Nervous Dog

[J.T.]

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My little lurcher, Scrumpy is such a nervy girl, she was found on a very busy road at 10 weeks & is very worried by traffic. She is also scared of loud bangs, thumps, in fact she's scared of a lot of things. Over the years we have worked really hard to make her feel better & she has improved quite a lot in some ways but she is still so easily worried. She is even scared of the TV remote control some days.

When out in the park she is fine but on the way there & back she shakes & pants because of the traffic but we don't have to go far so can cope with that. I've tried driving the very short distance to the park but she still has to walk from the carpark to the gates so isn't any better & I worry that she will then also get a phobia about getting into the van.

I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do to boost her confidence & make her a bit braver :ninja:

I always feed her before the other 2 & I hardly ever tell her off as she just deflates if I raise my voice at all. Even other people shouting upsets her.

I do agility with her & she does seem to enjoy it most of the time but some days it's really hard to motivate her if something has upset her. I have to work really hard to keep "upbeat" in order to keep her happy. It's wearing me out -_-

Anyone got any confidence boosting ideas which may help?

 

[saraquele]

two ideas from me , either , just go about things really " matter of fact" if she cowers at a car , just keep walking and say " yes its a car " in a , im not botherd , kind of way or is there anyone you can walk with who has a confident dog ?

i looked after a friends dog for a couple of weeks she was wary at first but 2 weeks later after walking everyday with Bliss and Jan she went home a different dog !!!

good luck and i hope you get her sorted :thumbsup:

 

[Nicola]

It's difficult isn't it? She does sound bad...it sound like you can't really relax around her.

Stan can be quite nervous at times. Once something has frightened him he never forgets. He runs out the kitchen if you put the oven on (the sound of the fan scares him), he hates the grill going on because he remembers it set the smoke alarms off once or twice, if you drop something he runs off in fright, if there's a pop or bang or any unusual noise he runs off or walks around licking his lips. Luckily he's not frightened of traffic and generally relaxes when he's outside. It's just inside the house he's a bit wary.

Could a behaviourist help in some way (probably expensive, but if you find a good one.......)? There's one in one of these monthly dog magazines that seems to do really well with dogs with extreme problems like Scrumpy.

 

[J.T.]

thanks to you both for the advice.

Sharon, I walk all 3 dogs together & on the way back my friend walks with us & her 3 dogs so Scrumpy is well surrounded by her "pack" and it doesn't make any difference at all. I don't fuss her or even say much to her at all, I've tried a really short lead & also given her the full length of a longer one but she is just the same. I've also used a headcollar & a harness but nothing makes any difference.

Nicola, we went to a behaviourist (£265 ) luckily insurance paid for it. She gave us some good advice & some not very practical things too. It was her idea to drive to the park but as we still had to walk along a very short stretch of road it didn't achieve anything.

She did advise clicker training which has been brilliant, that is how we have made as much progress as we have but when Scrumpy is at her absolute worst she blanks everything else out, including food treats.

Sometimes she looks so damn miserable I could cry

I just thought if I could boost her confidence generally then she may not be so wimpy in other areas

 

[jezza]

I really feel for you, I have a nervous dog so I know how hard and upsetting it can be. I don't think I have got a lot of advice really I'm afraid because I haven't got to the bottom of all Lennys insecurities. His main fear is other dogs and strange people, and anyone who dares to try and come in our house! He has got better since we had him castrated (although that won't help Scrumpy unfortunately!), but is still very nervous. He is scared of lots of things, people shouting, also of normal household objects eg. recently a jewellery box and an empty wine bottle!

We spent lots of money on behaviourists which did help to a certain extent but I have now accepted the fact that he will never be 'normal'. We do our best but I think the fear is too deeply ingrained so now we just manage his reactions the best we can and don't try to 'cure' him. Just one point, Lenny is like a different dog if I am not around, or if I am not the one holding his lead. I get quite panicky when trying to control him and he picks up on that. How is Scrumpy if she is with someone else, is she the same?

