Vizsla puppy with fear of man

Question
Hi there,

I have a 11 week old smooth haired vizsla bitch. She is wonderful, sweet, affectionate and settled in to our home very quickly. But in the last 2 weeks has suddenly taken a real dislike to my husband. If she hears his voice or see's him she runs off to her crate, shakes or yelps if he goes near her or picks her up. At first we didn't worry too much and simply swapped all the handling, feeding walking duties over to him so she could spend some time with him but it has not worked and now she refuses to walk with him, eat in front of him or wee in front of him. She just sits in the corner of the room or garden and shakes!! She is fine with me and strangers are greeted with the same affection it is only my husband who she is nervous of. We cannot think of an incident when he has done anything to scare her so we are at our wits end to what we can do to solve this rift? Please help?

Answer
Hi Alicia,

Sometime between the 3rd & 4th month, puppies go through an important developmental stage. During this period you may see your puppy exhibit fear, shyness, or lack of self confidence. This is not abnormal for this particular period. Your puppy went through this stage once before, at around her 8th week of life. If the puppy's 8th week experience was uneventful, unstressful, and she was made to feel self confident during that phase; then this second phase should not be as traumatic.

During this period you will want your puppy to feel self confident and protected. Do not expose her to stressful situations which could traumatize her. If your puppy is lacking self confidence, try the following confidence building exercise:

Use an old towel, pull toy, or sock. Shake the towel in front of your puppy gently to illicit play. When the puppy grabs the towel, pull gently offering a little resistance. Be careful to not get to rough. When puppy pulls back on the towel allow her to pull it from your hands. In other words, "let her win". When puppy wins the towel, PRAISE her! "Good Girl!", "Good Puppy!", in a happy excited tone of voice. Repeat the exercise every day until you begin to see self confidence in your puppy. Remember, you never get to win during this phase of your puppy's life. When puppy is older you may win. This exercise is wonderful for building confidence.

Continue to have your husband walk and feed your puppy. Have him sit on the floor in the same room as the puppy, and without making eye contact with her, offer her food treats. When she comes near he should talk very gently to her. He should let her come to him (which might take some time and some coaxing), He shouldn't make sudden movements, or try to touch or even pet her at first.  Her going over to your husband of her own free will is real progress.  Just take it very slowly, and let the puppy come to him, in her time.
Not making eye contact is important, it's threatening to dogs.

This developmental phase will pass, with patience your puppy will get over her fear of your husband. If nothing seems to help, then it's time to consult a dog behaviorist. Sometimes there just isn't a substitute for the help of a live-and-in-person professional.  Ask your veterinarian or boarding kennel for a referral.

Best of luck,
Patti