Staff is a nervous wreck

[bixie]

I stumbled upon this site whilst searching the net for some desperate help!!!!

I have an 18 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who is simply adorable.... I first saw her when she an hour old and knew that she was the dog for me.

She was the runt of the litter and was always a bit of a loner out of the pack but she settled into my home wonderfully and adores my 6 year daughter and plays with her no problem.

I have started to have some trouble with her for the past 7 months or so really...... since bonfire night i guess. She was a complete mess when the fireworks were going off and hid under my legs for best part of 2 weeks really. I tried the "nothing to worry about" approach and tried desperately hard not to sympathise with her fear but it didn't reassure her much at all and after a fortnight when the fire works stopped, she sorta went back to normal - or so i thought!

Since then, she has become fretful of every loud noise and sudden movement. She pants excessively and wimpers then goes to hide. If i walk into the room she follows me around and if she could jump onto my lap and hide i think she would. She shakes constantly too even when you dont hear any noises that i think might have scared her? I try to distract her and get her to play etc so she ignores whatever has scared her but it doesn't seem to work.

She was always quite obident - she does the sit, stay, down, paw, come etc routine no problem, however, just recently when I take her out, she has been quite naughty and will often now ignore any of my comands and run off if she sees something better to play with. She has also started running out of the house when the door is opened and refuses to come back no matter how much i call her. She has never done this before.

I really don't know how to deal with her at the moment, i dont want to stop her walks as obviously she needs outside stimulation but the walks are becoming a real pain. I have bought an extendable lead but she tends to start tugging me when i put this on as she wants to run off.

At home it is becoming so i dont quite know how to handle her too. I spoke to her vet but he sorta dismissed anything being a problem? It is a problem though as it is causing stress to me at home.....I dont want to give her drugs to calm her down and looked at natural remedies but again... i dont really know too much about these so am unsure what i could give her.

Desperate for any ideas????? P L E A S E .......

A very very worried staff owner!

[seraphicia]

Did your vet do a complete exam and/or additional work? I'd rule out any medical issue first. After describing the behavior, if your vet doesn't seem like it's a big deal I'd get another opinion, maybe go to a wholistic vet clinic if there is one in your area. If tests came back okay I would suggest starting to do beginning obedience again, including heel. The extended leash IMO just teaches the dog to pull and after I used it for awhile on two of my five dogs while my new fence was being installed(so they could have room to run after the ball and what not) after they got used to being able to go so far ahead of me, they were TERRIBLE once I started taking them on walks again on a six foot lead. I'd suggest going back to the basics in various environments and boosting her confidence up if that seems to be the issue and working with her to desensitize her to the noises and movements.

One of my dogs who was trained in beginning obedience, I started neglecting working with her because I was training another of my dogs, and then she was rancid again when I went back to working with her, but we did recover her listening skills with great effort. She had some sever fear issues, but they didn't cause the behaviors your describing, they were limited to when she was being exposed to those things. Good luck to you and your sweet pooch. I bet someone else will have some other good suggestions too.

[Sibe]

"...tried the "nothing to worry about" approach and tried desperately hard not to sympathise with her fear but it didn't reassure her much at all and after a fortnight when the fire works stopped, she sorta went back to normal - or so i thought"

I think that it sounds like a developmental stage issue. Her age, and understanding of the loud "gun" type shots are very scary to a lot of animals. You may need to attempt to assure her to not be fearful, she may require more comfort/ security measures.

I think that if you were to find an animal behaviorist, a gentle humane one, then you may get some excellent ideas of how to get her confidence back.

:)

[bixie]

Thanks for the replies guys..........

seraphicia:....I orginally went to the vet to speak to him about a skin problem she had at the time and whilst i was in the vets a door slammed and she became scared panting frantically and shaking. I asked the vet if this is normal behaviour and that since bonfire night she was terrible for noises etc and started explaining what was happening. He checked her ears and gave her a brief examination but said that seen as she was "still young" that she would "get used" to strange noises. I questioned this at the time as it hadn't been a problem until now sorta thing but all he could suggest was a sedative at times of nervous behaviour (i really dont want her to rely on drugs though).

