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| Tweet Topic Started: 28 Jun 2014, 12:18 AM (373 Views) | |
| Buddy and Me | 28 Jun 2014, 12:18 AM Post #1 |
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GSD Annointed Member
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Ages since I've posted but will say that Buddy continues to be the perfect dog. Despite his awful start to life he is fab with the cats even the two I'm looking after temporarily - they were really scared of dogs but not now, great with kids of all ages and my best pal so this is not about him. I've written before about next door's dog. He is a cross Staffie/Boxer with a bit of Rhodesian Ridgeback in him. Unfortunately, he's never been trained properly or socialised. He's left on his own for long periods of time as his owner works full-time. His owner seldom takes him out because the dog pulls like mad on the lead and is aggressive towards other dogs. He's the only dog that Buddy doesn't like. When Archie gets out, we have a system in place that I take Buddy in otherwise it's handbags at 9 paces through the fence. Anyway, things came to a head this week. Neighbour found Archie a new home with a family he knows. He was returned the next day after supposedly being too boisterous and knocking over the 2 year old child. (Oh wow! That does happen when there's animals and little kids in the home). Archie has separation anxiety but the other day was the worst I've heard him. He barked, howled and whined from early morning non-stop until next door's lodger came home after 4pm. So much so, that one of the neighbours reported him to the Council (moot point as it is a private house), Environmental Health and the RSPCA (not bad for someone who used to let her own dog out at 4am who then barked non-stop at the birds ever morning). I have offered to help train Archie before but that fell on deaf ears. This time his owner seems to be willing to listen - I just hope he hasn't left it too late. Now, about Archie. He is 6 years old, never been socialised with other dogs or anything else but he is highly intelligent and learns very quickly. Treat orientated or just simple praise. I can get him to do basic commands with no problem. His owner can't. I asked his owner when he last took him out for a walk. He couldn't remember but said walking Archie was a nightmare. Years ago I suggested using a head collar. His now ex-wife said "No way. That's like a muzzle and I'm not muzzling the dog!" so I suggested trying a head collar again. This time his owner was receptive to the idea. I walk Buddy on a Dogmatic head collar and it happens I have a spare one which I bought for Buddy (the leather one) but was too small. I went and got it and only had to punch a couple of holes in the strap and it fitted Archie very well. I walked Archie up and down the hall and kitchen, explaining to his owner that where the head goes the body has to follow and if Archie was to kick off at another dog all he has to do is just stand there. We then took Archie for a walk. His owner was very tense and nervous and I had to take the lead and show his owner that he needs to relax. If Archie started playing up, just stop, make him sit until HE was ready to move on, not to give into Archie and show him who's boss. For years Archie has ruled the roost there. Well, we went for the walk and Archie was as good as gold, didn't pull (he couldn't) and for the first time in 6 years, his owner actually enjoyed the walk. So did Archie because he had this big grin on his face when we came back and his tail was wagging like mad. All he needs is training and socialisation but more importantly, his owner needs training! I can help with teaching Archie the basics of walking nicely on the lead, recall, etc. (which doesn't exist) but the one thing I can't really help with is the separation anxiety. My son works shifts so there's always someone in our house for most of the day but because Buddy and Archie don't like each other, I can't help there otherwise I would take Archie some of the time. Can anyone advise how to overcome this problem, what his owner could try otherwise Archie is going to land back up in a kennel and that will break his little heart. He really is a people orientated dog and it's not his fault his owner fell into the category of thinking a dog trains itself. Not only that but his owner does love his dog dearly and I know the thought of returning Archie to the kennels (Bath) is breaking his heart. It really is a sad situation. |
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| Megatronic | 28 Jun 2014, 10:35 AM Post #2 |
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wots missing Pat a lot
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well it sounds like the owner is now receptive to some advice and guidance, well done for persisting with him. Do you think the more he sees the dog relaxing the more he is likely to want to take him out? Does he leave anything for the dog when he goes out e.g. kong? What about suggesting a dog walker or asking if someone else could pop in now and again? |
