Newly adopted shelter dog with severe phobia of men, out of ideas for what to do?
Newly adopted shelter dog with severe phobia of men, out of ideas for what to do? Dog Breed Discussions
I adopted a 2 year old Kelpie from a shelter, and only found out yesterday that he has a horrible phobia of anything connected to males - smelling them, hearing their voice, anything sends him into a VICIOUS barking, snapping frenzy which he has difficulty recovering from. I've tried introducing a few friends to him on neutral territory, and having them throw toys for him, give him his food bowl, or simply stand there and he goes ballistic every time. The few times he seems to finally mellow out, all of the sudden he'll snap and freak out on whoever the male in question is, he lunged at one friend today and bit a chunk out of his leg. Please help, I'm at my wits end and do not want to send him back to the pound but I cannot have a dog that refuses to even hear a male voice without going crazy, and wants nothing to do with our "desensitizing" sessions (other than this issue, he is a fantastic, smart dog).