Fearful, nervous lab puppy

Question
Many thanks, in advance, to you and the other experts who volunteer on this site for being so willing to take the time to address our concerns. In my case, it has to do with my 4 1/2 month-old chocolate lab's fear and anxiety around people. Bruno's my first dog and I certainly want to do right by him, especially at this very early and crucial stage of his life as he goes from farm to New York City dog. Perhaps I wouldn't be quite as concerned if I didn't keep hearing/reading that a pup's personality is formed by and large by the end of his 3rd month.

Some background first: I've had Bruno for approx. 5 weeks. I got him, sight unseen (my ignorance, I know), from a breeder located in a rural town in Missouri at the age of 3 1/2 months. He was the second to last puppy to leave his large litter of 10. I saw photos of both the sire and dam and Bruno's vaccination records, etc.; there were champions in the bloodline, although I realize that means little. The family that bred Bruno consisted of a married couple and two little girls, 6 and 14, who doted on him. In speaking to the mother on the phone, I got the impression that she was more responsible for the raising of the pups than her husband, however (and this might explain Bruno's reluctance to approach or be petted by adult men). She claimed -- and I tend to believe her -- that Bruno was sweet, playful and one of the smartest puppies in the litter when he was there with them. (In fact, I've come to think that Bruno's almost TOO knowing and aware for his young age.) His twin brother, who also lives here in the city with someone I know but arrived at 2 1/2 months is very outgoing with people.

Given Bruno's first (quiet and isolated) environment, the transition to the hustle and bustle and strange sounds, smells and characters of Manhattan must've been very jarring. The current state of affairs is that Bruno has made great strides in the past 5 weeks in many respects yet has me very worried about one personality trait: that is, his apparent lack of previous socialization that seems to have resulted in FEAR with regard to having human contact. Or maybe it's his temperament, all in his genes.

If Bruno is already familiar with someone, no worries whatsoever. Family members, friends and folks here in my apt. complex whom he knows and trusts, familiar people and fellow dog owners in the neighborhood park ... it's all systems go. In these cases, the tail is wagging overtime, the licks are coming fast and furious, he loves the attention and petting, etc. And yet when approached by someone unfamiliar -- with some exceptions (almost all kids or women) -- Bruno more often than not shows very strong mistrust and starts backpedaling, tail tightly between his legs, to the point that he is either between my legs or, worse, under a bench or car! In many cases, it's not shyness at all but pure terror. This doesn't involve barking but rather full-out panic.

I don't expect Bruno -- or any other dog -- to be a "perfect" dog. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not sure if such a creature really exists -- they're all so different, with distinct personalities and character traits and quirks. What I DO very much want is visible improvement, whether it be baby steps or not. I want Bruno to keep growing to be a secure, confident and emotionally stable hound. The worst case scenario that I could imagine is that Bruno's behavior becomes so deep rooted that it turns to fear aggression when he grows up. Fingers crossed, he's still young enough that there's a great deal of room for changes, big and small -- or at least I hope that's what you'll tell me!

I've been taking his to a six-week puppy class and since our last class or two, I've upped the value of my treats whenever I take Bruno outside, which is now about 5-6x a day, sometimes for as long as a couple of hrs. at a time. Cheese works like a charm. The Charlee Bears & Old Grandma Hubbard treats I'm reserving solely for training purposes, as I don't think they're special enough at this point to use for people introductions. I'm witnessing clear progress and I'm trying to set Bruno up for success by gently steering away from scenarios that I know, by experience and instinct, will spook him rather than bolster his fragile confidence.

While he's still very fearful of, say, our doormen or maintenance people, he's now letting little kids -- and even grown strangers -- feed him cheese and pet him in the park. On at least one occasion a day he even initiates contact with someone -- almost always a woman (good boy!) -- simply walking toward us on the street. When I know he's nervous, I never let on that I notice; I treat him and the situation as if everything is tipsy topsy. When I've walked him straight to or into his fear -- which how I, as a person, deal with obstacles --, Dog Whisperer-style, the results have been negative. It's becoming clear that the more insistently the person introducing himself to Bruno tries to push himself on him the worse it becomes.

Meanwhile, he's terrific with other dogs, big and small (the bigger, the better, in fact: Vizslas, Bernese, Coonhounds, Scottish deerhounds, other Labs, you name it).

As for other aspects of his daily life, Bruno's now perfectly housetrained; when not too tired, he loves to play with me or his familiars (going over commands, chasing tennis balls, playing tug, fetch or hide-and-go-seek in the house, etc.); he eats well and more or less on schedule; he lounges around on my balcony and is now ignoring most loud or annoying noises below (and there are many), whereas he wouldn't even step over its threshold when he first arrived. The only persisting problem in the house has to do with Bruno's discomfort when it comes to staying in his crate when he's alone during the day. I work on this at least two or three times a day, but he's always barking and whining like mad when I come back 15-40 mins. later. He never hurts himself, as I've heard some do with severe separation anxiety, but he's clearly agitated ... despite the stuffed Kong or sterilized bone and toys that are in there with him. He's tense but ok when he's in his crate during the day with me there in the apt., whether he sees me or not.

I've run on far too long -- apologies! I do hope to hear from you soon. Any and all advice would be much appreciated!

Answer
LOL! For a first-time dog owner, you hardly need advice from me as you are really on the ball with this!

As you said, this fearfulness could be genetic or lack of socialization, but I'm going to take a stab and suggest that he could possibly be going through a second fear period. I had two in a litter once go through a fear period during teething; usually that second fear period is closer to 18 months. Let's hope that this is all it is because it will pass. Just keep doing what you've been doing and having people feed the dog and then pet him. He will improve with time and a lot of patience, one way or the other.

As to the crate, make sure you are feeding him all his meals in the crate, and give him a small treat every time you put him in there. NEVER let him out when he is fussing; wait until he is quiet, even if it is only for two seconds.

One thing I have found over the years is that *some* dogs prefer a more enclosed plastic crate, while others prefer a more open metal crate; most don't care one way or the other. It is possible that he is one of those oddballs who cannot stand the open-ness (or closed-up feel) of his crate.

Also, continue with the obedience classes. That will help both of you a lot.

Karen