I have looked into going training classes with her and I think there is a local course so i will be signing us up for that ASAP.... hopefully this might help!

She was doing so well...... it is really upsetting and frustrating to see her so scared and going back on herself.

Sibe: I can't find anything on behaviour specialist's local to myself but I will keep my eyes out for that one.... maybe my vet can give me some help here (worth a phone call anyway - dont think he is a particually good vet so far).

I have also made some enquiries this morning about a possible herbal remedy to help boost her confidence (bach flower remedy?).....

I give her loads of praise and attention and i think i reassure her that she is safe.

[luv4gsds]

It sounds like your pup is stressed out to the max. You could try bergamot spray, spray it anywhere in the house where your pup is at. Bergamot helps with anxiety, depression, stress. I would start using positive reinforcement training on your pup.

[bixie]

"It sounds like your pup is stressed out to the max. You could try bergamot spray, spray it anywhere in the house where your pup is at. Bergamot helps with anxiety, depression, stress. I would start using positive reinforcement training on your pup."

I'm a little limited what i can spray indoors i'm afraid as my little girl has asthma so sprays are usually out of the question which is why i was thinking along the back flower remedy ,...

You say about positive reinforcement training... dont mean to appear dumb but what would this involve. We have not been to any classes so far and any training i have done with her has been just what I have read from books or the internet. I haven't read anything regarding this yet..... any suggestions?

thanks
Bixie

[Sibe]

Glance on this thread ; http://www.discussdogs.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3958#post3958

Looks like a couple good books to browse through. I read The Other End of the Leash which was actually a good read, entertaining and teaching. :)

[Dalesmom]

Hi There
In regards to your pup having issues with obedience-
Dogs turn into "dogs" around the age of two. This is when we see breed specific behaviors crop up and things start to change.
Make sure you give her clear rules and boundries in her life. She may be trying to push you to see how far she can go, the lack of listening may be an attempt to gain the alpha dog status and this cannot happen. She must know that you are the boss, for example - when Dale and I are on a walk he must sit and wait before we cross a street, there are times he does it right away and times when he just looks at me and refuses to sit down. We do not move until he has done what he knows he has to do, I am also a big believer in the nothing for free system, anytime he gets a treat he must sit, or lay down or shake paw ect..

Or it may have to do with the fire works thing, in which case I dont really know how to help but will wish you lots of luck.
Dale's Mom

[luv4gsds]

Positive reinforcement training is a friendly way of training your pup/dog, non-punitive methods of teaching your dog to perform behaviors using treats as a reward. Rewarding appropriate dog behavior makes that behavior more likely to occur in the future and is one of the most powerful tools you can use to shape or change your dog's actions.

Correct timing is essential when using positive reinforcement. The reward must occur immediately, or your pet may not associate it with the proper action. For example, if you have your dog "sit," but reward him after he's already stood up again, he'll think he's being rewarded for standing up.

I wouldn't use negative reinforcement or Punishment on your pup at this time. Because what ever you do at this time will reflex on your pup when it becomes an adult. Just like the fireworks. Your pup has associated a loud noise as being frighten of.

If you don't want to spray the bergamot spray in the air you can apply it on a doggy bandana and put it around your pups neck.

[DiggityDogs]

I would suggest finding a tape or CD of fireworks noises and put it on in the house. Start it out at a pretty low volume level, give her a stuffed kong or other treat she likes, and just let it play and ignore her. If she gets too stressed try dropping the volume even more. When she becomes comfortable with the sounds, raise it up a bit and continue to do so over a period of a couple of weeks for the length of the tape or CD once a day. She should eventually become desensitized to it.

[luv4gsds]

I wouldn't suggest that. You can push a pup to far by doing stuff like that.

[DiggityDogs]

I wouldn't suggest that. You can push a pup to far by doing stuff like that.

