Ralfys scared of men.....help needed!!!

My 1year old Douge is scared of men of all shapes and sizes, he will bark, jump back&run to his cage. The only men he's comfortable with is my partner and my Dad (whom he sees once a month if that!) but my partners Dad he still uneasy, even though we see him twice to three times a month.

He started this behavour when my partner took him to the vets and saw a male vet, this was the 1st time my partner has taken him without me, and the 1st time Ralf has been seen by a male vet. The only thing the Vet done different to the other vets was 'wash his willy'..... could this be why? Could Ralfy feel 'invaded'?

Also I got in touch with the breeder and she informed me that his Dad feels uncomfortable around men (thanks for telling me before!!!!!!) Could this be somehow passed on?

He weighs 50lbs so when we're out walking and a man walks passed (even on the other side of the road) we have to put the lead on and hope we have enough grip on our shoes to keep us from getting yanked over! Other than this uneasiness and problems with his skin , Ralfy is amazing with training and children, he makes us so proud!

Also like to state that Ralfy has not been badly treated by anyone, myself and my partner are firm but will NEVER EVER mistreat any animal! (sorry but I have asked advice before from a 'friend of a friend' and they told me it's because Ralf is scared of my partner because he abuses Ralf!!!!!!!!! I said some choice words (obviously))

Sorry I've written soo much!

Any help would be appreciated!

Chrissy

Have you had this dog from a pup? Is he walked every day?
Is he nervous about anything else?
sorry about all the questions.
A specific fear can`t be passed on, but if he has been bred from nervous parents, he may have inherited this trait.
If he is a naturally timid dog, he needs more socialisation, not less - with lots of positive training to increase his confidence.

When I took Reah on she was approx 5 years old, she had such a fear of men she actually attacked, having bitten a few times, but we knew this was due to abuse dealt by men as she was a cruelty case. It took Pat a long time to gain her trust, I introduced her to men too (from a safe distance)......very slowly I add.......but I worked with them getting down to her level rather than standing over and tempting her with treats, it's not a quick fix it takes time and patience but after several months it worked.

She still has a thing about ginger haired men coming towards her but now she steps aside and keeps away, which is better than attacking.

Sounds like you need to introduce her slowly......all the best, as the vet for a little input, thats what I did, I used to get the male vet where I worked just offer her treats every time I popped in with her.She hated him for weeks but slowly came round in her own time

Hi,

It's a difficult one really if you don't know why he's afraid of men.

What training have you done with him so far to help him overcome his fear? Has he always been nervous of men or is it ONLy since the vet touched his willy (if it were Zane he'd have loved it!!).

Do you take Ralfy to training classes at all? This is aplace where he may meet up witth men and he'd realise they weren't going to do anythign bad to him.

Is he nervous of anything else? You see, if it was purely as a reault of the one male vet touching him spcificaly I could understand his nervousness during a visit to the vet's surgery and with that vet but not outside that environment or with other men.
You say you have men in your family he's timid around - is there any similarity between them and the male vet?

As Steph said - when you have men around him allow them to give him treats and being on his level. If in your house with male relatives or friends, they could sit on the floor, without making eye contact and offer him a treat. He'll learn very quickly that mos tpeople are friendly and hopefuly this will be a starting point for you.

Laura xx

Thank you for your replies. Ralfys affraid of buses also. I've tried the treats& asking men to go to his level, 1break through lastnight- walking ralf& we asked a neighbour to walk passed us bit ignore Ralf, pretend he wasn't there. Ralfy. Was frightend at first, then followed him til he shook my hand, ralf went off sniffing around as usual!!!yay!!
We walk ralf every evening frying earlier everyday to slowly introduce him to 'daytime noises'

Has anyone else got any ideas??

I have the same problem with Dan, and he's also very strong. Nothing bad hasn ever happened to him either, it's just the way he is at the moment. He is improving slowly, but it will take time. He is scared of people in general but worse with men, and he is also scared of buses and lorries and bikes. I use a non pull harness on him and it seems to help keep him calm as well as helping me control him. I also use rescue remedy and valerian compound and they help a bit. I am taking him to a dog show this weekend but he may not be shown, it depends on how he is. It will be a good experience for him anyway.