My dog was never exposed to someone running before,

[Susan Sadeghian]

we dont see many joggers and thats the one person we forgot to socialize her with since we never saw one until this morning. A gentleman was jogging towards us and our dogs tail went in between her leg and she barked some,as he was running and then slowed his pace down as he was passing our dog. I know running scares some dogs but I want ppl to be able to continue jogging when they see our dog, she usually loves ppl. she chases stuff in our yard at night so I know what she looks like when she is mad, she wasnt mad, but she still sorta stopped in her tracks and barked with her tails between her legs. What gives and how do we change that?

[Trish McMillan]

Hi Susan,

This is a really common problem for us here in NYC! With a dog that is barking because they're fearful, what usually helps is to set them up with their trigger, starting at a distance that's far away, and pair the trigger with either just treats or a command that will be rewarded by treats (or a toy, if your dog's more toy-motivated.)

Here's what it looks like.

Jogger appears, half a block away. As soon as your dog notices the jogger, ask her for a sit (or a watch, or a hand-touch) and reward her with her favorite thing in the world. Cheese, liverwurst, a game of tug.

Repeat a few times until she's seeing the jogger and instantly sitting/watching.

Then have the jogger run by a little closer.

If your dog barks, you're going too fast. Most people who are not professional trainers do this kind of work way too quickly. If the dog is fine with a jogger a block away, the next step is NOT to have them rush right by you very close!

Slower, more reps are better with this kind of behavior modification. Getting a trainer to help with the setups is often a good idea.

Trish