scared boxer

Question
hi i have a 20 month old male boxer which i have had since he was 12 weeks around the house in his comfort zone he is big and strong and fearful of nothing but once out of it on his walks he completely changes and walks with his tail between his legs and is scared of noises  and humans mostly men,it seems to be getting worse and no matter what i try to do to comfort him and try telling him its ok or even have him sit right where the noise was to show him there is nothing to be scared of its does not help either its becoming a little embarrasing walking such a big dog full of muscle and seeing him wanna run when he hears a noise pls help i love my boy but and its hard to see him in this way..Andrew

Answer
This may sound counter intuitive, but telling him it is OK is exactly the wrong thing to do and may have even caused the problem.  He thinks you are telling him it is OK to be afraid.  Control your emotions.  If you are upset, obviously, at least to him, he is right, it is to be feared.  It is very hard to fool a dog.  Instead, go right up to what he fears and pat it, talk to it.  Show some discretion with strangers of opposite sex.  I had a dog that was afraid of women in broomstick skirts.  Be positive and cheerful as within reason.  Arrange to have men give him treats.

Perhaps try some of the same confidence building exercises I suggest for submissive wetting.  Start with obedience training.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.  

Play tug of war with the dog and lose.  However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog.  Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds.   Ones I made  lasted much better.   Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot.  Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie  knots in it.   Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer.  Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in.  If you are not using a crate, buy one.  The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate.  Praise it for going
in.  Feed it in the crate.  This is also an easy way to maintain order at
feeding time for more than one dog.

He is old enough now, it will take some time, but keep at it.