weary puppy

Question
i have a 8 week old male puppy that wasnt socialized as a puppy.he was first handeld at 8 weeks. he is weary of our family butnot our dogs.i want him to be a people person a not so much of a protective dog.so what is the best thing i can do? how do i earn his trust?

Answer
Your puppy is heavily socialized to dogs because they are his natural conspecific and, due to the fact that he was not handled or exposed to humans until 8 weeks of age, the human has yet to become a created conspecific.  This means the puppy has not learned to accept humans as "like" himself.  You need to spend as much time as possible with this puppy AWAY from your other dogs.  Use STRICTLY positive reinforcement interaction with him throughout the next year.  Do NOT force him to interact with you but rather earn his trust by being the primary immediate members of his 'pack'.  Do NOT use harsh voice or ANY punisher toward this dog.  Gentle, persistent interaction with small food reward for approaching you and interacting freely with you is absolutely required.  Your window of opportunity to create a human companion of this young puppy is ABOUT TO CLOSE, so go to work at this ASAP.  Do not flood the dog with people who don't belong in your home; do not force him into situations which are boisterous or overwhelming.  Let him spend quiet time with each member of your family independently and without the other dogs on a continuous basis EVERY DAY for the next six months.  You can play "pass the puppy" with family members by arming each person with a very small special food treat, sitting in a circle, and allowing the puppy to go to each person without coercion for the small food treat.  This is an excellent way to assist the puppy in choosing to approach family members and being instantly rewarded.  When the puppy is freely participating in this game, you can then connect a word (I always use the word "presto") as the treat goes into his mouth, thereby training an excellent and reliable recall (come when called.)