If it's done properly- and if you'll notice, I did state that you should only progress once the dog is comfortable with it at a low level, it works really well. I have used this method for dogs with phobias of other noises and have YET to see a dog 'pushed to far' by doing 'stuff' like this. So, you may not choose to do it, but I, as an experienced trainer, recommend it. All you have to do is take it slow and monitor your dog's reaction. It's normal for him to get a bit anxious but if it's truly scaring/stressing him out drop the volume level really low. Should help you quite a bit.

[luv4gsds]

What am I chopped liver. The dog is having anxiety attacks. The only way she is going to over come this is seeing a professional trainer or a pet behaviorist. Someone that can see that pup one on one. Yes some times desensitize does help but this pup sounds like it beyond that. She pants excessively and wimpers then goes to hide. These are signs of anxiety attacks.

[Stark]

Bixie,
Diggity Dog is correct the CD method is probably the best approach to this problem. I would suggest playng the cd and continuing as if nothing is going on out of the ordinary. Don't cuddle your dog or pamper it if it becomes nervous, let it see nothing has changed.
Regarding positive training methods, yes they are good in the beginning but you will have to move to the correction and proofing stages of training. I would also avoid training books that are narratives or good ole dog stories, stick with concrete training methods and avoid the confusion. Purchase books written by professionals that continue to compete and not self proclaimed behaviorist or experts, the proof is in the titles.

[bixie]

Thanks for the ideas guys.......

Yesterday evening was a pretty positive evening in our house for a change!

I have found a dog training beginner class local to me that I shall be zooming along to this weekend.... I know it is basic trainning but hopefully (fingers crossed) we might be able to get somewhere. She has the basic comands there she just hasn't the confidence to do any of them, maybe I need some help reinforcing them commands too? - I'll keep you's posted!

I went home armed with a new squeakey toy yesterday and some doggie treats. When I got in, instead of everyone making a fuss of her straight away.... I went over to her on her bed and made a real fuss of her and gave her a treat then slowly my daughter fussed her then my partner. She was much calmer then usual (i think we all was too though).
I took her for her walk (still on her lead) and kept calling her back with her toy. Throughout the evening, I called her (same command every time), she came to me, I gave her a treat and a little fuss then she went and PLAYED.
She didn't like the telly on too loudly last night but she didn't leave the room as usual, she just sat next to me. Panting a bit but not shaking as much. Maybe a complete fluke but at least she never hid!
I'll look into getting a cd with the firework noises on it today and for a good book....

Had a bit of a glitch on our walk this morning. I was over the field with her and she was on the extendable lead.... she was doing really well coming back to me with her toy and that (didn;t even have to pull the lead).
This big dog, who was off his lead and a million miles ahead of his owner, came running up to us. Coco straight away submissed and laid on the floor tail between legs and hair standing up on her back. The other dog was nipping around her and barking at her. She was extremely scarred, but seen as she was on her lead she wasn't able to run off and hide somewhere, I stroked her and coaxed her away from the dog. When we was away from the dog, i made her sit and then gave her a treat. I dont know if this was the correct way to handle it?.

[Stark]

Bixie,
Do not stroke or pet or try to console her when she appears to be scared, you are reinforcing her behavior. Remember this in all that you do with your dog: Your dog is learning anytime it is awake and every moment it spends with you most of all, a behavior rewarded is a behavior repeated. You will build your dogs confidence more by training and interacting with your dog. You must ignore those things that your dog is afraid of and remain indifferent.
Secondly: If you can't protect your dog at all cost do not venture out away from home. You need to carry a stick to ward of other dogs. What would you have done if this dog would have made an all out attack on your dog? I'm not trying to crack on you but rather give you some food for thought.

