Debilitating Fear Of Other Dogs! :(

[Guest DogNewbie]

Hello Everyone!

 

Thanks for your patience- I realize I have been asking/posting a TON of questions! Thanks so much for all of your advice and support.

 

Wiley has been having some issues with other dogs- he is petrified of other dogs. Usually, he is really social and likes other dogs. He isn't super playful but he would trot up to them, sniff them and wag his tail.

 

Now, within the past week or so whenever he sees a dog at the dog park (big park- may 25 acres?), he runs the other way or stands beside us shaking, tail between his legs, cowering. I have no idea what happened! It is all so sudden-like a light switch. All I can think of is 2 Saturdays ago, he wasn't listening at the park so I put his leash on. Two dogs came up to him and sniffed him and were really happy, but there was no biting or growling. A lot of people walk there dogs there on leash trough the trails so I didn't think much about it. Wiley is really sensitive though.

 

I have a feeling that me putting the leash on has something to do with his reaction- and I feel absolutely terrible about it. In hindsight, I shouldn't have taken him to the park and I feel like this never would have happened. I don't want him to be so fearful all the time. He seems more scared and less happy around the house too. Now, I just want the 3 of us (BF, Wiley & I) to move forward and go back to "normal". Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking socialization at Pet Smart (we did beginner & intermediate training there) or other Dog Training classes? We are already enrolled in baby agility.

 

Thanks for your help & advice! i just want my poor pooch to be happy & comfortable in his own home

[philospher77]

Personally, not knowing you or your dog, but having read your posts about the agility class, I'd say that you and Wiley have a problem with stress stacking. You may be doing too much, too fast, without enough down time. I forget exactly how long it takes cortisol levels to come back down to normal, but it's several days to a week. So, if Wiley is exposed to something that he thinks is stressful on Monday, and then has another semi-stressful event on Wednesday, he's not going to handle it as well as he would if he had not had the stressful Monday. So my advice is to consider whether you need to scale back on what you are exposing him to. If he is not at least relaxed when you have him out (happy would be better), it may not be doing anything to socialize him, but just making the next encounter worse.

[brianamac]

After a traumatic dog event, I dealt with one of mine having a totally debilitating fear of other dogs as well, so I understand. Wiley's dog park interaction may not have been 'traumatic' from the outside, but his fear is real.

I would recommend no more dog park for a while. Take him for leashed walks around the neighbourhood where he can have controlled interactions with other dogs. If there aren't any dogs in your hood, drive to another where there are a few. When he meets another dog, let them have a brief (2 second ONLY) sniff, then move along and give treats and/or praise. If you live in a community like mine, some people find it insulting if you don't stop and let your dog interact with theirs--I always say "my dog is training", and everyone seems to understand that.

If it ever seems overwhelming for Wiley and he tail tucks to a hard degree when another dog is approaching, just turn and walk the other way. If he goes over his fear 'threshold', he probably won't be learning much and it may reinforce the fear. Don't comfort him, just carry on. So avoid the dogs he finds immediately scary, and let him have a brief and positive interactions with the ones he isn't opposed to. Reward reward reward after those brief interactions, or better, teach him 'look at me' as you approach other dogs. You can then work up to him meeting all kinds of dogs once he is comfortable again with dogs he perceives as 'non-threatening'.

Some people recommend pushing a dogs boundaries a bit, and I believe it works for some. Personally, I found it helpful to take to the slooooow approach, and always end interactions on a positive note.

It took us months of taking the slow approach, but it was worth it. Sometimes it was 1 step forward and 2 back, but every positive interaction was like a building block in taking his confidence with other dogs back up to where it was.

If you want to chat, I believe it is local to call between Calgary and Med Hat. I would be more than happy to chat with you a little further about this. Just email the SAGA board email if you're interested and we can share phone numbers. I would love to chat with you more about this.

All the best to you guys and Wiley!

 

ETA: Don't feel 'terrible' about putting a leash on him at the park. You did what was best for him at the time.

Edited January 27, 2014 by brianamac

[GeorgeofNE]

Stop taking him to the dog park.

 

It's way too early in your relationship for him to have that kind of freedom, and CLEARLY he doesn't enjoy it.

 

Leash walking, training--those are bonding things for the two of you, and far more important that being loose at the park well before he knows and trusts you.

[MaryJane]

Taking him for a walk on a leash sounds like the best way to handle this. It's also a great way to bond. Give him time to adjust by taking things slow and I'd probably stay away from the dog park.

[JohnF]

>>It's way too early in your relationship for him to have that kind of freedom, and CLEARLY he doesn't enjoy it.<<

 

Leash walk more. Take the dog to interesting new locations.

You are the one in charge of all security issues so work using (and watching other dogs for) Calming Signals.

This:

 

http://theartofdog.com/articles/calming.pdf

 

[NeylasMom]

Personally, not knowing you or your dog, but having read your posts about the agility class, I'd say that you and Wiley have a problem with stress stacking. You may be doing too much, too fast, without enough down time. I forget exactly how long it takes cortisol levels to come back down to normal, but it's several days to a week. So, if Wiley is exposed to something that he thinks is stressful on Monday, and then has another semi-stressful event on Wednesday, he's not going to handle it as well as he would if he had not had the stressful Monday. So my advice is to consider whether you need to scale back on what you are exposing him to. If he is not at least relaxed when you have him out (happy would be better), it may not be doing anything to socialize him, but just making the next encounter worse.

This is pretty much where I was going to go with my response. The incident you're describing shouldn't really result in such fearful behavior in and of itself so I have to guess you're just doing way too much too fast for your dog. I admire your desire to do all of these great activities with your dog. Ultimately that will be really beneficial for him, but you need to consider that he's new and be in tune with him and what he's comfortable with right now. I would focus my attention on having a strict routine - set times out, set walks in a neighborhood where he's comfortable, don't expose him to dogs unless he seems very interested in meeting them and you know they are WELL socialized (that means he's wagging and has soft body language and is seeking out the dogs on his own, not being led to them or standing there while they are brought to him). Work on clicker training in your home to teach him some skills that will help him cope when he's nervous - fun games like "tough" (hand targeting), "ready, get it" where he has to hunt for treats you toss onto the ground, giving you eye contact and holding it on cue, etc. and then start practicing them with him outside without distractions. Hire a private PR trainer to help you with this if needed. Put agility on hold until he's a more confident dog. Maybe do a training class that has only a few other dogs and that focuses more on life skills and will be calmer and less frightening to him.

[robinw]

Last night I took a wonderful webinar about fearful dogs. I live with a dog who is terrified of most people and of being outside in general. It really helped me see fear from my dog's perspective and helped me realize what I was doing right and I what I was doing wrong. The link is below.

 

http://fearfuldogs.com

Edited January 28, 2014 by robinw

[Guest DogNewbie]

Thanks for all of the great advice guys! I am going to slow things down and back up a bit with training. We will stay out of the dog park for a while. Maybe we can go back in a few months. Thanks for the great advice & support!