# Fear stage?



## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

Hi All,

I've been super busy lately so I haven't been around as much in the last couple weeks. Rollie is now just around 7 months old. His potty training is getting SO much better. He's by no means 100% yet, but he's actually going to the door a good amount of the time (hooray!) and we are going weeks between accidents. He had one just the other day and I think it was a huge surprise to him! He was digging on his shrimpy bed and all of a sudden he hopped off. I think he peed and didn't even realize he was doing it! Thank goodness his bed is washable.

But my current question has to do with fear. I've read that pups around Rollie's age enter a fear stage. For about a month now he has been super skittish of anything, and I mean ANYTHING, new in the environment. DH leaves his boots in a weird place, Rollie barks. Rollie sees a different colored recyclables bin outside, he barks. A car is parked on our street in a place where there usually isn't a car, Rollie barks. The neighbors put out pumpkins, Rollie barks. Plus, he's been showing an increase in fear with other dogs. He still loves the dogs he knows well, but he is not warming up to neighborhood dogs he sees regularly.

I really want him to be good with other dogs, so I'm still encouraging him to try to greet them (he still wants to approach from behind and gets very scared if they come at him face on, even if they are clearly calm and non-threatening) and the whole bark at anything different thing is just annoying (to this I respond by letting Rollie approach whatever he is afraid of and although he'll be timid, he will approach and then smell and then be fine).

So, is this the fear stage? Will it go away? Should I be doing anything in particular? Or is he just a skittish dog? I really hope this isn't his temperament . . . but I guess there are ways to help them build confidence, right?

Thanks All!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yeah Jessica, it's called adolescence. Enjoy . LOL http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/it’s-all-about-adolescence Actually Ian has written a couple of articles on this , because people are not aware of it, or are prepared for it. here's another, http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/adolescent-changes


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

It is not uncommon. My only advice is to try your hardest not to let him get in a situation that is truely frightening. Also, don't coddle his fears (really apprehension) but just talk calmly to him (not holding him or cuddling). He should get over this fairly soon.


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## Carter1601 (Mar 23, 2011)

Boy...you could have been writing about Watson word for word! He is going through the exact same thing. He is almost 6 months...so very close in age. I don't have any advise whatsoever  but am facing the same challenge. When I was younger we had a pekingese who was totally neurotic...so I want to make sure we help him work through anything he is going through now. Good luck!!


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Sometime just around the 6 month or so mark Brody started new behaviours. Where previously he'd been my nice quiet puppy who didn't react to other dogs barking or noises, he all of a sudden started noticing and reacting to everything. If a butterfly thinks of flapping its wings in Timbuktu, Brody barks and/or growls. He used to be oblivious to things like birds and now he notices them and reacts. 

At this stage he also started hiding when I grabbed his toothbrush, comb or leash where before he used to run to the sofa as part of our routine and tolerated these indignities quite well. He was definitely more cooperative then than he is now.

For a while he was also doing lazy peeing at his potty area (Ugodog) where he'd only put his front 2 paws up on the Ugodog and then let her fly (all over the floor). I was beside myself trying to correct this one because it wasn't like he was going in the wrong spot and if i tried to nudge him up onto it completely he'd run and hide and then end up peeing on the carpet. Thankfully (keeps fingers crossed) this seems to have resolved itself for now).

Welcome to adolescence!


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

misstray said:


> For a while he was also doing lazy peeing at his potty area (Ugodog) where he'd only put his front 2 paws up on the Ugodog and then let her fly (all over the floor).
> 
> 
> > Misstray - I don't know why, but that cracked me up. I'm glad this will resolve. I'll have to check out those Dunbar articles, Dave.
> ...


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

> Another struggle we're having is he won't let us brush about 2/3's of his body. My DH can hold him while I get the easy parts (and he really likes having his neck and had brushed), but goodness forbid I try to get underneath. Right now he has a small mat under one armpit that I can't get him to let me brush.* And of course the irony is that if he'd just lay still, I could hold the mat with one hand and gently brush it out*. Grr. Is that adolescence too? I tell him, 'Rollie, your coat is luxurious. We need to do this.' But he doesn't seem to care.


I totally hear you on this one. I keep telling him, if I didn't have to clamp his limbs down with one hand while trying to brush/comb him with the other it would hurt much less. He isn't listening though. I think I need puppy bondage gear! ha ha


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

misstray said:


> I totally hear you on this one. I keep telling him, if I didn't have to clamp his limbs down with one hand while trying to brush/comb him with the other it would hurt much less. He isn't listening though. I think I need puppy bondage gear! ha ha


OMG, I would totally buy that!!!! Ha, ha!

