socializing a 7 month old puppy who wasn't exposed to men?

Of course it is not too late...he is just a puppy.

Just have your husband spend time with him and give him treats.

He could feed him every day, so the dog associates him with good things like dinner.

Walking is also a great way to bond with a dog - maybe your husband could take him for a walk every day.

Socialize him to one guy at a time. Have your husband use the no touch, no talk, no eye contact rules. Just have him come in a sit down and let the puppy come to him. After the puppy has sniffed you husband and starts to be more relaxed your husband may touch the puppy. Keep this up until the puppy is comfortable enough not to run when your husband comes into the room and sits down. When your husband pets the puppy have him pet him under the chin and not over the head. Over the head is a threatening gesture to dogs. Have your husband give the puppy a treat after the affection is given.

Once your puppy gets used to your husband have him come into the room and stand for a few minutes not looking or speaking or talking to the puppy. Let the puppy come to him. When the puppy comes to him have your husband kneel down to pet the puppy to pet him.

Next you need to have your husband feed, water and walk the puppy. This will form the bond between them.

Work on having male friends come over and ignore your dog when they walk in the door, as the dog barks at them they are to ignore then toss the dog a treat AWAY from where they are, in other words toss the treat to the dog but away from the dog in order to make the dog go and get it and they can walk in the house without coming close to your dog. Then let them sit on the couch and chat with you all the while ignoring the dog, if the dog investigates and comes up to sniff they are to ignore and throw another treat next to the dog, if possible a treat filled kong. Your dog has to realize that Men = nice treats. Eventually over time (and this will take a lot of time and hard work on your part) he'll soon stop seeing men as a threat and more as something enjoyable. This won't go away if not worked on and could potentially turn into a dangerous situation if a man happens to bend down to pet him and he bites out of fear.

Your male friends must understand before they come over or walk in the door that they are to ignore the dog, no talk, touch or eye contact, you must give them nice treats (boiled chicken) to toss to the dog, always make sure they toss it away from the dog so the dog moves away to get the treat, and once seated they must allow for the dog to sniff and check them out all while ignoring the dog. Until the dog gets comfortable (maybe after a few visits) they are not to attempt to pet the dog or engage the dog by talking or encouraging. It must be done on the dogs time table not yours.

Good luck, this takes a lot of hard work and a lot of men visiting for him to stop seeing them as something to fear. Start with using your husband as the first male, make sure when he comes in the house he has a treat ready and he ignores the dog too. If he lays on the floor he is to ignore him totally, no eye contact and allow him to come to him at his own free will, until the dog is comfortable he really shouldn't try petting him either.

Good luck

My dog was afraid of men when I first got her too. Your husband needs to gain the pup's trust. Having him on your puppies level will make him feel more comfortable, which is why he will come up your husband when he is lying down. Have him hand feed the puppy dog food or treats, this will also help him gain his trust. He has to be calm around him though ie. he can't punish the puppy, or raise his voice around him, that has to be your job until he trust your husband. I got my dog when she was about year, and she was afraid of everyone. After a year of constantly taking her out in public and introducing her to people and other dogs she will finally come up to most people willingly, and my dad is her favorite person in the world even though she was afraid of him when I first got her. Take things slow, and at your dogs own pace and eventually he will improve. I wish you the best of luck.

It isn't too late. Just have your husband spend time with him. Since he is sitting with him on the floor, continue that. Leave them alone together. Let your husband to some walking and feeding. Once he gets used to your husband, invite close male friends to do the same thing. It will take time, perhaps the dog was abused by a man. Just give lots of love and understanding and soon you will have a wonderful addition to your family.

It isn't too late and your husband is doing the right thing by laying on the ground with the pup. Give it some time, Also allow your husband to be the one that feeds the dog. Dogs love the person that feeds them.

it can never be to late to teach a dog something! try having your husband give the dog a treat and when he comes over give him the treat and praise him! If he is growling that is a sign of an insecure dog. The dog thinks that he is the alpha and your husband needs to show him that he isn't! I really hope this helps... Good Luck =)

i adopted a 2(ish)yr old chi a year ago... he was terrified of men (and women with big hair) and did the same as your dog because he was Badly abused...

a year later, he is my dads shadow! just constant reassurance that men are a good thing should fix the problem, although it will take a while for him to trust strangers... try getting your husband to feed him instead of you for a while (and eventually start to give him a piece of ham in his bowl as he is eating from it)

it will take time, but he should end up like my chi after a few months, once he realizes that men are more of a pushover than women!!

all the best

A great way to desensitize your dog to men is to get a male friend to just toss him treats. Tell the guy to just drop treats and praise. If your dog refuses, have the man offer your dog some peanut butter on a spoon or chopstick. You are telling your dog that men are a good thing.

It may be too late to make him 100% ok around men especially if he had a really bad time at the hands of a man/men, but you can certainly do a great deal to help. Dont go in all guns blazing though, take your time with your husband and let him see that he wont hurt him. It will take time for the pup to learn to trust your husband and trust is easily lost so just be careful and gentle, calm bonding should work out. Otherwise get the professional help of someone who is trained for this kind of behaviour