Anxiety / reactivity - advice please!

[pinemarten]

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Hello, my name is Martin and I have a delightful Cockapoo called Vince .
Just looking for some behavioural advice really..
We got Vince about 3 months ago from a rescue centre, he is around 3 years old and was found wandering the streets in a dishevelled state. He had to have all of his hair shaved off, as it was matted…
We have discovered that he is fully housetrained, well mannered and affectionate - in fact, a lovely dog and the perfect house guest (if a little clingy sometimes..).

The BIG problem is outdoors - he is anxious and extremely reactive towards other dogs, which makes walks around the neighbourhood a stressful experience for all concerned.
The problem behaviour starts in the first few yards - he is frantically sniffing and zigzagging on the leash, making loud pig-like grunting noises and scratching the grassy areas furiously with his hind legs. If he then sees a dog in the distance, he freezes and sits momentarily, then begins uncontrollable barking and attempting to launch himself in the other dog’s direction by pulling and jumping frantically on the leash (this is of course particularly dangerous if the dog is across the main road!).
And if he sees a person (or people) in the distance, he often barks - until he establishes that they have no dog with them.
Even odder is that the fact that he has now taken to barking / panicking and stalling in specific areas where he has encountered a dog before (even if it is an empty street).
He will sit briefly, bark and then pull on the leash - when I stand still, he turns and comes back to me and walks around behind me (sometimes jumping up at me for attention).

I have tried a number of tactics when he barks in an empty street;
- Standing still.
- Turning round and telling him “no” , then when he stops barking count to five before turning back and proceeding.
- Offering treats when he is quiet (didn’t work, as he accepts treats at home but not when out walking!)

With dogs in view he just isn’t listening at all, so I try to minimise the fuss and lead him away with a “Leave it” command, sometimes I have to resort to picking him up and carrying him until we are past the other dog.. This does seem to calm him - a bit!
If we walk in a new area, he is noticeably more relaxed - until he sees another dog of course!

Walking in the countryside , he is like a different dog - no sign of anxiety whatsoever…

If I (and other dog owner) do allow Vince to meet a dog we see mixed results - it depends on the dog, larger ones are a no-no, medium and smaller ones sometimes OK but Vince’s full-on approach isn’t always tolerated so I am ready to pull him back if needed.
He seems calmer after a successful encounter, but it’s a bit of a gamble!

Any thoughts/advice/suggestions welcome…Thanks in advance!

 

[Flobo]

I work with some anxious/reactive dogs, but I'm not the best at explaining things! (which is why I work with dogs...) Others on here are much better at it, so I'm sure you'll get some answers soon.
One thing I do know quite profoundly is that by avoiding trigger situations consistently over a long period your dog's anxiety will have a chance to stop 'misfiring' for want of a better word, as in reacting to a perceived threat as opposed to an actual threat. Once his fight or flight has been activated he won't be able to listen or learn anything... You don't know his exact past but you do know it wasn't good and he was probably living in a pretty anxious state for survival. The tactics you have tried won't work because being in the street, even empty, is obviously triggering for him... Avoidance and teaching a 'watch me' are good places to start...

 

[JoanneF]

Hello and welcome. There's lots of things in there , first maybe have a read of our thread on reactivity but do come back if you have questions.

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

A couple of other things stood out in your post -

he has now taken to barking / panicking and stalling in specific areas where he has encountered a dog before (

That sounds like anticipation of seeing another dog. My dog still gets fretful at a house where there was a giant inflatable penguin in the window at Christmas five years ago. They have amazing memories!

telling him “no” ,

If he is anxious, that would be like me telling you to just man up if you were faced with something you fear (spiders, snakes, whatever). Try to think of it like this - he isn't trying to give you a hard time, he is having a hard time. He needs support, not to be told no.

One of the reasons he won't take treats outside is likely because he is stressed, he is in fight or flight mode. The body needs to be empty in preparation for whatever it's going to have to deal with. So, when you are following the steps in the guide, you are going to need a very big distance between you and the trigger to start with. Think in terms of football pitch size.