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| pangolin | 28 Jun 2014, 01:11 PM Post #3 |
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GSD Addict
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Can I please say, most of your post is fab (and I admire you for helping out), but Archie is not doing this behaviour to be boss. Most likely, his lack of socialisation has made him fearful of other dogs. Fearful reactivity is often seen as aggressive, because the dog makes a big show about being sharing at even the sight of other dogs - especially if he's got a mix of big dogs like Boxer and Ridgeback in him, he will look quite terrifying. However, it's a big show - an "I'll scare you off being big and scary so you don't realise I'm terrified". It's the fight or flight in a dog - and being on-lead, he cannot take the flight option. I say this because it would be a shame to go down the "pack leader" type route - you don't mention it, but the comment about ruling the roost and about being boss did have me slightly concerned. What Archie needs, far more than being shown 'who's boss', is to have his emotional status taken into consideration and actions to be done to avoid him feeling that fear. So, rather than have him sit and wait for a dog to pass by (possibly barking and lunging, even if he's on the headcollar), removing Archie from that situation is likely to be far more effective. Whether that's by ducking behind a parked car (this may not be enough for Archie at present, his threshold is likely to be low if little work has been done on the issue so far), going down a side road, even just turning 180 and walking the other way. At this stage of his training, you want to really underestimate his threshold - infact, if he's still learning basic walking manners, I'd turn and walk away from a dog even if you've spotted it sooner than Archie. Getting him out and about and avoiding any reactions with other dogs will help a lot right now, and once he has become more responsive to his owner, has adjusted to being out in the big wide world (because that can be stressful enough to a dog that's rarely been walked), and walks far better on a lead, then the matter of changing his reaction to other dogs can be addressed. http://www.spiritdog.com/sanesolutions.htm is a good article that explains reactivity in dogs. It goes on to some key points for success in dealing with it, and some exercises in following dogs - I would say this is probably too much for Archie at this moment in time though. Dr. Sophia Yin is a fab vet who focusses on animal behaviour too. Her page here has some foundation exercises that would likely be good to introduce fairly soon, once basic walking manners are starting to shape up. It's about teaching the dog to change direction - sounds simple enough, but some dogs do object to a sudden change in direction and may just plonk their bums down and refuse to move. Having primed the dog to 180 turns and so on will make it much easier when there is an actual dog to avoid. http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-foundation-exercises-for-your-leash-reactive-dog Patricia McConnell has an article here on reactivity - it may be a bit too advanced for your neighbour at the moment, but you may like to take a read for a bit more advanced info on the issue. https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dog-dog-reactivity-treatment-summary She also does a book on the subject - it's a fairly short book, but concise and easier for a 'novice' type dog owner, so could be worth your neighbour buying - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog-ebook/dp/B001DA99CG/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1403955614&sr=8-9 I'd also really recommend Emily Larlham, AKA Kikopup, on Youtube. She has tons of videos, all available for free, that deal with lots of issues - several on reactivity. She actually has a DVD available to buy for dealing with reactivity, but most of the content is available on her Youtube channel. The DVD puts it into a good order, and has some additional footage of her dealing with clients' dogs, as well as running commentary, but Youtube is a good start http://www.youtube.com/kikopup There's also some things on Pam's Dog Academy that I'd teach a reactive dog, such as the "watch me" game - it's about teaching a dog to make eye contact on command, so you'd divert the dog's attention from a passing dog on a walk after you'd primed it to this command - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHLvt6TQzqA Also on Youtube is Donna Hill, again several videos to do with reactivity. One of her videos teaches the "look at that" game - it's sort of the opposite to above, some dogs get more nervous if they cannot watch a passing dog, so this command teaches the dog to take a look at the dog but then look back at the owner for a reward. So you are encouraging them to glance at the dog, but not to eyeball it or react to it - a glance and then focussing back on the owner is the aim. