Hi all,
Jake and I are having a problem. Jake seems to be very nervous of strangers - complete with growling and hackles rising - and I don't have any ideas on how to put him at ease.
Firstly, I've got to point out that he's a very highly trainable dog. At 5.5 months old, he's got his basic commands down and he's even getting some of the harder command's like heeling. He comes when he's called, stays when he's told to stay and even has most of his commands down pat from a distance.
My wife runs a daycare and Jake is perfectly fine with the kids and while he does bark when parents come to pick up their children, he doesn't show aggression to them. However, when strangers come to the door, his hackles rise - or if we're walking and someone reaches down to pat him (against my warnings) the same thing occurs.
I realize he's not going to be running up to strangers for a tummy-rub anytime in this life - and I'm not really expecting that of him. However, I don't want him growling or snapping at people who think they can just pat a strange dog. I'm basically looking for a strategy to put him at ease with strange people or to just ignore them.
Would training classes help with that? or am I looking for a specific strategy to work on with him?
Just a bit of background here as well:
Jake's 5.5 months, fixed (as of last week) and we don't engage in rough play. He has a lot of puppy energy but he's not out of control at any time. He was 8 weeks old when we got him from the pet-store (and didn't even have to spend 1 night there as we got him the day he arrived there) so I don't think there was any abuse. He seems to be a one-family dog.
Andrew
Jake and I are having a problem. Jake seems to be very nervous of strangers - complete with growling and hackles rising - and I don't have any ideas on how to put him at ease.
Firstly, I've got to point out that he's a very highly trainable dog. At 5.5 months old, he's got his basic commands down and he's even getting some of the harder command's like heeling. He comes when he's called, stays when he's told to stay and even has most of his commands down pat from a distance.
My wife runs a daycare and Jake is perfectly fine with the kids and while he does bark when parents come to pick up their children, he doesn't show aggression to them. However, when strangers come to the door, his hackles rise - or if we're walking and someone reaches down to pat him (against my warnings) the same thing occurs.
I realize he's not going to be running up to strangers for a tummy-rub anytime in this life - and I'm not really expecting that of him. However, I don't want him growling or snapping at people who think they can just pat a strange dog. I'm basically looking for a strategy to put him at ease with strange people or to just ignore them.
Would training classes help with that? or am I looking for a specific strategy to work on with him?
Just a bit of background here as well:
Jake's 5.5 months, fixed (as of last week) and we don't engage in rough play. He has a lot of puppy energy but he's not out of control at any time. He was 8 weeks old when we got him from the pet-store (and didn't even have to spend 1 night there as we got him the day he arrived there) so I don't think there was any abuse. He seems to be a one-family dog.
Andrew