Why does the dog have to be closer to other dogs than the few feet that are comfortable for him?
She doesn't. They aren't. FWIW, the dog is equally uncomfortable whether Caleb is 6 feet away or 60. She just looks uncomfortable, presumably only outside her home, period.
I didn't catch get why the dog was in a horse arena .... was this a new situation for him?
Because it's freezing outside!LOL. The horse arena is at Lorraine's place where the owner brings the dog, Mugsy, to work w/her. She's been there before, but not much.
The dog that the problem dog is comfortable around (how many dogs are on this thread? ) is a good thing. I don't think (a possibility mentioned) that it will set him up negatively for dogs who behave differently. Even if it does, it's still progress. (I almost always take Mr. Calming Signal with me to work with panic or anxiety dogs. The proximity is varied.)
She was with Xander first, just by chance. He had stayed at Lorraine's over New Year's and the dog was brought over the morning I picked him up. She was ok w/him...by ok, I mean she didn't freak out or growl at him after the first few times we walked by her. Caleb was there the second time, and his OB is better, and he's calmer. Xander was very well-behaved, but he projects a lot of energy (plus he'd been kenneled for 2 days when she met him). She is "pretty ok" with Caleb. I don't let him sniff her b/c I don't trust this dog one iota and I don't want his handsome face scarred, but if he's not in her face, she's ok. Again, ok to this dog is not lunging and snapping...rather cowering at her owner's feet. For the record, this dog acts the same way if she's the only dog in the new place, from what little I have seen.
Meanwhile I would not put the dog into the lunge-bite situation. I'd be avoiding corrections for now, meaning avoiding setups. I would be doing marker work with the dog at that edge-of-influence, and as Angela says, the dog would be very focused on ME.
We have done the focus thing, and she's really not bad at it, to be honest. The lunge and bite is very easy to avoid. Just keep dogs out of her face. Simple. The problem is that she will growl at anything; she's environmentally unstable, no two ways about it. She is lucky she has an owner willing to work with her or she'd probably have been put down. She makes small progresses though, to be honest. She stops shaking by the end of the session and if we walk them next to each other, she will walk, but her tail is still not in a normal, comfortable position. It's not just the presence of the other dog, or his proximity which makes it hard. Her tail is not normal if she's walked by herself, either.
Do you not correct at all? What do you do when you walk her into a building (ie, vet) and she starts growling at every other dog? Just refocus? I honestly have never handled a dog like this; the only nervebags I have dealt with had more specific issues that could just be avoided; this one is a whole new ballgame for me. Her saving grace is that she is friendly toward people, or she would really be dangerous.
She is soft and does respond well to corrections, but not so soft that corrections make her crumble. At what point does she deserve a correction?
I am having technical trouble with the thread, I admit. I don't know what the interaction is between the other dog in the same house and the problem dog. I don't know what was going on when the dog lunged and bit.
When Buddy got bit, it was right after he had tried (and failed) to dominate Caleb aggressively. I think she saw that and was nervous when he tried to approach her. He's a typical bouncy Lab, and he moves too fast for a dog who is so insecure. Buddy was there because, well, he lives there, and Lorraine was trying to work on some OB w/him. I do think 2 other dogs are way too much for this dog. She's quite weak and nervy.
Yeah, that whole patience thing..........I need help. Big time.
I know that in just reading about it and not seeing it, it's hard to make suggestions. The part I'm having trouble with is that no matter what, her behavior is largely the same. Near dog, far dog, one dog, two dogs, etc. No perceivable difference. My advice to the owner was acknowledge that the dog has a genetic fear issue, keep the other dog away from her, and muzzle her at the vet. Problem solved. Well, not solved, but at least tragedy can be avoided this way. These are not environmentally-caused issues, and I hate to be negative, but I don't see it changing. Like I said, we can probably make her appear normal, but if all else fails and she's put in a compromising position, she is going to fall back on her genetics.
What do you think?
Sorry for the novel, but you kind of have to go into extreme detail to convey this accurately.
Help w/DA Dogue de Bordeaux-FEARFUL
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) is a good thing. I don't think (a possibility mentioned) that it will set him up negatively for dogs who behave differently. Even if it does, it's still progress. (I almost always take Mr. Calming Signal with me to work with panic or anxiety dogs. The proximity is varied.)
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