Help needed with dominant rescue bitch

[BethM]

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Hi, I fostered a dog for a rescue just after my 17 year old gsd x died. They did a home check, I told them that I had hip & back problems so if there was a chance of me adopting, it would have to be a dog that couldn't pull me over and was able to exercise off lead ok. I wasn't ready to make a decision on owning a dog yet but really wanted to foster. They chose a staffy x for me who was very overweight and understandably unsettled, with separation anxiety. The rescue kept asking whether i wanted to keep her, I said I needed more time so they put her on long term foster, with me paying for everything. But they registered her chip to me. It turns out that once I had got the weight off her and she settled a bit, she is very dominant, quite defiant and high maintenance, also quite aloof and physically too energetic for me. She walks with a gangsta strut and stares out other dogs but isn't aggressive. She doesnt recognise when other dogs are getting angry with her being forceful. She had no recall whatsoever.However she is also extremely sweet and there's no way i want to rehome her. I know that she could be a brilliant dog if i get it right but she is taking all my energy and causing trouble with other dog owners which makes me look & feel like an incompetant idiot. She has improved a lot re separation anxiety, no longer attempts to hump small children :-o and no longer jumps on visitors' heads and does not whine constantly like she did

When she first arrived if i let her off lead, she would totally ignore me. She is not motivated by food rewards outside, I've managed to get her coming for treats or a ball if it is just the 2 of us outside with no distractions, it took months. she is a terrible ball thief. Her game is to steal a ball from another dog and run off with it. she then goads the other dog by body slamming them to try & get them to chase her. She is a very bright, clever dog that displays some herding/collie type behaviour and very occasionally nips other dogs to get them to chase her. As you can see, we are popular at the park :-/ I've been working really intensively with her, all reward based and ignoring bad behaviour. i tried long leads, she pulled me over, ive tried high value food, different balls, rope plaits, squeaky things and nothing will get her back when she is off lead. i have nowhere private and enclosed to train her, just a tiny garden, but we have lots of lovely places for her to run if i could only get her back. I've tried running away, lying down, and it makes me think she isnt bonded to me at all because i could go home and she wouldn't notice. i tried it once in desperation, went out of the park and hid down the road for 15 mins to see whether she would follow... i got a phone call from a family at the park saying they had found my dog, she'd joined them for a picnic! it is beyond a joke now, i feel guilty that I cant run with her and feel she needs a good run at least once a day but i can take her for an hour off lead and then it takes another hour to catch her. and this is with a lead attached to a harness that i can stand on. she circles me in a 20 foot radius, it's her game. if she sees another dog she would run through a fence to get to it, hurtle towards it and the owner, who think she's about to attack, then stop dead a few feet away and wag her tail. This can't be allowed to happen but how do I exercise her? I tried her once on the agility course. She didn't even notice she was on it because she had fixated on a dog in the corner of the field. the dog trainer was holding her and guiding her over the course. she just slipped backwards out of her harness and zoomed off to the dog! Any trics I had to catch her would only work once or twice and she'd remember and not fall for it again. And i've always made putting the lead on a positive by playing with her ball or even taking it off again.

I have had her 10 months now , have been working hard, spent a lot on different leads, harnesses, collars etc A friend who is a dog behaviourist suggested a gentle leader and horses lunge lead, she waited til the lead was at full extent, then pawed the nose bit off, took off and nearly throttled herself. My friend said she is addicted to attention in the house, and definitely thinks she is the boss even after all the boundaries i have introduced. If i have a visitor, she will try everything to get our attention, even blocking our view of eachother. i believe her original owner gave her up because they couldnt walk her. (but the rescue told me it was because they were ill) they also said she hadn't been walked for over a year. The rescue haven't been very helpful, they don't have resources. The local dog training club said they haven't got the expertise. They suggested I rehome her to a jogger! But a jogger would still have to sort out the other issues! (they'd find themselves flying through the air to greet a dog 3 miles away...) Ive ended up in tears on our walks a few times because it's exhausting, I've also had quite a bit of nastiness from other dog owners. she will pick up on that too. But I really love this dog, I don't want to rehome her, I'd like to survive without injury though!

She is a really lovely dog, brilliant with children, great with other dogs if they are boisterous too although too "in your face" for a lot of them. I need to work on the bonding too.

Sorry this is so long. She is 3 by the way.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

 

[gypsysmum2]

Phew! I feel your pain Well done for sticking with this challenging dog.

The first thing I must say is that to never use a headcollar and lunge line (or flexi). A dog sprinting to the end of it only to whipped round by the headcollar is a recipe for a disaster. In fact I would get her back and neck checked out by an ACPAT physio if she were mine. A long line should only really be used with a harness but that might not be good for your back! A headcollar and short lead, are however, a brilliant tool and some dogs are much calmer when wearing one.

