To put it in a (rare for me) nutshell, the chap scared the living bejesus out of your girl at a vunerable time in an unfamiliar place. She begged him with her body language 'back off back off back off' and he didn't, he kept coming.So to behonestits an indication of her GOOD inbred temperament that she infact just started yelling at him to keep back, rather than growled and snapped.
She appears to be a thinking girl. Ratherthan a 'adore everyone, no questions asked' little person, she thinks through situations in a canine way and makes her own mind up about them. She'd make a cracking worker almost certainly
You yourself and John said all that needs to be said. You acted absolutely correctly, you cannot have a dog bellowing all over a campsite but home id the time to set her up and work on this. Make sure the 'stooge' person has treats she definately adores. make sure if she shows the slightest sign of wanting them to back off they do initally. Don't challenge her fears, work around them until they disolve.
Sorry, have been visiting the forum only sporadically in the last few days and didn't read down to see this thread has a very happy conclusion and my post was utterly unnecessary because you handling it brilliantly now.
I just wanted to update everyone on this and say a big big big thank you to John for the fabulous advice. It appears to have worked - we have been home a week and Ruby has reverted totally back to the wag maniac she always was.
On this morning s walk I wasnt fully awake (well who is at 6.15) and was walking round a bend and its a kind of alley so quite enclosed. A man appeared from nowhere and really made me jump - he was a big guy with a hat on but Ruby was fine she was sniffy and even wagged in greeting hehehehehehe We also saw a gentemen that was the 'type' middle aged balding etc last night with a disabled lady who had crutches and her walking gait wasnt the norm. Ruby didnt bat an eyelid and we were on the same side of the road and walked within touching distance. As we approached I did say to them 'I am sorry she might bark at you - she is a puppy and someone scared her' but then she was fine.
This forum is fabulous I do very much hope (and my gut reaction is that I have) that I have nipped this in the bud I love you all
Thats lovely Vicky! I'm so pleased things have worked out for you, although I always believed they would. Puppies can get very spooky at times.
Some years ago, when my second Labrador Katy arrived, I was walking down a footpath with both Mandy and Kate when Kate noticed an old carrier bag which was hooked up in top of a bank and was blowing in the wind. That was it! She was not going to walk past that! Mandy ran up the bank, touched the bag with her nose, trotted back to Kate and jabbed her with her nose and carried on walking. Kate never even looked at the bag again, she just followed Mandy by it!
Watching dogs can teach us so much about their behaviour!
I had a situation a few weeks ago which was perhaps similar in a way to John and the plastic bag. Charlie got spooked whilst out on a walk by his own reflection in a mirror - the type of mirror used in difficult areas to help people see better when emerging from their drives. The mirror was low down, and just at the right height for him. He had rarely seen his own reflection before, and I think he thought another dog had suddenly appeared from nowhere - hence the panic. He stood rooted to the spot, then started growling and snarling at it.
As the mirror had plenty of space for us to stand beside it, I managed to lead him over to it and sit him down in front of it (with a certain amount of cajoling and food treats, I must say ). Then I crouched down in front of it myself so that my own reflection showed too ( ) and there we stayed for a little while, with me pulling faces in the mirror and letting him check it out at his own pace. Anyone watching us must have thought I was completely off my rocker.
It worked though. The tension just gradually drained out of him as it dawned on him that this thing was harmless. Now I can walk past the mirror very close up and can't extract any response from him at all. He ignores it totally, which is what I had been hoping to achieve. life is now so much easier whenever we go that particular route.
pmsl i can just imagine that Helen - hehehehehehe pmsl so very funny can you just imagine people driving passsed watching you pulling faces in the mirror hehehehe
Well it wasnt until we were walking bakc to the cars at the GT I realised ruby hadnt barked once with all the new people and the beach too - fabulous
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I love you all 
). Then I crouched down in front of it myself so that my own reflection showed too ( 
) and there we stayed for a little while, with me pulling faces in the mirror and letting him check it out at his own pace. Anyone watching us must have thought I was completely off my rocker. 
