I will try to keep it short. We live in Germany and bought our puppy from another family who bought him from the states. He was just 4 - 4.5 months old when they bought him and found that the children were allergic. We bought him at 6 months.

When we showed up to the house the pup was very welcoming and friendly. We went out to play with him in the yard and to see how our kids and the puppy reacted to each other. Everything was grand.

We brought him home and loved on him and he seemed to fit right in to his role. We took him for a ride to do some errands and this is when I can remember our first experience. A male friend of ours approached us and went to pet our pup. He (the pup) cringed and tried to crawl into the sidewalk. Then he started to urinate. It commonly only occurs with other men than my husband and son. It happens in the house with guest and out in the neighborhood.

We have tried to socialize him by walk with him through the fields (where everyone goes to run, walk, and bike with their dogs) and also through town but is terrified to pass other people on the street.

We are about to move to the United States and am fearful of what might come of our pup after a potentially traumatic airplane ride. I want to improve my pup's confidence as well and prevent any potential decline in his current self esteem. Please help.

I have a dog that I got from some of my husbands family at a year of age, I am sad to say that these people used to hit him a lot, If you approached him he would pee all over himself. This was with everyone. Now it is almost 2 years and this does not happen anymore, also we never yell at him nor do we hit him. I would let anyone know that came to my house not to approach my dog, let him approach them also I would have small treats ( a toy works well for my dog he is more toy driven than food) by the door for them to take and maybe he will be more receptive to approach them, I would not force it though, if he did not approach them I would let them toss the treat to him ,so he could associate good things with strangers. You may have to enlist help from neighbors and friends,when they meet him on the street have them to slightly turn in ward and not to face him directly, while they have a treat in their hand. Lead him to them if he will or at the very least you stop and talk for a moment or two. I would do this daily or at least every other day for a couple of weeks and see if this helps maybe 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Even at first if he peed I would keep trying it the next day and see what happens. If he submissive peed I would not give attention to the fact that he peed no petting or saying anything ,just go on as if it did not occur, if it happens inside wipe it up and toss the paper towel out in the yard, so he associates peeing with the outside.Your vet may give you better suggestions than I have, or you could enlist help from a trainer, sometimes they will give you suggestions over the phome. I know very little about plane rides and pets. So I can not advise on that. Some of the other posters will know something on both of the issues so you will have more options to choose from. I would contact my vet maybe he could give him something to ease his stress or give a suggestion to help make this ride easier on him. Good luck

It does sound like in the past the puppy was abused by a male. Could be partly just the greater average size and deeper voice. You do want to try to avoid standing tall when you interact with it. You could give treats to men it doesn't know too.

Many dogs eventually outgrow it, but you can reduce it by building the dog's confidence up. Start with obedience training. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete (http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/) As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.

Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

My employer does work for some of the major airlines. I went searching for some animal travel answers. The most important thing you need to know is that there are specific requirements that must be meet. If you have not already called the airlines , please do so, well in advance of your travel plans. It would also be good to check now and then again closer to your leave date. There are restrictions for weather conditions, when animals are shipped via cargo. No animal may be shipped under sedation. Certain airlines allow animals in to be checked in as carry on depending on their size and in proper crate soft or hard. Also this animal must be cleared through customs and health certificate must be less than 10 days old. I hope that this helps. I can provide you with the name of the carriers that I spoke with :) good luck

Thanks so much for your replies. We went for a walk again tonight and we tried to let him and another dog greet each other. In the past he was rather accepting and just went with the flow. But now he has just completely freaked out. It started well and then the other dog barked, spooked my pup and he tore off backwards and crouched to the ground. Thankfully my husband was near by so he could grab the leash as I went for my daughter who was knocked of her bike in the skirmish.

It seems as though he is declining. It may just be a result of all the changes that are going on and we just need to be accepting of his reactions. Movers have come to take our belongings. We have strange people looking at the house to rent, there are suitcases that we are living out of currently.

I guess my goal is to help him to not decline even farther. We fly in two weeks. I have flown with my last dog and, although not very happy, he was completely fine at the other end. My fear with my pup now is that he may become so scared that he may urinate or even defecate in his kennel. I plan to call the vet as soon as the holiday weekend is over and get some suggestions. I welcome any more advice from anyone who has an idea.

Thanks to all

When it comes to flying, the only advice you should pay any attention to is recent advice from the specific airline you will be flying on. The rules are constantly changing and may vary from airline to airline. Get and keep the name of the specific employee you talk to. See if they have a written policy. In America, the FAA requires airlines to track pet deaths. You might check with the German authorities for similar information. It is also possible all the carriers in Germany or even Europe have a uniform law to adhere to. I would talk to the airline before the vet. It is a struggle for the vets to keep up with the latest medical stuff, let alone airline policies.

The one thing to discuss with the vet is how long to withhold food and water before the flight. It is common for dogs to urinate or defecate in response to stress. I don't know if the airlines are set up to cope with it. Another question for the airline. You may want to line up something like a Petco or Petsmart near the airport you will be landing at.