Dog is Fearful of New People: Free Tips to Help Dog Anxiety

For this Omaha dog training session, we worked with Odin, a 1 year-old American Eskimo. This young dog is fearful of new people who visit his home.

Odin protested with a lot of barking as soon as I entered his home. I gave him a few moments to settle himself down, but when that didn’t work, I had his guardian leash him up and I took him out for a short walk.

After his walk, Odin was considerably more comfortable than before. Taking a dog out for a short walk is an old dog behavior expert trick as dogs get over things by moving forward. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop his barking completely. So, I used a few more dog psychology tricks to calm him down.

Why a Dog is Fearful of New People?

To help Odin get over his fear of new people, his guardians will need to take on more of a leader role, at least in the dog’s eyes. Many people think having no rules and structure is a way of “being nice” to the dog. In my experience as a dog behaviorist, I often see dogs that are confused about their role at home.

That was certainly the case with Odin, but I believe it went even farther than that. Because the dog felt like he was in charge, he was trying to communicate directions and commands to his humans and guests. When they didn’t listen to him, that frustrated and stressed him out further.

For Odin to relax, his humans need to take charge at home. Consistently enforcing rules and structure will help with this.

I also shared my petting with a purpose and passive training methods. These help humans reward the dog for good behavior. This way, the focus is on positive actions instead of correcting unwanted behaviors.

Are American Eskimo Dogs Aggressive?

American Eskimo dogs are not an aggressive breed. They are friendly, alert, and eager to please. While they can be wary of strangers and may bark when someone new arrives, they are generally well-behaved.

These dogs are loyal, intelligent, and playful, making them great companions. They are also very social and enjoy being around their owners.

American Eskimos are highly trainable and respond well to positive reinforcement. They are energetic and need daily exercise and mental stimulation to stay happy and healthy.

After talking about changes in his daily life, I gave my camera to Odin’s guardians. They shared tips to help the dog feel less scared when meeting new people.

When a dog is anxious around new people, it’s often a result of lower self esteem; same thing for fearful dogs.

Tips for Combatting Dog Anxiety

I recommended that the guardians teach Odin some new tricks and commands; one a week for the next 2-4 months. This will boost Odin’s confidence and also help the humans practice being leaders in the dog’s eyes.

Poor little Odin feels pretty stressed out, thinking he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now that his family knows how to talk to him in a way he understands, they will soon see a more relaxed dog. His behavior should improve quickly.

The more the humans pet him with a purpose, recognize good behaviors and enforce the rules, the more confident Odin will become. By changing the leader-follower dynamic, Odin will feel less nervous around new people. He won’t think he has to lead, protect, or guard his family anymore.

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips I shared with them in this in-home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.