My 8 month old golden retriever bitch, Ellie, appears to be going through another fear period. Up until now she was quite a happy sociable pup, after having done what i thought was enough socialisation throughout puppy hood. Infact she loves people so much i sometimes wonder if she was over socialised!! However this past week or so i have notice her confident behaviour deteriorating, and she has now become visibly scared of things. The other day she barked at a child standing partially covered by a wall, a low wall and a woman with her hood up standing near the edge of the cliff. So i decided to take her for a walk down the town for a little bit of socialising. She was fine for most of it, trying to say hello to people, but when a push chair went past she quickly backed away towards me. (She has seen them loads of times before.) She also did the same to a woman sat on a wall reading a book - however it was getting dark at this point.

I know adolecence makes dogs act differently, and i am also aware that she may be near her season. However my other dog (19 month old collie) began barking at men at this age and despite all my efforts she still does, but she has always been timid, unlike Ellie.

I am now starting to wonder if this is another fear period that they go through or whether i did not do enough socialisation to start with. I am going to try to re-socialise by visiting busy places and meeting people, but I was just wondering if it is possible to change the situation at this age?

i have a 8 month old bitch who has just started to become fearful of things she also has been very well socialised, her lasted barking and backing off session was yesterday when she suddenly became frightened of an ornament in the lounge which has been there as long as she has, very weird! i also worry that it may be her adult temperament coming out but now reading your post i think it could be an hormonal thing as they both must be approaching their first season, what do you think?

jojo

I really hope so!! I put in so much effort into socialisation this time round, after my last dog became fearful and i was so dishearted when Ellie started to show the same temperament.

When my Beardie girl was 8 months old, the same thing happened to her, except it was dogs "clearing their throats" that frightened her????. She came in to season a month later. She's having her 2nd season now, and there has not been a repeat of the Fear factor. I think it is hormonal, if you think how young girls can feel with their first period, all weepy, snappy etc, I suppose it's only natural. As there have been a few on this thread say it happened aged 8 months??? interesting???. It hasn't happened to any of my others, but each is different I suppose?

Kay

snap my last dog who was male , he did'nt like men either or other dogs we had real problems with him fighting, so i have done the same as you put in loads of hard work with my new one introducing as many things as possible, maybe it just a phase as mine has become more distructive as well and far more boisterous, we have a skate park by us which i took her to all the time when she was young as it was very noisy and full of all sorts of people and when we went there this week she acted like it was the first time she'd been, i think they have probably become more aware of things but as long as we reinforce the socializing it will sort itself out, only problem is when they are in season they have to stay in which won't help matters.

Gus was about this age when he became frightened of entering strange places or going through certain doorways . It did pass though :)

Hi,

They do sometimes go through a wierd period just before their teenage period (9-18 months), I guess it's all those hormones making them feel a bit wierd.

Don't worry they will come out of it again, but don't forget.....make sure you don't encourage the fear (accidentally) by being too reassuring, best to try and chear them up and bring them out of it.

Manda
x

Don't worry, i'm not the most sympathetic person in the world!! I usually just tell her to stop being silly!