I wrote a number of years ago regarding my collie Jake who was frightened of whistles. The advice helped enormously and although he was never really cured of his fear I learnt how to manage it. Sadly Jake passed away two years ago due to an aggressive cancer and last year I gave a home to a two-year-old collie who was not being treated very well. He settled in quite well and I gave him time to adjust to his new life, which he did although he was quite nervous but he had my new friends and their dogs and the "pack" got on very well together. Since the New Year things have started to deteriorate. If one of my friends does not come into the park he was constantly looking for her dogs. Now he does not want to go out at all. If I manage to coax him to the park he has to stay on the lead as he wants to get out of the park. If my friend comes in with dogs he is happy for about five minutes to run with them and chase the ball then all of a sudden his tail goes between his legs and I have to put him on the lead again as he tries to escape. He is pulling so much on the lead and I have a long lead as well but he is beginning to hurt me. Around the home he is very obedient and to reinforce that I am pack leader I always feed him second to me and make him wait for me to lead the way in and out. It just seems outside he has no faith in me and there is nothing that has happened to make him feel this way.
In his previous home he lived with a young man who then moved in with his girlfriend who had a female Jack Russell and then she got a male Jack Russell. It seems there was a bit of aggression between the two males and they had to be kept in separate rooms when the owners were out all day. I have found out that the girlfriend used to slap my dog Woody quite a lot. It makes me wonder if he doesn't trust me because I am a woman. He has no collie attributes at all, he is more like a lap dog and I feel for him as he is only three. I have read a lot of dog behaviour and especially collie behaviour and I cannot find anything to help me with this problem. I have to work part-time but he has always been left and he is very good at being left since living with me. I am desperate to help this poor mixed up little fella because he is very lovable and deserves the best. I did think another dog for company might help but I don't want them to fight while I am not here.
I would appreciate your help as I have not come across this problem in any book I have read.
Sue Delaney, by email
May issue
May issue
Showing posts with label Helping a nervous dog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helping a nervous dog. Show all posts
Friday, 29 July 2011
Collie wobbles
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Nervous disposition
Please, please, please is there someone who can advise me?
I have a small terrier cross (we think Patterdale cross), who I rehomed from a small rescue group in January 2010. Rosie was found wandering the streets and was put in the dog pound. She did not do very well there and the rescue group which was contacted found a foster home for her. An assessment had been done which stated that she was OK with other dogs. When we brought Rosie home she must have been quite traumatised by everything that had happened to her, as she did not bark and was very quiet and withdrawn for about a month.
She is now very settled and is a wonderful little companion. The problem is when she sees another dog she goes into a hysterical panic. There is nothing that will pacify her until she can no longer see the dog. I think she is scared of them because when we pass front gardens where there are often dogs about, she will look up at me, pull away and not want to go near.
I have taken her to training, and have managed to get her to sit and concentrate on a treat while the other dogs move around (which she will not do on a normal walk) but I feel an unhappiness in her and am not sure if I should continue putting her through this ordeal. In all other respects she is so sweet and very obedient - she has a brilliant recall (except when squirrels are around!) and can sit/stay for ages. If she does not actually see the dog i.e. behind a parked car, she hardly reacts, perhaps just a nose in he air. Considering she is very food orientated and will normally do anything for a treat I am at a loss as to how to help her.
I contacted the rescue centre behaviourist who was not very helpful, and I have also tried clicker training and a trainer from amichien bonding (dog listener) without success.
I would very much appreciate any help in this matter.
Maggie Woods, by email
I have a small terrier cross (we think Patterdale cross), who I rehomed from a small rescue group in January 2010. Rosie was found wandering the streets and was put in the dog pound. She did not do very well there and the rescue group which was contacted found a foster home for her. An assessment had been done which stated that she was OK with other dogs. When we brought Rosie home she must have been quite traumatised by everything that had happened to her, as she did not bark and was very quiet and withdrawn for about a month.
She is now very settled and is a wonderful little companion. The problem is when she sees another dog she goes into a hysterical panic. There is nothing that will pacify her until she can no longer see the dog. I think she is scared of them because when we pass front gardens where there are often dogs about, she will look up at me, pull away and not want to go near.
I have taken her to training, and have managed to get her to sit and concentrate on a treat while the other dogs move around (which she will not do on a normal walk) but I feel an unhappiness in her and am not sure if I should continue putting her through this ordeal. In all other respects she is so sweet and very obedient - she has a brilliant recall (except when squirrels are around!) and can sit/stay for ages. If she does not actually see the dog i.e. behind a parked car, she hardly reacts, perhaps just a nose in he air. Considering she is very food orientated and will normally do anything for a treat I am at a loss as to how to help her.
I contacted the rescue centre behaviourist who was not very helpful, and I have also tried clicker training and a trainer from amichien bonding (dog listener) without success.
I would very much appreciate any help in this matter.
Maggie Woods, by email
Monday, 14 February 2011
Helping my dog's nervous aggression
We have had a rescued German Shepherd bitch for four years, who is now about nine years old. Since she came to us we have seen two behaviourists as she suffers from nervous aggression towards other dogs and also people if they approach too closely or try to touch her.