BUT, we've had a brushing breakthrough tonight and it was so simple I have no idea why I didn't think of it sooner (DH says he DID think of it, but didn't say anything). When we got to the underside we started feeding him cheese - his FAVORITE. Boy that worked. I got a couple mats out. And when I was done and we were packing up, he was still laying there on his back as if to say "oh, we're done? No more?" Also, we did it on his bed. It seemed easier to have him slightly off the ground and he was clearly comfy in his nice squishy shrimpy bed with a big-ol-mouth full of cheese.


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## CrazieJones (May 28, 2011)

Adolescence huh? I thought it was a natural dog thing. Roshi had a barking moment with the dishwasher the other week. I usually handwash my dishes, but I was lazy that week and stacked up the dishes in the dishwasher and ran it for the first time since Roshi came to live with me. Yep. He was already 1/2 asleep on the floor but when the dishwasher came on, he got up and barked at it for a bit. Haha. I thought it was hilarious.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

jessegirl said:


> OMG, I would totally buy that!!!! Ha, ha!
> 
> BUT, we've had a brushing breakthrough tonight and it was so simple I have no idea why I didn't think of it sooner (DH says he DID think of it, but didn't say anything). When we got to the underside we started feeding him cheese - his FAVORITE. Boy that worked. I got a couple mats out. And when I was done and we were packing up, he was still laying there on his back as if to say "oh, we're done? No more?" Also, we did it on his bed. It seemed easier to have him slightly off the ground and he was clearly comfy in his nice squishy shrimpy bed with a big-ol-mouth full of cheese.


We've tried the special treats while combing but there are not enough treats in the world to get him through the mats now that he's blowing coat!

I have some of the behaviors everyone is talking about but all in all McGee is pretty well-behaved except right now while he's trying to chew and scratch the coffee table legs! Morning is his most mischievous time!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

CrazieJones said:


> Adolescence huh? I thought it was a natural dog thing. Roshi had a barking moment with the dishwasher the other week. I usually handwash my dishes, but I was lazy that week and stacked up the dishes in the dishwasher and ran it for the first time since Roshi came to live with me. Yep. He was already 1/2 asleep on the floor but when the dishwasher came on, he got up and barked at it for a bit. Haha. I thought it was hilarious.


THAT'S a "normal dog thing". (sounds pretty cute, too!) When they get into adolescent barking, they bark for no reason, or they start "demand barking", and you can't get them to stop. When you're going though it, it's NO fun. For me, it was worse than potty training!

The good news is that with patience and consistent training, they get through that too. We were camping with a bunch of people we haven't seen in a while this weekend, and one of them said, "I can't believe how quiet Kodi is now. He used to bark at everything!" I wish I could take complete credit for it, but I think a GOOD part of it was just plain growing up!:biggrin1:


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

Yesterday Rollie started barking as soon as we got to the sliding doors to the back yard. Turns out he was barking at our lawn sprinkler. Now mind you - it's been out there on the lawn for about 2 weeks, but DH had moved it the night before so it was in a new spot. Luckily he didn't bark long and approached it to sniff and was fine, but sheesh!


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## DonnaC (Jul 31, 2011)

Baxter took a terrible fright over my son's backpack, lying on the floor, the other day!  He's just over 7 months.


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## CrazieJones (May 28, 2011)

DonnaC said:


> Baxter took a terrible fright over my son's backpack, lying on the floor, the other day!  He's just over 7 months.


LOL! I have this reusable shopping bag that had a goat on it. I had it on the floor one night. While I was eating dinner and all of a sudden I heard some growling. Looked over and saw Roshi all stiff growling at "the goat". LOL! 
I went over to move the bag and Roshi ran off ... probably scared that "the goat" will get him. ound:


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

Hooray!!!!!!!! Rollie played! He played with one of the dogs on our street! Finally! She was one of the first he met when we started walking and they've seen each other every week or two since and he has always been afraid of her. Today they were romping and playing and chasing each other (and it was very cute)! Hooray!!!!!!!! There's hope! There's hope! Hooray!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jessegirl said:


> Hooray!!!!!!!! Rollie played! He played with one of the dogs on our street! Finally! She was one of the first he met when we started walking and they've seen each other every week or two since and he has always been afraid of her. Today they were romping and playing and chasing each other (and it was very cute)! Hooray!!!!!!!! There's hope! There's hope! Hooray!


Because you work at HELPING him get over his shyness, he'll be fine in the end! Good for you and good for him!


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