Anyone else struggling with their 'lockdown puppy'

[Checkers271]

We got our much wanted, researched, waited for pup in November 2019. All was going fantastically well with training and socialisation and then of course lockdown hit in March. By July (or whatever month it was that people were allowed back into the house) he was shaking and growling at visitors. We paid £££ for a behaviourist but before we were able to put anything into practice tiers and further lockdowns hit. I cant imagine how nervous he'll be of strangers in the house when all this is over.

I hope we can overcome this. Our back up plan is to find a doggie daycare that will take him in for us for occasions when we have a group of people in the house. This won't be very frequently as we tend to meet people for meals out.

Anyone else struggling with their pups or dogs and worried about how lockdown will effect them when life eventually gets back to normal?

[FayKnights]

What breed do you have?
If he is just over a year old, he could be going through a teenager stage and pushing boundaries.
I joined an owners club for my breed on FB and there’s always loads of really fantastic advice or someone who will have been through similar, might be worth a try?
Ps. Wouldn’t call him a lockdown pup if you got him in 2019!

[SmidgenofaPigeon]

He must have been six months old by the time lockdown hit

[Floralnomad]

I don’t see how this can be blamed on lockdown , he had been with you for 4/5 months by then . What is he like with people outside of the house ?

[Checkers271]

What else could be the cause of it if not lockdown? He was absolutely fine with visitors before lockdown, we even had building work done in the February and he loved all the fuss and attention. After lockdown he was shaking when a man came into the house.

I've always thought socialisation was important for the whole first year. He's fine outside.

He's a cocker spaniel.

[goodnamegonebad]

Sounds like secondary fear phase to me - it will pass :)

dogcommunication.co.uk/suddenly-spooked-secondary-fear-phase-in-adolescent-dogs/

[Happytentoes]

It’s not a lost cause. Socialisation is life long. If you see a behaviour that you dislike or is unhealthy you go back to basics and condition the dog out of it. It’s not ideal now but maybe start with some socially distanced lead walks where he can see people without interacting. It’s hard to have people come to your house right now but if he reacts to door bells work on that.
The Doghouse in the Pets section has a lot of people better able than I to advise, but it doesn’t sound like you need a behaviourist as such but a trainer would offer good advice or even a one to one session for a lot less £££. Good luck