[bixie]

Bixie,
Do not stroke or pet or try to console her when she appears to be scared, you are reinforcing her behavior. Remember this in all that you do with your dog: Your dog is learning anytime it is awake and every moment it spends with you most of all, a behavior rewarded is a behavior repeated. You will build your dogs confidence more by training and interacting with your dog. You must ignore those things that your dog is afraid of and remain indifferent.
Secondly: If you can't protect your dog at all cost do not venture out away from home. You need to carry a stick to ward of other dogs. What would you have done if this dog would have made an all out attack on your dog? I'm not trying to crack on you but rather give you some food for thought.

I'm a little confussed now...... are you saying that I should have hit the other dog?
I stepped in between the dog barking and nipping at my dog and stroked her head and told her to come. She then got up and we walked off. The other dog then darted off. Only when the dog had left did i tell her to sit and reward her with a treat for sitting.

Have i got my wires mixed up.....I thought that i should be rewarding her for doing what I told her to do? or did she think I was rewarding her for being scarred.... I'm confussed!

[DiggityDogs]

Bixie, the problem is that you stated- 'I stroked her head and THEN told her to come.' That is backwards. You should tell her to come first, then pet her for responding, since if you pet her first you're rewarding her for the nervous, submissive behavior. You see how that works? I can tell you're totally dedicated to working with her so I have no doubt you and she will both get better. I think what stark meant by 'carry a stick' is just so you have some protection in case the other dog was to be aggressive. You don't really want to run around hitting every dog you see, but if that dog were to attack yours you'd need some defese.

Luv4gsd's- I never implied you're chopped liver, but you did so to me when you replied to my post 'I wouldn't do that' without giving any sort of fact or information to back it up. These anxiety 'attacks' are most often exassorbated by the owners need to console and baby the dog. The dog needs to see that the owner is not responding at all to the noises coming from the CD and will probably very quickly learn that she should respond the way her owner does- by ignoring the noises. By the way- I AM a professional trainer and behaviorist and have been doing this for 12 years. If you think that because a dog whines and pants it's beyond a little basic help, you've got the wrong idea. I see this behavior on a weekly basis, and am in fact dealing with it right now with my new doberman. She's got mild separation anxiety and mild to moderate thunderstorm anxiety- all caused by her previous owner coddling her when she whined and panted. Ignoring her works well, and when she begins to calm down and fall asleep I may pay a little attention to her. I have seen and worked with dogs with anxiety that was so bad that they were ripping thier own teeth and claws out to get out of a crate or even out of the house when left alone- I can assure you this is a mild case of anxiety if the worst that is happening is some panting, whining, and lets even throw in a little shivering and wild eyes, maybe even drooling. It's completely manageable.

Good luck to you bixie- the training should help. Down stays are great because they force the dog to relax, so once you learn to do those, I'd use them regularly. I think you're on the right track by hiring someone, and let us know how it goes with the CD.

[bixie]

Hi,

DiggityDog,
Phew thanks for the explantation..... I didn't realise that I was doing this wrong....(:confused: ooops my bad - told you i needed some help). I thought that by stroking her head and then telling her to come she would be reassured and i was still in control. Will remember that in future though....

Again my bad for the stick incident business. I took my golf umbrella out with this morning (musta looked a mad woman seen as it is like 80 degrees out today and no sign of rain) just in case it happened again. Luckily i didn't have to use it as we went over to a quieter part of the field this morning where we was alone.

I spoke to my vet again yesterday and he has suggested a DAP diffusser (i checked that this was ok to use due to my daugthers asthma - it is YAY)!. I picked this up this morning so will start with this this afternoon when I get home. He advised me not to start with the cd for a couple of days (wants to allow the DAP diffusser time to take effect). I have got to speak to him again in a couple of weeks to see how she is doing.

I'm feeling pretty positive at the moment so fingers crossed.:D

Wish us luck in our training class sunday :p

[Sibe]

How is it going lately?

I loved this: " I took my golf umbrella out with this morning (musta looked a mad woman seen as it is like 80 degrees out today and no sign of rain) " :D How about an "automatic" umbrella, you know the kind that you press the button and it pops out! That ought to scare off any bad dogs around!!!:)

Hope you are gaining some ground with the pooch.

