Help needed with 'stubborn' dog please.

swingaloo

Really need help with this pleas before hubby says doggy has to go.

We have a 15 month old spaniel which we bought from a lady 5 weeks ago. He is a pedigree and we have his papers, have had him checked out by a vet and so on. The lay said she couldn't keep him as he was so boisterous she could not manage him.
To be fair she was quite a frail lady and he is a stocky dog an I dont think she had been giving him enough exercise and certainly no training of any kind.

We had teething troubles the first week or so but he has settled, is very loving and a massive attention seeker! There are 3 adults in the house, no children and we are all consistent with commands. Son and I walk him (he has 2 long walks a day) and hubby is in charge of feeding as he is not able to walk the dog.
He is very quick to learn and obeys most commands, will fetch, sit, leave etc.

BUT- he has a very stobborn streak when he does not ant to do something. When we go out we leave him in the kitchen. He has a bed in there and food/water/toys. He sleeps in there at night and usually just goes to his bed when told at night. However, today he has bitten hubby who is not happy!

We needed to go out and told the dog to go in his basket. He just sat on the chair and refused to move. Previously he has done this before on a few occasions but could be tempted into the kitchen with a treat or a chew. Today he totally ignored the treats and would not move at all, no amount of coaxing or commands would shift him. Last time he did this I went to pick him up to carry him through and he growled and actually went for me. Today hubby tried, he approached him, stroked him and spoke gently to him but as soon a he touched the dogs collar the dog turned on him and bit him.

This behaviour has happened on about 6 occasions, always for the same reason (that we want the dog in the kitchen) twice at bedtime and 4 times when we have had to go out. But today is the first time he has actually broken skin, before its been just growling and snapping.

The dog is never left alone for long periods, when I go to work in the morning hubby gets up with me at 6am as he does not work an when I cone home they are inevitably side by side on the couch.

The dog obviously senses he is going to be left and thats why he is not for going in the kitchen. When we do leave him which is probably about 3 times a week its never for more than an hour so its not as if the kitchen means long hours alone. He si fine at night and does not cry or bark when we go to bed, its just when we are going out he refuses to go in the kitchen. I cant leave him in the lounge as he is not past the 'biting everything' stage and dont want my couches ruining.

He has got wise to everything we try to offer and refuses all incentives to move. It would be quite funny if it wasnt for this nasty streak.
Other than this he is lovely and ha fast become part of the family but hubby is at the point where he says that if the dog is going to bite he will have to go and neither of us wants that.
We are running out of ways to persuade him to move! A couple of times Ive resorted to picking up the lead a that brings him running but he has got wise to that as well (its also unfair!) and now even that does not work.

Any advice please?

Person_one

I'd say you need to work on training him to cope alone.

If he's only left a few times a week for an hour at a time, then actually he might be worse off than if he was left for longer more routinely, as he hasn't needed to learn to settle and feel calm and comfortable alone.

Hopefully kylyr will be along shortly, because I think she has some experience dealing with separation anxiety and is very knowledgeable on the matter.

Dogs are really good at picking up on the signs that you're about to leave, but I think the trick is to make that a positive thing, not a scary thing. Have you got a kong you can stuff with something really delicious, or some very high value treat he loves that can be reserved for only the times when you're leaving?

elliesmemory1

I think you need help with this from a good behaviourist who uses positive methods.
I would use a light long lead and keep this on him in the house. ( only when supervised to avoid him getting caught up in anything)
That way you can make him go in to the kitchen without having to touch him. I would also keep him off furniture and reward him when he does what's asked.
He's testing the boundaries but I feel you need help with this before someone gets badly bitten.

Marktheshark

Buy a safety gate and confine him to the kitchen.
Treats and bribes stop unless earned and thats not for just doing what he should be doing and with all spaniels they need a firm strong owner and are far happier with one, confining him will also show him that you own the house not him and thats his room and his area and everywhere else is yours.

A few weeks in confined areas usually gets the message home without much other work.

Person_one

Oh, and always try to avoid picking dogs up unless its an emergency/for medical reasons, even tiny ones.

Person_one

Marktheshark wrote: »

Treats and bribes stop unless earned and thats not for just doing what he should be doing a

Treats and bribes are how dogs learn what behaviours we want from them. Positive reinforcement when the desired behaviour is displayed.

They don't speak English, they have no idea what they 'should be doing' unless we teach them in a way they can understand.

krlyr

Firstly, please do try to get out of the mindset of thinking he's stubborn. I often joke about it with my dogs, but it's not actually a trait that really applies to dogs. Behaviour like this is often done for a reason, not just to be stubborn, or vindictive, or to annoy you. I think you've probably hit the nail on the head by identifying that it's to do with being left alone.