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwSTr-zkR1DKyPIln0EL93w These three trainers also have other videos which are worth a watch. Teaching a dog general self-control and to be more responsive to commands through unrelated tricks is all worthwhile. Some self-control commands or games include things like a solid 'leave it', teaching a dog not to dash through open doors, to wait when their food bowl is put down, and so on. In regards to the separation anxiety, Patricia McConnell mentioned above also does a short book on this issue http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ill-Home-Soon-Separation-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B001CSLJR2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1403955614&sr=8-8 However, my preferred recommendation would be Nicole Wilde's "Don't leave me" - it's much more in-depth, though not too complex or advanced. It also discusses the option on medication - something that should always be done alongside behavioural modification, but that may be worth considering for a severe case like Archie. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leave-Step---Step-Separation-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B005QD0Y34/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403956116&sr=8-1&keywords=nicole+wilde+don%27t+leave+me I would also suggest Archie gets a thorough vet check. Not just a look over, but full body manipulation for any signs of pain, and a full blood test including comprehensive thyroid panel (as many levels as possible - not just T4 and TSH). Pain or other medical conditions can cause or aggravate behavioural issues. My x developed separation anxiety and after 6 months of trying to deal with the behaviour, I was considering the prescription medication route. We went to the vet for a full MOT to ensure she was healthy enough for meds, and that there was nothing medical underlying, and this is when her hypothyroidism was picked up. On treatment for it, her separation anxiety improved hugely - as did her other anxiety related behaviours, e.g. she'd started to become reactive to other dogs, and to other things on walks like pushchairs, tarpaulin flapping on a drive, even the postbox at the end of the road on occasion! Dealing with Archie's life as a whole is also worthwhile. The separation anxiety is likely to worsen his behaviour outside - imagine if you're really stressed at work all day, you're likely to come home and be more upset if you burnt your dinner or dropped a glass, because of your underlying stress. Archie is going to have a fairly high baseline of stress if his separation anxiety is bad, and this will make him far more reactive out on walks. Trying to minimise the stress in Archie's life will help both issues, though I know it's easier said than done. The main one would be trying to avoid leaving Archie alone whilst dealing with his anxiety. I know this can be really impractical, but it's worth exploring issues. My boss at the time was thankfully happy to let me be a bit more flexible about work - I took some time off, and then did a week or two working from home, coming in to the office when my boyfriend was home to stay with the dogs (he did varying hours with his job then). Could taking the dog to work be an option? Alternatively, could a friend or relative (other than you) dogsit? If the owner is taking care of walking the dog before and after work, the dogsitter wouldn't need to walk the dog - just a couple of pee breaks, so they could perhaps have Archie in their own home. Someone who stays at home, or works from home themselves, could be ideal? A dog sitter would likely be an expensive solution, and a walker who only pops in for an hour won't really solve the issue. Infact, I found popping home to see mine too frequently worsened things, as there were then more times I was leaving them (I found from recording the dogs that once Kiki did settle down and sleep, she'd generally be OK - so disturbing her didn't help). He probably couldn't manage daycare if he's not good with other dogs, but there are kennels that do day rates so that might be an option? Ideally, Archie shouldn't be left home alone any longer than he can cope. In initial stages, this might not even be a few minutes. However, if he is home alone longer than ideal, it may be worth finding a way to differentiate between "I really have to leave you" times and "We're training you to manage to be home alone" times. This could be done by putting a radio on during one of those times, for example. I chose to use a radio in those "really have to leave you" times, in the hopes it would help relax