Fear of men

Question
My parents recently adopted a German Shepard who had come from an abusive/neglected breeder. The dog had initially been recused by a trainer and worked with for 6 months prior to my parents getting the dog. She has been with them for not quite a month and they are having some behavior issues with her. Initially it started out as barking at my father whenever he would come in the house or near my mother. She was fine if he was sitting in his chair in the living room or in the bedroom. Now it has progressed to peeing in the house whenever he comes toward her. However she is still fine with him when he is in the bedroom. She no longer takes treats from him and cowers when he reaches down to pet her. My father has never hit her or even raised his voice to her since they have had her. Any suggestions?

Answer
This is a difficult one to answer via the internet.  It is a situation I usually handle in person as watching the dog's body language is very key.  I do have some suggestions, though it may be necessary for you to find a behaviorist (not just a trainer) in your area to do a home visit.

Your father should not approach the dog at all, or try to coax her to him.  Have him sit on the floor in an area she cannot avoid him, such as the same room she is in.  Put very appetizing treats on the floor near him...from about 4 ft away all the way to his hand.  No talking to her at all during this process either.  He should hold the treat in his open hand, with his hand resting on the floor.  Have additional treats to replace the one in his hand.  And if he is comfortable with your mother, she can sit next to him but with no treats, and should not pet, talk to or otherwise comfort the dog.  Her presence will be the only comfort the dog needs, and any treats should come from him.  If she takes the treat and starts to move away, have him wait until she stops moving to replace the treat in his hand.  If he moves when she is walking away this can be read as a threat (there is a lot behind that-I am not adding the drawn out explanation unless you really want it).  When she stops and looks at him to see what is going to happen, replace the treat.  If she does not walk away, he should very slowly replace the treat-if she starts to move away then, keep in motion of replacing the treat.  We do not want to start the motion if she is retreating, however we also do not want her to learn the her fearful behavior (retreating) will get "the scary thing" to stop.  This could lead into fear aggression.  And by continuing to replace the treat she will start to learn it is not a threatening behavior.

As she progressing to not being afraid of your dad while he is sitting on the floor, start having him change position-sit in a chair, squat down, sit on the stairs, even standing quietly-but everything else should be the same.  No talking, no petting, and no looking at her.  you will know by her body language when he can start responding to her with more movement and verbal praise.

I hope this helps, and I will be happy to help more if you write again.  this is a difficult situation but can be very rewarding if done with patience.
Erica Slomka
Jumpin JACS Dog Training