Training and Treats

Discussion of useful training and pet care tools.

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piracha97
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:55 pm

Training and Treats

Post by piracha97 »

My dog is deathly afraid of people, its not a fear stage. He barks when people get to close. I want to train him by letting people give him treats, but he doesn't take the treats. Whenever i go out to train him, and i go to give him a treat, he just spits it out. Are there any treats my dog would go absolutely crazy for, if its homemade please provide the recipe. If you have any suggestions on how i can get my dog to warm up to people please let me know. My dog is a medium size Australian shepherd named Leo. (I took suggestions by other people, who said to let him avoid people for a while, and that does not work, it makes things worse).
emmabeth
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Re: Training and Treats

Post by emmabeth »

It isn't the treats, he is too stressed and freaked out to find them rewarding no matter what the ingredients are.

You need to go back to avoiding and then when his stress levels are lower, find his 'safe zone' where he can see people and NOT react, and take treats from you. That safe distance may be a VERY long way away from people, it may be that you need to stand with your front door open and have him see people down the street, or even further away, but you have to find that distance as if you try to just avoid people, then confront him wtih them at close quarters, it wont work.

If he is lacking in exercise when avoiding his triggers you need to make this up by a variety of solutions. 1 is to do a lot more mental work, training, puzzle solving stuff in the home that helps him bond with you and tire out his brain. Another would be to walk late at night / early morning when thereis no one around, or to drive out to isolated places with not many people about.
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Mattie
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Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 am

Re: Training and Treats

Post by Mattie »

You can't train a dog that is frightened of people to accept them, the dog has to work it out for himself and the only way he can do that is if you give him the chance to without putting him under so much stress that he can't cope which is what is happening now. If a dog that will normally take treats won't take them then you are pushing him too far.

Back away and do what Emmabeth says, you can't train him to accept people just as I can't be trained to accept mice, spiders etc.

Is there a reason why your dog is frightened of people?
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piracha97
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:55 pm

Re: Training and Treats

Post by piracha97 »

My dog wasn't socialized with people when i got him, he's been getting better little by little, because im taking him out more, like the dog park
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