Kiki a bit to hear voices (I'd put the radio up loudly behind the hallway door), and wouldn't use a radio in the training periods - some people do it the other way around though. His owner might want to consider removing as many other stressors as possible too though. You mention the fenceline being an issue - so minimising this should help Archie, if he hasn't been walked then the garden's probably been his only real outlet for his energy, and that being interupted by fence fighting will raise Archie's stress too. http://notesfromadogwalker.com/2013/08/08/dog-fence-fixes/ is a good read on fence solutions - it's US based, but I think UK gardens are probably a bit easier to sort out, as they're generally smaller and we don't tend to have things like chainlink fencing or open front lawns. A simple solution might be a roll or two of reed screening, it's not too costly and easy enough to staple to existing fencing. There is a large variety of calmative type products on the market for stressful dogs too. You may have seen adverts for Adaptil (and the cat version Feliway) on TV - these come as plug-in diffusers, sprays or impregnated collars for the dog to wear. They emit pheromones similar to those a mother dog would emit to calm pups. There are other plug-ins, like Pet Remedy, or oral supplements like Calmex or Zylkene. There are herbal supplements, like scullcap and valerian, homeopathic options like Rescue Remedy, and supplements like Stress-Less which is a magnesium supplement (the idea being that a magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety - and stress deplete's the body's store of magnesium). There are also products like the Thundershirt or Anxiety Wrap, and even things like canine lullabies which are supposed to be at a certain tempo shown to calm dogs down! As well as all these OTC options, there's also the prescription medication option, if Archie is given a clean bill of health. I would recommend getting a behaviourist in before this option though - they can help advise on the best medication if they decide that is the way forward. I'd suggest finding one through www.apbc.org.uk if Archie's owners do want to go down that route. I'd also get his owner to look at the type of games they place with Archie. If they throw a ball up and down the garden for him as his main form of exercise, this could be inadvertently making things worse. Chase/fetch is a high adrenaline game for a dog - it triggers their chase drive, like a wolf might chase down a hare. The body produces adrenaline to fuel the chase, but this adrenaline then remains in the body - making Archie more likely to stress when put in a stressful situation. Switching to more relaxing games could have a positive impact. For dogs, sniffing is a behaviour they often use to dispell stress - you may see a dog stopping to sniff the ground when they're feeling a bit worried, such as meeting a new dog or going to the vets. So games that involve sniffing may help Archie relax - feeding him his breakfast or dinner by scattering it in the garden will give him mental and physical stimulation. On the subject of food, looking at Archie's diet may help too. Some dogs react badly to some foods in the form of behavioural issues. Bakers is renowned for it, all those e-numbers causing hyperactivity and resulting issues, but some dogs can react even to better quality foods. www.allaboutdogfood.com is a fab website for reading up on all the different commercially available foods - it could be worth trialling Archie on something new. Something that can be stuffed in a Kong may help with dealing with the stress/separation issues too. Like sniffing, dogs also find chewing and licking helps to relax them (it's why some dogs will chew on their paws or lick themselves/the floor/etc. when stressed), so a stuffed Kong is useful. If he's not had a Kong, I'd introduce it slowly, and gradually build up the difficulty. Mine often have frozen Kongs, which take about 25 mins or so to empty, so it occupies them for quite a while. Chews may help with this as well - I'd recommend natural chews, Zooplus sell a good range www.zooplus.com Hopefully his owners will be willing to deal with these issues - it is hard work, I know from personal experience, but the results when you're dealing with it are so rewarding. I was very pleased this morning as I managed to take Kiki for a half hour run around our local park/field, which had about 6 off-lead dogs in various places, and although she did want to go and join one group that we got quite near to (all running around playing), she didn't lunge or bark at any - even when a little terrier (small dogs make her far more nervous than bigger dogs) ran right over to us. You may want to recommend, or join up yourself, the Facebook group "Reactive Dogs". It has several useful files, and is filled with members who've got years of experience. Edited by pangolin, 28 Jun 2014, 01:21 PM.
