Help we have the King of social distancing

[eimeark]

Hi there (apologies in advance for this essay)

We have Sam, a 20 week old male cocker spaniel. We got him at 11 weeks. In the first couple of weeks we realised we had a cockerdile on our hands. Anytime he was afraid or fearful he would growl and lash out at us e.g. coming down the stairs before he had mastered it he would snap at us when we tried to carry him. However this has improved immensely and he only gets nippy when play gets overstimulating for him or when he's fighting tiredness. 

He really could be the poster boy for social distancing in these strange Covid19 times. We had signed up for puppy playdates only for government restrictions to lead to the cancellation of all similar activities before he got a chance to go. We have signed up for puppy training classes to begin in a fortnight but it is dependent on restrictions easing enough for Phase 2 to commence here if they aren't it could be pushed back to 5 weeks from now. He was only fully vaccinated at 15 weeks so normal socialisation was delayed and in normal circumstances we would have been able to introduce him to the pets of our family and friends. We have a local park with lots of dogs, ducks, swans, adults and children around so he has become familiar with the sight of other people. He is a cutie and lots of dog owners try to pet him or interact with him however he growls at anyone who approaches him. A small boy who also had a puppy was eager to pet him one day and ignored Sam's warning growls so when he reached out to him when Sam was approaching the treat he had dropped he attempted to nip him. In our first trips to the park after vaccinations he would beg to be lifted up or would hide behind us if another dog approached. He has moved on to jumping slightly towards dogs who are approaching him and he can snap at the air near the other dog as if to warn them to stay away and depending on how the dog interacts with him he may growl also. We are very concerned that by the time the Irish government allows us to travel further than 5km for non-essential journeys that these habits might be ingrained in him.

I'm wondering how do we help Sam become more sociable as right now there are only 4 people in total that he doesn't growl at all of whom live in our house and he hasn't had any "normal" friendly interaction with other dogs. We also fear this aversion to strangers spells doom for any future vet visits or a visit to the groomer. Any help or advice or tales of hope would be greatly appreciated.

[phoenix]

He sounds a very nervous puppy. He needs to be able to watch other dogs and people from a place where he can hide, eg, under a park bench, or behind a chair or table.  Give him little food treats like kibble from his meal allowance,  as often as he does something encouraging. As soon as he shows fear, say ‘good’  see that he looks at you, and treat him. You need to break his interest in what’s worrying him. 
Try not to be over protective.
I had a difficult cocker,  and luckily was able to go to classes with a trainer who Understood him, and  he progressed from hiding, to being star pupil quickly.   Being good with people was harder,  I was constantly telling people to give him space, no cuddles from children and strangers. He was eventually happy on his own terms, and shy.  I won’t go into guarding, I hope you won’t need it.