My fearful puppy is nervous around dogs. How can I socialize him?

Question

My 5 1/2 month old Aussiedoodle loves people, but he's nervous around dogs - he screams and tries to run and hide when they try to play or chase. On leash walks, he's apprehensive and often barks if another gets close, especially big dogs. He had a leg injury at 16 weeks that meant he couldn't play off-leash for 6 weeks at the end of his "socialization window," though he did puppy class, and I'm afraid he's behind...what can I do to help him socialize with dogs, and is it too late? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | 5 months and 16 days old

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, poor Fiddle! He seems to be very scared by other dogs. I think the best way to approach this is by introducing him to dogs that are not overtly playful and pushy in a neutral environment. That is, you may meet with a dog you know is calm and low energy in a park just to have the other dog be around Fiddle to see if he tolerates this. Obviously, avoid any situation which makes Fiddle scared or nervous and don't encourage his fearful behavior with any rewards such as talking to him, carrying him, or petting him as this may equivocally teach him that it is ok to be afraid of other pets. Ultimately, if you're having a really hard time with Fiddle, you may need to have him evaluated by a behaviorist as it is never too late to work with them on improving a behavior. Hope this helps.

My fearful puppy is nervous around dogs. How can I socialize him?

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