Our new dog is afraid of my husband

[DianeKomorowski]

We brought home a new dog a few weeks ago and he seems to be afraid of my husband. The first I really noticed it was when my husband wore straw hat. And he started barking at him. He quit barking when he took off the hat but he still seems afraid of him. He also seems afraid if my husband has garden tools in his hands or if he crouches down and calls him to him like he does with our other dog. I think part of it is a certain playful voice my husband uses and sometimes it is just his voice. Could theses behaviors be from his past!( he is about 2 1/2)?Sometimes he’ll be fine with them there as were standing around or something he’ll just hang around if I am walking him on his leash or something but then if my husband turns around he will suddenly start barking. Sometimes he just randomly started barking my husband if he’s walking around the yard, which is doing all the time.He will take treats if my husband is sitting at the table and will take a treat but not let him pet him- he backs away. About a week ago he started getting playful and my husband start playing with them and he played and he barked a little but he played. Then he was real easy walking around the garden with me and my husband working in it and didn’t bark or do anything and we thought maybe he was getting over it. But the next day he was just afraid of him again and then he didn’t wanna play with him either. Sometimes he will catch a ball if my husband throws it, but will not bring it to him. He lets him walk him if I hand the leash to my husband and I am there, but keeps his distance. He will not walk with my husband if he tries to take him himself. Or come if he calls him over , even for treats. Well, sometimes he will quickly snatch it. My husband is trying to be kind of nonchalant and not look at him and hold his hand out for him to come and sniff and give a treat. sometimes he does sometimes he won’t but as soon as he reaches to pet him he backs away. This morning I was walking him and he barked as my husband was putting our breakfast on the patio. This is our main problem And I couldn’t find a solution for the situation with my husband.

Our other dog who’s we’ve only had for four months or so is a jumper and I’ve been working at turning my back on her but she’s gotten worse since the new dog came and now he’s starting to be a jumper specially when I first come to feed them. He also get super playful and tries to jump on me to play. I try to direct him to play with the other dog. Sometimes it works. I read the jumping lesson and I have been turning my back and also trying to get our other dog to sit before I pet her. Once I get the new dog’s leash on and we start walking our other dog is relatively calm as long as I do not get too attentive to the new one. I’m sure I need to grab each dog and work with each one separately and then together is my guess.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Diane,

Welcome to the forum.

I am working on some tips and will get back to you shortly. I will address the issues you are facing in two different posts. We are in the middle of monsoon season here in Arizona with t-storms rolling in so my connection may come and go. I apologize in advance if my replies may come in a bit late.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

The behavior of your dog is not unusual. Certain dogs don't take to one person initially, and unfortunately for men, it's usually them. Many dogs are intimidated by men and it often manifests when men are wearing hats or carrying tools or making lots of noise. Any thing that increases the shape of a person causing some unusual silhouette (backpacks, sunglasses, umbrellas, bags) can trigger the barking.

 

Several dogs may also get nervous when people crouch down at their level. Although this may seem like a friendly way to approach, lowering down puts us at their level and direct eye contact is often made. Any behavior that follows crouching down (such as looking at the dog, calling the dog or reaching towards the dog) makes dogs nervous because they do not look forward to the interaction as they feel intimidated when their space is invaded.

 

Most of these dogs were already suspicious and nervous around men to start with and the hat or carried tools just sent them over threshold causing some overt behaviors to manifest (in this case, the barking). Although there are cases of dogs not trusting men because of some negative event in the past, in a good majority of cases these dogs simply weren't socialized enough or are prone to simply being very nervous when exposed to changes and under stress (such as in new surroundings) and therefore are prone to seeing threats almost everywhere.

 

There are therefore several cases of newly rescued dogs who do very well with women in the home but are intimidated by men. There may be several further explanations for this. Men are often taller respect to women, they may have much deeper voices and have facial hair, and what many of may of us may not realize is, that men also often tend to move in a more assertive fashion. Applied animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell mentions that studies were done where men were found to be seen as ''coming closer at higher rates or stronger intensity'' respect to women. Men are also more likely to come in and out of doors with heavy steps and carrying tools and noisy machinery which just adds to the already scary stimulus package.

 

In any case, there are two very powerful behavior modification methods used both in humans and animals to help them conquer their fears. These methods are desensitization and counterconditioning. In desensitization, the source of fear is presented in a gradual, systematic, less threatening manner. For example: in the case of people scared of flying, they are exposed to a simulator so they can get used to the airplanes noises, learn relaxation techniques and better ways to cope with their fear. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

 

In counterconditioning, positive associations are formed with the trigger so that the underlying emotions, can be changed. For example: People scared of flying are often encouraged to bring along their favorite snacks on board, a great book or to start a pleasant conversation with the person seated next to them. Here is a read on counterconditioning:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

 

When desensitization and counterconditioning are used in synergy, powerful results can be attained. Through desensitization, dogs get a good boost of confidence as they conquer their fears little steps at a time. At the same time, since the threat appears less threatening, dogs are better able to cognitively function so they're more receptive to learning coping skills and relaxation techniques.

