# Dog doesn't like men, today he nipped my friend



## luvmylizi (Aug 12, 2008)

Hi all,

My 2 year old male maltese has always been timid around new people. He warms up to women overtime but is terrified of men. Last week he started barking at strange men on our walks. Today he came up behind my friend (male) and nipped him on the back of the leg. I was shocked! I would have never in a million years expected this. My dog is the most loving and shy little guy. How do I work on this behavior? Any tips? 

Thanks!

Megan


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## k9Cracker (Feb 22, 2006)

How do you address the situations when is acting scared around people? 
What did you do when he nipped your friend? 

You should not let him get within bitting range of men untill you have resolved this for his own safety.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

What you are describing is called fear aggression. It is very common for a fear aggressive dog to nip from behind and when someone is walking away. The reason they do this is because when they nip or bark, the person goes away. Therefore, the behavior works (I bite, they go away). 

The cause of this is most commonly undersocialization with the fearful stimulus - in your case men. The solution is to teach your dog an appropriate coping technique and slowly introduce them to the fearful stimulus in tiny amounts (desensitization). I like two methods...which I choose depends on the dog...no two are the same. 

Method 1
I use a relaxation technique (the watch me command where the dog make and holds eye contact with me) to give the dog a positive behavior to turn to with the fearful stimulus. I practice the watch me a LOT at home and then taking it outside with no distractions, eventually working up to distractions. Once I have a consistent watch me. I do a set up with a man at a distance that is far enough my dog will not react. With the man at that distance, we do our relaxation techinque and reward with extremely yummy cookies. I slowly, over many sessions, close the gap between us and the man. You must go slowly. If the dog reacts, you have closed the distance too quickly. When we can finally get close enough to the man, I have the man toss treats to the dog. Over a few more sessions, we work on getting close enough to a man squatting down, looking away with a cookie in his open hand. 

Method 2
Classical conditioning. 
Many behaviorists believe that strong emotional responses work best with classical conditioning. This the bar open/bar closed idea. Delicious treats are fed while the fearful stimulus is present (at a distance the dog can handle). When the man walks away, the treats disappear. You slowly work to close the distance doing the open bar while man present/closed when man not. If the dog cannot take treats or is very distracted, back up a bit. 

In both cases, you must move slowly, especially in the beginning. The more solid base you build in the beginning, the quicker your work will go later. Desensitization is a complex process. You would be best served working through this with a behaviorist or at least an excellent trainer. Avoid anyone who recommends corrections (be it verbal, leash, shock collar). Corrections increase anxiety and this is just what you are working against. 

One last note - your stranger should never look at your dog. He should always look away. Looking at the dog is threatening. When you are finally walking at each other, try walking in a slight curve instead of right at each other. This is also better doggy etiquite to say "I'm no threat". 

Finally, here are some book recommendations to help you through:
This one is rather pricey and more textbook like - http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB920
Ali Brown's book is probably the best to start with - http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB799
She also has a follow up that is good - http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB956
The Cautious Canine is a wonderful little (like 35 pages) book with some detailed instructions - http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB586
Here is a nice little pamphlet on shy dogs - http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB187

I'd get the 1st Ali Brown, the Cautious Canine, and Ian Dunbar's pamphlet to start.


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## luvmylizi (Aug 12, 2008)

Thank you SOOOOOOOO much, oh my goodness, that is such wonderful advice! I am purchasing the books and am going to have my male friend work with us slowly on socialization. The last thing I want is my dogs anxiety to turn to aggression.

Megan


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