[mommy]

Hi Everyone,

I can't believe I am typing this.

Tilly is 22 months and never been a problem walking ( other than pulling like a train - but mostly sorted by a halti, and getting better every day ! )
Never been a prob with other dogs etc. She is a dog that loves life and everything in it !

I live in a quiet cul de sac, where most residents are either dead or deaf...tis lovely...
Anyway...yesturday Tilly and I went for our stroll, and the house we have to pass at end of road has a dog that I hear barking a lot but nothing else.

When we returned, clearly we had to pass this same house and their dog jumped up his side of the wall.

Tilly acted as I hoped she would which was, waggy tail ' Hello ' lets be friends type thing.

Bearing in mind she was ' all paws on the floor ' and not looking threatening at all.

But this dog flew at her, knashing and trying to get at her, snarling and biting, only missed her face by inches because I yanked her away in time.

Tilly was momentarily taken aback then, I suspect, went into ' fear aggression ' / defence mechanism and barked back with her back up.

Well, went out today and even though the other dog was not in garden, as soon as we approached the house, her back went up and she was fighting against the lead and growling.

This set the mood for the entire walk and, totally out of character, everytime she approached a dog, human, cat, post box, lampost infact anything she reacted the same way.

Basically for most of the walk her back was up and she was on alert....never seen anything like it.......and she has never been like it before.
It was real hard work....I thought ' just bin it and come home ' but was in two minds whether this was counter productive or not. Hoped to walk it out of her!

Sadly we have to go past this house everytime, to leave the road, so clearly I need to sort this, along with reversing any prob with her.
Am at a bit of a loss to know the best way to deal with this.......any ideas guys?

 

[Maddie]

Tricky one, especially if you can't go out any other way. She will be feeling your anxiety so if you are anxious and worried about it she will be. You could try walking briskly, chattering and making happy noises and if she does not react feafully when you pass give her lots of treats. If it was a fear aggressive reaction she needs to learn that there is nothing to be afraid of and the best thing I've tried to do is not to react myself (blooming hard, I know!). A good time to try this when the other dog is not in it's garden. Is there anyway you can suss out the situation before you take Tilly out?

 

[clairiscrazy]

hiya

yes same as what maddie says

can you not just walk her around the cul-de-sac dont go out of it but just a few walks round it when you get to the *bad* house treat her praise her and go around again keep doing it *yes you may look a bit daft going round in circles..lol..* but hopefully she should learn to calm back down and nothing can scare her.. once you see her hackles go down praise her loads then walk out of the cul-de-sac to hopefully a relaxed walk again


i went through the same with a house by me they had a aggresive dog and brandy went into overdrive everytime she sensed or smelt this house..lol..but she soon realised this dog could not get her and she could not get at him... and yes i walked up and down my street like a yo-yo till brandy was calm..lol..

 

[Cristina]

Do you know any friendly dogs that you could also re-introduce to her to show her that not all dogs are like the one that went for her?

Also could you not have a word to the owner of this dog as nexted time it could be a child instead of your dogs face!

 

[JohnW]

Hi Rhoni.
Sorry I never got to this before, but I've only just noticed it. (Methinks you slipped it in after I went to bed!)

This was a problem I used to encounter regularly some years ago. I actually used to treat it as a training opportunity.

A lot depends on YOUR reaction to the initial experience. It's so hard to mask your own fear/surprise but that is exactly what is needed. Dogs know us far better than we will ever know them. We have so many calls on our time that we often don’t even see the dog sharing the room we are in but that is not so with the dog. He watches us to the extent that we have no secrets! They know when we are happy and when we are sad. The soon learn to keep their head down when we are in a temper! But just as they know us they also take on board our reactions to things. The talk about "Fear going down the lead" to the dog is so true!

When I used to approach the gate in question I would start off by making sure the lead was NOT tight. I wanted to create a relaxed feeling. Totally the opposite signal to shortening the lead. I would, without making any sort of thing about it, give as much clearance between me and the offending gate. Particularly if I could not see the dog. If I could see the dog then I would aim a little closer because in that particular case I would have plenty advance warning and have an ideal training opportunity.

I start by letting my dog know I have a treat in my hand. I tell my dog to leave and head straight on chatting in a confident voice. I'm aiming to keep my dog thinking about the treat. Aim to keep just outside the area where your dog finds it's "Comfort Zone" is threatened so that the treat id actually working. Once past give the reward and continue. The calm relaxed voice is so important. Any raised voice gives the impression that YOU are barking and growling too! Any barking on the part of my dog is greeted with, "What do you think your doing you stupid dog? He's the other side of the gate! Leave him alone!"

Try to use the treat as a reward, rather than a bribe. After the initial use to get his attention, in future try to avoid showing it until rewarding the good behaviour. Remember "Comfort Zones" We all have them. A distance at which we feel safe and a distance where we feel threatened. By controlling that distance we can gradually reduce it as the confidence of the dog increases. We are aiming for our dog to trust OUR ability to control any threat.

Remember, the big bold confident approach helps in just about everything.

Regards, John

PS. 70 hours to go!

