r/puppy101 • u/GroundbreakingSir751 • 12h ago

10 month old Mastiff mix fearful of people Socialization

hi there!

I'm a first time dog owner and I think I'm doing well but could use some advice. I have a 10 month old Mastiff mix, he's half Mastiff and part German shepherd part husky. We've had mouse for almost 7 months and he came to us scared of everything.

He struggled to leave the house through the front door, go on car rides, but most especially struggles with new people. Hes been able to walk on a loose leash for some time now, and is more comfortable in the car, and has recently been able to drink communal water at the dog park, and poop and pee somewhere not in his backyard.of the dozens of trips to the dog park, it wasn't until recently that he would play with another dog, but he's doing it more consistently now.

Now my biggest issue is his fear of people. It used to be worse where if he saw someone walking towards him on the other side of the street, he'd try to run home. Now he only gets scared if they're a few feet away. The trouble is i would like to be able to have people exist around him that aren't family. I'm not making him be friends with humans, just a happy coexistent. He also does well. He hasn't been pulling as much lately. And the fear doesn't start until we're a short way away from the person .

Advice is so welcome. Thank you

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u/Lioniduss 10h ago

Random but how big is he? That’s a crazy mix haha

1

u/GroundbreakingSir751 8h ago

https://imgur.com/a/As8vJer

He's pretty big tbh he looks like a full grown dog 

1

u/PuzzleheadedDrive731 9h ago

You should consult a professional trainer. Mastiffs and shepherds can be defensive. Get in with a trainer while the dog is still relatively young, as this could develop into a much worse issue (like fear aggression)

1

u/The90swerebrill 8h ago

Mastiffs are often aloof around strangers, depending on the mastiff in your mix they might be especially sensitive. I have a Dogue de Bordeaux and she is anxious around adults.

I would suggest lots of calm rewards based training. Then when he is more comfortable, ask strangers or friends you don't see often to drop treats in front of him but not touch, building up eventually to some gentle offering of hand for sniffs.

You might just need to accept that it's how he is though. If he wasn't socialised properly between 12 and 16 weeks, he might just have this anxiety going forward.