I have encountered numerous people who were afraid of their puppies.
In this article, I’m referring to people who have had no threatening behavior by the puppy but are afraid of the puppy because of what it might become.
For example, I’ve spoken to first time dog owners with little fluffy puppies that are afraid that the dog will hurt their kids. They are shifting the blame for what they fear onto the dog. They are seeing what they fear rather than what the dog is doing. It is very unfair to the dog and they traumatize the puppy by their reactions.
I’ve also seen this phenomenon with people who have purchased protective breed puppies. Already, at 8 weeks of age, they are both wanting the puppy to protect them, and at the same time bullying the puppy to make sure that the owner is the “leader”. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, since they terrorize these puppies and force them to defend themselves. The dogs grow up to be quite neurotic.
There are a handful of cases in which I met a puppy that was all wrong for the owner. They picked the most fearful puppy of the litter, and the puppy is freaking out about things in ways that are not typical for any puppy. In a handful of cases, I have advised them to return the puppy to the litter in exchange for a different puppy. But that isn’t what this article is about.
If you are afraid of your puppy, then you need to hire a professional.
Plan accordingly.