[DiggityDogs]

Yes, sometimes we humans do have to do silly things like carry an umbrella on a nice day, just for our doggies LOL.

I recieved a few of those DAP diffusers from simple solution, the company that makes them, when I had a booth at our home and garden show/pet expo last year. I had one or two left over after the show so I decided to try them out. I didn't really notice a difference, but then, my dogs are already calm and the other dog that was in the room was the shepherd that rips his teeth out trying to break out of the crate- I think he was a little beyond help from something like that. Hopefully it will work for you. It's pheremone based, so it seems like it should do some good.

Anyhow- I hope the classes go well, surely giving her something to focus on will help out. Let us know how it turns out!

[bixie]

Hi,

Had quite a good weekend with Coco for a change.

We have been using the DAP diffuser for 3 days now and I think it has made a bit of a difference. She seems alot calmer then what she was! She heard a loud noise outside on sunday evening and ran upstairs (she is not usually allowed upstairs but the gate wasn't shut so she zoomed up there). I told her she was bad and brought her back down and made her go to her bed. I left her there for a couple of minutes then allowed her to get off. There was quite a lot of banging noises outside so I then got her ball and turned the telly on and played a bit with her. I hope this was right. She didn;t shake like she usually does and after a few seconds she started playing and ignored the noise :) I was quite impressed that she didn't pant and hide!

She is not pulling so much on her lead on walks at the moment and seems less distracted by other things whilst out walking and taking much more notice of me and my squeaky toy.

Training went well. She has mastered the sit and come when we are on our own but still gets very distracted by others (found dried liver to be a good attention holder though :D ).

Fingers crossed this is not just a fluke weekend

Waiting for my cd to come in at the vets so might try to start her off on that next week if she carrys on like she is at the moment.
:D

[DiggityDogs]

Sounds great! Yes, turning on the TV and playing with her is fine- you're acting like there's nothing bad happening with all of the noise going on, and also distracting her from what's happening. You might try the same thing with the CD once you get it and work with it until it's at a bit of a higher volume level. It will be a lot of noise for you, but you'll be doing your dog a lot of good. Make sure that by playing with her you're actually getting her to move around and play, and not just rubbing her belly or petting her. The movement is important because a dog that's relaxed and happy will move around very fluidly, while a dog that's nervous or upset would move in a stop and start fashion, running from one place to the next, usually with tail tucked and sitting with their back towards a wall or piece of furniture so as to protect themselves from what's scaring them. By distracting her you'll be able to get her to move, and her movements will tell you if she's feeling better or not. congratulations on your progress! Keep it up!

[Elyna143]

Hello, I am a professional Dog Trainer, email me your location and depending on where you are I might be able to help you. :)
amante_animals@yahoo.com

[bixie]

Elyna143,

Thanks for the offer, I'm assuming you live in America...... I live in England though so it might be a bit far to go....:) . Very kind of you though, Thanks

I have enrolled in a basic dog training class (beginners granted but at least we are going over basics again with other dogs present). So I should learn where we went wrong the first time ahy!

Also we have been using the DAP diffusser for 4/5 days now... she appears alot calmer and not darting off hiding at every noise. Am gonna start to use the noise CD this weekend as she really does seem chilled out (fingers crossed).

Today on our walk we saw another dog in the distance and she didn't even attempt to bolt for cover. Even when the dog started to come over to us she just sat as I told her to. I was very impressed. I just spoke to her as normal and had her squeaky toy next to us and didn't fuss about the other dog at all.
I must admit though I was ready for trouble (after the incident the other day where the big dog came over and scarred the life outta her).
I was prepared and armed with my daughters my little pony pop up umbrella -:p it was all I had on the side this morning! LOL

I should change my sign in name to Mary Poppins I guess, I seem to permantely have an umbrella in my hand at the moment to protect my poor doggie - :rolleyes: Middle of a heat wave and I'm sporting some funky brolleys! Still what ever works i'm keen to try.

