18 month old cavachon scared and jittery - help!

[Martin Hayes]

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Hi everyone - I need some help with my 18 month old cavachon, Teddy. We’ve had him since he was a puppy, and tried to socialise him with dogs and people from an early age. He’s what I would describe as a very jittery dog. He’s fine lying around the house, but the second the door bell rings he’s barking and crying, but it isn’t an excited wagging his tail sort of response, but more a “danger danger” response. This seems to be a symptom of his being a fearful dog, but isn’t the worst. The worst is his fear around new people. Whenever we’re out on a walk or someone new comes into the house, he flinches and backs away if they so much as reach a hand out to him. He’s never experienced any people-related trauma and lives in a loving household. In addition, when he gets used to someone he is fine with them, and does get excited when someone comes into the house whom he knows well, and is fine with them.

His behaviour with other dogs is different, but erratic in its own way. Whenever he sees another dog on a walk, he starts pulling on his lead, his ears immediately go up and he can’t take his eyes off them. I’d say he is obsessed with other dogs. But as soon as he approaches them, he loses all control and his behaviour suggests he doesn’t know whether to be scared or excited, pouncing around one minute in an “I’m uncertain” sort of way, then the next obsessively trying to lick the other male dog’s ears and genitals.

Basically, it seems like he is very often scared and nervous and not trusting me or my wife - whoever is walking him - that we’ve got this. We’ve tried all the usual tricks and techniques - walking to heel, he’ll take treats from strangers hand but then flinch away immediately, trying to get him to learn self control by going to his bed when the door bell rings etc. But the older he gets, the more he seems to be doubling down on these strange behaviours. I just want a happy and confident dog, but nothing I am trying is working.

In case relevant, he is crate trained well, and he hasn’t been neutered yet. He is also generally well trained - can sit, wait, lie down, and various other things. His recall is also about 80% reliable.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[JoanneF]

Hello and welcome.

There's a few things in there so do bear with me if I miss anything.

But essentially, it does sound like nervous behaviour.

he doesn’t know whether to be scared or excited, pouncing around one minute in an “I’m uncertain” sort of way, then the next obsessively trying to lick the other male dog’s ears and genitals

This is classic stress behaviour. You may have heard of the fight or flight stress response - there are another two Fs; freeze (rabbit in the headlamps) and flirt (act goofy and unthreatening) which is what this sounds like.

So, a few things to work on. I'd start with this approach to other dogs - I appreciate he isn't actually reactive but the same principles apply. Have a read of this thread but do come back with questions or if you think anything doesn't quite fit.

Dog Reactivity

I'm posting this as part of a set of helpful 'easy reference' articles for common questions and problems. Feel free to add additional info on dog reactivity in this thread, but please start a new thread for specific questions relating to your dog. My dog lunges and barks at other dogs This is...

dogforum.co.uk

Regarding strangers, in and out of the house, I don't think this helps -

he’ll take treats from strangers hand but then flinch away

You are putting him in a situation that he finds quite conflicting. He wants the treat, but he has to approach the scary person to get it. Instead, get strangers or visitors to absolutely ignore him, not even eye contact because to a dog, direct eye contact is quite intimidating body language. They can take treats and toss them gently to a spot that means he has to move further away from them to get them. That gives him the reward of the treat and also the relief of moving away at the same time; and that's a powerful combination. And please ask strangers not to touch him. You wouldn't want strangers to stroke your kids (yeuch) so don't let them touch your dog. That will help build his trust in whoever is walking him when he knows you will advocate for him and keep the scary people away.

In the house, get a friend to come and ring the doorbell at pre-arranged times and teach him the the bell is a cue for him to go to his safe and happy place for something like a stuffed Kong. Obviously he is never disturbed in his safe place.

As he learns the cue, you can fade out the Kong reward for something more convenient that you can use when the bell rings unexpectedly. And if you have a doorbell that has a ring tone you can change, this would be a good time to do that to get a fresh start without the negative associations he has already made.

. I just want a happy and confident dog

You may never have a really confident dog - genetics and past experiences may have already prevented that. Too late now, but for anyone else reading, the temperament of the parents is significant and crossbreeds are seldom matched for temperament; and ”socialising dogs with dogs and people from an early age” can be overwhelming - socialising should be more about exposure than interaction.

However, you can build some confidence by keeping dogs and people away from him. You could also try playing pattern games. The pattern makes them predictable and knowing what to expect helps build confidence. Look up Leslie McDevitt Pattern Games for lots of online resources.

 

[Martin Hayes]

Hi there - thanks so much for taking time to reply. I appreciate it. When I think back to meeting Teddy for the first time when he was 8 weeks old, his two year old bichon frisse mum was a little nervous and standoffish, but I just put that down to the fact she was stressed with all the pups. But maybe this is a relevant factor, as I can’t see that we’ve done anything to create such a nervous jittery dog.

From what you’ve said, the discouraging thing is that there may be very little we can do to make him more confident and more self-controlled - I.e. be calm when he sees another dog / person. However, if anyone else has any experience or raising a dog like this and helping them discover some inner confidence I’d be interested in hearing about your experience.

 

[Hemlock]

I have for decades kept a specific type of dog that is naturally underconfident. We do well together. I don't ever force them into contact with other dogs, people or situations they may find difficult, and I "listen" to what they are telling me (the more we "listen" the more they "talk") so if, for instance, the approaching dustcart bleeping and flashing its lights is causing them to look at me for help, we quietly increase distance (cross the road, go up another path, whatever it takes) to where the scary thing can be observed without stress. Over time, dogs become more confident and so less reactive as long as they know they can trust us to acknowledge how they are feeling and do something about it.

Their confidence is in me being aware and caring.

 

[JoanneF]

there may be very little we can do to make him more confident

There certainly are things you can do to help - he may never be a gregarious social butterfly, but if you follow he steps in the reactive dog thread, play the pattern games, and protect him and advocate for him as suggested above, these will all help.

 

[Flobo]

Some of the dogs I work with are anxious or fear reactive, by being consistent and using the above mentioned advice, you will help your dog cope better for sure...it just takes time, actually it is an ongoing process but! It is also important to accept the way he is(I'm not saying you don't btw) and let go of all our preconceived ideas of what having a dog should be like. Helping him manage his worries and seeing progress over time, even if it is small, is incredibly rewarding, as will your strengthened bond be. Please don't be discouraged...look at it as managing, and with managing, the positive changes will happen in what ever shape or form that is for your Teddy, he just needs your help.

Inherited anxiety and sensitive stress responses do seem to be more common than ever, it is something that people who are buying a pup and breeders need to be more aware of for sure...