Lab Behavior Question

[10,000 Casts]

When I bought my Lab at 6 weeks old 2 years ago, my wife wanted her sister too. A couple weeks ago my wife started talking about it and she decided to go to Fargo, track the breeder down and see is the sister had ever sold. Well to make a long story short, I came home from ice fishing and there she is! She is an absolute sweet heart and very calm and the 2 dogs get along great. The problem that I am seeing is that she is very scared of Men. Anytime I even walk towards her, she puts her tail between her legs and cowers, sometimes running the other direction. It is obvious that there were some issues when she was a puppy. If I am sitting or laying down, she will come over with her tail wagging and want to cuddle. But when I get up, she immediatly gets terrified. I have been trying to spend as much time with her as possible the last 2 days even letting her sleep in our bed. She comes when I call her and sits. She is house broken and seems to be ok when we leave her out. She has no problem with my wife at all.

My question is what kind of approach do I need to take with her from a training and behavior standpoint? Should I be passive with lots of possitive reinforcement or do I need to been strict?

[lovebigbluegills]

The only thing I can think of John, is to keep doing what you have been doing, and hopefully she'll come around pretty soon.

It does seem pretty obvious that there was a man in her life that didn't treat her well.

Another thing to try might be, every time you get home giving her a treat. When you're up and about, give her a treat and scratch her ears/back/butt. Hopefully, it won't take long and she won't consider you a threat.

[DuckDog]

Play with both dogs at one time. Maybe she will see you as you play with your other dog.

I then would take her out for a walk ALONE; give treats and attention

[crothmeier]

I wouldnt be strict at first, keep the positive reinforcement, no raising voice, after awhile i would think she would become more comfortable with you and not see you as a threat.

Shame, someone obviously didnt treat her right as a pup

[10,000 Casts]

I brought her into work with me last night to bond a little. When I held the door open for her to come in, she didn't want to go underneath my arm. When she was in my office she sniffed around for a bit then sat by the door and looked at me. When I walked towards the door, she shot across the room. Odd part is that after she shoots across the room, I walk over to her and her tail wags and she lets me pet her. 5 mins latter, she is scared again...

[DuckDog]

Interesting - but well done bringing her with you - keep it up let us know what happens after a month or so.

[10,000 Casts]

What I am noticing is if I call her she comes and is happy. But if I make any sudden moves she gets all upset. If I don't call her and go over to her, she is real cautious.

Work in progress...