I'll keep you's posted how we get on.....I'm gonna try to walk her near some heavier traffic tonight and see if that bothers her (we always walk over the field and haven't really seen alot of noisey traffic yet).... Fingers crossed!

[GSP4619]

That is good that it is going well for the two of you :) .

What part of England are you from?

[bixie]

Hiya,

I'm from Essex........ not a typical essex girl though, I lived in London up until a few years ago:p

Where you from?

Bix:D

[GSP4619]

I have a friend who breeds & shows akita's in Wales. A friend who breeds and shows shar pei's in Durham. Also a friend in Hampshire who has an akita but have not spoke to her in some time. I am not familiar with England at all LOL but just have friends that I met threw some dog rooms over the years. But for me I am in the US LOL.

[Sibe]

Sounds like you have really got a good plan! (Mary Poppins, .."practically perfect in every way!") Carrying an umbrella around actually sounds quite effective! Let us know how the classes go and what you learned from them.:)

[bixie]

Will do.........

Doing good with the diffuser ........ she not panted or whimpered now for a couple of days and have had the telly on quiet loudly :) Makes a change for her to play and wag her tail (not all the time but more often then before)

I took her for a walk last night where there was quiet a bit of noisey traffic. Not a flinch! I'm not sure if this was down to the diffuser, me being confident or whether she just not scarred of noisey traffic? Like to think its positive progress though :D .
I didn't even have to tell her to sit at every kerb like i would usually do... she got to the edge looked at me and sat..... Yay!!!!!

My b/f thinks that i am mad and that this kinda dog is hard to train (he loves labradors) but i really feel like she has made some good progress this week (we both have i think).

Roll on sunday (doggie school)

Bix:p AKA "Mary Poppins"

[GSP4619]

Good job Mary Poppins!!!!!

You can do it!!!!!!

LOL

[bixie]

Well,

Had quiet a good weekend with Coco again this weekend.

Her walks are becoming more enjoyable again for both of us I think. Yes I am still sporting my funky umbrella, and yes it is still the middle of a heatwave here in England but I dont think people are giving me so many funny looks now as my brolley has come in very handy shushing off ankle biting dogs that dont do a thing there owners are telling them - (love My little Pony now). Coco has taken this all in her stride with a new found confidence too. Now instead of sinking into the floor in a jelly mess when a dog approaches her whilst she is on her lead, I say sit and down pops her bottom. I shush the dog away and we continue. Very impressed. Been taking her for walks along the road too..... sits at every kerb (dont always have to remind her too).

Have been using the diffusser for about a week now and have noticed that she is alot calmer then she was. Hopefully this is working on her.

I started using the noise CD this weekend. Had it on very low and could just about hear it. She wasn't bothered at all by it (i'm assuming she could hear it) she just carried on eating her bone I had bought her. I thought I would play it everynight after we have been out for a walk. Fingers crossed......

Training.......... Didn't manage to get to training this week....... I know naughty naughty but it was sooo nice and hot here (a rare thing for English weather) so we packed the car and went to the beach for the day.... coco too!

Did the sit and stay commands all week as they told me to practice at home last week so hopefully i wont get into trouble with school!!!!:D

[DiggityDogs]

Very cool! Sounds like she's well on her way to recovery!

[bixie]

Fingers crossed she is getting a bit better.

She got quiet scarred last night whilst we was watching a movie on the telly. It had very loud cars zooming about (the fast and the furious) and she didn't like this at all.

I didn't take alot of notice of her though.... it was difficult but I didn't comfort her, I went outside and got her bone toy that she usually likes and brought it in for her. She was panting quiet a bit and very restless and didn't play anyway. When she finally sat down I stroked her a little and then carried on watching the film.
I hope I did this right! I found it very difficult not to reassure her that nothing was wrong but I didn't say a word, I just carried as usual.

I think along with the cd with the noises on... I might do a recording from this film and maybe incorporate this in with the noise theraphy thing... maybe I could play this quietly over a period of time until she doesn't get freaked by it!

