My dog seems to be afraid of my friends

[Deleted]

Hey guys, i was just wondering if anyone could help me with a problem i'm having with my dog, recently around 6-7 of my friends all came over to my house ( all 16-17 years old ) for the first time.

At first when only 1-2 of them were there my dog seemed ok, but when the rest of them came over she just ran into a corner in my sitting room and wouldnt move at all. She wouldnt let any of them go near her ( Even if it was only one of them ) could there be any reason behind this? Or is it just because there was so many people? thanks :P

[Deleted]

is your dog not used to having loads of people? dogs can be socially awkward as well.

i think its pretty common for dogs to not like big crowds of people, unless they were use to it for a long time, maybe you should try introducing her to to a few at a time and gradually make the group bigger.

[Deleted]

Your dog doesn't have confidence in you.

[Deleted]

is your dog not used to having loads of people? dogs can be socially awkward as well.

i think its pretty common for dogs to not like big crowds of people, unless they were use to it for a long time, maybe you should try introducing her to to a few at a time and gradually make the group bigger.

Usually shes fine around my younger sisters friends, and theres usually a good few of them in the house at once. But she was probably introduced to them one at a time rather than all at once. I'll try introducing my friends to her one at a time and see if it helps.

[Bearshield]

You say she's fine around your younger sister's friends, perhaps that is the difference. Dogs do distinguish between men and women, and if your friends come over and get loud it can be more intimidating to a dog than a bunch of little girls giggling and carrying on. Is the dog crate trained? Something you can do is provide a crate in your sitting room, since that is where the dog seems to feel safe and allow her to retreat to her safe haven when she feels the need to. Do not attempt to either discipline or coddle her though as you will only make the behavior worse. What you could do though if you're worried about it, is to let your friends offer her a treat and lots of praise if she will come to them one at a time and thus build a positive association between your friends and the dog. I would advise against trying this during a loud game or sporting event though as you're only going to counter your efforts if there is yelling going on lol.

[lookperfection]

It might be caused by the weakness of sense of security.

[Stelio Kontos]

Your friends are aliens and/or ghosts.

[Ghostpanther]

You say she's fine around your younger sister's friends, perhaps that is the difference. Dogs do distinguish between men and women, and if your friends come over and get loud it can be more intimidating to a dog than a bunch of little girls giggling and carrying on. Is the dog crate trained? Something you can do is provide a crate in your sitting room, since that is where the dog seems to feel safe and allow her to retreat to her safe haven when she feels the need to. Do not attempt to either discipline or coddle her though as you will only make the behavior worse. What you could do though if you're worried about it, is to let your friends offer her a treat and lots of praise if she will come to them one at a time and thus build a positive association between your friends and the dog. I would advise against trying this during a loud game or sporting event though as you're only going to counter your efforts if there is yelling going on lol.

This. Excellent response.

[Deleted]

Yep, there is a golden retriever at the company I work for. Clients enter the building all day and he's not afraid of them nor does he bark but there are a couple of guys that he runs away from as soon as he sees them. These guys don't have dogs themselves so it's not like he smells other dogs on them.

[Deleted]

Could be the alcohol.

My parents in law have a dog, that cuddles up to me when im there. You can pet him and shit.
But when I had a few beers, and try to pet him, that tiny fuck gets more agressive than Chris Brown in a room full of Rihana´s.