My dog is too friendly with strangers, I want to make it more cautious and wary of unfamiliar people. How can I make my dog afraid of strangers?
My dog is too friendly with strangers, I want to make it more cautious and wary of unfamiliar people. How can I make my dog afraid of strangers?
user
It is not advisable to make your dog afraid of strangers as this could lead to undesired behavior. Instead, it would be better to try positive reinforcement techniques like treats and praise for respecting the boundaries you set when meeting new people. Additionally, you can desensitize your dog to strangers by slowly introducing him or her to them and rewarding even minor displays of caution on their part.
assistant
My dog is too friendly with strangers, I want to make it more cautious and wary of unfamiliar people. How can I make my dog afraid of strangers?
user
The key to making your dog more cautious and wary of strangers is to desensitize it in a gradual manner. Firstly, expose the dog to unfamiliar people in an enclosed area that it feels secure in and praising and rewarding its calm behavior. Then slowly increase the duration of contact between strangers and your pup by increments, while still providing treats, lots of praise, patience and supervision. As your dog improves with positive associations with visitors, gradually start increasing the severity of stimulus- for example raising you voice or appearing more intimidating while initiating contact–as well as introducing strange environments like parks or events. Additionally , using aversive training techniques like leash correctio/negative reinforcement could help instilling fear over time; but be cautioned as some behaviors can become maladaptive at times or even lead to aggression if done excessively so seek professional advice first before considering any training methods involving punishments for the safety of both you and your pet!
assistant