Mmmmmmm think I will try this!!!!

On the whole though she has been so much better... guess she gotta have bad days along with all the good ones she having nowadays!!

[GSP4619]

LOL Thats good to hear Bixie. On a note to make you smile she is a girl after all and we know how that can be LOL. Hormones :)

Glad things are looking good.

[Blaster]

You originally wrote "I tried hard not to sympathize with her fear". I don't mean to be a know it all but...why would you do that? Especially with a young dog. If it's afraid, comfort it. Your dog would do it for you.

I don't mean for this to come across as a personal attack. You know your dog best. It seems to me it pained you to NOT comfort her, I wouldn't go against my own intuition in a case like that. My dog is 18 months old and while she is not afraid of fireworks, gun shots, thunder storms, or anything in general, she still acts like a baby once in a while if she stubs her toe...go figure that one out! I still comfort her for things like that. That's my job :D .

[DiggityDogs]

why would you do that? .


In this situation, she has a dog that's already showing signs of anxiety, which could potentially turn into a more serious behavior problem. Often times people who have dogs that do this want to comfort and coddle them, which can make the problem worse because the dog sees this as praise. You have to teach the dog the approprate reaction, as she's had this dog since it was a pup and it hasn't had other dogs around to teach it what's OK and what isn't. It may sound cruel or mean, but I can attest that I have trained literally hundreds of dogs in my years of dog training that could have gone one way or the other, and I've had many that I have had to rehabillitate from fear problems that the owner created because of their need to 'comfort' thier dog. This is the exact reason that you see a lot of chihuahuas and other small dogs that are fearful and nervous- they may have encountered something as a puppy that scared them, and instead of teaching the pup to face it, walk up to it, check it out, and move on, they picked the puppy up and said, 'shhh,, it's ok, momma's here' and the dog sees this as a sign that the behavior is appropriate. This of course is not the case for every dog, but in a situation where Bixie is already battling with moderate anxiety this is the best route for her to take.

[Blaster]

K.....I'll bow to your experience then. I've just been lucky in that my last two dogs weren't afraid of any loud noises, thunder, gunshots, etc...

BTW...I really wasn't being a wise guy...

I even came back and corrected my spelling of the word "dogs".. :)

[DiggityDogs]

I know, some people are lucky to have dogs that are well adjusted without having to be taught how to be so, and I wish that was the case with every dog. I see it all the time, so it seems to be a big problem, but then I only see dogs that need behavioral help, if they didn't have issues to begin with their owners wouldn't be looking for a trainer!

[bixie]

Hi Guys,

Blaster........ It does distress me to see my dog so upset and fearful.... I'm not heartless, afterall I chose to make her a part of my family and wouldn't have it any other way (good times and bad). I am however realistic to know that she shouldn't be scared of so many things, its not healthy for her or the running of my family life (could her fear turn to her biting in frustration - i have a small child). Her fear has been fed by the way that I have dealt with her so far in her life. I have pampered her and comforted her when she has been afraid as I thought that I was helping her..... this has not helped her at all. When I said that I didn't reassure her I meant whilst she was showing signs of being scarred... when she had calmed down I made a fuss of her..... I thought this was the right treatment and reinforced the fact that there was nothing to be fearful of.

I don't know though as I am not an expert! Thats why I asked for help on here :D

She has on the whole been really great lately. Apart from the one little episode. We have had no bolting into the corner to hide from noises. Walk times are great at the minute... granted she is still on her lead and we dont leave the house without our "my little pony" umbrella.

We are still using the diffuser - I really think this has had a calming effect on her. We are still using the cd.... turned it up slightly this weekend and she still not effected by it.

Dog training classes were excellent this week. We did the heel walk and sit scenareo. Then we walked round the other dogs in the class... weaved in and out of them and she didn't tremble. We then did... wait for it....






a little adventure course thing... weaved in and out of sticks.... over hurdles... through tunnel.... up a see saw and along a bridge.....
I was shocked that she did it without taking any notice of the other dogs in the class. And the noise in the kennels didn';t even flinch her!