 

Now another thing to become aware of are threshold levels. This is important because a dog over threshold cannot be desensitized nor counterconditioned. Full exposure to trigger (flooding) causes setbacks and potentially unsafe situations. The dog is in fight or flight mode and cannot cognitively function. If a dog feels intimidated by a certain person, he cannot relax and learn positive associations because the adrenaline is flowing and the brain is just focused on responding to instincts which are to hide or fight back. Here is a read on dog threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

So let's see now how these methods can be applied to your circumstance. You already mentioned that wearing a hat and carrying tools are triggers. It also seems that hubby bending down and looking at the dog and talking to the dog are some other trigges.The objective is therefore to make hubby appear less threatening and always work under threshold. This means letting your dog see hubby from a distance, letting hubby talk in a low tone of voice, having him perhaps move more slowly and so forth.

 

A good place to start is to make great things happen everytime hubby appears in the room you and your dog are together. What are some great things for dogs? Most likely, food (under the form of high value treats) and praise (when paired with food). All these good things must happen in context. That means, they should appear when hubby is present, and when he leaves, all the good things must stop so it's crystal clear in the dog's mind that it's hubby's presence that brings good things. Practicing with hubby coming in and out of home/room (initially without wearing a hat or carrying tools) can be a good opportunity to create positive associations, here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

 

As things progress, you can then move on to having him appear while wearing a hat, carrying tools etc, always keeping in mind distance at first. Baby steps. Then further progess (increase criteria) would entail having hubby crouch down gradually while you feed treats, then crouch down more (as you feed treats) then have him talk to the dog (while you feed treats) and then talk and look at the dog (while you feed treats). These are jut a few examples.

 

*Note: if a dog ever reacts during behavior modification, it's a sure sign that you're going too fast in the process. Take a step back and do some problem solving to figure out what you can do to prevent these set backs. Increasing distance is often a good way to keep the dog better under threshold.

 

Many dogs are reactive towards movement calmer when people are sitting on the couch and are not moving much (in other words, static). When it comes to hubby offering treats, rather than hand-feeding, it's better for him to toss the food past the dog, so the dog can retreat when he gets it. This step is very important as it gives the dog relief, but at the same time the opportunity for positive associations to be made. Don't let your dog fall into the approach avoidance trap which is a dog who approaches for food but then is in conflict and backs away barking. Here is more about approach/avoidance:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/approach-avoidance/

 

 

To increase trust, it may be beneficial having your husband do all of the feeding from now. It is best to not force close interactions until your dog appears more comfortable. Being that you have recently opened your home to this dog, consider that It can take up 3 months or more for a new dog to get settled. So lots of patience and baby steps is vital.

 

Disclaimer: behavior modification for dogs comes with risks. To keep everybody safe, please consult with a force-free behavior consultant to help in person for guidance and correct implementation.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

So sorry your dog's jumping behavior has made a comeback after your newer dog has been welcomed to your home. Social learning among dogs is very strong, so much so that even dogs who were trained fluently can be easily influenced when exposed to other dogs.Hence why many owners of service dogs don't allow much mingling with other dogs.

 

If the jumping appears during feeding time, make sure that you do not reward it in any way by continuing meal preparation. Make it crystal clear that jumping on you makes you stop the meal prepation process and if it persists, it makes you even leave the room. Ha! Now prepare your meal yourself impatient doggy!

 

Sometimes during play, when things get out of hand, dogs seem to get a bit confused (or just super hyper) and jump on people. Keep acting super boring and don't reward the dog with any play. Redirecting him to his play mate is fine, but be careful for behavior chains. In other words, the dog learns to jump on you more and more because the behavior gets reinforced with play with his favorite buddy. To prevent rehearsal, perhaps see whether there is a pattern when this happens and when you see your dog coming towards you try to redirect him before he has a chance to jump on you. You can try to put playing on cue by pointing to his buddy and saying "go play!"

 

Yes, you are correct that training them separately can make things much easier. They otherwise risk influencing each other and this can interfere with concentrating on your directions.

 

Hope this helps,

Best wishes!

Adrienne

[DianeKomorowski]

Thank you for these tips. Very helpful. Will read all the stuff and i see some areas to get started in all these issues. I saw stuff I was doing right and stuff I was not doing right. This has been the first time I ever had to deal with any of these issues. My last 2 dogs were super easy!! It seems overwhelming in my busy life, but I will start with a few of these important iss ues first. Thank you again!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Sounds like a plan! Some dogs require more training and behavior modification than others, especially those that have been re-homed, but watching them slowly bloom and come out of their shell can be extra rewarding. Keep us posted on your progress. Best of luck,

Adrienne