When I am working with a fearful dog or anxious dog who shows a reluctance to meet new people or who has, God forbid, bitten someone in the past, I like to go straight for high value dog treats that the dog only gets when interacting with me on some level. I want to show the dog that any kind of interaction with me is good. They don’t have to let me pet them. They don’t have to come to me. Whatever they choose to do, so long as it involves some form of interaction with me earns them a treat. It could be something as simple as a quick glance in my direction and a hot dog gets tossed towards them. Over time, I ask for something more, I hold out for a head turn. Then a step in my direction.
When I first met Sherlock (pictured with his brother Truman), he was on a tether for safety and I remained seated the entire time. When I exited, I did so slowly. We have spent many sessions progressing from a group walk with his brother and mother to my being able to freely walk around and teach him and his brother tricks. In the beginning the hot dogs were for just being around me and being calm. We have progressed to earning them in some fashion, be it a sit, letting me scratch his chest, letting me walk in the house without his mom opening the door, anything that demonstrates a level of trust. We went at Sherlock’s pace. Patience and high value treats (hot dogs) were key to Sherlock allowing me to be part of his life. We bonded and built trust through patience, positive reinforcement, and a lot of hot dogs.
As you will see in this video, over time hot dog hands has turned into a great recall game with Sherlock. He has learned to love my name and the word hot dog. At the end of our time together, I have very smelly hot dog hands (hence the name of the game), but he has great recall, a great time, and most importantly, a great affection for me. Why? Because his mom and I went at his pace, built value in my presence, and made our time together fun!
You might want to start with friends and family. Always keep safety in mind. If your dog is scared, make sure your dog is restrained when your guest gets in and is on a leash the entire time. You know your dog best. You are your dog’s advocate. Be sure you set him up to succeed. I haven’t met too many dogs who would turn their nose up at a hot dog. But if they do, your guest might be too close. So look at the distance and see if you can widen it and try again. The more positive experiences your dog has the better! Keep your friends having hot dog hands and you might find your dog feels a little better about people. You might never get a social butterfly. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could walk around Jaycee park in Cape Coral, Florida without being on high alert for what your dog is going to do next? Don’t get discouraged. Every dog is different. For some dogs, it may take a lot of positive experiences for them to be less “stranger danger”. Every pawsitive experience counts.