Worried Dog In Town

[Kaffy Magee]

I got my dobie boy when he was 6 months old. He hadnt ever been in to town( shops, cars, lots of people) and had only ever been to dog shows, where most of the time he was in the ring or in a crate. If I take him into town and he is very usure, tail is down, he's rather jumpy and very unsure of anybody who stops to talk to him. If someone walks past he keeps turning around to watch them as if he thinks they are going to come up from behind and "get" him,LOL.

Now tell me, do you think he can get over this. He is just about 12 months old. Should i be taking him into town everyday which isnt really possible for me or will he still learn to get over it eventually by going in a couple of times a week. Sometimes he is fine with people like today at the vet, he approached a lady and pushed his head into her hand for a pat, mind you she wasnt paying any attention to him when he did it. Do you think he just doesnt like people approaching him. He is a probably a little more warier of men, im not sure why,although he is fine with male judges going over him.

I want to get him out of this, i act very confident and dont baby him or use treats, i just carry on as normal. Kaden my other dobie was very confident, nothing fazed him and loved everyone. I took him into town from a young age though. Everyone loved him too because he was so friendly and not the scary dobe they expected. Luka just looks so worried and backs off, people are then unsure of him and thinks hes going to bite.

So how do i build his confidence in town and meeting people?

[persephone]

I would tend to start quiet...and, each week or two..move things up a notch.

Start with streets...then nearer to main road, then main road,nearer shops, then a quiet shopping stretch, then main shopping stretch...

??? Dunno, really...

[Gayle.]

Now that daylight saving has started, is it possible to take him into town of an evening, do some quiet window shopping, cross the road a few times etc. to get him "acclimatised"? Then maybe bring him in once or twice a week first thing in the morning when it's quiet and just give him a 10-15 minute walk around the shops.

I love walking around our business/shops area on summer evenings with the dogs. They get to see and smell a different place, often get approached by strangers for a pat and yet it's relatively quiet. I plan on doing more of it with Dusty because she's a bit like Luka......suspicious and wary of anything different (she tends to bark loudly while backing away to hide behind my legs!)

She loves her crate at dog shows because she can see and smell without having to be amongst the bustle, but I'd like to build her confidence in strange places.

[WalandLibby]

I think that by doing something he finds difficult every day, he might actually sensitise to it, and become more nervous (and more likely to behave dangerously). Stress hormones remain in the body for quite a long time after a stressful experience, and cumulate with successive stressors, and they often make a dog more reactive.

I think that talking with a vet behaviourist would be a good idea, so they can give you an idea of whether/how they feel it is safe to work on this.

Edited October 8, 2008 by WalandLibby

[percyk]

i have come across a few people who have had various problems and having seen their dogs youd not believe thye ever had a problem- they seem so fine! these people have not had a behaviourist but just used what they knew - yours may be a different story but there are a few things you could try from reading and observing and asking questions

with any phobia i still reckon you have to be the leader and get your dog through it - but of course you dont immerse them in a situation they cant handle

but you still have to challenge him to face his fears a little at a time and go beyond that point - tiny steps at a time

think of wild animals - if they can be tamed at an older age then it must be possible to get your dobe through this and out the other end

what you need is a controlled environment so he meets with success each time and, of course, in town you cant guarantee it, can you but you can be vigilant and watch out for things that he particularly fears and introduce him from a different angle or from a distance

i spoke to someone recently who 'tamed' a really fearful older kelpie just with persistence and kindness and firmness - not showing fear or disappointment in the voice not reassuring too much except by leading them through it

as for the treats - i dont know but id be still opting for treats - the fav ones so that the visits to town are linked with pleasant sensations- maybe you could even give him a half ration the night before so he is a bit hungrier? as long as this doesnt stress him out more but i cant think that it would

is there a coffee shop or somewhere you could sit and be on the outskirts of the action but he could still view it all unfolding

would he not lie at your feet - i know some people who bring a mat that the dog is used to and teach them to lie on that when they take them out to a cafe

twice a week is better than nothing but i would persist and take every other chance to take him

id be doing some heeling practise and some other basic commands in the quieter end of town and then gradually encourage him into the zone he's fearful of

i have given people treats to give to my dogs - yep i know that lots of people are against this idea because they dont want dogs poisoned but we dont live in an area where dogs would be baited and it's more important for my dogs to accept people and be sociable

i have given treats to my dog as they meet another dog - through a fence or at a distance

i think it's possible but you can ring a behaviourist if youre still unsure of how to proceed - some will talk to you on the phone - some wont and will want to charge for a phone consultation

good luck and let us know

hope your dog turns a corner and heads in the right direction ( hard to believe that he is fearful - usually dogs raised round the showring arent)

oh just remembered -my alpha bitch used to be scared of people ( this was about 6 years ago - shes 8 now )e

but when our house was on the market we sat outsid with her on a leash ( in the garden ) and we werent even aiming for anything but she was cured - took about 4 saturdays of about an hour each

no treats just settling her and not letting her run away

[Kaffy Magee]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I usually take Luka in to town in the evening as thats just seems easier time for me to get away. He isnt completely terrified, sometimes he seems ok walking around, cars, traffic lights, sliding doors, trolleys etc dont bother him as such, he just seems more on edge and just comes across as unsure, particularly with people. So he isnt really a bundle of terrified nerves, but he isnt fully comfortable with his surrounds. I sit right out the front of the supermarket just to get him used to things and he seems fine until someone walks out of the shop, and backs right away if they approach, does the whole hunched body thing with worried eyes and tail down. So i guess after reading all this back the main issue seems to be people. I think he will get over the other minor issues(jumpy, unsure) easy enough.

I took him for a walk today around the river(bridge to bridge) about 5.4 km and no problems until people walked past, then he would lag behind, hide behind me, trying to avoid them. I just kept on walking, ignoring it. As we just crossed the bridge to get to our car a lady coming towards us had her dog on a lead and stood back to let us past, as she went to walk off her dog slipped its collar and started attacking Luka. She couldnt catch her dog and i was trying to madly push it away and keep it off him with one arm until i had to sink the boot in as it would not let up. Poor Luka didnt know what to do, he didnt retaliate, just tried to get away and i kept trying to drag him around to keep him moving, so it couldnt get a good grip. All i could think was "this is going to ruin him". He sat there rather shocked i think,eyes wide and frothing at the mouth, but i didnt want to inadvertently reward that and kept moving on and he seemed fine, like nothing happened. Another lady who saw it asked if he was alright and as we began to talk Luka promptly pushed his head into her for a pat. So i think he is ok with people as long as they ignore him and let him make the first move. He seems confident to approach people from behind too, but of course as soon as they turn around he slinks back.

I should try giving the treats to people to give to him, i think it could help build his confidence meeting people. Its just hard to believe that a dog that will not move a muscle when a judge goes all over him can be so unsure of friendly smiling people.

[Natsu chan]

I wonder if his uncertainty with people in public places is due to the fact that a lot of people will look at a dog in the eye when they go to pat them? My girl gets worried by people doing this as she's quite submissive and seems to perceive it as the person warning her off. Like your boy if they ignore her she's fine, friendly in fact. A judge in the obedience ring can do what they like to her. I've never seen a judge eye ball a dog, but the general public do. I found just taking mine out and chatting to people for a moment or two before they stroked her helped a lot as she felt less threatened.