I'm sorry I haven't got any advice for you but good luck with Scrumpy :luck:

 

[fallenangel]

I wish you could meet our minnes. will try and meet up one day with her to show you.

we got her when she was 15 months old from a family that had been given her as she wouldnt chase. they had had her a few months and then gone and got a 9 oin there words proper pedigre dog not a rejecket like her and it cost £4000 they said they wanted rid of her cos she grwled at there new nice puppy :angry:

when we got there we were told that tony(my hubby) should stay in the car as she was petrified of men the woman brough her out with her hubby in tow. Minny was shaking so badly she could hardly walk and was cowering from the sky and everything. the woman whent inside and past minnes to her hubbywho promtly wet herslef the minnet he got hold of it.

I bit my lip as all we wanted to do was get her away from there.

she was frightend of everthing when we got her home including the other dogs. we had had timmed rescues that we had fosterd before but nothing this bad. a very doggy person I called gave me some advice she said dont speak to her look at her or tak to her unless shes carm no matter how hard it is. stay very carm no matter how badly she panicks and never ever comfort her. it was realy hard cos all you want to do is kiss and cubble them but we stuck to it for 6 months and it worked well and she was a differt dog. she then started helping us with meet and greets at greyhound rscue she does home checks with me as shes the best judge of peoepl i have ever met and shes even done RGT benifft nights at bellvue with 3000 plus peoepl going past some shouting and drunk most stroking her and she loved it she now want attention and allthough doenst jump to the door if someone calles will wandre over later for a cuddle. the only think shes still a bit scared of now is bangs and fireworkd but rescue remady in her water for a few days usuly does the trick.

I am quiet into teh dog wisperer now and he allways says dogs live in the moment if you let there past go so can they. if you expect them to be carm they will get it but of your watig for them to be scared they will.

 

[Rosie]

I too am a dog whisperer fan, being a new dog owner and not understanding how they really think he has helped me no end. Clearly I am no expert like him but I watched a show recently where he was dealing with a really nervous dog and he questioned the owner about what they did from day 1. They tried to comfort the dog, talking to it quietly and petting it and to cut a long story short this is wrong as he said you cannot give attention to a dog in an unbalanced state of mind because you are nuturing that behaviour. It is our natural human reaction but not suited to dogs, he said best to leave it alone hard as it is - no talk, no touch, no eye contact - and when the dog calms itself and starts to maybe look for food then provide the food and that becomes the affection that then starts to reward a more happy state of mind.

Sorry to witter on a bit but he showed that it is never too late to start - he said if you started off on day 1 petting and trying to reassure then that reinforces that behaviour and gives you the dog you have. He said dogs live in the moment though and you have to let go of her sad start and not feel sorry for her to release her way of thinking.

:luck: :luck:

 

[dessie]

Yep, I am a Cesar Millan fan as well. Dogs live in the 'now' and they need to face their fears so it is collar up round the ears and you must keep walking, head up, shoulders back and say nothing to it whilst it is not calm submissive. If the dog jinks at whatever scares it, just keep going or, if you can anticipate, give a correction to focus the dog's attention on you and not what it is scared of. The other important point he focuses on is not to let the tail be clamped between the legs. On the nervous Viszla in question, he made a loop from the handle of the lead and put it round the dog's tail to keep it out and up, like a normal well balanced dog ............... it worked! He first worked with it in a busy street by just kneeling behind the dog with the tail held up as if in a show stance. When a pushchair or whatever came along, he anticipated and gave a correction with the lead and immediately released whilst still holding the tail. The dog hardly flinched whereas it was cowering and slinking when with its owner.

 

[J.T.]

I saw that one & the results were very impressive. I have tried the lead behind the ears trick & she does walk better, we were doing well until someone beeped their car horn as they went past & she nearly strangled herself

I don't fuss her when she is upset even tho it's what I'm wanting to do. I just try to ignore whatever is worrying her.

I also did the tail thing but she is only small & I had to stoop to keep hold & she was extremely confused by me messing with her tail so I've not kept up with that. I find if I scratch her back right near her tail she brings her tail right up & gets giddy so at shows this works well but is a bit difficult on walks.

Wendy, if you are at Westhoughton next Sunday I'll have a chat with you about it if that's ok

Cheers, Julie.

 

[fallenangel]

f we have room in the car we will bring minne with us just so you can see they realy can change in a big way