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Restraint Reactivity


Guest lulafortune

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Guest lulafortune

Does anyone else have a hound that has issues with being restrained? Ours can't stand being behind barriers of any sort (crates, baby gates, fences, etc.) and literally goes into a panic if he is ever restrained to anything in any way (example, one time we tied his 5-foot leash off to a spike in the ground at the beach and as soon as he felt the tension in the leash change from me holding it to the stake he actually panicked so much that he starting biting me arm repeatedly). We saw a trainer and she said it was Barrier Frustration/Arousal. He also panics if he gets caught up in his leash, so I never let him get around dogs on leashes because if he feels tangled and restrained he starts to react. He even freaks if the leash slips under his leg while out walking. Once or twice the leash slipped under his leg and then he lunged forward towards something and dear god he started crying and jumping around like a bucking bronco until I got the leash out from his leg.

 

We know how to handle him at this point and can avoid his triggers for the most part. I'm just wondering if anyone else has similar issues? What do you think it stems from?

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I have one, Truman, who is not comfortable being physically restrained. He freaks out and has to be muzzled at the vet's office for routine things (nail trims, blood draws, whatever). Even when I'm petting him, and my hand lingers a little too long in the same spot, he'll jolt up and growl. He's also very leash reactive with other dogs. If I'm doing something he doesn't like, he'll sometimes redirect his aggression to me or our other dog. I have NO idea what causes it. We've had him since 16 weeks old, and if I'm remembering correctly, he's done these things since adolescence. It started at about 6 months old, then got worse between 9-12 months. I can confidently say that my husband and I have tried every positive training technique to desensitize this behavior, but have no had much success. Like you said, it's mostly about managing the triggers so that he doesn't go over-threshold. We call them his "hang-ups." No touching his belly when he's laying down, no resting hands on his belly, no face-to-face dog interactions, no dog parks. He takes 40 mg of Prozac a day too, otherwise, he turns into a real brat (his alter ego, "Trumie Mean Face"). :lol

 

If you find any research-backed information, I'd love to know more about it!

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I have one, Truman, who is not comfortable being physically restrained. He freaks out and has to be muzzled at the vet's office for routine things (nail trims, blood draws, whatever). Even when I'm petting him, and my hand lingers a little too long in the same spot, he'll jolt up and growl. He's also very leash reactive with other dogs. If I'm doing something he doesn't like, he'll sometimes redirect his aggression to me or our other dog. I have NO idea what causes it. We've had him since 16 weeks old, and if I'm remembering correctly, he's done these things since adolescence. It started at about 6 months old, then got worse between 9-12 months. I can confidently say that my husband and I have tried every positive training technique to desensitize this behavior, but have no had much success. Like you said, it's mostly about managing the triggers so that he doesn't go over-threshold. We call them his "hang-ups." No touching his belly when he's laying down, no resting hands on his belly, no face-to-face dog interactions, no dog parks. He takes 40 mg of Prozac a day too, otherwise, he turns into a real brat (his alter ego, "Trumie Mean Face"). :lol

 

If you find any research-backed information, I'd love to know more about it!

 

When I first met Truman he was moving his X-pen across the building at Dewey. He wants to be where the action is! He wasn't going to let any lousy X-pen contain him when there was something better going on elsewhere. :rofl Love that boy!

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Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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Likely lots of factors at play, but what I always tell clients is that frustration is on the sliding scale to aggression. That's how a lot of leash reactivity develops with otherwise social dogs. Did your trainer give you a behavior modification plan using counter-conditioning and desensitization for his triggers?

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Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart

"The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong."

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Guest lulafortune

I have one, Truman, who is not comfortable being physically restrained. He freaks out and has to be muzzled at the vet's office for routine things (nail trims, blood draws, whatever). Even when I'm petting him, and my hand lingers a little too long in the same spot, he'll jolt up and growl. He's also very leash reactive with other dogs. If I'm doing something he doesn't like, he'll sometimes redirect his aggression to me or our other dog. I have NO idea what causes it. We've had him since 16 weeks old, and if I'm remembering correctly, he's done these things since adolescence. It started at about 6 months old, then got worse between 9-12 months. I can confidently say that my husband and I have tried every positive training technique to desensitize this behavior, but have no had much success. Like you said, it's mostly about managing the triggers so that he doesn't go over-threshold. We call them his "hang-ups." No touching his belly when he's laying down, no resting hands on his belly, no face-to-face dog interactions, no dog parks. He takes 40 mg of Prozac a day too, otherwise, he turns into a real brat (his alter ego, "Trumie Mean Face"). :lol

 

If you find any research-backed information, I'd love to know more about it!

Mine has the issue with the hand lingering on belly too! I was always wondering what drugs like Prozac or anti-anxiety would do for him. I've brought it up to the Vet a few times and he always says yea that might be something we could try but I always get the sense that he doesn't really want to go that route. I also avoid dog parks or anywhere there might be other dogs at this point. His seems to have gotten worse over the years. I had a baby last year and so far we have been pleasantly surprised at his tolerance of the baby. For example, my son tripped when he was walking past him and fell right onto his back/hind leg area the other day and he jumped up and growled but (thank god) didn't bite him. Having a grumpy dog and a toddler is exhausting - I never get to take a break :)

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Guest lulafortune

Likely lots of factors at play, but what I always tell clients is that frustration is on the sliding scale to aggression. That's how a lot of leash reactivity develops with otherwise social dogs. Did your trainer give you a behavior modification plan using counter-conditioning and desensitization for his triggers?

She did, but seemed to focus more on the fence line reactivity. He barks wildly and runs up and down the fence whenever a car or person goes by our fenceline. We tried to work with him, doing things like keeping him far enough from the fence on a leash so that he didn't react while my husband would drive by in the car over and over and I would deliver high value treats, but it never seemed to work or get any better for that matter. And to be realistic, it was really hard to find a good hour every day where both of us could be free and able to set up experiments and games. If only there were more time in the day! When I walk him in our neighborhood which has a fairly low volume of cars driving through it, I still to this day throw him a treat every single time a car drives by. He has come to expect it and will look for the treat, but even after doing this for 2+ years, if I don't throw him the treat, there he goes barking and jumping towards the car driving by. And once he reacts to a car, he is over the threshold and I know I better get him home quick.

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