ParadiserowsPointer Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Hi all doggy lovers, Ah, where do i start..., my partner and i have a 19 week old German Shorthaired Pointer puppy named Heidi, she came into our lives when she was 11 weeks old. Over the period of the last month we have noticed she is extremely timid and lacking confidence when around humans to the point where she barks and growls at people who either approach her or who are in her vicinity when taking her for walks to our local shopping centre, the beach or the Obedience Club. We know this is her saying to "stay away as i am unsure", so we do not force her to have any interactions with people when she is like this, we reward her with treats when she does not react and is calm. We are working on loose leash walking which she has not quite mastered yet to a) stop the tension on a tight lead when she does react to humans, b) teach her to follow/focus on my partner. She has been attending our local puppy school in the western suburbs of Melbourne and the Werribee Obedience Club for well over the last month, i have reached a point where im stumped in terms of what course of action to take as her lack of confidence or either negative association with strangers is starting to take a toll on my partner and myself. During puppy school she has developed from being extremely unsure of other dogs to being the ring leader getting other dogs to chase and follow her through the agility tunnel but she seems to have hit a wall and i can see a negative response to humans becoming a problem in the future if we do not address this issue whilst she is still young. We are working on training and obedience to build her confidence and our bond, but her reacting in such a fearful way has me thinking i should halt all training such as the obedience club until we can get to the bottom of the fear of stangers/people issue as we dont want to be enforcing a behaviour that will stick for her life. This is where i am stuck, do i consult a qualified behaviourist or work with a trainer to get to the root cause of this issue, being such a young dog i know if i can take the right course of action there is hope to overcome this issue but finding the right course of action is overwhelming as we have had negative experiences with a particular dog whisperer when dealing with separation anxiety with our other dog which was nothing but a waste of some serious coin and a serious learning lesson that there are qualified trainers, university qualified behaviourist and unqualified so called dog whisperers. Does anyone have any experience with behaviourist and or trainers in the Melbourne region who specialise in dogs with fear/lack of confidence with people? Also has anyone had a puppy who has had a fear of humans and reacts by barking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Come down for a visit I'm only down the road from you www.inlinek9dogtraining.com Yes we specialise in quite a few issues and have many western suburbs regulars 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiserowsPointer Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 28 minutes ago, Nekhbet said: Come down for a visit I'm only down the road from you www.inlinek9dogtraining.com Yes we specialise in quite a few issues and have many western suburbs regulars Thanks Nekhbet i have sent you a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 (edited) My dog has generalised anxiety disorder and was very fearful of men when I first got him. He'd rush at them barking then run and hide under chairs or tables where he'd continue barking. So much barking!! With behaviour modification (a type of training that works on emotions) using rewards-based methods, we transformed men from scary people to ones who predict good things happening. You can too with the right help. As you've experienced, there's still a lot of people stuck in the dark old ages of dog training and a lack of regulation means that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. I'm so sorry you learnt some harsh lessons with your anxious dog. I made some mistakes initially with mine, too. These two trainers near Werribee are listed on a support group I'm part of for anxious dogs: • Chiara Perri - Point Cook Dog Training • Frances Hammer - Pet Angle You can find animal behaviourists (those people you mention with PhDs) here, such as Dr. Kate Mornement. and you can also check out the Delta Institite and Pet Professional Guild of Australia websites. If I were very worried about my dog I'd go straight to someone like Dr. Kate. You might also like to read this article about so-called "balanced" trainers: https://positively.com/victorias-blog/balanced-dog-training-theres-nothing-balanced-about-it/ Edited August 23, 2017 by Papillon Kisses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiserowsPointer Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 9 minutes ago, Papillon Kisses said: My dog has generalised anxiety disorder and was very fearful of men when I first got him. He'd rush at them barking then run and hide under chairs or tables where he'd continue barking. So much barking!! With behaviour modification (a type of training that works on emotions) using rewards-based methods, we transformed men from scary people to ones who predict good things happening. You can too with the right help. As you've experienced, there's still a lot of people stuck in the dark old ages of dog training and a lack of regulation means that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. I'm so sorry you learnt some harsh lessons with your anxious dog. I made some mistakes initially with mine, too. These two trainers near Werribee are listed on a support group I'm part of for anxious dogs: • Chiara Perri - Point Cook Dog Training • Frances Hammer - Pet Angle You can find animal behaviourists (those people you mention with PhDs) here, such as Dr. Kate Mournement. and you can also check out the Delta Institite and Pet Professional Guild of Australia websites. If I were very worried about my dog I'd go straight to someone like Dr. Kate. You might also like to read this article about so-called "balanced" trainers: https://positively.com/victorias-blog/balanced-dog-training-theres-nothing-balanced-about-it/ Thanks Papillon Kisses, Funny you mention Chiara Perri of Point Cook Dog Training, she is our puppy school teacher , speaking of which we have a class with her tonight, what is the support group for anxious dogs you part of? And thanks again for the article, very interesting..., i really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 Oh, that's fantastic. She'd be an ideal person to speak with then. On her website there's details about private behaviour consultations: https://www.pointcookdogtraining.com.au/training/private-behavioural-consultations/ I've sent you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoshelley Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 (edited) My male golden retriever Axel is the same he barks at some strangers when out on walks and some he will run up to them for a pat. What I did with Axel is when he started barking I would call him, tell him to sit then look at me then reward. I had this problem since he was a puppy, took him to a behaviourist which said to do the sit look at me then reward. It did work but then he started working out himself I can bark then go to mummy sit and look and I'll get a treat. So now I get him to do sit, stays which works. My dog is a bit different some people he will bark his head off at but then other people he will run up to wanting a pat. I now let Axel choose who he approaches. He also has a thing about dogs if the dog shows aggression towards him he will retaliate to it, but if the dog is friendly he will happy play with him/her. Axel is now 2 years old and weighs in at 36kgs Edited August 23, 2017 by mumtoshelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 I gather the other dog is yours ? how does your pup react if with the other dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiserowsPointer Posted August 25, 2017 Author Share Posted August 25, 2017 On 8/23/2017 at 8:45 PM, Dogsfevr said: I gather the other dog is yours ? how does your pup react if with the other dog She doesn't react at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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