You don't say what you feed her. Check out the website called All About Dog Food to check that the diet she is on is a good one. Some dog foods are like rocket fuel!

Dog training is all about motivation. The dog must be motivated to leave what it is doing to achieve a higher reward when it returns to its owner. If she is so obsessed with other dogs and running amok that she will not return to you for any kind of reward then you have, as you know, a big problem.

I notice a hint of "dominance" thinking in your opinion of her character. Dogs will have a pecking order amongst themselves but it does not transfer to their relationship with humans. If someone has been telling you that she is a "dominant" dog and needs rank reduction (or if you have been watching Cesar Milan) then please read "Dominance, Fact or Fiction" by Barry Eaton. I can save you the purchase price, though, and tell you that it is now proven that dogs are not dominant in their relationship with humans. Every behaviour problems has its own cause. There is no umbrella label to describe a dog that has various behaviour problems. Each problem needs dealing with separately.

You mention your "relationship" with her and that you don't seem to have a bond with her. This really needs addressing. If you have been rank reducing her or just getting cross about her behaviour then she will not be minded to bond with you. I see that she has made significant improvement in some aspects of her behaviour but that you are stuck with the recall mostly. It is very embarrassing when a dog will not return when called. This alone can break down a relationship because we feel judged by the dog we own. I would buy all the other dog owners a little gift, put an apologetic note inside and explain how hard you are working to improve her behaviour. And, it is true, you are working really hard. It is very tough.

It seems to me, from your description, that she is having an absolute ball when off lead. What needs to change is that she has an absolute ball when she is with you. There is no magic solution other than to find things that she enjoys doing with you and build on them.

One thing that comes to mind is scent work. Take a look at a website called Talking Dogs Scentwork. The lady who set it up, Pam MacKinnon, is an ex Customs officer who worked with drug detecting dogs. She now trains owners to work their dogs at scenting for specially scented toys or for another specific scent. Scent work is exhausting for a dog. Labradors have to be rested after 20 minutes, Springers can only work for 40 minutes before resting. These are fully trained dogs. A novice dog gets tired much more quickly. Any dog of any breed or mixture can do scent work. My old Staffy x loved it! My Whippet was very good at it and my Romanian rescue is absolutely fantastic at it. He is only hindered by my amateur handling!

As an exercise, scent work is excellent for bonding with your dog. The work shops, that Pam runs, teach you how to work with your dog to achieve a successful outcome. You can practice it any time, any place. A tiny garden is no problem as there are hundreds of hiding places there or even in one room of a house. If the cost of a work shop is prohibitive then Pam does make DVD's to go along with her book on Scentwork.

Is there any way you can increase her exercise without her practising her naughty behaviour? It is important that she does not keep practising the naughty stuff. Would you be able to find a place with no dogs, or employ a dog walker who would walk her for miles? Swimming is excellent exercise if there is somewhere near you that has a doggy pool.

I hope this helps somewhat and please don't despair. Every dog we own teaches us something even if it is only how to pull our hair out!

 

[lurcherman]

I'm sorry but I can't read it all as it made me angry, first the rescue center sounds totally brainless for giving you a staffy x then you say when he first arrived you go and let him off the lead, because I for one wouldn't want to see a staffy x just out from rescue, offlead, geez o I'm shocked. Anyhow all

All I can say is you've stayed loyal to the dog. When owning a dog you've have to think about lots of your actions. Anyway I'm away, I've prob offended you but I hope you get things sorted .

 

[BethM]

Thanks so much for your reply, and for understanding! We do games such as hiding stuff round the house for her to find, and she does enjoy that. I agree about the head collar, ive only used it a few times because she hates it. Tried it with the long lead for the first time today and that incident prompted me to write on here. luckily she had taken the nose loop off before she ran. yes she has pulled various bits of my back and shoulders sideways with the harness. I don't go for the macho training bit, just teacher student kind of thing rather that "master". To reduce the separation anxiety I had to reduce contact with her a bit in the house so that there wasn't such a contrast between me being there and not, maybe that delayed some bonding. Off-lead, she really does have a ball! If it weren't so infuriating it would be hilarious. She acts like a naughty teenager, the "Vicky Pollard" of dogs, she actively looks away with her nose in the air! Lies down out of reach, crosses her paws... so i wont chase her. I try & do something interesting like throw a ball for myself to get her interested, but she's onto me :-D

I dont think she can swim, that may be something to work on, she doesn't seem that into water but her chase instinct is very strong.

I try and engage her when she's on the lead but she will only look at me if she thinks there's a food reward. this in itself is a big leap forward and took months. she's just not aware that I'm on the other end!