 

[Shalista]

Dittoing everyone else but i've also had good luck with increasing the value of the treat in higher stress situations. while peanutbutter cookies and milk bones may cut it at the quiet home if you are out walking the dog that's the best time to pull out the potato chips and fresh cooked hot dog or liverwurst. your treats may not be a high enough value to calm him down.

I have a dog that lunges and barks at other dogs (though admittedly it sounds like to a lesser degree) I've had good luck with creating maximum distance and the first time he calms down and notices me (which could be a CONSIDERABLE distance from the other dog) I treat heavily and praise. ideally he learns that A. other dogs mean fancy food and B. the sooner he looks to me and away from the dog he may get tasty food faster. I need to be a source of safety and all good things in his life. paying attention to me instead of the dogs needs to mean safety and tasty treats.

also speaking of maximum distance I often find that I see the dog before he does so it gives me a chance to turn around walk the opposite direction or if push comes to shove I can cross the street and wade into the neighbors yard (I have no shame) to create the space I need for Freddie to ideally NOT kick off in the first place. when he can start to notice another dog and not immediately kick off you can start other methods but for now avoidance is probably the best game you can play just so he learns that the outside isnt a scary place full of scary dogs.

 

[pinemarten]

Many thanks to those who have replied, that is all very helpful !
I will now obtain some tasty treats and try a different approach..

 

[Hemlock]

And - be patient. These things take a long time to resolve, so just relax and don't set "goals" or think he should be over that by now. Fear is. Fear keeps us safe at a primitive level. He sounds a lovely dog, and you are a very caring owner. It'll resolve in its own time.

 

[pinemarten]

Just an update on Vince - I have made some training progress
At quiet times, we have been walking for short periods on the streets where he had panic attacks, I have been repeatedly talking to him, calling him back to sit and using small pieces of hot dog sausage as treats to reward, or throw down occasionally - he enjoys them even when outside!
The empty streets where he had panic attacks are not so much of a problem now, and pedestrians/ bikes etc are given little attention.
A while ago, I got a small squeaky ball which emits a high pitched squeak - I could not get him to play with it as he reacted oddly to the noise - appearing startled, then grabbing the ball and trying to hide it..

So - I thought I could use that as a distraction method when he saw another dog approaching - and it works, as long as I give a quick squeak as soon as I see him tense up when another dog is in the distance and before he barks. If that doesn't work , a louder squeak.
He then comes back to me and I reward him with a treat. By distracting him like this I can now get him to ignore a dog passing on the other side of the road. Sometimes he looks at the dog, grunts and just carries on trying not to look... which is great!
Dogs passing close by however, are another thing ( sometimes inevitable when we turn a corner and he is confronted..). He tends to drop down and cling to the ground and I sometimes have to pick him up and carry him past. Any ideas for this situation please?

I still take Vince for his main walk ( around 1 hour) in areas where there are no dogs, so he has a relaxing walk each day in addition to the training sessions.

 

[JoanneF]

Well done on the progress soo far, it's great when you start to see results.

However - if the squeaky ball startles him or makes him nervous, I'm not sure it's a good idea to use it like this - it sounds like it's adding more stress to an already stressful situation for him. By all means use something to get his attention, but try to find something he likes, so you can interrupt him in a more positive way.

 

[JudyN]

Dogs passing close by however, are another thing ( sometimes inevitable when we turn a corner and he is confronted..). He tends to drop down and cling to the ground and I sometimes have to pick him up and carry him past. Any ideas for this situation please?

I would aim to let him drop, stand in between him and the other dog, and ask the other owner to take a wide berth or move their dog past as calmly as possible. You can get leads, harnesses, bandanas, etc. that say 'Anxious dog - needs space' or that sort of thing, which might help: Home - Yellow Dog UK Then, when the other dog has moved away, praise your dog in a low-key way and hopefully you'll be able to move on.

