AboutLynn Houston Experience I have had a service dog since 1988. I do numerous presentations a year to schools, businesses, local clubs and other organizations regarding regarding SDs and through a small non profit I own, provide information and referral.
Education/Credentials There is no formal training for service dog education. I have 20 yrs of hands on experience and a necessity to learn the laws that apply to myself and my service dog.
Question My adorable 4 1/2 month old Australian Shepherd is so fun and playful and has the best personality, i absolutely adore him...but unfortunately he is very afraid of new people. He is fine with my family and close friends, but when new people come around or when i try and take him out he shakes like crazy and has occasionally peed. He never shows any signs of anger by nipping or growling...just scared. Its so sad and i want to help him. I've been taking him places ever since he got his last set of shots and he is still very frightened of...well, the world! Do you have any advice for me? Should I have a daily routine of taking him somewhere? I am concerned about him being too stressed out and overwhelmed when i try and help him by taking him to parks and stuff. PLEASE HELP :(
Answer Well, the easy answer is, DON'T TAKE HIM TO THE PARK. The much longer and slower answer is, you need to desensitize him. You also need help in the form of strangers. The only way to desensitize him is to slowly introduce him to what scares him. That means finding strangers, giving them treats and then slowly approaching the stranger as you treat your dog. As long as your dog is calm and collected, he gets treats and praise. The second he starts showing any discomfort, you back off to the distance that he was last comfortable. If he can make it all the way to the stranger, he gets that treat too. This is a very slow process and, on top of all that, once he's finally showing some progress, he will probably be hitting his second fear stage, around 10 months. Around 10 months, everything will again scare him. Don't take him out during that time or the set back will be even worse. Good luck.
