Our dog de bordeaux seems to be frightened of strangers,he barks and gets very angry?

but always takes a few steps back.He has always been spoilt never ever been hit,trained with us beside him at all times.He is ill with kidney failure and is only 17 months old,could that be the reason?Susan he is well trained and he is a proper gentleman,i thought that we have spoilt him too much,it only happens if someone comes to our gate.The way he takes steps back makes me think he is frightened and i dont know why but i think Kaper know best

Nope. Temperament is genetically set. He simply has a fearful temperament. Training and socialization can help cope, but the dog will never be completely sound in temperament.

You are right your dog is very insecure and afraid. You could go to dog training classes and they will help you and him. There should be some near you in a park and they don't charge much. Mean while let him know you are the boss not him so that he doesn't have to do all this controll thing you will. This is very easy to do. Feed yourselves first before you feed him if only pretending to eat out of his bowl. Tell him to get off sofa before you sit down. It doesn't matter if you let him up again it is important that he realises he has to move out of your way. Don't pet him immediately you come through the door. If you watch wildlife programmes the pack leader coming back with food doesn't bend down and hug his pack he/she ignores them. Train him to sit come etc it all helps. Let him know that you are the leader of his pack and he doesn't have to try to be. Watch Ceasar Milan on the tv if you can.

One way of dealing with this issue is to get a stranger (a stranger to the dog not to you) to walk towards you then get them to speak to the dog and offer it it's favourite treats, if your dog doesn't like them coming that close they may have to gently throw the treats to the dog. Work on this for a while and after a few days or maybe even weeks of progression, with the person/people getting a little closer each time before offering the treat, your dog will start to associate strangers with good things, not something to be fearful of.