# Fear Aggression?



## marisoma (Jan 20, 2008)

Giotto lately has shown signs of being fearful around strangers and at first he would just pull back and hide behind me or under a chair. Today when we went on a walk someone approached him just to say hello and pet him (something he hasn't minded before) and he immediately pulled back behind me and growled. This is new but worrisome behavior for me. 

He has always been a "slow to warm" type of dog. He loves people and other dogs, but he needs a few minutes to aclimate and get used to the person or dog before he is fully comfortable. Now he just seems skittish and I don't know if that is a phase or a new behavior and I don't know what I should do about it.

Any tips?


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Keep praising good behavior and not fearful behavior. Dexter barks at strangers now....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm even my husband and noises! :frusty: I keep the tone happy, say it is ok, no bark, and we check out the situation. I praise Dexter for being quiet. Soon, Dexter thinks it is ok.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

I am not an expert on this, but what if you carried treats with you and gave the approaching stranger a treat to give to him when they approach? My mom does this with her hav and it really seems to help.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Oh., gee..Gabe is 3 now and is still so like that! He seems to be very suspicious of strangers and will back up growling at them. Funny thing is, is that he wags his tail the entire time.

When he was a puppy he would retreat behind me. Now he will just stand there and 
nervously growl.

What I have been doing to try and break him of this (and I've seen improvement)
is to just have the person stand still and be quite..offering him the back of their hand.
I've been getting alot of practice of late, as there are alot of people from Hospice in and out all week to see my mom.

Another thing I do when a stranger approaches is to tell them about Gabe's behavoir then reassure Gabe by calming telling him "It's Ok" as they offer thier hand ..
He is getting better, but does have a suspicious nature. All in all he never acts as though he would bite or attack (though I suppose if a dog felt insecure or threatened that they might)

Sophie on the other hand is a LOVE magnet. She will at first bark, but then stop when I tell her it's ok. Then she moves in for any type of attention she can hog away from Gabeound:


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

I don't have any tips, but I have to say that I love your avatar. What a cute little attack dog Giotto is! I have the same problem with mine. Marble growls at strangers and dogs. I take chicken with me everywhere and distract him with a treat as soon as I see someone or a dog coming. As soon as the treats run out, I'm in trouble, though. I hope others have some good suggestions like Diane. You definitely want to nip this in the bud. I know this problem started with Marble and just seemed to get worse. Good luck.
Gina


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

I think if one can find a way to calm their fear, then the problem is half way solved.
If I and the person that approaches Gabe stay calm and I reassure him that it's an "OK/Safe" situation, then it relaxes him. Being able to snif the person also helps, as he is now getting used to my mom's nurse coming and going..


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## marisoma (Jan 20, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the tips! I will try and keep treats on me. I did this when he was very young and I was training him. He's not treat motivated, but it might be enough for him to see that he doesn't need to fear this person. It's a new behavior for him so I hope there is a good chance of nipping it. He is a pleasant little dog and usually very friendly. Really, his shyness didn't concern me until he started to growl. I don't want this to turn into a bigger issue.

I think I have to work on my reaction because my first instinct is to scoop him up or tell him it's okay. From what I have read neither of those things help the situation.


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

Hi, how old is Giotto? Perhaps he is going through the second fear stage.

Second Fear Imprint Period/Pre-puberty Sensitization Period ( 6 - 14 months )

This stage precedes puberty---and is marked by the appearance of fear in dogs that were previously not fearful (including well raised ones.) This stage is believed to be related a development of a cognitive (i.e. intellectual versus emotional) understanding of fear. Again dogs must be socialized and taught that there is nothing to fear with firm and understanding training. It is important not to "baby" the fearful dog as this simply reinforces that their fear is a reasonable response to the situation. It is imperative that the dog's environment be controlled at this stage to protect them from psychological trauma which could have a lifelong affect.

Baloo needs time to adjust to strangers too, usually a few sniffs and me encouraging him works okay. Check out my post here:
http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=545&highlight=bark+busters&page=4
It has some information on what I did to stop his growling problem we had when we first got him.

Good luck, you have a real sweetie with a little encouragement it will all work out.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Marisoma, Angie could be right. What age is he? Anyway ,sounds like he needs more classical conditioning . here is a good article 
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/classical-conditioning


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