 

[Shalista]

I would aim to let him drop, stand in between him and the other dog, and ask the other owner to take a wide berth or move their dog past as calmly as possible. You can get leads, harnesses, bandanas, etc. that say 'Anxious dog - needs space' or that sort of thing, which might help: Home - Yellow Dog UK Then, when the other dog has moved away, praise your dog in a low-key way and hopefully you'll be able to move on.

I would agree. You stepping between him and the other dog and making the dog go around proves to him that he can trust you and you will protect him.

 

[Flobo]

Have a look at this post card I designed,(with huge help from people on here!).. I was trying to find the thread and link it but of course I can't. I'll attach the pdf(hopefully), feel free to print it off and try raise awareness of dogs that need space in your area. If other people can recognise the signs of a dog struggling and act positively to help, it makes a massive difference.

 

[pinemarten]

Hello dog lovers
Just an update on Vince, our 'new' Cockapoo..
After trying to deal with his nervous dog-fear behaviour on the streets, we decided to give the village a miss for a while and take him on his daily walks down an isolated farm road (which is also a public footpath) about 5 minutes drive away from our house.
We thought this would give Vince a chance to get to know the walking routine properly, and also give him an enjoyable stress-free walk.
Most times we can walk this road without seeing anyone, it takes about 50 minutes there and back. Also, we can let him off lead (recall is very good now). Also, it is mostly a tarmac road so good for keeping the claws down.
We have found that although he is still very anxious on any paved street (zigzagging on the lead, scent marking, looking around and barking randomly).
He has had quite a few times where he has interacted positively with other dogs - sniffing, playing etc , and it is a joy to see.
If he has met a dog before (even if it didn't go too well), he seems much better once he has got to know them.
Of course, this makes sense, but doesn't help with his reaction to the 99.999999% he hasn't met !!
If the other dog is playful, we have no problems - but Vince expects them all to be playful, and reacts badly when they aren't.
Along the footpath/farm track there are sheep and bullocks on the other side of the fence - at first Vince ran up to them barking frantically, now we have trained him to keep calm and ignore them. My hope is that we can achieve the same reaction with passing dogs, but I think that is some way off yet..

 

[JudyN]

Excellent progress - and remember, you've achieved this in what is a relatively very short space of time. Well done!

 

[JoanneF]

Thank you for the update, it's great to hear what progress you have all made.

 

[Flobo]

That's so good to hear! Thank you for the update

 

[Hemlock]

Impressive news - well done!

 

[RGC]

That IS progress. A milestone within a matter of months. Patience and reassurance will get you there.

 

[Mum of Ted]

I work with some anxious/reactive dogs, but I'm not the best at explaining things! (which is why I work with dogs...) Others on here are much better at it, so I'm sure you'll get some answers soon.
One thing I do know quite profoundly is that by avoiding trigger situations consistently over a long period your dog's anxiety will have a chance to stop 'misfiring' for want of a better word, as in reacting to a perceived threat as opposed to an actual threat. Once his fight or flight has been activated he won't be able to listen or learn anything... You don't know his exact past but you do know it wasn't good and he was probably living in a pretty anxious state for survival. The tactics you have tried won't work because being in the street, even empty, is obviously triggering for him... Avoidance and teaching a 'watch me' are good places to start...

We have the same problems with Ted, his new trainer have told us to stop walks....just walking out the door.heightens him instantly. So we are teaching 'find it' throw a treat at a short distance at home...then 'with me' when he finds it and looks back at me...then ' orientation' same thing but a longer length for find it.
We take him to a supermarket car park, park.at the back and do this activity for 10 minutes...its where we wont see dogs, but other things happening..
We are only 1 week in...

 

[Flobo]

It sounds like your new trainer is sensible, it has to be a slow, slow process. It is so sad when dogs are anxious and it really does take dedication to help them, but as I have said before when you do see progress, no matter how small, it is so, so wonderful! Plus the bond you build with your dog, because you are listening to them, is amazing. Good luck!

 

[Hemlock]

I suggest you keep a diary of your progress, and then when you have one of those uncertain days or someone who knows rock-all of nothing gives you an opinion you didn't ask for, you can check back and feel good about just how far you have come.