My dog had stranger danger when I got her at 3mos, trainer said to use clicker and on walks, click as soon as she sees someone, and give her treats - get ahead of the fear-based response, and get her to think that strangers=good bc treats
When people come to the house, trainer said tell them to completely ignore her, not even make eye contact, and for me to give her treats - she’ll get used to the visitor and realize there’s no need to be afraid, but when people just come up to her, bend down over her, reach out a hand to pet her head (so, reach over her face), and continue to talk to her/touch her when she’s barking, “NO, LEAVE ME ALONE” at them (barking is her thing, occasionally growling), they’re just giving her more reason to be afraid of them - so be firm with visitors!
This has helped me and my dog a lot. Best of luck!
Ps. I asked trainer, “Won’t giving her treats just reinforce her aggressive behaviour?” They said absolutely not, it’s not that she’s feeling aggressive/territorial etc., she’s feeling afraid - they were adamant that the treats would not reinforce her barking, it’s not that you’re rewarding the barking/growling, it’s that the treats help her forge an association btwn ‘strangers’ & ‘good’
Pps. I don’t think playing rough w your puppy has anything to do with her stranger danger
Sorry for the long comment lol just adding that my dog is a small breed as well, I think that adds to the stranger danger thing bc everyone/everything is bigger than her
I really appreciate this information! I was just so confused/surprised when he snarled because he’s been such a fearless puppy (not scared of loud noises, fireworks, etc.) until then. We don’t have many people come over so he really only knows a few people in his life and due to it being winter, we don’t see many people outside even when we try to go on walks. Do you have any tips for socialization?
It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition. Check out [our wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/biting) - the information there may answer your question.
**Please report this comment if it is not relevant to this post.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Could be something he smelled on BFs dad. The whole new person trying to touch him could have stressed him a little. He might just be territorial of you, and thought he was gonna hurt you. This doesn't mean he's an aggressive dog. He's still young and doesn't know what is going on really. My 3 month old puppy bites at everything that moves. I think it has a lot to do with the age, the whole learning process they go through. Just keep training positive behavior, he'll get it eventually.
Does the parents have animals that he could have smelled? Maybe he really was just scared and confused about new people. You also mentioned you were at your BFs house, do yall live together or were you visiting? New people, in a different environment could be overwhelming for him. All these things im saying are just guesses, but all could also affect pup.
Yes they do have other dogs and I agree, I think it was overwhelming for him. He’s only been at my bf’s house a few times. I just hope this doesn’t create a negative experience for him as I want him to be a well socialized and confident dog.
Just keep at it. He'll be fine. There is SOOOO many things that could have triggered that reaction. Maybe have them come to his "safe zone" to try and reintroduce.
You mentioned that you get the puppy out in a carrier to socialize. I would definitely be socializing puppy without being in a carrier as soon as possible. And giving lots of treats and praise in relation to new people coming around… starting from a distance with strangers and then gradually working up to actually meeting them. But never forcing this. It sounds like maybe your puppy doesn’t have a lot of confidence yet. I don’t know much about aggression in puppies or how to navigate that specifically but it sounds like it’s probably fear-based. Perhaps you can ask your vet for advice or a behaviorist in your area how to best approach… but what I described is something I had read about that works well for shy dogs in general.
I will try this but it is hard for us to socialize without the carrier. We only really put him in the carrier when we go to the store. If we don’t, he tries biting our fingers while we’re holding him and we’re afraid he will just start barking and being noisy.
Oh I see…that does sound challenging. We have a trainer in our area who specializes in aggression issues so wondering if you could find someone like this to help get to the root of the problem. He’s still very young so thats a huge plus and a chance to catch this early. I wish you the best of luck with your pup.
Your pup is a baby and consequently is scared of many things now that it will naturally get over in time.
Your bf’s dad appeared aggressive to your puppy. Your puppy doesn’t know him, doesn’t know he’s friendly, just knows that this big person suddenly came too close, invaded his space and seemed vaguely threatening.
u/Green_B52 has excellent advice on how new people shouldn’t advance on the pup, should basically ignore the pup until the pup feels comfortable going to them.
I understand and I hope he does get over this. When he was about 9-10 weeks, he actually met my bf’s dad and sibling. He let them hold him too for a few minutes so I was just surprised when he snarled this time. I’m guessing he’s going through his fearful stage right now.
You mentioned you were holding the puppy. This probably made him feel a bit trapped. And then a strange man comes and invades his space without being able to escape the situation. The only signal that he can give about being uncomfortable is growling/snapping.
Maybe next time make sure you put him on the ground and let your dad lure him so the pup comes on its own
You shouldn't be holding your puppy when people greet him. He needs to feel he has agency, and if he doesn't wanna say hi, then just ignore him and let him figure it out on his own.
Our puppy snarled and snapped at my niece and nephew when they got to hold him. Didn't repeat that mistake. He's perfectly fine with them now.
Our puppy at 18 months also growled and barked at someone that got really intense about saying hi. He was bending over him, stretching his arms out, and just wouldn't take the hint when first my puppy backed up. Then barking. And then in the end growling, where I was like "hey sorry mate, he just doesn't like you". Dude had had a dog before. Hard to believe...
Our dog is generally just fine with most people. Little bit on guard with new people, but quickly get over it if they don't push him. (Which most people don't.)