No good trainer or behaviourist would diagnose a dog without having seen it - so you may want to consider having a professional come in to give you their opinion and set you off on the right track. A fair trainer/behaviourist using modern, scientific methods ("dominance" etc. was thrown out of the window years ago scientifically, but many outdated trainers still base their training off pack theory etc. which usually does more harm than good) can be found via either https://www.apdt.co.uk or https://www.apbc.org.uk. A behaviourist generally does the more complicated aggression type stuff, but you may find it's not that complicated a situation - a young, untrained dog with the stress of a housemove, it may be something a trainer is willing to tackle with some one-to-one home visit type sessions.

In terms of your own homework, I would recommend hubby reads the book "I'll be home soon" by Patricia McConnell - it's not too indepth but will cover all the basics (following those positive, modern methods) and help him grasp seperation anxiety. For you, take a read of it too, but slightly more indepth is Nicole Wilde's "Don't leave me". If you're feeling ready to tackle the issue on your own, then Malena DeMartini Price does a book called "Treating separation anxiety in canines" that is aimed at trainers but understandable enough for an owner with a little bit of dog savvy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ill-Be-Home-Soon-Separation/dp/1891767054
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leave-Step---Step-Separation-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B005QD0Y34/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457635874&sr=1-1&keywords=don%27t+leave+me+nicole+wilde
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treating-Separation-Anxiety-Malena-Demartini-Price/dp/1617811432/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457635901&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=malena+demartini+price+separationa+nxiety

Here's a good basic read too - see if this sounds familiar at all to you
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/alone-home-%E2%80%93-separation-anxiety-dogs

The standard steps during treating anxiety tend to be:

- avoiding leaving the dog aside from your controlled training sessions. Whether this means using kennels or a dog sitter, doggy daycare, friends or relatives, taking the dog with you, etc. - ideally you want the dog to learn that it's OK to be alone, and they won't do this very well if they're being left alone whilst stressed out by it (it'd be a bit like trying to quit smoking while still having a cigarette once every couple of days, each time it's going to set you back a bit)

- desensitizing the dog to your leaving routines. They're smart, they know when you're heading up to bed vs. when you're leaving. So start mixing it up. Pick up your house/car keys and put them back down. Put them in your pocket but sit on the sofa. Put your coat on and cook the dinner. Put your shoes on only to take them off again. All of these things because cues to the dog to signify that you're leaving, but if you start doing them and staying home, the dog will struggle to tell the difference between a real 'getting ready to go' and your staged ones. Don't forget to chain these things together too - so shoes and coat on, keys picked up, etc. but still don't leave - otherwise dog will just learn which combination predicts the real exit

- in addition to the above, don't just shut the dog away when you're leaving. Shut them away for a minute for no reason. Shut them away for something much more positive, e.g. dinner time or a yummy chew. Keep a tub or two of treats (out of doggy reach) around the house and give your dog a treat because he's calmly laying on his bed (Kikipup's "Capturing calmness" shows this idea well - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesm2OpE_2c )

- make it rewarding for the dog to be left alone. Get some really yummy, high value wet dog food to stuff in a Kong, and give this to the dog before you leave - you're going to only leave the room for a minute at first, if that, so you don't need to fill the Kong, but enough so that you return to the room just as he's finishing the food. You'll build the association that your absence = good things happen

- ensure the dog is physically and mentally stimulated enough. This doesn't mean exercising a dog to exhaustion - a worn out dog can still suffer anxiety, if it's true separation anxiety then it's not about too much energy, but too much stress. However, dogs that lack enough/the right kind of exercise or mental stimulation (because throwing a ball 50 times will tire a dog out physically but leave them biologically on an adrenaline high without having put that brain to work) can exhibit behaviour issues that resolve once adequate stimulation is given.


In terms of your particular situation, I would also suggest looking at diet - diet can play a big part in behavioural issues. You ideally want a good quality grain-free food that's not full of artificial colourings or flavourings. Check out https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk for reviews of the majority of commercially available foods.

I would also second the recommendation of a house line that you leave on the dog. This will allow you to get control and move him without reaching in for his collar. Many dogs find this intimidating anyway, without the anxiety on top - we have a tendency to loom over as we lean, and many dogs are sensitive about hands approaching above or near their faces.

You might want to consider whether the kitchen is the place he is most comfortable in or not. It could be something silly like him not likely the sound of the dishwasher that you happen to turn on when you go out (but not at night), or he may feel more comfortable in a busier part of the household. My dog suffered seperation anxiety when we moved, she was confined to the kitchen as I didn't want them at the front of the house barking at people/dogs walking past (we previously lived rurally so I wasn't sure how they'd react) but her behaviour actually improved a lot simply by giving her access to the living room (I closed the blinds instead, which preventing the barking at the window). Some dogs dislike being confined and do better with free-run of the house (they, ironically, may happily curl on on their bed in the same place, but the lack of confinement just relaxes them)

A vet check is worthwhile with any kind of aggression issues to rule out pain. It could be that he has a sore neck or ear that is making him sensitive to being moved by his collar or being picked up. A thorough MOT may help rule out any medical issues.

