Afraid of random people?

[wolf_Q]

Some questions...

I've had Nebo since he was 8 weeks old. He went with us on vacation not many days after I got him, and met tons of people in Jackson...I took him to puppy kindergarten, to petsmart/petco all the time, had him meet plenty of people. He was actually quite overly-friendly then, he'd jump on people when he met them...

Then at around 6 months old he went through what I think was a "fear period." Suddenly he was hiding behind me at Petsmart, and freaking out over everything. He gradually got over this, and not long after he was enrolled in basic obedience.

He loves other dogs and MOST strange people. He's always friendly to people in our home, and he just LOVES the people he knows. When I take him to work with me he's always really friendly to any strangers, sometimes even acting like a little show off!

He's just really weird, he's completely afraid of RANDOM people. I can be in the same place and he'll be licking one person, and hiding behind me for the next.

I haven't figured out any real pattern to it...most of the people seem to be male, and sometimes they look a little different...but not always. He is just absolutely terrified of my friends brother...he was even kind of barking/growling at him recently....the brother has never done anything to Nebo, but he's not nice to animals. Do you think he could sense that?

And I know I'm not a very people-friendly outgoing person either...I'm not one to talk to strangers. So I think in some cases he may be sensing that from me. Don't get me wrong, he's not afraid of every person he meets, just a few. He had no problems with the strange man who placed him on a table and inserted a thermometer (you know where! ) at the vet! lol

It's kind of upsetting to me because when I got him I was hoping to eventually make him a therapy dog. Maybe he has some issues that can be resolved, but I think part of it may just be his personality. Even with me, he's kind of like "you can snuggle and pet me on my terms....and right now I'd rather go chew on my toy."

Does anyone else have a dog that is sometimes afraid of strangers? Can a normal, well-socialized dog just have a bit of a timid personality at times? I've read that huskies can sometimes be a bit aloof to strangers...

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Molly is timid when it comes to meeting strangers. She wont go up to them, unless shes seem then before (ex: dog park, pet store, etc..) Daisy, on the otherhand, loves everybody, but has a thing with guys with beards...she doesnt like them...

[Kfamr]

It may just be a stage... who knows. Were the people wearing anything? (Well, obviously... and hopefully they were wearing SOMETHING) But, I mean something in particular. Simba seems to be afraid of people in hats.

[shais_mom]

Well, as we talked in chat the other nite, Keegan can get freaky with men who have beards. I don't know why. I have had her since she was 6 weeks old. My mom's cousin tried to sit on the floor with her and she wouldn't get near him she just kept barking at him, until I threw him the tennis ball, then she had a new best friend!
I think part of Keegan's 'attitude' is she has only been socialized with a certain amt of people. Family, neighbors, etc. She is pretty good at the dog park, but she also sticks to my side pretty much.
To answer the question about if he can sense that your friends brother is an a$$ DEFINATELY
Kylie didn't like my friend's boyfriend from the beginning b/c I think she could sense what a jerk he is. When I first got her she was pretty shy around strangers/men, then a couple months ago, when I had my high speed internet installed the guy that was installing it, I thought was a pretty nice guy, but Kylie was over sitting beside him and putting her paws up on his leg and meowing! She never ever does that!
Then I found out that he and his wife have 5 dogs! I think she could sense that he was a good guy and an animal lover!!

[tikeyas_mom]

Tikeya isnt really afraid of certin ppl, she just get protective of me when other dogs come around. but I guess this isnt a good example.

Oscar is affraid of large men, but loves my dad to peices!!!

Tikeya is affraid of kids riding bikes to.

[wolf_Q]

I took Nebo to the firework thing at the high school last night....(just fyi so you don't think I'm mean, the fireworks startled him at first but after I gave him a rawhide he completely ignored them)

There was of course, LOTS of people. He was fine...Melissa and I were just sitting on our blanket with the dogs...kids they didn't know kept coming up and petting them (and annoying the heck out of me) He has no problems with kids. There was people of all sorts all around us...no reaction...I walked him around close to people...no reaction at all....

Then my friend's brother came over to pet Lady. Nebo immediately stood up and started barking at him...raising his hackles, but he didn't bare his teeth or anything. Nebo stopped barking when he left and lay down next to me, acting normal. Her other brother walked by a while later and he barked at him too. He seems to have something against everyone in that family except Melissa (he loves her!), but especially the males, and especially the one brother.

He did bark at one other person, also a male...some kid wearing a weird jacket selling glowsticks. He was fine with everyone else, and even had some other adults come over and pet him. And we had a picnic earlier that day with a bunch of relatives...he's met them, but maybe only once...he liked all of them, even the ones who wanted nothing to do with him, lol.

He has no reason to fear males, he just loves my dad/brother/brother-in-law...and my dad has a beard and always wears a hat, so you'd think he'd be used to items like that.

See it just seems weird to me...when people come up to Lady it's like "Oh, people! Pet me!! Wag my tail! I love you forever, pet me pet me!" And Nebo's like "Oh, hi....let me sniff you first..hmm you smell funny, don't pet me please." It's only recently that he's barked at people though.

[anna_66]

Roxey is similar in certain ways. She knows if someone is really a dog person or not.
My cousin came down from Michigan last week (he's just not a dog person). Well he came in and all 3 dogs just kind of smelled at him & walked away. They weren't scared, they must of just sensed that he didn't want to pet them.
Actually Huney really liked this (since she is shy of strangers ). After a couple of hours, she was begging him to pet her!
I think dogs just know who they like and who they don't!

[chloe's mom]

I believe that most dogs are good judges of character. Perhaps Nebo is more discerning than most. He can probably sense that your friend's brother doesn't care for animals. (though how anyone could not like a beautiful fella like Nebo is beyond me) My sister's dog, on the other hand, really seems to dislike most straight men. He likes gay guys, but often barks and growls at straight men when he first meets them. How he can tell, and why this would be important to a dog, I have no idea. Once he realizes that we like the guy, though, he generally chills out and is very friendly to them. He is one strange little mutt.