Overcoming Fear

[Louis' dad]

Hi there, my BC puppy, Louis is 15 weeks old and up til now has been doing well on his lead. He's not too keen on bikes whizzing past and gets a bit skittish, but otherwise was OK on his walks. Unfortunately a dog jumping up behind a fence scared the cr*p out of him the other day, and now he gets spooked very easily. I realise he is well in his first fear period, and don't know what I should do. I have taken him back to the scene of the event but he hates it, and is only focused on getting away - he won't take a treat from me, and hangs back on his lead approaching and pulls away when we've passed. He is obviously very distressed.

I see three options. Keep taking him there in the hope he gets over it; don't take him there at all (it's a good walk for him - off road and grassy); don't take him out at all, as per K9pro's advice.

He is quite well socialised, having been out in town with me since about 9 weeks, and is halfway through puppy school.

My main fear that as he gets older I will not be able to trust him not to bolt if he is off his lead, except in very controlled areas, which for an energetic dog is not good at all. My previous BC was excellent off lead, nothing bothered him, and I would happily let him walk off lead along country roads.

[Cosmolo]

Now that he has had such a bad experience i would not recommend not taking him out. He needs to go out and have some positive experiences- ideally i would have a trainer come and help you as getting it wrong could make it worse but short of that- take him in the direction of the scary place but far enough away that he will take food (make sure he is hungry!) feed and leave- many times, gradually closing down the distance. If he gets another fright- get him to move- take him for a short run past on the opposite side of teh road for instance.

[luvsdogs]

Now that he has had such a bad experience i would not recommend not taking him out. He needs to go out and have some positive experiences- ideally i would have a trainer come and help you as getting it wrong could make it worse but short of that- take him in the direction of the scary place but far enough away that he will take food (make sure he is hungry!) feed and leave- many times, gradually closing down the distance. If he gets another fright- get him to move- take him for a short run past on the opposite side of teh road for instance.

This is what I was thinking. My border collie can be the same way with some things but she will still move on with encouragement & food.

[wuffles]

I also make sure that, when we walk past barking/jumping dogs or anything else that may make my own dog nervous, I use relaxed but confident body language. No tensing up! I put myself between them and the scary thing and walk past calmly and confidently, my dogs respond well to this

[Nekhbet]

yeah locking dog up = no no with me

I second get someone experienced in to help with this before it turns into a bigger problem. What area are you in?

[Louis' dad]

Thanks for the replies. I wouldn't want to consider not taking him out, there are other walks I can take him on, and will try the short distance getting closer that Cosmolo suggests. I also do the confident walk and encourage him, but he won't have any of it. I won't pick him up and cuddle him and take him past as this I believe will reinforce his fear.

Nekhbet, I am in Gisborne.

[persephone]

IMO,NO dog can be completely trusted in this regard.It only takes a bad fright ... dog runs onto road....

I will not be able to trust him not to bolt if he is off his lead,

So - you have a dog who may get scared? Then it is your responsibilty to keep him safe use a very long lead ..then he can still enjoy a sniff /jog , but you have final control over his safety

[Steve K9Pro]

Hi there, my BC puppy, Louis is 15 weeks old and up til now has been doing well on his lead. He's not too keen on bikes whizzing past and gets a bit skittish, but otherwise was OK on his walks. Unfortunately a dog jumping up behind a fence scared the cr*p out of him the other day, and now he gets spooked very easily. I realise he is well in his first fear period, and don't know what I should do. I have taken him back to the scene of the event but he hates it, and is only focused on getting away - he won't take a treat from me, and hangs back on his lead approaching and pulls away when we've passed. He is obviously very distressed.

I see three options. Keep taking him there in the hope he gets over it; don't take him there at all (it's a good walk for him - off road and grassy); don't take him out at all, as per K9pro's advice.

He is quite well socialised, having been out in town with me since about 9 weeks, and is halfway through puppy school.

My main fear that as he gets older I will not be able to trust him not to bolt if he is off his lead, except in very controlled areas, which for an energetic dog is not good at all. My previous BC was excellent off lead, nothing bothered him, and I would happily let him walk off lead along country roads.

K9: I think there are a couple of things to consider.

I think if your dog is in a fear period, it is risky trying to counter condition things he is frightened of whilst in this period as it can be a slippery slope and you could end up worse off.

If your not sure of what you are seeing, it is a great idea to have someone of experience to look at your dog.

I wouldn't be comparing this pup to your older BC whilst he is in a fear period, that is not a very good time to assess his temperament really and wont give you a true indication.

Not sure where I gave you advice though? (but I am hopeless with forum names). If it is in the puppy development calendar remember that is generic advice that I don't do much socialization with pups in the fear period, but it may not be how I would cure a dog that had a startle.

[Nekhbet]

dragging him wont help either, I see a lot of BC's exploding as adolescents and adults (must be a geelong thing)

Kelpi-i is down near Caulder Park raceway, I'm in Geelong if you fancy a drive and socialisation workshop.

[Louis' dad]

Thanks again for the replies. He has puppy school tonight, so will mention it to the teacher! K9pro, sorry this was off the development calendar, regarding the 2nd fear period.

Nekhbet, thanks for that, will get in touch.