Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Miles Needs a Little Remedial Socialization Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:30 AM PST When Claire got Miles last spring I asked her if she really had the time to devote to a new puppy. I tried to convince her that she had to pay special attention during the first three to four months to his socialization needs and his basic training. Now that I've been with him for a few days, I don't think Claire paid much attention to my advice. Don't get me wrong. Miles is a really nice Lab and he's a quick learner. He comes when called, sits and stays on command and is completely house broken. He does have some people problems, though, especially with men.   While the two of us get along quite well he's a little squirrelly around other male strangers. He seems fearful, not aggressive yet, but scared. He even growled at Phil the other day when he brought Alice over for a walk. He keeps his distance and won't get close, even for a treat. He also barks at people walking by the house.   We've covered similar topics on the blog before so I have some ideas about how to deal with this. Objective number one is to avoid inadvertently reinforcing this behavior by our reactions. That's easy to say and tough to do when the action heats up.   For instance, yesterday when Phil came in the door and Miles went into his low growl, bark and slinking around routine we both just looked at each other confused about how to react. I thought about having Phil offer him a treat, but decided against that thinking that Miles might see that as a reinforcer for his fear behavior. In the end I tried substituting another command in an attempt to gain control over the situation. I had him sit and pay attention to me after which I took him to a neutral location out of sight.   In retrospect, I probably should have anticipated this situation and handled it differently. I should have removed Miles from the fearful stimulus and confined him in the bedroom off the kitchen before Phil showed up. Sudden exposure to the fearful situation is not a good idea if we are trying to change this behavior.   There are a number of reasons why Miles might be this way. From what I know, lack of exposure to different people and different situations during the critical first three to four months is probably the problem. Claire never got around to those puppy classes despite my advice. I think Miles spent a lot of time in his back yard waiting for Claire to come home from school. He may have had a bad experience with Claire's weird land lord, too.    So what is the plan?   First I have to establish a fear gradient. I have to figure out what situations make him most fearful and avoid those while gradually working him up the scale from less fearful situations. For instance, no more uncomfortable stranger at the door encounters. He seems most fearful when his home space is invaded. He's less fearful on neutral ground but he still seems nervous and shy around men. He seems a little stressed out by lots of stimulus at once, too. When I walk him down to the coffee shop he gets a little sensory overload and you can tell he's a little stressed.   If we can gradually expose him to different situations and different people in less threatening situations he may be able to adjust over time. The key is not to overdo it and not move too quickly. I'm going to have to teach him some calming exercises to substitute for times of stress. Teaching him to sit and stay until he is calm should not be too tough. Gradually adding in distractions will prepare for times when we need him to focus on something other than the UPS man. I may try to teach him to go to his bed and relax.   He's definitely going to clicker training school at our local doggy daycare place. That will be a key to his successful integration into society. Meeting Phil at the trail head with Alice will be easier for him than meeting Phil at his own door, and daily trips to the dog park with good supervision should help, too.   The good news is that he's a Lab and he's good around people that he knows. The bad news is that fear and aggression are closely linked. His fearful behavior could turn aggressive if he's cornered and feels he has no way out. We'll avoid that at all costs.   I'd say his prognosis is pretty good if we take our time and remain patient. He's not quite a year old and he's a sweetheart around us. We'll follow the saga of Miles for the next few months. Wish us luck.

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