Advice need re rescue dog *LONG!*

krlyr

neveranymoney wrote: »

Really hoping for some advice or just some words of encouragement about our newest arrival. Our wee rescue dog has been with us about a fortnight now and i really need to know are the things I am doing with him the right things and why does some of (make that nearly all!) the training fly right out the window?!

We got him from a rescue centre, he is a three year old mutt but the closest breed he would be is a boarder terrier. We were assured he was great with children and other dogs, he has been cared for at some stage in a house as he is house broken, neutered and microchipped and is super cuddly and friendly - never a growl or a bark (except when going to bed at nights but that has started to even off and i will elaborate on his other barking in a minute!) and LOVES dozing on your lap and being petted and we were as smug as anything about how well he adapted to us.

After a few days of settling in a few things have come apparent. He seems quite anxious and will pace about the house, like he is feeling unsettled. He will settle down if someone is sitting in the living room and have a little nap, but it takes very little to set him off again.

He will obey certain things - he is allowed to come up in the morning and say hello to the children in their beds but will obey a casual 'no' if he follows you into the loo, tries to get up on the settee if anyone is eating and he will just about sit when I am giving him food, getting lead on etc.

However, even though he has not been in any way shouted at and it is all very calm, these things set him off - really licking his fore legs and gnawing at his hind quarters. Sometimes he will respond to a 'no', or i have to move his wee head or i just distract him by calling him over in baby talk but this seems to be becoming more pronounced over the weekend. We have bought toys but he hasnt a wit of interest (bar a filled kong) and will chase a ball after you throw it have a gnaw and just walk off, no interest in bringing it back or even keeping it from you so how do you teach a dog to play?

He has two good walks a day, rotating about 5 different routes and lengths so he doesnt get bored and this is were the fun really began. Of course he chances his arm and tries to pull but I do the whole, stopping, taking 2 steps back and the praising him when he is walking nicely.

I can cope with all this though as it is obviously a work in progress. BUT, He gets mega excited at other dogs, ignores any commands and would nearly have your arm out of its socket - I have taken the route of just walking on and pretending there is nothing going on but other peoples dog walking etiquette sometimes makes this difficult. Bigger dogs dont seem to be a problem but a little pup came over and he went nuts and went for it, my husband had to grab his collar and pull him away and there is a Yorkie beside my mother in laws and he goes mental when he sees him and really barks and if he could get through the fence, well, lets just say it wouldnt be good.

Well, sunday put the tin hat on it, he had already met my mother in laws Cavalier King Charles and whilst it barked its brains out, Scampers, (our dog, btw) wasnt too bad. So we brought him up for sunday lunch and put the 2 dogs out the back. Cue the Cavalier going bananas and barking and yapping continuously and not very happy at all, he has never been trained and does what he likes so I think he was disgusted at this interloper. The neighbour then let the yorkie out - now scampers going crazy but that all got sorted. The next we hear a massive yelp from the cavalier, the two dogs were beside each other but apart from that nothing, if Scampers had gone for him, i think there would have been blood. Scampers gets shouted at by husband, Cavalier brought in. Cavalier goes into yap frenzy to get back out. Husband stays very close to the dogs. Then another almighty yelp from Cavalier, husband opens back door, Scampers comes running in to me like sheet lightening and is shaking like a leaf but is put back out and eventually the Cavalier (who hasnt stopped barking or yapping for a full 30 minutes by this stage) is deposited to a neighbours.

My husband THINKS Scampers was playing and went to mount the other dog and he is a perfect example of what happens when dogs are bred wrongly as he is riddled with pains and all sorts so Scampers probably hurt him but he cannot guarantee Scampers wasnt about to go for him. The stress levels of all were through the roof and this had lead to all the nervous behaviour coming back doubly.

Then, this mornings events actually really shocked me as he is so pettish and at times the perfect dog I guess I thought he would listen a little bit! My husband and children were coming in the back door and my son opened the door whilst no one else was really looking - Scampers has seen the door open and hadnt made a bolt before but my teenage daughter or an adult has usually been in the way. Holy Moses, he was away like a whippet. We called him, ran the other way, all sorts and he didnt look back or stop once. He managed to almost get out onto a main road, only another dog walker ( he went over to the dog, quelle suprise) grabbed his collar for us. My son was really upset as he thought it was his fault and took a good bit of calming down.

Please can anyone give a bit of advice as I am worried i may end up making a mess of things. my husband has always had dogs when he lived at home and we had a lab years ago so arent dog novices, HELP!

Firstly, he's only just arrived and is bound to be struggling to adapt. A fortnight isn't that long in the grand scheme of things - Casper had about a month where his behaviour was hit and miss, before he calmed down (but then, equally, some behaviours he wasn't brave enough to show came crawling out of the woodwork!)

