i have a english bull terrier, she is unusual looking an when i take her for a walk everyone wants to?

Question

come over to her but she gets scared an doesnt seem to like attention. she doesnt seem to like kids the most an kids are the first ones to run over, an kids especially dont know how to approach a dog responsibly, how do i tell people nicely not to fuss with her? or how do i get her to like the attention? i stopped takeing her on longs n places i enjoy because of this an resort to walking her around the yard

she 3 yrs old now , an yes i guess i do tense up when people come over but i cant help it lol, i dont show it but if she can just sense it thats hard to cover up. she does it with my mom though too

i dont want to have to do a drawn out routine everytime someone comes over to us with telling them what to do giveing them treats, then it becomes more like an exhibition then a walk.

where i like to walk is busy with people, the sidewalk is next to the beach

Answer 1

just tell them to be carefull that shes not really friendly and you dont know why people will understand

Answer 2

DO NOT ASK YOUR VET!!!! they will charge you 50$ or more to tell you there is nothing they can do about it. when i baby sit at a new house with a timid dog, i take out some sort of treat, show the dog i have it then leave it on the floor then walk away, continue to do this but walk away less distance every time.make sure you give the dog it's space if it's still scared. if she feels threatened she might retaliate. so once she gets close enough, let her sniff your hand for as long as she wants.if she looks up at him/her with some confidence, let your friend pet her gently, if she backs upthen leave it be till another day. she'll be ready when she is.

Answer 3

If I were you, Take the situation gracefully- tell the people or kids that approach you half way Say it loud, "Sorry, I don't want you to pet my dog Thank you". It's the best line you can say to people and or kids without being so harsh. Don't give yourself on the part of life you enjoys. I always tell my kids always to ask the people first before pet the dogs for permission. To me, It's not polite to pet the others without asking first. The more you say NO or don't pet my dog, the less when they see you with the dog, they will not approach you again, leave you alone.

Answer 4

Tell them that she is afraid of people. Or, better yet for the kids tell them that you rescued her and she may bite. It might scare people, but the hardest thing to do is to introduce a scarred dog to people, let alone children. Keep her around when friends come over and family. As she grows up, she will become more comfortable with her surroundings. Have your friends and family give her treats, no better way to get a dog to warm up then feed them! Good luck, I had the same problem with the same sort of dog. Shy by nature!

Answer 5

I completely understand; I had a Schipperke (a little 12 pound fuzzy black dog that attracted kids like candy). Unfortunately, my little Schip didn't know how to react apropriately around kids, and would become fear-aggressive.

I just had to become super vigilant about stopping kids when they would start to approach. I would tell them firmly that my dog doesn't like kids, and they shouldn't pet her. I tried to be nice, but realized that people tend to ignore that. I soon learned to shoot for being polite, but insistent.

There are leashes you can get that have warnings on them not to approach the dog http://www.cautiondog.com/

You also might try conditoning your dog to accept a muzzle (people stay away from muzzled dogs) or a Gentle Leader (looks like a muzzle to uninformed people).

You could also condition your dog to like kids. When kids (mature looking ones) start to approach, stop them and tell them that your dog is scared of kids, and you need their help to teach your dog that kids are OK. Give the child a small treat to place on the ground in front of the dog (only if your dog is not food or fear aggressive). Gradually, your dog will learn that children are treat dispensing machines, and once your dog gets comfortable accepting treats from children, start letting the children gently pet the dog on the chest (dogs get intimidated from pats on the head). It would help if you have the child sit on the ground, so he or she appears less intimidating to the dog. This would probably best work with kids that you know already (nieces and such).

It would be a great idea to consult a professional trainer about this, just because it involves kids.

Hope this helps...


Edit: I know the whole "treat" thing is a pain in the rear, but it's just temporary until the dog learns not to be afraid of people. With dog training, there are no "quick fixes". It takes time and patience to train a dog not to be fearful. If you want someting a bit easier, just having kids over at your place might be enough to get her more used to them. Ultimately, it's your dog, and if you don't want kids approaching her, just be firm, and consider having her wear a muzzle, or some kind of service dog-type jacket with a "do not pet" badge sewn on.

Answer 6

You didn't say how old she is. If she's young, she might need socialization in a controlled atmosphere such as having one or two friends come to your house and approach her in a calm manner. That helped with my dog. You might want to take her to obedience classes. There she can meet other dogs and owners, and become more comfortable with attention. (anything is tolerable for milkbones!) Your vet can provide you a wealth of information too. Best of luck to the two of you.

Answer 7

I had this problem with a Lab I had years ago, he wasn't too fond of strangers and people just assummed because he was a Lab, he wanted to play with them. It sucks because the people act irresponsable and yet you'll get blamed if your dog snaps or reacts negatively. Some of her anxiety will come from her sensing that you are tensing up when kids or strangers run up to her.

I got Dax to start tolerating (he never learned to like them) strangers by having my friends come up at random to him while I was walking him, and giving him treats, then walking away. Treats he could NOT resist, like bits of liver and bacon, and after a while he got to where he would not tense up when someone new walked up. After he got to the point he seemed interested in a stranger coming over, I went back to walking him at the park, keeping snackies in my pocket. If someone came up and he stayed calm, he got a treat after they left.

Worked for me, might try it! I also found putting a muzzle on him REALLY discouraged people from wanting to pet him, they see that and tend to head in the opposite direction.

Answer 8

Simply explain to the "offenders" that your dog does not like the attention. - If she is still "young enough", try to make every opportunity to play with her so she will learn that touching and play are GOOD. She should become more comfortable as time goes by and will appreciate the added attention when you walk with her.

Answer 9

Most people should ask before they pet a dog...I do, so in that case just say a polite no. If people run up, just say, "Oh, I'm sorry, my dog doesn't like people that much. Can you please not pet her?" If that doesn't work, or if you are dealing with children, just try and calm her down. My dog got over her fears, and I'm sure yours will too.

Answer 10

the more you try to find ways to avoid those situations the worse she will get. She needs to be socialized and trained so you can take her wherever you want to without having to worry about it.

Watch the dog whisperer on national geographic channel, and enroll in some obedience training. Its never too late.

Answer 11

i use to raise & breed chow chow pups. and i know from experience how frustrating it is to have children who haven't been properly taught how to approach a strange dog. and it is ok for you to say to ANYONE that may approach your dog "she is not comfortable with attention. please just admire her from afar" dos are naturally friendly and people pleasing, but if she isn't comfortable with strangers don't force her to be. dogs who are stressed or frightened are more likely to feel the need to defend themselves. And i would hate for someone to get bit.
you should be able to walk your dog and she should be able to enjoy long walks again.
good luck.