I will have a look at scentwork too, thanks for that.

I'm sorry but I can't read it all as it made me angry, first the rescue center sounds totally brainless for giving you a staffy x then you say when he first arrived you go and let him off the lead, because I for one wouldn't want to see a staffy x just out from rescue, offlead, geez o I'm shocked. Anyhow all
All I can say is you've stayed loyal to the dog. When owning a dog you've have to think about lots of your actions. Anyway I'm away, I've prob offended you but I hope you get things sorted .

I didnt explain that very well, I didnt let her off the minute i got her, it looks like i did from my post. It was a couple of months before I let her off lead at all, and in a locked tennis court at first (which they have since closed!). She needs exercise. She is a staffy cross, my last dog was bigger but staffy x gsd. He lived 17 years so when he was young and boisterous i was too! She doesnt have the huge head or pull on lead as much as others but has long legs and is too fast for a staffy. she runs like a whippet. I've had dogs for 24 years and taught recall to them but never had one like this! I agree about the rescue, i'm pretty mad really, once they had offloaded her they didn't want to know. I have asked for help a few times tbh. I was already attached to the dog but bearing in mind she is still on long term foster they havent helped. I dont want her going back there to a dogs home, i think she would be returned again and again and at risk of being put to sleep so i want to manage this.

 

[BethM]

I also didn't explain that i dont just let her off randomly. I am not stupid but have been trying to progress with her rather than take the easy option of never letting her off lead. There are only a couple of places that I have, where dog walkers that i know get together and exercise them. She's fine playing with most dogs but then something will trigger this goading behaviour, not every time, which is annoying to the other dog, i try and get her back and she darts from side to side so i cant. This is annoying hence trying to get advice. I usually speak to other dog owners before i let her off

 

[lurcherman]

Ok thanks for responding, hope all goes well for you.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Look at how the other dog is coping with her behaviour. Is the other dog joining in? If so then they do not feel intimidated and the matter is not so urgent. If, however, she is intimidating the other dog then that is not acceptable and she must be controlled in some way.

Is there a dog that copes with her very well? Could you get together with that dog's owner for some training sessions? Firstly on lead walks until she is walking nicely and paying attention to you for fantastic rewards. Then with the other dog off lead and your dog on lead while you teach her to pay attention to you in order to get fantastic rewards. Next try with the other dog on lead and your dog loose with a trailing lead. Be prepared to let the other dog loose if it is looking uncomfortable by being trapped on lead. If possible get your dog's attention away from the other dog and give fantastic rewards (several high value treats one after the other, followed by a cuddle, followed by a thrilling game!).

Work on this scenario with one dog on lead and the other dog off lead in all sorts of places until you are confident that you can get your dog to pay attention to you around another dog. Build on this by trying with a different dog if you can find one. It would be nice if you could find an APDT dog trainer in your area. They often have access to stooge dogs that will completely blank a boisterous dog and allow you to work with yours. Many will offer one to one sessions to get you started. These trainers are using up to date methods and are required to build on their knowledge by continuous professional development.

Headcollars are brilliant for close control, just not for work with a long line. Look at Dogalter and Dogmatic.

 

[marygreene13]

I have a staffie cross that is similar to this with recall, although not as severe, if there is nothing else interesting her she will come back, but if there are other dogs she would rather play with then it takes some persuasion. Staffies can often be very hard headed, and just want to do what they want, she is not interested in treats or toys or anything if there are other dogs, or she smells something in the forest, that method just doesn't work for her. I run her through the forest, and little by little I have taught her to walk at a heel, but I know if something came along that interested her she would be off! Luckily here she is very respectful of other dogs, she may be a pest occasionally but as soon as a dog tells her to back off she does. With Lola I have taught her the phrase 'this way' so that if she has trotted off and I want to go another way I just say that and it usually stops her in her tracks and sends her back to me (9 out of ten times!), and often I just walk, and if she goes the wrong way I leave it to her to realise, this makes her pay more attention to me, and often now she will stop when she goes a little way ahead to check I am coming. We didn't let her off the lead for a while after rescuing her, at least three weeks, this gives her a bit of practice in what is actually expected from her during a walk, and that she should follow us. After that she wouldn't be let off the lead until she sat and waited nicely, just little things to remind her that her excitement shouldn't make her unresponsive to us. Also, I don't shout at her, I use a firm voice but shouting gets her more excited and also makes her not want to come over.

I still find that if she has too much energy, she is very unresponsive for 10 15 minutes until she runs off her energy, perhaps you should try increasing your level of exercise and see if that helps at all

Good luck!

She is still a cheeky madam and gets into mischief but she has improved massively.