abused dog/fear of men

Question
we have had MICKEY for 2 months now,working very patiantly with him.his owner before us must of abused him real bad.we know MICKEY was abused but not how.but everytime my fiance comes in a room mickey is out of that room as fast as he can move.he follows me everywhere and totally trust me.he even wrestles with me outside.what can we do to get him over his fear of men

Answer
Hi Tami;
How I would love to see people who abuse children and animals moved to their own little island where they could never have a chance to harm a trusting innocent being.
I would love to see a law that required people to pass a psychological fitness test before they are allowed to raise a child or animlal, but it will never happen.
We got a dog that had been abused by children, and he was fine with adults, but would run like a streak whenever a child came near him, and especially if they had anything like a stick in their hand.
My 10 year old grandson walked across the room to get a pencil to draw with, and when he picked it up, that poor dog scrambled out of the room in a panic.
My grandchildren all have animals and are very gentle with them, but he would not let them touch him, even though he could see the other dogs adored them and they were not hurt by them.
My the 3 year old grandson was staying with me days, while his mom worked, and he wanted that dog to allow him to pet him in the worst way.
I told him to just sit and coax, and not make a move toward Laddie, but wait for him to make the first moves.
That baby would sit for an houir or more, and talk sweetly and coax, and Laddie would lie across the room, not taking his eyes off the child.
It took little Will a little over 2 months, talking like that a couple times a day.
He would just sit and tell him what a good dog he was and how sweet he was. I love you, and things like that.
Laddie finally came to him, and in a couple weeks of being petted by Will, he started warming up to the other children.
He was a year and a half then, and is 5 years old now, and makes for every kid he sees to get petted.

It usually doesn't take nearly that long for dogs to warm up to adults. Children are more unpredictable and this dog had been abused like that by a houseful of kids since he was a baby.
Is he that afraid of all men or just your fiance?
Does your fiance wear a uniform of any kind, or a lot of leather?
These things CAN make a difference.
Back in the very early 60s, the US Post Office went to helmets because their studies determined the style of hats they wore. ( standard billed caps like moat policemen and dog catchers wear) were causing more dog bites, as were the leqather straps that hung from the bags.
The dogs would see the sillhouette of the cap, and it was too different from the owners and other people they knew, so they wer somewhat on guard, and then they would hear the leather straps flapping at their sides as they came closer.
This excited them and they were so on guard they weren't taking time to smell etc, they just attacked the intruder.
Changint to pith helmets and removing the leather straps from the bags they carried, cut down on dog bites considerably.
Some military uniforms have hats likt the billen ones the postmen used to wear, and leather jackets and leather pants make a different sound when you move in them.
Mo matter how much tanning etc, dogs can tell it used to be an animal, but they can't smell what kind it was. so they are sometimes fearful at first of leathers and real furs.Is your fiance an animalk lover, or does he just treats them nicely but doesn't particularly care for them. Animals can sense this.
It may have nothing to do with any of that though, and could just be that he was abused, possibly by an owner that would call him in a nice voice, and then abuse him.
There are no limits as to how mean some humans can be.
Bring the dog back in the room where your fiance is, and sit with him across the room. Let your fiance talk to him, and coax him.
Your fiance could give you a treat for the dog, and you give it to the dog.
Let him smell it forst, so he can smell your fiance's scent on it.
If Mickey is small enough for you to pick up, hold him in your arms, and bring him close enough for him to smell your fiance. Have him extend his nad, plam down for Mickey to get a good scent of him.
The dog can tell more about us that we know about ourselves.
Another thing that will help with this and any other anxieties he has is massage.
I have used the Tellington Touch method of animal massage for severa; years to help relieve pain, cure fears and anxieties, and bad begahior like aggression . excessive barking etc.
It is really a marvelous tool and training aid, and takes very little time to do.
One 5 minute massage was all it took to cure two dogs of fear during a thunderstorm.
Fears caused by mistreatment etc can take more massages, but a 15 minute massage to calm will work wonders in very little time.
Giving him a massage before bringing him into the room with your fiance would calm him, and better allow him to relax and get the know him through his scent.
Talking and coaxing on your fiance's part will help a lot.
Go to this site.
You can read up about the massages and what you can do with them, and order a video to learn how to do them.
Charlotte

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