My pup

[Reggiesmom]

Hi everyone,

My pup is 4 months old now and scared stiff of people and children toddler age he backs back and wont walk past them.
At home if someone comes to the door he growls and bark when hes at the door with me. I have had him since he was 8 weeks and see no reason why he is like this.
Does anyone have any advice and if anyone has had a pup like this what did you do?

[bluebirdonmyshoulder]

Puppies go through a fear period at about 16 weeks so that's completely normal but you need to make sure it doesn't last! Really sorry as don't have time to type a long response but Google puppy development, fear period, positive training etc for how to deal with this.

Also contact the breeder for advice assuming you got him from a reputable breeeder and not a BYB.

Or buy yourself some reputable books.

[Reggiesmom]

The breeder i got him off was pathetic he was riddled with worms and could of died, i knew he was poorly and it was dodgy when i got there but i couldnt leave him.

Thank you for your reply. He starts puppy classes next week so im hoping when he builds up his confidence it will help, i love him to pieces hes a perfect dog other then that.

[MsMcWoodle]

I think you're most of the way there already because you love him so much. Follow the advice from bluebird and Don't worry too much. I'm a bit further on with ours and puppies do get used to things.

[Reggiesmom]

Thank you.I do i love getting up in the mornings :-) im totally smitten. I hope so dont want him wearing a muzzle for the rest of his life... but i think im just thinking the worst.

[MsMcWoodle]

I think you are. I was worried that mine would never enjoy going out for a walk. She used to hide when I got the harness out. Now my problem is recall because she's enjoying herself so much.
Good luck.

[Reggiesmom]

He loves the walk just not the people.

[fruitloopsandfruitshoots]

Early socialisation is key with puppies, and exposure to as many noises and experiences as early as possible is really beneficial. At 4 months old it's not too late to get him exposed to as many experiences as possible. Obviously if he's nervous of people and specifically toddlers then you need to be very careful to avoid any situations where he may feel forced to act out of fear, but i'm sure you know that!

That is so sad that he came from such a terrible breeder What sort of dog is he? If he's pedigree and came from a registered breeder then you should report them to the kennel club.

[dotdotdotmustdash]

I took on a 12 month old collie-cross girl from a freead on Gumtree the week before Christmas. She's lovely, but when we got her she was quite undersocialised and hadn't been out much. She yelled and barked aggressively at every person and dog she came across. She was just nervous and unfamiliar. Two months on and she will happily meet new people and pass strangers without a second glance. We take her and our other collie out twice a day to a variety of places so it's just been a case of her realising that bad things don't happen when new people come along. Don't be down-hearted, your pup will come around if you make sure that she has lots of calm and friendly experiences. You'll find that if you explain to other walkers that your pup is nervous and unsocialised, most folk will meet her very gently and patiently and she'll improve.

[DunelmDoris]

Make sure you're using only positive reinforcement methods. If a puppy of this age is exhibiting anxiety then any form of punishment can worsen it - you need to be a safe haven he can always turn to when he's scared.