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/behavioral/c_dg_fears_phobia_anxiety#.UfgBQW1WpcA

I would try to keep him as unstimulated at possible for a while. Whilst all the walks may help with his energy levels, I would assess whether they are good for him mentally. If there's too much going on in his life, his stress levels will keep rising - and if he can't relax enough between his walks, the stress will stack up and up, making him far more likely to blow his top. Trigger stacking explained here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFGIRPAWcSM

My main priority right now, after all these events, would be to give him a bit of a mental "detox". Aim for uneventful walks (so perhaps have one of you walk ahead to spot if there are dogs approaching - and avoid them as much as you can), offer alternative activities that will help him de-stress. For example, sniffing is a natural behaviour dogs will do to ease tension - so scatter-feed some treats, or even his main meals, for him to sniff out. Licking and chewing help relax dogs too, so the stuffed Kongs will help (making them more difficult will make them last longer - freezing them, for example), as will other chews (Zooplus is a fab online shop for natural chews).

You might also want to look into OTC calmative products - such as Zylkene, Calmex, Stressless, which are supplements you add to the dog's food. There's also products like a Thundershirt, a snug-fitting coat for the dog that works on pressure points (like swaddling an upset baby), plug-ins for the house like Pet Remedy and Adaptil, Adaptil also do a collar or a spray version (they're pheromone based, mimicking the pheromones a mum dog would emit to calm her pups), as well as various other products available. Different products work better for different dogs, so it's hard to recommend just one.

I would also recommend looking at environmental causes of the anxiety, as a priority. My very first port of call would be a vet trip for a thorough examination, possibly x-rays, a full blood panel (including thyroid levels - hypothyroidism can cause anxiety). I would also look into his diet - some foods high in artificial colours and flavours can cause behavioural issues, but also some dietary intolerances can cause side effects despite good quality ingredients.

If you get the all-clear medically, it may be worth working with a trainer or a behaviourist to help you on your way. Having a professional come in and look at the situation, and start you on your way to dealing with the issue. A trainer can have regular sessions to keep you on target, or whilst a behaviourist may only see you once or twice, they generally offer a full report, training plan and follow-up help on the phone or by email. http://www.apdt.co.uk and http://www.apbc.org.uk will help you find ones using fair modern methods - with an anxious dog, the last thing you want to do is end up with a trainer recommending "pack theory" type stuff, using aversive training methods and so on, which may make the anxiety worse.

His behaviour towards other dogs sounds like it could be some barrier frustration (i.e. dog feels frustration at being restrained on a lead, behind a fence, etc.), perhaps with some anxiety too making things worse. He's obviously getting along with your MIL's dog OK, so I wouldn't say he was dog-aggressive. The issue you had outside with the squealing could potentially be redirected aggression, after the issue with the neighbour's dog on the other side of the fence - when the dog cannot reach the trigger, they can sometimes focus their behaviour on whatever they can reach, which can be the dog next to them. This can often happen with something like the postman at the door, causing the household dogs to squabble. I would be careful leaving him unattended with another dog, for this reason.

For walks, you want to teach him that his behaviour does not get the reward he wants, but that calm behaviour does. It's worth having a professional opinion on his behaviour though, because training barrier frustration can be quite different to training for fear reactivity, for example - in the former, the reward to the dog for being calm could be to approach the dog it wants to meet, whereas for the reactive dog, the reward for being calm could be to walk away from it to give the dog more distance.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/redirected-aggression-and-barrier-frustration?page=all

Kikopup, a.k.a. Emily Larlham, has some fab training videos on Youtube. E.g. this one on barking during walks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7JrteQBOQ and this one on barking at dogs through fences - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n_fPKPLA2g
Also, she teaches some good commands to teach a reactive dog, such as the "Lets go" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7JrteQBOQ
"Leave it" (from dogs and/or people) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jYfKK17ZBs

Working on these, and other helpful commands (such as "watch me", which is prolonged eye contact, and "look at that" which is glancing at the trigger and looking back at you), as well as working on his self-control in general (sit-stay, down-stay, leave it, door/gate manners, etc.) should help.

Working with a trainer or behaviourist with this issue will have another added benefit - once you've made some goood progress, you can then arrange manufactured situations with the trainer/behaviourist's stooge dogs. This is much less stressful than stumbling across dogs in public and hoping they don't approach too quickly, that their dog doesn't bark at yours, stare at it and intimidate it, run over off-lead, etc.

I haven't seen him though, obviously, so I can't assess him other than from what you've said. If you are concerned about any dog aggression, please do the responsible thing and keep him on a lead and possibly invest in a muzzle too, incase you are approached by another dog out on a walk that you cannot avoid. If you're having recall issues, you can use a longline to give him some freedom, yet have the reassurance that he can't run off (and potentially attack another dog).

