do u do correct "shy" dog behavour?

Question

My boxer is 2 years old now. Ive had him since he was probably 8 weeks old. (pet store not a breeder) He's ALWAYS been shy/nervous exspeshally with MEN, and loud noises.
Ive tryed everything. I walk him all the time in busy areas, took him to dog parks (which he LOVED), if he would get nervous and try and run cause a motorbike went by for example i would correct his behavour make him sit and stay there till he calmed down.
Ive bought a boxer magazine and they said that this is known to happen to this breed when not socialzed enough as a puppy. The thing is he's been like this since i had him. ALWAYS nervous with men.
So what can i do now? It's annoying and i would love for anyone just to be able to pat my dog. My concern is that he's going to try and defend himself one day when ppl dont listen to me when i say he's nervous.
I was told a PERSONAL one on one trainer would help but they should specialize in my breed. Where boxers have different behavours in general.

does anyone know of any personal trainers in the HALIFAX NS area (canada)

Answer 1

You are doing the right thing with making him sit until he calms down. But people can NOT touch him, look at him, or talk to him until he is calm. You need to tell people this before they come into your house and you need to put your Boxer on a leash and make him sit and stay until he is calm, and then people and touch him. Have treats ready (small training treats) that way the people can give them to your dog what it is time and he can think ''Oh, this isn't such a bad idea'' You do need a one on one trainer, I don't think one hat specializes in Boxers is necessary. I used to have a Boxer with your problem and I called up a trainer and did one on one and he was cured. I had to put him to sleep because of kidney failure, but he was just a normal dog after that. I would reccomend you but I'm all the way down in Texas, US. Good luck!

Answer 2

I can't help you with trainer recommendations but that is a great idea. Not a just a trainer however, but a behaviorist. Behaviorists deal with behavior ('shy' dogs, like yours) and trainers deal with training (sit, come, stay, etc.). Make sure that whatever behaviorist you use is fully qualified/educated and experienced.

Unfortunately, some dogs are born with a particular temperament and from what you have described, your Boxer was born with his. WHY he behaves the way he does is part genetics (pet store bred dogs are usually from puppy mills and have unknown qualities within the breeding lines) and partly environmental; ie, how much he was socialized and how he was raised. The old nature vs. nurture debate I suppose you could say.

A good behaviorist can certainly help you help your dog by boosting his confidence around men. So long as you accept that he will never be 100% around men, drastic improvements can be made using the right, positive training techniques.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

it is not your fault, if a puppy (especially petstore/puppymills) has not received adequate socialization before 8 weeks, they can be set for life in a insecure state of mind. They need to be held daily from birth, it is proven that if they do not get the human scent in a loving way before they are two weeks old, they will bond closer to dogs than people, no matter how nice you are to them. The person who raised the dogs could have been a male and imprinted the dog with bad experiences, rough handling, shoving meds down their throats, the whole shot experience etc. Who knows. The best thing to do is not pressure the dog to meet men and not to reassure insecure behavior, by telling him and petting him it is okay when he is fearful, you are actually telling him by petting the fear is okay. I don't think a personal trainer will help in this situation, unless he trains you how to react to the dog, the dog is not going to change.
Good luck and don't push him into a fear mode or back him into a corner with a man, he might bite out of fear and then you will really have a problem. This can happen if the trainer wants to "show him who's boss" or puts too much pressure on the dog. As his dog mom, it is your job to protect him from that, he has had enough drama already....

Answer 4

Nope, there is nothing you can do about it now. This is genetic, that is his temperament for life and while "training" may be able to mask it, it will never change, ever. I will give you and example. I had a dog very similar to yours that had the exact same problems. The dog belonged to a friend who asked me for help. We had several people turn into hotdog feeding machines. Every time a stranger came near the dog, he would give him a hotdog. It worked great, for a while. When there were no hotdogs involved, the dog reverted back to his old behavior. There is no changing a genetic trait, no matter how much you try.

Answer 5

First off , credit to you for loving your "pal" so much to seek input. Second, i believe dogs respond more to positive reinforcement than to pressure, and being made to do something uncomfortable (at that age) may be viewed by them as punishment....or admonishment at best , remember - dogs live in our world yes, but we also occupy theirs as well , and they have a different set of parameters at times. My answer would be to have a trusted manfriend come into the dogs space - but someone you 100% trust and know is a good person.....dog's aren't stupid - they DO know the difference between an outright "evil inside" person , and the occaisional "traffic ticket" type. Socialize with that person at your home and let him ignore the dog, if he's (dog) curious he will come around to "check it out". No fast moves or activity, and no "baby talk" either - they know better to fall for that. Seek a training session if you must, but i know what's worked for me.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

There are a few real keys to dog training, whether you are trying to train your dog to come when called, sit, stop barking or any other behavior. Understanding their importance is critical to achieving rapid results that are long lasting and help develop the bond between you and your dog. Learn more http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?X4er

The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don’t achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren’t putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

The second key to success is to motivate your dog. It is really important that you discover what it is that your dog enjoys both in terms of exercise and play but also in terms of a reward. If you can make the experience enjoyable then you will both achieve more and look forward to training.

Some dogs love to fetch, others love agility, and other dogs simply love obedience training, or swimming out into water and retrieve. At least to start with find out what your dogs love is and help them develop this, what I am saying is work with your dog. The other point to recognize is to make training enjoyable reward your dog.

Answer 8

keep in mind that "using calming tones in our voice" when a dog is not acting the way we want him/her to, is actually "reinforcing" the very behavior that we do not want the dog to do...
dogs do not understand our "words" only our "tones"...if he is scared and you say"good boy..it's OK" and pet him...you have just "told the dog"..him being scared is what you want of him...
I would keep up the socializing...taking him places but ignor the "scared" behavior and continue on with what you are doing...you will need to socialize him as often as possible...once a week won't even make that much of a difference...when he does not sho signs of being afraid...reward him with praise and treats...

Answer 9

I cannot give you the name of a trainer but it is definitely something to correct. A nervous dog could bite.

Answer 10

Personally, I think you did the right thing with the motorbike incident. Having the dog face his fears and getting him to relax during the confrontation is about the only way I can see getting him past it. I do agree with you that you need professional intervention here. Good luck!