# My dog doesn't like my dad :(



## benfrankballin (Sep 30, 2011)

So we recently adopted mr. noodles the poodle this past week and one of the main reasons was so my dad would have a new buddy to hang around with.

The first day was fine, he seemed to enjoy everyones company, including my dad's, however the next day my dad came inside and noodles started barking crazy at my dad.

He will eventually stop afterawhile, but you can tell he is scared of my dad when he tries to pet him or carry him

We have tried everything icluding making my dad walk him, feed him , give him treats etc; he will act good for a little while walking around with my dad but eventually he will start barking at him again

I think he dislikes men in general because he always barks at men passing by and he didnt want me to come near him or pet him when we first met.

any ideas what to do? Im getting so frustrated


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

It has only been a week. Fear takes a very, very long time to decondition and almost no time to engrain itself. Noodles might never be okay with men in general, but he can learn to trust and accept your dad. It will take time but do not get frustrated. Frustration will lead to huge setbacks. 

Get something really super yummy such as ground hamburg, chicken or even (high quality) canned dog food. Mix it into a patte and mix with food. Have your dad hand feed him this special blend. Make sure noodles sees your dad preparing it and get him interested. Then have your dad sit down on the floor and put some in his hand. Dont have him look at noodles, and if possible position his body so he is not facing him directly. Sideways is best... have your dad just cup the food mixture in his hand and let noodles decide if he wants it or not. Do not talk or coax him but you can say 'good boy' or 'good noodles' when he is eating from his hand. Don't allow anyone else to feed noodles for the next week. If noodles won't eat from your dads hands, wait 5 minutes and then say too bad and put the food away. Try again at the next meal time. 

Another thing you can do is mark (click or yes) and reward for any attention/eye contact with your dad. Have it be well known that it is great/awesome/fantastic whenever Noodles shows any interest in your dad. 

Please read The Other End of The Leash by Patricia McConnell as well as her short booklet, The Cautious Canine. 

It is best if you do not force noodles to be near/pay attention to your dad. If he barks at him, everyone turn there backs and cross there arms and ignore him until he stops. If he continues, you can do a time out. I understand that it is frustrating to deal with, but you are setting both noodles and your dad up for a lifetime partnership.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Great advice above. Just wanted to offer some encouragement. We lived cross country when we got our dog so she didn't have a chance to see my parents much. My dad definitely scared her. He is 6'3" tall and seems to like shouting at dogs. I don't mean yelling in a mean way, but saying "Hello there, Poca!" in an abnormally loud voice, like she's deaf. Anywho....Poca didn't like to be around him. She would bark at him if he came in the door or got up from a chair. The 3rd or 4th time she saw him, he leaned in with an outstretched hand for a pet, shouting his greeting and she bit him! Just a scratch on his finger, but he scared her enough in a small space so she did the only thing she could to get him to back off.

But after moving back to my home town and being near my parents more often, she came to love, love, love him. It just took a little time. And following strict rules: no eye contact, no touching, no talking to her, no moving towards her or leaning over her. He had to completely ignore her. The only thing he could do was hold out food that she could choose to come and get or leave alone. Eventually she warmed up. Now she practically comes out of her skin when she sees him she loves him so much. 

So it will be fine. Just have a little patience and ask your dad to totally ignore the pup for a while.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

My dog Hunter was TERRIFIED of my dad when he first met him. He would growl, cower, and generally try to avoid my dad. My dad's a huge person and is naturally very loud, so he's intimidating to dogs even though he's not trying to be. I was trying to go about introducing him in a controlled, methodical fashion but then one day my dad decided to just sit himself by Hunter's crate with an apple turnover and share his treasure with him (Hunter got 3/4 of it, dad got 1/4  ) Since that day, my dad is one of Hunter's favorite people ever. I don't recommend this method at all and really am not sure how or why it worked, but I'm very happy it did. 

I think my dad is the only person that would look at a growling, teeth bearing German Shepherd Dog and think "hey, let me stick my fingers in his cage and make friends with him!" My dad is crazy, but I love him.


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## benfrankballin (Sep 30, 2011)

Thanks for the replies yall!

good to see that im not the only one with the problem

It sucks cause hes a real sweet dog and my dad really is trying hard to get him to like him

So i guess it just time that will be the factor...My dad does lawn care work so during the winter time he is at home most of the day so i am really banking he will warm up to him by then

So i guess the course of action right now is to not force noodles to be with my dad and make him want to be with him by spending less time with him, making my dad give him treats, let him outside etc.


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## GestaltZe (Sep 8, 2011)

I think as long as your dad is willing to make an effort, he and Mr Noodles can eventually get along. 
My dad decided from day one that he didn't want our dog, and refuses to interact with the dog except to scold him when he tries to seek attention from him. And then my dad wonders why the dog doesn't like him. -.- 
Anyway, good luck! I bet it won't take too long for them to become friends.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

My puppy was like that too, when my dad approached, would start growling/barking at him, but as he became more socialized, it died down, and now he loves my dad! He just needs to get used to men in general, so start taking him to lots of parks, and pet stores, and have men of different sizes and backgrounds to feed your dog tasty treats! If it's to the point where he won't even approach a male stranger, then don't force him to meet the stranger. Work on feeding him treats when a man is further away, and when your dog gets comfortable and comes closer, you can keep treating. But , don't ever force your dog to be petted/fed by a man if he's clearly not comfortable with it! If your dog voluntarily approaches a man to say hello, praise like crazy and give him a bunch of treats1 Then he'll learn that being friendly towards men really pays off! Same goes with children and other dogs especially

Trust does take time to build so if your dad is committed to it, I'm sure they will have a loving bond soon enough


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