 

[mommy]

Hi everyone,

Nicola - I curb any anziety levels anyway and certainly wasn't anxious yesturday and we have always walked passed this dog before, albeit on the other side of the road, it was the speed in which she reacted, as soon as she saw the house, and the dog wasn't even there!

Claire - the cul de sack is so small they will have me sectioned if I go in circles ! :wink:
We can see the house from the front window and consequently as soon as we shut the front door her back is up ! She is in such a state it's the only time I can't get her to respond to any commands, she is just thrashing about !

Cristina - Not really, regualar doggy friends are found on the beach etc and the only one here is a yappy, complety untrained Jack Russel....not a good idea !

As for talking to the owner, he was there and just looked at me as if to say ' My house, my dog, his garden, your problem ' Felt his little doggy ( lapso / lassie / collie cross girt big thing ) was just doing his job and defending the perimeter !

I fully take on board the threat posed to a child.

What is making me sad / cross is that as I type this I am looking out of window, watching for a time this damn dog is in the house ( not very oftern, chucked to roam garden all day ! ) for a window to get Tilly out.....as I feel would be a huge mistake to put her in the same situation again today before I have been able to at least attempt to rectify the problem.

This dog is now controlling our days and her walks.

AND I am really cross that my lovable, bidable totally adjusted normal Lab has been scared to this extent.
All those months with training and socialising for this one dog to screw it up !
.....of my soap box now ....

 

[mommy]

Afternoon John !

Yes you clearly had an early night - or did I have a late one...the later me thinks !

Your reply sounds logical, sensible and I see what the dog would be thinking.
....but !
Would be imposible to give her a slack lead as even before this the first 500 yards are a real YE HAH! I'm out ! Even though she is close to me she is eager for her walk ! No matter how much lead I would give her she will take it to its extent !
When she has got past this stage she walks fine. As claire suggested maybe walk her about first to get these initail 550 yards out of the way but one, I would have to do 84 circuits of the cul de sac, and two she reacts the minute we leave the house because she can see it !

I have always been aware of the fear down the lead rule and up to now have always been succesful, even when this dog flew at her I still kept my cool, it was the next day when she reated so badly, maybe as you say even though I thought I was cool I suppose I must have reacted in some subtle way and she picked up on it. Even just the yanking her away from the dogs jaws I suppose !

I can't see how to get her out of the house in a calm fashion to begin to even start putting it all into practice. ! She is reacting the minute the key is in the lock

I alternate street walking to going in the car to beaches , etc but I don't want to have to 'drive her 'to a walk all time. That is not curing the problem just putting on the back burner.

69 hours left :wink:

 

[JohnW]

Yes. I know what you mean. Anna, the supposed well trained working dog usually leaves me gate with her nose on my cheek. And I'm 6'2! It's the usual mad few yards. The thing is, if you have always been in the habit of leaving the house on a tight lead then that's the norm and as such is not likely to cause any problem, it's the abnormal which needs to be guarded against. A tightening of the lead other than normal as you approach the gate. Normal behaviour is normal behaviour. It may not be correct but it is normal so not a signal of apprehension.

Best wishes, John

 

[mommy]

Thanks John,

I am waiting for the bully to go in and we are gonna go for it again

Humph, what irritates me is the sheer ignorance of the owner, he saw what happened and knows his dog is a nusiance to all who pass and doesn't stop it, so the dog thinks that is HIS normal behaviour and continues !

Gosh it's hot here...phew...reackon I'll let it cool a bit then try to get her to the river for a treat !

 

[shelley]

Aw Rhoni ... have just read all the posts and really feel for you!

Can offer no advice i'm afraid as im a complete newbie to this dog lark but just wanted to wish you well for your next walk. Have you managed it yet??

Take care

Shelley

 

[mommy]

Hi guys,

Well so far so good, waited for the bully's owners to get tired of his barking and take him in, and we ventured out.
Just about did eveything that everyone said to do, so my neighbours must think I am mad.

I did my nutter's impresion by walking around the 100 metre cul de sac enough times to get the YE HAH out of Tilly, only when I thought someone might report me for loitering did I move on !

Result! bully still away and we walked passed, with a cheery disposition very sucsessfully, Damn I thought, lets exploit this, so just to confirm to neighbours I really was completely of my trolley we walked up and back passed the house / wall / gate a few times.
Used treat a reward at the end of every bit.......
Slapping us both on the back we continued to the river where, from out of the undergrowth a Yorkie flew out, charged her, trying to nip her underbelly............
I couldn't believe it...............What is this? a ' lets all pick on Tilly week'?
I have eaten bigger chickens than this dog but it was like something possessed ! :twisted:
It's owner just picked it up ( wasn't on lead ) and marched of, leaving me with the parting words....' She only did it because she is frigthened of dogs ! ER?
We had a subdued play dunk in the river and came home, bully was still indoors thankfully, that really would of topped it off !
So, tomorrows another day ! Ho hum

 

[JohnW]

It's owner just picked it up ( wasn't on lead ) and marched of, leaving me with the parting words....' She only did it because she is frigthened of dogs !

In other words, poor socilisation. And of course, the sweeping it up into her arms is certainly not going to help give it confidence!

Some people are beyond help!

Regards, John

PS 3660 minutes left.