Tim & Tanya Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Bruno was attacked by a great dane about 2wks ago, he is 18wks now. When we take him for a walk whether it is down at the beach or along the promenade he is scared of everything. When a dog walks past he just wants to take off, this is the same with bikes and kids on scooters. Even if a dog barks at him from the back of a passing ute. Just wondering if this will now happen all the time or will he grow out of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogon Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Hi. Poor Bruno. Look at the thread 'Puppy terrified of other dogs'. In it is a discussion about how to help a dog in a fear situation. There are heaps of knowledgeable people here who can help you but I do recommend a book by Ian Dunbar called 'After you get your Puppy" it's available online free at dogstardalily.com. Free only in January. I think that you should consider taking it very slowly with your pup and maybe limit known scary situations to perhaps one per day. Dunbar advocates praising and treating the dog when something potentially scary is coming up. In the other thread there is a discussion about whether to give treats once the dog is terrified and I think the consensus is that you should not since this would reinforce being scared. Perhaps also consider getting an opinion from a dog behaviourist too. I am a new puppy owner with a dog that has displayed a few worrying fears to certain things too. I'm sure a more experienced person will be able to give you some advice soon. Good luck and hugs to little Bruno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Can you tell us what you are doing when the puppy reacts/ shows fear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Please seek professional help as soon as possible! Your pup may still be in their critical period and its vital that you know how to deal with your pups responses now. Don't wait until the dog is older- if you don't do anything now its highly likely that the problem will remain for the dogs life- he will not grow out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP* Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 My female was attacked at 4 and 9 mths and was petrified of any dogs for a long time after. A year later she is finally wanting to meet other dogs altho she barks and curls her tail over first (we're working on that). I was warned that when dogs get attacked young they often never get over it. I found limiting her interactions to small dogs helped alot. Is there an older small dog in the neighbourhood that the owners will let your dog meet up with (may only need a few minutes a at a time)? I found that really useful - a steady older dog rather than having her around playful younger dogs. Taking her to training helped her be around other dogs without having to interact with them. I also taught her fetch (she is now a ball nutter). We had a little walk to an open area and played fetch and then walked home. At first she didnt want to walk but it made a huge difference when she knew we were walking to play fetch. The behaviourist also suggested initially driving her to another area to walk until she was comfortable. Definately slowly and very small steps - maybe play fetch in the backyard for a while. Good luck - it is damn hard work but worth it when you see them getting more confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaves Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 the biggest mistake as such you can make is to coddle the pup when it shows fear - this reinforces its reaction. Please seek professional help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim & Tanya Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) Can you tell us what you are doing when the puppy reacts/ shows fear? What I do is, say his name and take the concentration off the other dog, also hold his lead tight and wait until the dog has passed... We are starting obedience training in Feb, I will talk to the people that do the training. They will have suggestions... thanks alot of everyone's replies... Edited January 22, 2009 by Tim & Tanya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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