Change of tune!

My 30-month-old male dog started lunging and barking at some other dogs about six months ago. It is quite random so I never know when he is going to do it and it is hard to hold even in a front clip harness or head collar. The only thing I can think may have caused this was at about 18 months old he was chased, bowled over and bitten.

Before that he loved everyone - dogs and people! Having said that, he was always very respectful when approaching another dog even as a puppy. He was well socialized from a puppy and has never been frightened of vacuums, fireworks etc. But he now twitches when he is touched and I can no longer clip his nails, although he loves being groomed and stroked, when he realizes I am not going to do anything to him. He was also neutered at 10 months.

I take him to dog classes to rebuild his confidence with some lovely dogs and a good trainer, he does very well in class but if I try the advice outside in the real world it doesn’t work! He must give off a nervous vibe as, again quite randomly, some dogs will ignore my friends dogs and chase or snap at him, again I don’t know when this is going to happen, but if I see someone put their dog on a lead I take him out of harms way, but not everyone does.

Some advice I have been given is to get people to walk past at a distance, but he is fine with most dogs especially with my friends' dogs! I can’t go up to strangers and say, excuse me, can you walk your dog in front of my dog to see if he is scary! I take him to local fun dog shows and he is fine, happy to meet all the dogs and shows no sign of a problem, everyone there thinks he is lovely and he always wins rosettes.

If I see another dog on a walk and get him to sit and start feeding him treats, he gets agitated and starts looking around as if the treats are the trigger! I have started clicker training with him, he has taken to this well but this also doesn’t work in situ.

He is a very loving dog, amazing with children, obedient in the house, crate trained, clever, but, I am getting worn out and am constantly embarrassed and disheartened on walks. I try very hard not to tense up as I know I contribute to the tension!

Thanks    
Sandy, via email 

Nips and Nibbles

I have a German Shepherd bitch (Hope) who is about two years old, and recently bought two little pups (both girls, Nalah and Kitana) who are now nine weeks.

Hope is very maternal with the pups, and often keeps food aside for them and cuddles them to sleep.

Recently I've noticed Hope is nibbling Kitana all over her body, what does this mean? It's only ever Kitana, as she's the more playful one with Hope. Should we be worried about it? She's never hurt the pup, and the pup always goes back for more.

Thanks
Beth, via email 

Man's best friend

Dear Dogs Today 

I have been unwell for two months now, and it’s having a strange effect on my three-year-old bearded collie.

She used to go everywhere with my husband, and they loved going out for a long walk at lunchtime each day. She followed him loyally when out walking, and at home she would sit right next to him.

Since I have been unwell, she won’t go out with my husband at all. I don’t know what has changed her behaviour, and I’m hoping that when I feel better she will return to her normal behaviour.

Thank you for any tips you can give me.

Vera, via email

At a loss

Since losing my 13-year-old Italian Spinone before Christmas, my 7-year-old Airedale has become manic (well, more than usual!). Having always had a senior companion, the rise to becoming top dog in the house has gone to his head. He barks at everything, especially in the car. He seems to think he has to protect me and vehicle from everything he sees!

We live in a rural area but I take him into town where he meets other dogs and our friends visit with their dogs. The problem is that he loves them to death.  He won't leave their side, and is always licking and pushing them to make them play or respond.  

He is still reasonably obedient, except when these situations arise. I keep reminding him of his basic training commands but these go out the window when he's with his friends.

Could I neuter him at this late stage and would it make a difference? Or would a new companion help his behaviour? We had hoped to be a one dog household, but I am willing to try anything to change his behaviour!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jenny

Of dogs and men

Hey Dogs Today magazine, 

I was wondering if you could do a article on dogs who are nervous of men? My two-year-old Labrador Jayde is nervous of strangers but its mainly men. From about eight months old, for some reason our happy and sociable little puppy was gone  and was terrified of men. We think that maybe someone came to our house, be it the postman or delivery man while we were working, and it scared her a lot.

We've worked with her a lot over two years by taking her to work with me and dog shows, trying to build her confidence, and she's slowly starting to get better. She still has her bad days where she will run, hide, cower and growl to get away from men and unfortunately because she is a Labrador, people don't see this breed as having any problems and they will often just stroke her without asking which sets her back. However, when she first had this problem their wasn't a lot of information out there about how to deal with it and I was scared that she might have had to be put down in the future for gowling and scaring someone.

Thank you.

Laura Bicknell, by email

Change in behaviour

Hi,

I own four dogs, two pairs of sisters, and all rescues. My first two I adopted, Poppy & Jasmine (Beagle/Jack Russell crosses), were rescued from a puppy mill. They were six months when i got them and spayed shortly after. The first few months with them were spent getting them comfortable around humans and other dogs, and by the time they reached a year old they developed in to confident, social, happy-go-lucky dogs.

A year later I rescued another two sisters while working at an animal shelter. A litter of nine newborn puppies was brought into us after their mum got the last pup stuck while giving birth and died in transit. The nine pups were sent to a foster home and hand-raised for eight weeks, I decided to adopt two, Abbey and Kensington.

Their mum was a pit bull/mastiff mix, dad unknown (Lab or Rottweiler I suspect). They were spayed at two months and I brought them home a week later. Abbey was always a little anxious as a pup, but as with Poppy and Jasmine, the first four months was spent socialising with other dogs and people.

At six months old, both the puppies developed canine acne (within two weeks of each other) and shortly after, their personality changed. They both seemed overly anxious every time they were brought into a new environment and began showing fear towards the unknown, including humans and dogs. Kensington tends to back away when feeling unsure, however Abbey is more aggressive in her behavior and will growl, show teeth and become very unruly. She is very reactive and has a high chase drive too.

I have been working with her one on one now for almost five months and have had little success improving her behavior. The behaviour is linked more to new situations than human and dog aggression. I have been taking her to my husbands very busy construction site and after the second time she was very well behaved.

Could it be hormonal related with the behavior changing around the same time as developing acne? Results of being spayed too early maybe? Can hormonal imbalances be tested for? Or could it be other factors leading to their behavior, being hand-raised for instance or breed personality? I have spoken to my vet about this on several occasions and have been told its genetics, and to carry on working with their behaviour.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Nikki, by email