We finished off this week with me handling over her on her lead to the trainer then walking off and standing to one side just out of sight.... she then had to come to me when I called her. SHOCKED was the word when I said Coco Come and she did........ even with all the other dogs barking and that.....
Cant wait for next week now.....

On the whole she seems to be improving...I think I am too as I am far more confident with her now..... maybe theres hope for us both afterall!!:p

[DiggityDogs]

wow!! I must say you deserve a big CONGRATULATIONS! Although you work is not finished, that's a huge amount of progress! The obstacle courses are fun, too, and are great for building a dog's confidence. My dogs LOVE agility classes, and I try to take them when I have time. Good for you and keep up the good work!

[Sibe]

".... she then had to come to me when I called her. SHOCKED was the word when I said Coco Come and she did........ even with all the other dogs barking and that....." :D

Do you think a lot of the success (you are both having) is due to her feeling most secure with you and how you have learned how to deal with her?

:cool: !!!

[GSP4619]

AWESOME!!!!!! Great news!!!!!

[bixie]

I think now that I have realised that there is a problem, I am more positive with her and determined to help her get better if that makes sense.

Before she was scarred of lots of things and I didn't really understand how to deal with this fear so I guess I made it worse by constantly reassuring her that everything was ok. I was probably making her worse then what she was already but thought that I was being nice to her by looking after her and letting her get away with things. Instead of me being BOSS indoors.... she kinda had me running here there and everywhere so there was no security there for her I guess.

The turning point that kinda opened my eyes was when she heard a noise and the door was open..... she bolted outside and could so of easily got hit by a car or something..... she refused point blank to come back to me when I called her and sat shaking! I guess I pitied her too much.

Hopefully now though, with more time and training she will feel more secure with me like I am begining to feel with her.

I do feel that she is more chilled out and calm (might be down to the diffusser) so training etc and comands are easier to follow through with her.

She really enjoyed the training class the weekend.... she liked the stimulation and got to interact with other dogs but under supervisioin.

Fingers crossed she carrys on the way she is as she is really doing well.... she wags her tail so much more at the moment.... shame things had to get so bad in order to get to this point though for her!

Thanks for all the encouragement so far though.... I should really dig some pictures out of her really so people can see who we are writing about..... (try to post some in the morning):)

Bix

[bixie]

I thought I would update you on Coco's progress with her training and her fear.....

We have had a brilliant week ..... she is so calm now the difference is unbeliveable. We are still using the diffusser and the cd. She doesn't worry about noises indoors half as much as she did before and she hasn't ran and hid for the past week.

She went training again this weekend..... Brilliant sheer brilliant she was. She did all the comands perfectly and without the treets this week. The trainer also suggested a choke chain for her as she is tugging alot on her lead. She put it on her and instantly she was walking beside me without any hesitation or choking herself. I have thrown her harness to one side while I suss this one out!

She Did really well at the agility excercises too..... tail was wagging the whole way round. Gold star to Coco too as she completed the course no problem.

I tried the training excercises in the field also this weekend. I let her off her lead and allowed her to have a wander (still close to me though) and then I called her back etc. Not one bit of trouble YAY Me!!!!

Fingers crossed it lasts...... :D

[Sibe]

Awesome!:D You must be so proud and it sounds like you are having a lot of fun together too.:cool:

[bixie]

I am really really proud of her.... she is doin so so well... Its really nice to see her wagging her tail again and not shaking in fear at everything.........

I'm enjoying classes with her too as i'm getting to learn how to do things for her properly.

Big thumbs up at the mo......... Still taking the my little pony brolley everywhere with me though just in case we come across any problems....ie other scarey dogs!!!!

Its looking good though....... :p

[GSP4619]

I am so happy and thrilled that this is turning out so well for the two of you.

Great Great Job!!!

Bixie you set the bar for a person who does not give up ;)