommend that your husband start feeding the dog in the morning and at night...and yes, only your husband feeds him! He may start to see hubby as a necessity if he is the bearer of food!
Also, brushing your dog is a bonding experience. You may try asking your husband to easily brush the puppy. I also completely agree with the socialization and trianing classes. The puppy needs to know he can trust other people and animals besides just you. It is great that he trusts you, but he needs to build other healthy realtionships also. when he goes up to your husband, encourage him, and praise him. if you give him treats around your husband or better yet, have your husband do it, he will associate that with a positive experience and grow to trust your husband. It just takes patience and time, but it should work out fine with a little bit of work and socialization. Socialization is definitely the key.