[clvnlyns]

my pup recently started acting like he is scared of us,wen he is n his crate and we come into the room he instantly starts lowering his head and tucking his tail i dont kno wat to do and its really starting to get on my nerves

 

[rodrigo]

u sure no one has hit the dog??? or yelled at it a little too much??? usually when they act like that is fear of what comes next....

 

[k8nkane]

Some, but not ALL dogs can have a second Fear Period in the 6-14 month range. Developmental Stages

For this second stage, it's best to ignore the fearful behavior. If you reassure the dog, it reinforces their need to feel afraid. Act like nothing has changed with him and don't respond to his fearful behavior -- but also don't push your luck with it. Don't FORCE him to do something or become angry or aggressive about anything. When he's fearful as you approach his crate, simply walk up to the crate normally, open it up and walk away. Let him figure it out for himself.

He'll grow out of this. It's only if he doesn't that you need to be worried.

 

[rodrigo]

mine only acts scared on 2 occasions.... a) when i put him in his room on the days i dont take him to work with me for 5 hours until my son gets home from school. b) when its time for a shower lol

oh boi..... he shakes , he looks down ..... too bad.... i tried treats nothing worked. so i just ignore the behavior and if he doesnt comply he gets a friendly shove.

im tapped out on that end....any suggestions im all ears

 

[Kingsgurl]

as Kane mentioned, 9 months is the prime secondary 'fear' stage. It's also a pretty formative stage and mishandling those fears can 'set' them. Do not punish him for acting fearful (this reinforces you or it as something that is, indeed, fearful) and don't force him to interact with whatever is frightening him. Encourage, instead, exploration and investigation of these suddenly fearful objects or events. Reward heavily for any small bravery toward conquering this and ignore the rest.

Pups of this age will often do the "OH MY GOD, IT's A TRASH CAN! (or other random everyday object the have seen 500 times) thing. You don't want to coddle him and thus reward this behavior, but nor do you want to force him if it's pushing him over threshold. Most scary things in my household dispense cheese. The cheese just chills there, the pup can get it if he is brave enough to.

Generally, in a normal pup, the fear stage doesn't last long. If your pup is a fearful pup to begin with it can last longer, and how you handle it can be a turning point that lasts a lifetime