Using the Walk and Other Tips Help a Dog Get Over a Fear of Men

For this Omaha dog training session we were called in to stop 7 year-old Scottie Terrier Sammy (Pictured here on the right with Blue, a 10 month old Scottie) get over his fear of men, including one of his guardians.

When you are dealing with a dog who is scared of men or any type of person, its important to give the dog space. Allowing a scared dog to come to you on its own helps it build up trust in you and feel empowered.

One of the tips I use for fearful dogs is to provide something pleasant or positive in association with the thing the dog is scared of. To help Sammy get over a fear of human males, I had the guardian hold onto a bully stick on his side. Sammy saw it and because he didn’t encourage the dog, Sammy came over on his own and starting chewing on it. Id like the guardian to repeat this ritual daily for a few weeks to build up those positive associations.

Another great way to help a dog get over a fear of people is to go for a walk together. You can see how I used the walk to help a dog get over a fear of men in the free dog training video below.

Dogs get over things by literally moving forward. Additionally, all the sights, sounds and smells experienced on the walk provide a nice distraction. I recommended the guardian start walking Sammy a few times a day. Once the snow melts and the dog gets comfortable with the activity, Sammy should start looking forward to encounters with the guardian instead of fearing him.

As a dog behaviorist, most of my clients need dog behavior help. This is different than being a Scottie Terrier dog trainer as we focus on structure and the reasons a dog feels the need to act a certain way. But in Dog Psychology sessions like this one, its all about helping an anxious dog get over a fear or phobia.

To help the guardians remember all the other dog behavior tips I shared in this in home dog training / dog psychology session, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can watch below.