You don't mention the severity of the bite - but I'm hoping that's a positive, as it it wasn't so bad you've decided the dog absolutely has to go/be put down. A dog that bites without drawing blood is actually a good thing, in a way - it shows that they have bite inhibition. He could have drawn blood, but he's chosen (despite his stress) not to. Ditto with growling - it's a natural form of communication in dogs, he's telling you that he's unhappy and would like you to discontinue whatever caused the growl. An ignored growl leads to the next step, a warning snap or a bite. A punished growl leads to more problems - you can end up with a dog that escalates straight to a bite with no warning, so never tell him off for growling (that's not to say he can rule the roost by growling at you - but you need to assess the reason and address the cause, not punish the symptom)

If you or hubby are more of a visual learner, than having a trainer show you the way to deal with it can help. Victoria Stilwell also had a good episode on separation anxiety, I'll see if I can find it. But please do avoid anything by Cesar Milan - he is a very poor example of a dog trainer, and his methods cause lots of damage to dogs (physically and mentally)

missbiggles1

I have had some similar problems with my recently adopted cocker and I think you might find it useful to read up on "resource guarding". In my case, it's his place in the car and his seat on the sofa where I have problems.

https://www.google.fr/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=spaniel+resource+guarding

It may well be that he's guarding his chair rather than not wanting to go to his bed or separation anxiety.

swingaloo

Thank you all for the replies. A lot to take in there! Thank you so much.

Fosterdog

I can't really add much to what krlyr said but investing in a crate/cage may be a good idea to give him a safe place. If you have room it could be kept in the living room rather than the kitchen so he isn't being shut in a room he doesn't want to go in and if he is only ever left for around an hour it is not too long for him to be confined to a crate.

If you do get one please take the time to introduce it carefully, it needs to be a place he wants to go and actively chooses rather than a punishment. Some dogs take to them straight away but others take a while. So many breeders use them there is a chance he is used to one from before he left there.

One thing I used to do with a foster with SA was hide treats around the room he was left in, I would put them in different places every day and I used to get hold of cardboard boxes and shredded paper, mix a few treats in, close the box and cut a few holes in. He loved it, yes he made a mess with it but it kept him sane and stopped him damaging other things. It was also safe enough that if he ate a bit of the paper it wouldn't harm him.

pathtofreedom

I have a rescue and they are a lot harder at the start than a puppy for different reasons. You've only had the dog 5 weeks, that is nothing. My dog took a month to get over the shock of moving, and for some of her real personality to come through, and I think it was only then she realised she wasn't going "back home". That was when the howling / barking at night started, when I thought she had been fine, yet I hadn't realised she had been terrified the whole time.

Did the old owner always spend all their time with the dog as well, or sleep with the dog in the same room? As you say you don't leave the dog for long, but your version of long, and what the dog is used to may be very different. Especially as they won't be used to being alone in your house yet, after such a short amount of time.

It will take a good 6 months or more for a dog to really settle, and feel at home with you all, it isn't like the dog understand why it's been removed from everything it knows and put in to your family. Especially if she lived alone and there is lots of you in the house that could be really intimidating, especially if there are any men and your dog isn't used to them.

What you're calling a nasty stubborn streak, could just be the dog acting out of fear as it isn't used to you all and your house and ways.

Are you going to training classes to help with the basics and socialisation? As that might be a good start to help the dog bond with you more and get some advice. With my dog as she had terrible separation anxiety I did have a 1 to 1 visit, which cost a lot, but was a massive help to understand the problems my dog had and do everything to get her used to the new environment.

Does your dog have a cage, as that might help if it has a den to escape from you all in to have a time out, you don't need to shut it in, but especially if the dog isn't used to being around lots of people, just having it's own special space might make it feel safer.

For the going out parts, I had to build up doing my "leaving routine", have a wee (or pretend to) put my coat on find my bag and keys, were all signals to the dog I was going to leave, which would scare her. So I had to do all those things, but then just sit on the couch rather than go outside, so that combination of things didn't cause anxiety. Then work up to just going outside and sitting in the car, to hiding out of site for 5 mins, and building it up slowly. That and also in the house I had to have her in a different room for 2 mins, then 3, then 4 really slowly building it up over months to get to the point she knew I would come back and wasn't abandoning her, so I can now leave her 4 hours.

Do you have a dap collar or plugin as well as that might help in the first few months, that or you can get sort of doggy prozac from the vets which might help with the transition.