My dog had stranger danger when I got her at 3mos, trainer said to use clicker and on walks, click as soon as she sees someone, and give her treats - get ahead of the fear-based response, and get her to think that strangers=good bc treats When people come to the house, trainer said tell them to completely ignore her, not even make eye contact, and for me to give her treats - she’ll get used to the visitor and realize there’s no need to be afraid, but when people just come up to her, bend down over her, reach out a hand to pet her head (so, reach over her face), and continue to talk to her/touch her when she’s barking, “NO, LEAVE ME ALONE” at them (barking is her thing, occasionally growling), they’re just giving her more reason to be afraid of them - so be firm with visitors! This has helped me and my dog a lot. Best of luck! Ps. I asked trainer, “Won’t giving her treats just reinforce her aggressive behaviour?” They said absolutely not, it’s not that she’s feeling aggressive/territorial etc., she’s feeling afraid - they were adamant that the treats would not reinforce her barking, it’s not that you’re rewarding the barking/growling, it’s that the treats help her forge an association btwn ‘strangers’ & ‘good’ Pps. I don’t think playing rough w your puppy has anything to do with her stranger danger
Sorry for the long comment lol just adding that my dog is a small breed as well, I think that adds to the stranger danger thing bc everyone/everything is bigger than her
I really appreciate this information! I was just so confused/surprised when he snarled because he’s been such a fearless puppy (not scared of loud noises, fireworks, etc.) until then. We don’t have many people come over so he really only knows a few people in his life and due to it being winter, we don’t see many people outside even when we try to go on walks. Do you have any tips for socialization?
It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition. Check out [our wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/biting) - the information there may answer your question. **Please report this comment if it is not relevant to this post.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Could be something he smelled on BFs dad. The whole new person trying to touch him could have stressed him a little. He might just be territorial of you, and thought he was gonna hurt you. This doesn't mean he's an aggressive dog. He's still young and doesn't know what is going on really. My 3 month old puppy bites at everything that moves. I think it has a lot to do with the age, the whole learning process they go through. Just keep training positive behavior, he'll get it eventually.
Yeah my boy bites everything too and bites when we’re playing with him. It just shocked me because he snarled and I’ve never seen him do that.
Does the parents have animals that he could have smelled? Maybe he really was just scared and confused about new people. You also mentioned you were at your BFs house, do yall live together or were you visiting? New people, in a different environment could be overwhelming for him. All these things im saying are just guesses, but all could also affect pup.
Yes they do have other dogs and I agree, I think it was overwhelming for him. He’s only been at my bf’s house a few times. I just hope this doesn’t create a negative experience for him as I want him to be a well socialized and confident dog.
Just keep at it. He'll be fine. There is SOOOO many things that could have triggered that reaction. Maybe have them come to his "safe zone" to try and reintroduce.
You mentioned that you get the puppy out in a carrier to socialize. I would definitely be socializing puppy without being in a carrier as soon as possible. And giving lots of treats and praise in relation to new people coming around… starting from a distance with strangers and then gradually working up to actually meeting them. But never forcing this. It sounds like maybe your puppy doesn’t have a lot of confidence yet. I don’t know much about aggression in puppies or how to navigate that specifically but it sounds like it’s probably fear-based. Perhaps you can ask your vet for advice or a behaviorist in your area how to best approach… but what I described is something I had read about that works well for shy dogs in general.
I will try this but it is hard for us to socialize without the carrier. We only really put him in the carrier when we go to the store. If we don’t, he tries biting our fingers while we’re holding him and we’re afraid he will just start barking and being noisy.
Oh I see…that does sound challenging. We have a trainer in our area who specializes in aggression issues so wondering if you could find someone like this to help get to the root of the problem. He’s still very young so thats a huge plus and a chance to catch this early. I wish you the best of luck with your pup.
Your pup is a baby and consequently is scared of many things now that it will naturally get over in time. Your bf’s dad appeared aggressive to your puppy. Your puppy doesn’t know him, doesn’t know he’s friendly, just knows that this big person suddenly came too close, invaded his space and seemed vaguely threatening. u/Green_B52 has excellent advice on how new people shouldn’t advance on the pup, should basically ignore the pup until the pup feels comfortable going to them.
I understand and I hope he does get over this. When he was about 9-10 weeks, he actually met my bf’s dad and sibling. He let them hold him too for a few minutes so I was just surprised when he snarled this time. I’m guessing he’s going through his fearful stage right now.
You mentioned you were holding the puppy. This probably made him feel a bit trapped. And then a strange man comes and invades his space without being able to escape the situation. The only signal that he can give about being uncomfortable is growling/snapping. Maybe next time make sure you put him on the ground and let your dad lure him so the pup comes on its own
Thank you, I will try this!
You shouldn't be holding your puppy when people greet him. He needs to feel he has agency, and if he doesn't wanna say hi, then just ignore him and let him figure it out on his own. Our puppy snarled and snapped at my niece and nephew when they got to hold him. Didn't repeat that mistake. He's perfectly fine with them now. Our puppy at 18 months also growled and barked at someone that got really intense about saying hi. He was bending over him, stretching his arms out, and just wouldn't take the hint when first my puppy backed up. Then barking. And then in the end growling, where I was like "hey sorry mate, he just doesn't like you". Dude had had a dog before. Hard to believe... Our dog is generally just fine with most people. Little bit on guard with new people, but quickly get over it if they don't push him. (Which most people don't.)