I have a 6 month old Retriever who has become petrified of children. I have had him since 6 weeks (I dont have children) and from the moment he was allowed he came to work with me where there are lots of people and children and from the start I have made sure that he meets everyone at work and interact with children etc. He was very good and like normal puppy thought everyone and everything was great. Now when children come into work he growls at them and barks, he doesn't confront them he just grumbles and barks and if I am there will run behind me.

The other day there was a couple of little girls in and I asked them to stay quiet/still and call him nicely but he wouldn't come out from behind the counter so I put him on the lead and took him out with me, crouched by the kids and tried to get him over to them but he was litterally doing summersaults on the end of the lead trying to get away. I got some treats I gave him some and gave some to one of the kids but he just wouldn't go anywhere near them to take the treats (and being a greedy GR that really makes a change)

I also have a white GSD who comes to work with me and she has always been scared of kids but I have never put her in the situation where she has to confront them for her and their sakes (she has never bitten anyone but is a very nervous dog on the whole). I never let her out when customers come in and she just lies quietly, never barks or bothers unless on the odd occasion when someone has opened the gate when I am not about and then she will bark as I and the 2 dogs are the only ones that go behind the gate.

I have always allowed Monty (GR) to mix with people and children away from Asha (GSD) so that he doesn't fear them as she does or copy her nervousness/behaviour. The same goes for walkies, unless we are going to the park in the car we take Monty out for a walk on his own as Asha is scared of traffic (and the word walkies lol, if you say it she hides under the table with her tail between her legs and her ears down) but in the park she is like a different dog, relaxed and very well behaved so we dont want the traffic fear to rub off  on Monty and so far so good with that one.

I dont want to make Asha sound vicous or nasty, she is just nervous in certain situations (lots), she is nearly 9 yrs and being a white GS the behaviour is something that unfortunately is around with in some of the white shepherds, we have had her since 8 weeks and have tried several dog training classes, she is frightened of her own shadow, litterally! When cars go past her she ducks and closes her eyes, sometimes you go to step over her and she yelps as if you have stood on her yet your foot is still in mid air!! On the whole Asha has improved 100% since monty arrived, she has come out of her shell loads, plays all the time with him and is like a different dog in that aspect.

I have tried really hard to make sure Monty has socialised well and with adults he is great, and he was with children but now he wont go near them, to my knowledge as I am always there, nothing bad has happened with a child and he has never met with one with Asha there so I am not to sure where this sudden fear has come from, any ideas of how I can solve this problem would be grateful.
Thanks
Sue

Hope I haven't waffled too much and it all makes sense!!?

Hi Sue,
Sorry to hear about the problem your dog has with children. First thing - please don't force him to 'be friends'. As you relate, this scares him, and will only make him worse. Forcing him to confront his fear is likely to terrify him to the extent that it will become a permanent feature. :(

When he reacts like this, everyone must completely ignore him. No eye-contact, no jolly "Don't be so silly, come and say hello" - nothing. You might like to nonchalently drop a titbit onto the floor by him, but otherwise act as if he isn't there.

Dogs do go through a new fear stage around adolescence, and this could be the source of Monty's fear. Without seeing him and knowing your situation well, I hesitate to give any further advice, but I'm sure a more experienced person will be along soon.

Good luck.

thanks for the reply. I took him off the lead as soon as he started flipping as I know it is trapping him in that situation, I didn't expecvt him to act like that, when the girls tried to give him a treat he was off the lead so he could escape and thats what he chose to do, run away from them

Can you rope in some children to help you? Start off working outside (less scary) and at a distance away from them, and put some hotdog sausage (or whatever he REALLY loves) around them so he has to approach them to get it. It's important that there's no pressure on him, so ask the volunteering child to ignore him completely and sit very still. If he's absolutely terrified and nothing will make him approach, you might be well advised to ask your vet to refer you to a behaviourist (or find a very good trainer with lots of behavioural knowledge) before it gets out of hand. Fear can very quickly lead to aggression, and if you can help him to overcome his fear now you'll be in a much stronger position than if you leave it too long.

It's quite common to be afraid of things at that age, but this does sound very severe.

best of luck,

Jo

I agree with Jo (not sure about 'roping' in the kids - I've got this picture of a cowboy and a lassoo - not sure the parents would approve :)) It's easy to fall into the trap of 'well I've socialised my pup to that, I shan't need to do it anymore' when infact young dogs need to be 'topped up' regularly with what they've learnt and particularly between puppy hood and adolescence when the second 'fear' period kicks in..........

thanks for the advice, just have to find some willing kids now!

Well Digger, I never said I could help with children, they're somebody elses department!! I don't cope with anything that hasn't got a tail!!!

:P

Jo

Hi Jo C, just had a quick thought, if he does approach the children for a treat should I/we then praise him or still ignore him so not to make a big issue?
Sue

If the dog approaches the child of his own accord, then praise/reward yes :)

Thank you

Happy New Year to everyone