Erratic nervous behaviour in 8 month old pup.

i'll try to get as many facts in as i think are relevant so apologies for the long post!

since getting lily at 9 weeks i have socialised her with humans and dogs alike. she's met little toddlers right through to elderly people.

all through the summer i walked her every evening at a place where we met plenty of dogs and owners and she would greet the dog first before saying hi to the owner and asking for a pat.

the first time i recall there being a 'problem' was in PAH when a rather large, bald-headed gentleman bent over her as he said hello. she backed away immediately and did not want him to touch her. of course, i didn't make her and we left soon after. when she met one of my friends husbands (who looks a little like the aforementioned chap) she took a little while before she would approach him. he was very good with her and let her come to him and now she adores him.

everything was fine until the clocks went back. on one of our evening walks we met a guy with a dachshund who again tried to say hi. she backed away rapidly and was obviously very nervous of him. i stood and talked with him for a while but she wouldn't go near him even though he didn't attempt to touch her.

if we see people out in the evening, she will avoid them and walk the other side of me. however, if we see people in the daytime in the park she will run up to them to say hello.

a couple of days ago, i was walking her at lunchtime (on lead) when 2 young children approached and asked if they could stroke her. she backed away with the same sudden nervousness and it was obvious she was not going to let them near her. the kids were very sweet and didn't approach her and we walked on. a few minutes later i met a lady we hadn't seen since autumn (one of our friends from the summer evening walks) with her dog willow and lily was all over both of them. she was delighted to see willow but jumped up at her owner too with her tail wagging. completely different from the terrified pup she'd been just 5 minutes earlier.

i went to my friends yesterday and lily and barney (friends jrt) were out in the garden when a neighbour that lily has never met arrived. sara sat down in the kitchen but when my friend opened the back door, lily shot in and put the brakes on as soon as she saw sara. she backed into the corner and shook like a leaf. her tail was between her legs and she looked like a dog that had been beaten. sara offered her a biscuit and lily wasn't having any of it. i told my friend and sara to ignore lily and we sat and talked. lily sat under my friends chair, still shaking and after about 10 minutes came and asked to get on my lap. i picked her up and she was still shaking but eventually went to sleep.

when sara got up to go, lily woke up and started shaking again.

does anyone have any idea what is going on here? i'm at a loss to know why she is reacting like this and my worry is that she will get worse. and why in the park will she run up to anyone male or female with no concerns at all??

Has she recently had a season?

no and there has been no sign of anything yet either.

Etta freaks bigtime with people on their own.

She has been out and about to all sorts of places as well.

I have taught her to touch with her nose and am clicking her for touching the people with her nose and I treat her.She has been better since I started doing it but I do have to remember to have clicker and treats when I go out!

On the beach the other day on her own she was appalling, she obviously gets a lot of courage from whatever other dog she is with.

She is a work in progress!

rune

it is weird isn't it? especially when we have done all the socialising just as the experts say. i was so determined to get it right with lily because dylan had quite obviously not been socialised with dogs at all when he was a pup. it's taken alot of work to get him to the point he's at now which some would say isn't brilliant!

thing is now i have a dog who is funny with other dogs and another dog who is funny with some people!

the clicker training sounds like a good idea. she's a bright little button too so i might just give that a go. thank you!

Poor little Lily. Tilly has always been more nervous in the dark. She will even bark at people across the road but only at night, never in the daytime. She sometimes acts nervous around strangers but she too was well soialised from ten weeks old. As a pup she would go up to anyone but as she got older, she became more selective and would also come across as nervous or aloof towards some but greet other strangers like long lost friends! But anyone she knows still gets the Tilly treatment even is she hasnt seen them for ages. I suppose i just let her be the judge and if she doesnt want to be near someone then i leave her be. I think puppies are very much like children in that as they grow, they become more inhibited. I wouldnt worry to much. You seem to be doing everything right so just see how she develops.

Rio is the same. She will greet people she knows and is very loving towards them, but when approached by a man she doesn't know, she backs off, and if they try to touch her head she will duck out of the way. I'm often asked if she's a rescue dog, but she just likes to get to know people before she decides whether they are worthy enough to touch her! She has also been well socialised - I just put it down to her character.

thanks for your replies and it's interesting to hear that your dogs are quite fussy who they let touch them.

i think because lily's reaction was so extreme though that is what has worried me. dylan isn't fussed with people either way and will quite often just ignore them even if they call him. that i find quite normal but lily really looked like sara had kicked the wotsit out of her. she was trembling, her tail was tucked between her legs and she looked terrified.

i'm just not sure what to do. i know i shouldn't force her to meet people but i hated seeing her so upset and distressed and would like to change that if i can.

Sounds like what mine was/is going through.... Have a look at 'fear and reactivity during adolescence' on this website http://diamondsintheruff.com/.

Definitely don't force her to meet new people and to be touched - Fluffster is currently working with a behaviourist and I'm instructed to praise and treat him for staying calm in the presence of strangers, but from a safe distance for him. So I pretty much zig-zag around the people who I think he might be fearful towards and treat him when he's not showing fearful behaviour. Do not fuss about her if she's showing fear, ignore it and remove her from the situation. Good luck!

I think its a 2nd fear period
Ben suddenly about that age became v v scared of new floor surfaces - sounds daft I know but he had trouble going from one room to another, going onto patio, decking, grass - everything
It was v bizzare
Basicaly I just let him get over it - when it was safe dropped the lead and walked on, he fussed a little but then decided to follow and as soon as he was on the new surface he looked dead happy with himself waggy tail and grinny face.

I think you are doing the right thing not forcing her to say hello, poss might be an idea just to get strangers to drop treats and totaly ignore her until she chooses to go up to them
and targeting them - a nose touch or something - is a totaly fab idea too.

I also socalised Ben like crazy, although he is fine with all people he is pretty aloof and ignores most people except for people he met when he was a puppy and then he is all puppy like jumping all over them