KerrieKeller

Hi - We adopted a Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix about four months ago. She definitely has bonded with me, but is fearful of men, especially my teenage son! Every time he walks down the hall or walking around in general, she barks aggressively. If he's sitting on the couch, she will jump up on the couch and smell him, even though you can tell she's scared, but she'll let him pet her a bit mostly if he's sitting down. Our dog, Sara, is pretty good with my fiance. He's more gentle and I think more predictable in his movements in general. Whereas, my son walks around the house faster and might make more noises that could startle her. His schedule is unpredictable, so he's in and out a lot, and it drives me nuts, because Sara barks nearly every time. So basically, since the dog is always with me, my son can't even come into my room to ask a question without the barking, so it's pushing him farther away from trying to have the relationship with the dog because her barking is pretty annoying. We just started her in basic obedience, and it's going well! She's very smart. I want to also get her into agility, because she's very athletic, and I think she needs a lot more physical activity. She has the capacity to be a really great dog, but the fear is the biggest issue right now, along w/ the fearful barking. Any advice? I'm not sure how to employ the conditioning concept with an erratic schedule. And how do you keep her under her fear threshold when she constantly sees him? I can't ask him not to walk around the house. When we leave, we do crate her in the bedroom and leave the TV on w/ the door mostly closed. Thanks in advance!!