Would really like some advice, our 15 month old dog (cross between King Charles cavalier and Bischon Frise) is scared of men, particularly anyone who comes to the house, although he's now started barking at commuters, when we're walking to school. This has gradually got worse and I wondered if anyone's got any advice - he gets really frightened and I'm scared he might bite. He's fine with men with dogs and seems ok with children. He's also fine with my husband, my son and certain relatives.
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15 month old cavachon scared of men!
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This sounds like a time for random good things to happen to reassure him 
When I first got Molly she had recently had her legs broken by her previous owner who, from her reactions, was clearly a man who had a stick of some sort. I went on a guerilla treat regime for a few months and thankfully it pulled her out of it very quickly. Every man we passed who wasn't clearly doing something else was asked if they wouldn't mind asking Molly to sit for a treat, and every visitor to our street that I caught was asked the same.
I'd advise that all male house visitors get given a little packet of fabulous treats as they enter your house and then get told to ignore the dog completely. No eye contact at all, no engaging the dog in any way. When they arrive you put the dog somewhere out of the way until your visitors are admitted and sat down, then allow him to come out and just ignore all of his reaction to the visitors but ask your visitors to just gently drop the fabulous treats one by one near your dog. The first couple of times are likely to be dreadful, but it may take nothing more than appealing to your lad's fine taste in treats to start seeing these men as a) not a threat and b) a valuable source of tasty things.
From here you can graduate onto male visitors feeding him the treats by hand once he's a little more relaxed, but make sure that it's him going to them for the treats rather than them approaching him, since approaching can be seen as a threat to a nervous dog.
When I first got Molly she had recently had her legs broken by her previous owner who, from her reactions, was clearly a man who had a stick of some sort. I went on a guerilla treat regime for a few months and thankfully it pulled her out of it very quickly. Every man we passed who wasn't clearly doing something else was asked if they wouldn't mind asking Molly to sit for a treat, and every visitor to our street that I caught was asked the same.
I'd advise that all male house visitors get given a little packet of fabulous treats as they enter your house and then get told to ignore the dog completely. No eye contact at all, no engaging the dog in any way. When they arrive you put the dog somewhere out of the way until your visitors are admitted and sat down, then allow him to come out and just ignore all of his reaction to the visitors but ask your visitors to just gently drop the fabulous treats one by one near your dog. The first couple of times are likely to be dreadful, but it may take nothing more than appealing to your lad's fine taste in treats to start seeing these men as a) not a threat and b) a valuable source of tasty things.
From here you can graduate onto male visitors feeding him the treats by hand once he's a little more relaxed, but make sure that it's him going to them for the treats rather than them approaching him, since approaching can be seen as a threat to a nervous dog.
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Great advice from Eingana - although I am on tender hooks about what the last bit is going to say! :lol:
Welcome to Dog Forum - I am Anna
Welcome to Dog Forum - I am Anna
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I think the above is fantastic advice.
Welcome to the forum
Welcome to the forum
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That really is fantastic advice!!! So sad at how badly Molly was treated
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[SIZE=10.5pt]I met a cross King Charles cavalier and Bichon Frise recently but this owner referred to it as a “Cavrise” or was it “Cavfrise"[/SIZE] :ermm:
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