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| Buddy and Me | 28 Jun 2014, 04:35 PM Post #4 |
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GSD Annointed Member
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Thanks Pangolin and Megatronic. Think I worded some of my post badly. When I said that Archie rules the roost, I meant that Archie ignores anything his owner tells him. If his owner tells him to sit he just walks off in the opposite direction for example. His owner will give a command in the same voice he would use to talk to me or another human. I tell Archie to sit and he does and will stay there. Difference is I put some inflection in my voice, use one word - sit and I'm calm. If you listen to Archie's owner, as he repeatedly tells Archie to sit, you can hear the tension rising in his voice, It is the OWNER who is at fault here, not the dog. I have not seen or heard Archie today and I know my neighbour has his kids there today - he gets them at the weekend. Usually his son plays in the back garden with the dog - he loves the dog and the dog clearly loves him but I haven't seen either so I'm assuming Archie may now be back at Bath. If he is, it is very, very sad and in no way any fault of Archie's. If this is what's happened, I can only hope that they will socialise him and the right family, one who will spend time training him eventually adopts him. Trained properly, Archie would be a really super dog. He is very affectionate and loving. To be honest, if he'd got along with Buddy I may very well have taken him myself but the one time Buddy and Archie met, Archie bit Buddy's nose - and Buddy never forgot it and yes, Archie is scared of other dogs. I'll find out later what's happened and let you all know. Pangolin. I did suggest they get a Kong. I had to explain what a Kong was. Also, they got Archie as a 10 week old pup. Part of the conditions of adopting him was that they took him down to Bath at the weekends for socialisation and basic training. They never did this and it was never followed up. His wife also didn't want the dog. She told me once she hated him so she never did anything with him either. They've since divorced so the dog's been in a bad situation for years and left on his own most of the time for the past 3 years. |
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| Patlucky | 28 Jun 2014, 06:30 PM Post #5 |
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Would like to stay in bed like the other Pat does
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I was just looking for a good video that shows a case that was bad. Cesar turned the dog round real fast. The people were about to have to get rid of the dog. I will keep looking. In the meantime this might help. http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/dogtraining/Dealing-with-Separation-Anxiety-by-Martin-Deeley |
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| Pamela | 28 Jun 2014, 11:07 PM Post #6 |
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Had the dog from a pup and its now 6 ! ,dont think the owners will change ...! best rehome it , where someone will put in the hours in with daily exercise and good routine is the key ...lots of exercise , dog would sleep more ... |
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| Buddy and Me | 30 Jun 2014, 12:21 AM Post #7 |
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GSD Annointed Member
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He's still got the dog but the neighbour who reported him is going to help look after the dog during the day. She had a Patterdale Terrier who died of old age (he must have been about 18 years old) a few months ago so fingers crossed things might quieten down now. Pamela. He did try and rehome the dog and he was returned the next day for being too boisterous. He's an RSPCA rehome so really should go back there but that would mean he'd be in kennels which is never the best solution but I agree he'd be better with a family who can spend time with him. Older children, maybe from age 8 upwards would, I think, suit him best. I've tried to get the neighbour to take his dog to dog training classes - there's a really good one not 5 minutes walk from here but for some reason he won't. I think he's embarrassed of the way the dog behaves (HIS fault, not the dog's) and buries his head in the sand. I've tried to explain till I'm blue in the face that taking the dog to the training classes would get the dog socialised with other dogs and other humans, teach him basic good manners but also learn things like search, obstacles courses etc. He's a very intelligent dog who really just wants to please. It's a case of bad owner (could be a very) good dog. |
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x developed separation anxiety and after 6 months of trying to deal with the behaviour, I was considering the prescription medication route. We went to the vet for a full MOT to ensure she was healthy enough for meds, and that there was nothing medical underlying, and this is when her hypothyroidism was picked up. On treatment for it, her separation anxiety improved hugely - as did her other anxiety related behaviours, e.g. she'd started to become reactive to other dogs, and to other things on walks like pushchairs, tarpaulin flapping on a drive, even the postbox at the end of the road on occasion! 

1:34 AM Jul 11








