Ingenious Tips for Dog Owners to Curb the Fear of Men in Dogs

We have seen lots of questions posted by dog owners who are concerned about their pooch’s phobia of men on Google. Hence, we have dedicated this write-up to showcase some ingenious tips that will assist dog owners to curb the fear of men in dogs. It seems little weird when someone says that their doggie is afraid of men. But please understand that this is not a rare incidence.

A pooch starts to develop this fear from early childhood if he has not been introduced or socialized with other men. There can also be a case wherein your tyke was abused by men during their initial years, but it all depends on the rescue group or the institution from where you adopted your furry friend.

One other reason for this phobia is because doggies perceive their owners are their savior, a leader whom they can count on during crisis. Unlike the popular perception that dogs want you to be their friend, they want to respect their leader and have high regards for them. But when they find a male figure giving them food, pulling their rugs and crouching them it certainly does not seem to be a leadership trait. Hence, they end up being fearful of men.

Other times, dogs are afraid of men due to their stature and deep voice. It can even be their scent. Remember, men are usually taller than women and have different facial features which make the dog perceive them as different. Even if you are the owner and a man and have been living with your pooch he can still develop a fear of other men who he has never met except you. This is due to lack of socialization with other men during their formative years.

To curb this fear, it is important to follow the tips given below:

Introduce your pooch to men very slowly with patience

If your dog feels anxious or shy in front of men take things very slowly. If you do not follow this, chances are that your tyke will turn aggressive and will bite the men. Remember, when dogs have a phobia of something they react in four different ways: Fear, aggression, depression, and hyper. Hence, the best thing to do is to be patient with your doggie.

Make your pooch comfortable and let him decide when he wants to approach men

If there are males in the house, it may be a very difficult predicament for them because even though they want to shower your affection and love towards your furry friend due to the situation in place they will not be able to do that. The best thing to do in this situation would be to ignore the pet altogether. Never force your pooch to be friendly with you, especially if you are a man. There is a great chance that he will nip you aggressively or bite you due to fear. Let your doggie decide when he wants to get in close to you and then take things forward.

Entice your doggie with a treat

One way to make your pooch comfortable if you are a man is to have his favorite treats handy. Whenever your tyke gets closer than the usual proximity, it is recommended to toss their favorite treats in his direction. Be patient as it may take some time for the pooch to accept the treats, but with time your doggie will associate closeness with men as a positive thing; and will slowly but gradually accept men as companions in the house.

In certain severe cases, it may take a little more effort and time along with additional treats to win them over. In such situation, you can follow the tips given below:

Take safety precautions

If the problem is very extreme the very first thing that we recommend you is to keep your doggie in a separate room or in a crate when you know that men will be in the house. Remember, a fearful dog can even bite a man and if he bites once it can happen again. So do not take any chances. If you take your pooch on walks, have a muzzle on your tyke, so that he is not able to bite men due to fear.

Desensitize the doggie

The very next thing that you need to do is to desensitize the pet. Desensitizing will enable your pooch to slowly but gradually accept that men can be trusted. It is all about giving your pooch the confidence that even men can protect him; if anything goes wrong. You can do this by giving your tyke treats and praise him, whenever he approaches men. Although, it is quite difficult to get the phobia of men completely out of the minds of your pooch, he will not show any aggression towards men whenever he is in the room with them once you follow this tip.

Get help from a dog trainer or animal behaviorist

In certain severe cases of phobia, it is recommended to take guidance from a practiced dog trainer or animal behaviorist who would be able to gauge the amount of phobia and take corrective steps to overcome this fear from dogs with the aid of desensitization.

Properly train your doggie

If your pooch is well-trained and is obedient you can help him overcome the fear with the help of discipline and hard work.

Note: This is particularly vital when your pooch is dealing with a stressful situation.

Take out regular time to train your doggie. With time they will obey your commands, which will help you in making him overcome the fear of men.

Bear in mind, never allow men to push, scruff-shake, hit or shove your doggie; even if it has been done to correct his action. It can result in him turning aggressive. But you can always ask men to use their hands to shower their love, attention, affection and praise.

Give some time to your doggie to get over the predicament and with little effort from your side as suggested in this write-up, he will surely come out with flying colors by successfully overcoming the fear of men. Don’t worry; you will get an improved and rejuvenated buddy who will cherish all the human beings alike!!

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