Doing the right thing by your dog

Swans1912

I have a 2 and a half year old CKCS who is the only dog in our house. We took him to puppy classes from 12 weeks old - late because we had him at 10 weeks old, and he had his first vaccination when we had him, when I took him for his second shots my vet said he needed the first ones again as they didn't do the same brand as the one he had already been given. It seems that in these weeks he lost a bit of confidence around other dogs, and when I walked him once he was very nearly attacked by a ESS off-lead, growling, barking and trying to get at him. Since then he has been very nervous around other dogs, even when he was in puppy classes. We would LOVE to have another dog and spoke to someone in the Dogs Trust about our CKCS. The man said having another dog in the house might 'bring him out' and could be a good thing, and that his current nervousness around his own kind isn't fair on him. He puts his tail between his legs and cowers around other dogs if they get too close. At a distance (i.e. not in his face) he's fine though,

So.. we've been thinking about getting another dog - probably another puppy. I don't want my dog to be unhappy though. I just don't know what to do for the best. Would he 'come around' if we had a puppy that would grow up alongside him? Obviously, if its going to be to the detriment of my CKCS health and happiness, getting another dog is not an option, but its hard to know what to do. Has anyone else been in this position, and if so what did you do?

Sagz_2

Personally, in your position, I'd adopt an adult dog of known, out-going and balanced, character. There is a risk that if you bring a pup into your family it will be influenced by your existing dog and you'll end up with 2 dogs that are not happy around others.

Beckyy

It's worth considering which gender of dog you'd get if you got another.

Has your dog been castrated? I ask as castrating a dog can make it nervous/more nervous. which would mean if he isn't castrated you might be better off getting an older spayed b!tch.

CFC

Beckyy wrote: »

It's worth considering which gender of dog you'd get if you got another.

Has your dog been castrated? I ask as castrating a dog can make it nervous/more nervous. which would mean if he isn't castrated you might be better off getting an older spayed b!tch.

I agree with this

tizerbelle

I would second what Sagz and Beckyy said and in your position would go for a well socialised spayed b!tch - probably 3/4 years old or more.

Swans1912

Thanks all. Yes he is castrated, as I felt that was best for him in the long run. I just want to make sure I do right by him, the last thing I want is to make my dog unhappy. I hadn't thought about the puppy doing the same thing as him - I suppose thats why the Dogs Trust man said I should consider a 'bolder breed'. We both had a b!tch in mind, as I didn't want to face a male vs male battle for the 'top dog position' (much like I did with my male guinea pigs once!) Thank you so much for your help, we will definitely consider an older dog.

Caroline_a

Can you do some more socialising with other dogs first? Do you have friends with other dogs that you can walk with? Before you go into adopting another dog to 'solve' the problem, you need to try to resolve it first I would say, otherwise you could end up with huge issues on your hands. Remember a lot of rescue dogs are there often because the owner can't cope with their behaviour, and some of those problems stay hidden until they settle into a new home.

I would suggest taking him to a training class to get him (and you ) used to being around other dogs. If you feel he is going to be 'funny' with other dogs, your feelings will transmit down the lead and in all honesty probably make him worse. You then get into a vicious circle as you are nervous of taking him out in case of other dogs, only take him where you think there won't be any, he is less socialised, etc etc.

pinkwitch_2

Our dog is just like yours and we have just bought a puppy to help her be more confident. She loves him !! she is totally a different dog since we got him,always playing with him and looking for him.Only problem we have is she's food possessive and she does attack him if he goes near her treats.Which means we have to shut him away if she has a bone etc.

Caroline_a

pinkwitch wrote: »

Our dog is just like yours and we have just bought a puppy to help her be more confident. She loves him !! she is totally a different dog since we got him,always playing with him and looking for him.Only problem we have is she's food possessive and she does attack him if he goes near her treats.Which means we have to shut him away if she has a bone etc.

Personally I would put a stop to that behaviour. You need to be firm, so that you or anyone can take food away from her without her biting. My youngster growled once at my Shepherd when they both had bones, I stopped him, swapped bones, and he never did it again. My shepherd has been taught from an early age to give up whatever is in his mouth, which is invaluable if they eat anything they shouldnt. Now both of them (I know this sounds daft... :rotfl:) will share the same bone....

spincandy

Your dog missed a really important part of his socialisation and it's not surprising that he's nervous around other dogs! The only problem you would have with introducing a dog, any dog, into your household is that you're bringing in something your dog is scared and unsure of into his home. This may cause unwanted behaviours such as unnecessary aggression or destructive behaviours. I do agree that your dog needs to be socialised, however, and that having a new dog in the house will be a good idea once your dog is a bit more used to others. Do you have a friend with a good, reliable, calm dog you could maybe go on walks with? This may help.

If you do introduce a dog bear in mind that puppies, or any of the typical 'excitable' breeds, will be all over your dog in a friendly way and this just may be way too much for him. An older, calmer breed of dog would be a better fit.

Talk to your vet! The vast majority of practices I have worked in are happy to give out behavioural advice. We are trained in these issues as part of our studies and we love talking about them (or at least I do )

Feel free to message me if you have anything I can help with

Rach x