7 month old puppy afraid of dogs running toward him
Our 7 month old cardi, Sammy, has a very outgoing personality always approaching humans in all situations but we have recently noticed that he is scared when dogs approach him head on running toward him. He is fine as long as they are not approaching him in an overly enthusiatic manner. We have had him since September and have not had any instance where he was attacked or an agressive dog got in his space.
He is fine as long as the dog does not approach him at any speed more that a walk. He will sniff, wag tail, etc when introduced to other dogs but becomes very frightened (rolling over, crying, the whole spill) if a dog approches him in an excited manner.
What seems so strange is we have been taking him petsmart, Jeffers etc and he approched, are you ready, a bull mastiff and just could not get enough of him?????
My husband says that I baby him to much.....Is there really such a thing....I think not! LOL
Confused parents.....Please help! ^..^
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Laura Rochette on
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Lucy, who is regularly friendly with all kinds of dogs, becomes scared when 2 or more unleashed large dogs come bounding at her--no matter how friendly they are. Lucy hides behind me or tries to pull me in the opposite direction. I think Lucy is responding with that instinctive "flight" simply because they are bigger and seem more powerful at that moment. Under more controlled circumstances she will play with any sized dog who will play with her!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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An overly enthusiastic face to face greeting is really not proper doggy manners and your pup obviously senses that this could be dangerous for him. In other words it is not him that is wrong it is the other dogs! Have you taken classes with him? A good instructor may have some ideas for you on how to protect him from overly friendly advances. I always wait for greetings with other dogs until I have determined that the other dog is under control.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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I think he needs more socialization. Going just to stores doesn't really count. He needs to get out and be able to play freely with other dogs, so he learns what is acceptable behavior. When he rolls over, that's good as he's showing the other dogs he is not a threat...but he should be able to handle dogs running at him without him being scared, as long as he can tell by their body language that they are just playing. Get into a dog socialization class where he can be around other dogs...and look into some obedience or fun classes to take to help boost his confidence. He also has to know that you aren't going to let anyone hurt him. As far as babying him too much, there is such a thing...if you get all excited or stressed and pick him up right away when other dogs come running, then he'll never learn to accept them- he'll pick up on your anxiety and think that it's bad when they approach. And, he's a dog. A dog is not a human. Now, I baby all of mine more than my husband says I should--but at the same time I let them be dogs. There are just some things they need to figure out for themselves.
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