We have followed a program produced for us over the years, including once-a-week sessions with a vet-recommended dog trainer, on a one-to-one basis where we worked in a large paddock with different dogs, all on leads and walking at a distance that our dog can cope with without reacting.
For the past year we have been unable to improve her any further than that. We enquired whether any calming drug would help, but the most highly qualified behaviourist, who is also a qualified vet, did not think it would be a good idea. I believe the reason was that if she became too relaxed and over confident, she would maybe loose her "bite control" or "inhibition"? (She has never bitten, but has air snapped as a warning.) With us though, she has never shown a single act of any aggression whatsoever and is a perfect pet.
We are hoping that you would give us your opinion on whether any natural product could possibly help her. I know Dorwest Herbs sell calming products for fireworks etc and have seen advertised a product called Zylkene, but have no idea if anything would make any difference and we certainly don't want to risk making her any worse, as we have got to a stage where she is manageable. It's simply a case of it being a bit difficult to admit to ourselves that there is no more hope of any improvement.
Thank you if you have time to reply.
Bronwen and Keith Gould, by email
We have followed a program produced for us over the years, including once-a-week sessions with a vet-recommended dog trainer, on a one-to-one basis where we worked in a large paddock with different dogs, all on leads and walking at a distance that our dog can cope with without reacting.
For the past year we have been unable to improve her any further than that. We enquired whether any calming drug would help, but the most highly qualified behaviourist, who is also a qualified vet, did not think it would be a good idea. I believe the reason was that if she became too relaxed and over confident, she would maybe loose her "bite control" or "inhibition"? (She has never bitten, but has air snapped as a warning.) With us though, she has never shown a single act of any aggression whatsoever and is a perfect pet.
We are hoping that you would give us your opinion on whether any natural product could possibly help her. I know Dorwest Herbs sell calming products for fireworks etc and have seen advertised a product called Zylkene, but have no idea if anything would make any difference and we certainly don't want to risk making her any worse, as we have got to a stage where she is manageable. It's simply a case of it being a bit difficult to admit to ourselves that there is no more hope of any improvement.
Thank you if you have time to reply.
Bronwen and Keith Gould, by email
Bertie's nervous of all sorts
I have an eight-year-old Jack Russell, Bertie, and in the past three weeks he has developed a problem similar to the 'firework night' problem; he is hyperventilating, listening for something to come, because he has the run of the house and sleeps in our bedroom he's jumping up and scratching us to wake us up and wants us to touch/reassure him, this lasts for ages; in fact, we have arrived at the situation where we put him in my car so we can sleep! He had always been a laid back dog for a Jack Russell, he's our fourth one.
So far we have taken him to the vet, who duly examined him. Bertie's in very good condition and the only problem is his teeth need cleaning, but not urgently. We were advised the DAP diffuser, which hasn't worked, and I have some alternative health Bach Remedy - which also didn't work. It has been suggested that he is picking up on a health problem my husband has, other then the above we don't know what else to do - please help.
Penny Davis, by email
Richard Allport, alternative vet, advises:
I’ve seen very poor results with DAP diffusers in general, and in this kind of anxious behaviour in particular. It will obviously help if you can find out the exact reason why Bertie has developed the anxiety. Now this may sound a little odd, but why not contact an animal communicator? He or she may be able to ‘talk’ to Bertie and find out what he is so worried about, which will naturally make it easier to find a solution. As a starting point, look at the website of an animal communicator I can personally recommend, Pea Horsley (www.animalthoughts.com) and then take things from there.
In general the following natural supplements all help to calm and soothe anxious dogs:
Kalm Aid (a good combination of two anxiety relieving amino acids)
Skullcap and Valerian (a calming herbal mixture)
Dr Petals Fears (a flower essence complex that does what the name on the bottle suggests – calms and soothes fears and phobias)
If you would like any more information on any of the supplements mentioned do contact me on info@naturalmedicinecentre.net.
So far we have taken him to the vet, who duly examined him. Bertie's in very good condition and the only problem is his teeth need cleaning, but not urgently. We were advised the DAP diffuser, which hasn't worked, and I have some alternative health Bach Remedy - which also didn't work. It has been suggested that he is picking up on a health problem my husband has, other then the above we don't know what else to do - please help.
Penny Davis, by email
Richard Allport, alternative vet, advises:
I’ve seen very poor results with DAP diffusers in general, and in this kind of anxious behaviour in particular. It will obviously help if you can find out the exact reason why Bertie has developed the anxiety. Now this may sound a little odd, but why not contact an animal communicator? He or she may be able to ‘talk’ to Bertie and find out what he is so worried about, which will naturally make it easier to find a solution. As a starting point, look at the website of an animal communicator I can personally recommend, Pea Horsley (www.animalthoughts.com) and then take things from there.
In general the following natural supplements all help to calm and soothe anxious dogs:
Kalm Aid (a good combination of two anxiety relieving amino acids)
Skullcap and Valerian (a calming herbal mixture)
Dr Petals Fears (a flower essence complex that does what the name on the bottle suggests – calms and soothes fears and phobias)
If you would like any more information on any of the supplements mentioned do contact me on info@naturalmedicinecentre.net.
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