His issue with bolting out of the door can be managed by using a babygate in the hallway or across a door to prevent him being able to bolt. Clipping him on his lead on the other side of the gate, before you open the door, and teaching him to sit and wait at the door will help too (it's a good thing to teach regardless of the babygate, because accidents can and do happen) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQLEdnztAFw

Hope some of that helps, and all the best. I'd also recommend joining some dog forums and seeing if there are any recommend trainers, or perhaps some local members willing to meet up and loan their dog as stooge once you've established the best way forward with this.

neveranymoney

Thank you so much for a very thoughtful reply. It does you good to know that there are still decent people in the world. I will certainly give it all a crack. I have been trying to keep everything calm and chilled and it is very hard when the other supposed adult in the house rolls his eyes when I explain I am trying to train him in a certain way that I have read about online or from my 'magic' (his words!) book from the library and maybe he had a point that there is no such thing as a perfect dog but ultimately it is me who is with the dog the majority of the time now my husband is going back to work.

meritaten

sheeesh - calm down! its very early in your relationship with doggie but I would say he is still settling in! he sounds lovely and loving btw!
he is not 100% sure of you yet - hence the pacing and anxiety, he is afraid that you are all going to leave him! Toys, well, he doesn't know what to do with them - you are going to have to show him! play with the toys with the humans - invite him to join in!
as for other dogs - until he is fully settled in - then I wouldn't really recommend you introduce other dogs into HIS territory - especially dogs which already know it - if you see what I mean? he may have felt intimidated. the other dog may even have been more territorial???
please don't expect so much from this dog - for now you seem to have a lovely natured dog who tries to please you. its very early days and you need to 'ease' this dog into YOUR family life. you will have 'incidents' but they needn't be major disasters!

trolleyrun

It's a long process, I'm afraid. It is true that rescue dogs behave very well for the first couple of weeks and then the skeletons start tumbling out of the cupboard so to speak.

I can only talk for my recue dog, but here goes: I've had her for nearly a year and she's somewhere between 2 and 3 yo. I have no history on her (she was brought into the rescue by the council) and I can safely say that she's a nutter

She started of by spinning in circles and chasing shadows. Then scratching her ears obsessively and then a whole host of other OCD type things. I've had to work on each issue as and when it happened.

She was quite "nervy" when she arrived and didn't like cars and had issues with eye contact. She also didn't like the washing machine for some reason. We just sat on the floor together, watching the machine and me saying "It's ok" over and over whilst stroking her.

She's still wary of vans, lorries and big /noisy vehicles, but she's come a long way. She's fine with the eye contact and her other "foibles" are mostly under control.

However. She's a nightmare on the recall training. Completely random and the longest she's ran away for was 2 hours! My friend's dog is getting very good at sniffing her out and finding her, but I've had to go back to basics again. Also, having her on a herbal calmer seems to help.

There are no miracle cures, sorry. Just time, patience and lots of love. My dog is a terrier mix as well, and they're known for being stubborn

Do you use a harness on your dog when out walking? I use one on mine even though she doesn't pull that much, but it's to avoid any pressure on her neck when she does pull. It also gives you more control. My nutjob wanted to bounce up to every dog we met at the beginning, so I did a lot of heel training with her and kept her on a short lead when I could see other dogs in the vicinity. I know she's friendly, but I didn't know the other dogs and I didn't want her thinking it's ok to bounce around random dogs. She's now much better at ignoring other dogs and she's allowed to say hello to dogs we already know.

Sorry this is so long, but it's a bit like the recovery of a rescue with lots of issues Good luck and keep going - it will get better

ampersand

Please please, OP - just double-hit the space bar and Enter tab every so often.
It won't take a moment to Edit what you've written so far and there'll be many more happy readers able to help you.

You are obviously kind, caring people:you and Scampers[great name btw]will certainly come right together. His unlearning and your 'new fella' learning is a trust and patience thing. As others have said, apart from vet.'s visit, do strongly ask advice, further observation history from rescue people.

meritaten's words are perfect:
for now you seem to have a lovely natured dog who tries to please you. its very early days and you need to 'ease' this dog into YOUR family life. Little steps.

neveranymoney

Thanks to all for advice, I think I really just needed some reassurance that things are ok from experienced dog owners as some of the stuff you read is sometimes conflicting and I ended up second guessing everything! Ampersand, I will TRY to edit previous post but I am not promising I will manage it, I don't think I possess the technological knowhow......

neveranymoney

P.s, if some kind soul would tell me how to upload a wee pic of him as I would love to show him off!

elsien

You have to do pictures via flikr or similar. There is a thread somewhere telling you how, but I can never find it when I need it.

skintandscared_2

I just followed this very helpful tip from lee111s and was able to upload some pics:

I used postimage.org and uploaded the photo to their. Then it give you a link which you copy. Click the icon above where you type your reply in the post to insert and image, and then paste the address of the image that you copied and it should insert it for you

neveranymoney

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Hoping this works, first I have tried it and am on my phone!