Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Growling and backing away from strangers.
Ok the last few times we have been on walks and people approach Kaela with the usual desire to greet and fawn over her - she backs away and growls! She is afraid of them and I worry about this. I am used to Abby (and my past dogs) who loves it when someone approaches her and it puts her into a wiggling frenzy of wanting to love the heck out of that person jumping all over and kissing them. Kaela is opposite.
What is the best way to get Kaela to lighten up? It is menacing when you go to pet a cute dog and they growl and back away. I dont think she is protecting me as much as she finds strangers threatening.
I have been correcting her with a firm NO! and tug when she does it but this doesnt let her guard down, she just sidles behind me then. I have been giving the strangers treats to hold out to her, she doesnt go for the bait. She is only 4.5 months, but it is worrisome, I dont want to her grow up with a distaste for strangers. Advice? Thoughts? Experiences?
What is the best way to get Kaela to lighten up? It is menacing when you go to pet a cute dog and they growl and back away. I dont think she is protecting me as much as she finds strangers threatening.
I have been correcting her with a firm NO! and tug when she does it but this doesnt let her guard down, she just sidles behind me then. I have been giving the strangers treats to hold out to her, she doesnt go for the bait. She is only 4.5 months, but it is worrisome, I dont want to her grow up with a distaste for strangers. Advice? Thoughts? Experiences?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Adina P on
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I think those strangers prolly had swine flu + she was keeping you safe!
Remember that long winded description on steps to train a sit stay around strangers? I think you could use that in this case...but the actual petting would be weeks away. When peeps ask 'can I pet your dog?' just respond with 'thanks for asking but we're in training...' for now.
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Permalink Reply by LuvMyAbby&Kaela on
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Ya I can get her to sit stay, I cant get her to like them - lol. I have been trying to tell them "excuse her she is wary of strangers" but they take one look at her and give that "pshaw" attitude and reach in for a pat anyways and get growled at. Do you think she will grow out of this?
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'get her to sit stay' ... you mean on her own as in the stranger approaches and you say 'Kaela sit-stay' and she does it on first command without being held/forced? And holds it without growling or backing up (without you holding her there?). If so then just keep practicing but with strangers who are willing to be less enthusiastic at first.
My Thule is like Abby...ready to levitate with joy at meeting people. I do NOT let strangers pet her...not till we are further in training. But I accomplish this by saying 'No' politely with some excuse and keep walking. If you keep walking they aren't gonna chase you down are they?
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Oh I see what you mean. That is going to be hard. I live in Mayberry (think Andy Griffith). Anyways think Canadian, small, remote. LOL. Nobody just ignores you if you are Oot and Aboot (translation: out and about). No they wont chase but I will get a "thorn" in the local paper. ie "Roses to the lovely man down the street who donated his kidney to me." "Thorns to that lady who kept walking when I wanted to pet her doggies"
Say they will infact apporach her to pet her, is there a way I can get her to like it? Probably not, eh? Is correcting her exsacerbating her dislike towards them? Or should I say NO when she growls?
;o)
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I find corrections are best used for things dogs already fully understand...i.e. correction for a broken stay (once the dog understands and has demonstrated understanding of 'stay' and has had practice) in such a way that the correction helps/reminds the dog back into CORRECT position (sitting).
What you are trying to do with 'NO!' is very light, gentle punishment -- punishment is for the purpose of extinguishing a behavior completely but much harder to do well and aiming for solid obedience FIRST is a better long term solution.
But you didn't answer my questions above...so what's the answers, EH?
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Ok answering your question. If I stop walking she its down. LOL
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Oh sorry Adina let me finish. If I stop walking she sits down. I say "good sit", I say "stay". She wont hold it though when the scary person gets too close, she gets up and starts backing away, growling.
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OK...that's what I was assuming but wanted to be sure. So then working on that sit stay will be very useful...that is if fellow Mayberrians will just cooperate :)
Sit staying will give her something safe she can do--BUUUUTTT it has to be trained appropriately so she learns obeying you is always a SAFE choice and she can trust that obeying will not lead to anything bad. She may NEVER feel toward strangers the way Abby does...but as long as she can be OK with them..GREAT!
...reprimanding for fear won't be as helpful.
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Beautiful. But then when you tell her to stay and a stranger approaches will she STAY during the approach? During the petting? Or will she back away?
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She stays until they are within arms reach and literally have their arm out, then you can see she just cant take it anymore, she starts backing up...grrrrrr.
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Oh and I have to add sometimes it isnt a growl at all but a little leap backward with a little "rufff". It is like she really thinks "OMG he might hurt me" I have no idea why she has this apprehension, nobody has ever hurt her.
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You really need to find a 'stranger' you can trust to follow directions and present the directions in a way that makes them feel COOL like 'Wow I just helped train this cute dog! I feel so priveleged!' :) Her first approaches MUST be low key as if the person doesn't give a WIT about Kaela's adorableness :)
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