Fear In Young Dog

[Chompadomp]

This is probably going to be a little long winded so please bear with me.

Almost 2 weeks ago I took on a 10month old American Bulldog and he has some issues, I'm a sentimental old sop and his dam was the only litter mate to my heart dog that I lost late last year. He hasn't had a lot of socialisation as a youngun, he was kept with the intention of being a guard dog but as his breeder says he hasn't got the personality, in other words he's a big sook and loves resting his head on my pillow while I am trying to sleep because he wants a pat.

So he is gradually settling in at home, I have 4 other dogs ranging in sizes from a Silky through to a wolfie x and they have all accepted him and he and the wolfie spend ages chasing each through the paddocks. He is entire, the rest 3 bitches and one dog are all desexed. He wont be getting desexed at this stage.

However he has a fear of people, men in particular. He has warmed to me and in part to my 7 year old daughter, and when it is just me at home with him he is as good as gold, he does what he is told and you wouldn't think anything of it. I know this can be dealt with, I am just not sure how to go about it. I haven't had dogs with fear issues before to this extent. There is no aggression. He just sits there and shakes, occasionally peeing and as soon as the opportunity to escape arises he takes it. My husband and I have 4 teen sons between us so there is a lot of testosterone in this house and I am mindful of that. He spends a good part of his resting time on the floor on my side of the bed, even if hubby is on the bed he will come in, he will also sit there if hubby lays across the bed and pats him. He crates fine and he has a crate on the back deck that I lock him in some nights, and if I have to go out and can't take him.

I take him to the beach nearly every day, this involves parking in a car park across the road from an arcade with a couple of cafes and walking a kilometre to the beach, he is on a lead and when he stops I keep walking and give him my librarian voice and tell him to walk. Once down on the beach he will be off leash for part of it, he is happy to run along side me, we spend most of the time walking in the water, I figured most people walk higher up the beach so we are going in the water where there is less traffic. I will put him back on the leash if we come across other dogs or groups of people. He will hide up in the sand dunes if we come across people and he isn't leashed. I keep him well away from people but he seems to have a radius of about 50 metres that is a no go zone. Once back at the car he will take a while to settle but will lay down in the shade near the car while we wait for my son to finish work and then it's home again, I usually sit on the ground with a book while I am waiting.

When I first got him he didn't like the car, but he has decided that my car is one of his safe zones and if the door is open he will hop in, he is getting better at getting out of the car, at home I just leave the door open and he gets out on his own, in town I give him a nudge and he isn't happy about it but will get out. If I tell him to do something I expect him to follow through, so when I tell him to get out of the car then he is to get out. I had to pull him out but now just a tug on his collar is usually enough.

This is the same with my bedroom. At first I had to drag him out of the room and down the hallway, now sometimes he will come out on his own and wander around the house, he is still skittish about it and will retreat to the room if there is any other noises than what I am making. He was an outside dog before I got him and is still getting used to the confines of being inside. If there is anyone else in the house I still have to physically move him out of the bedroom, although now it is only to the bedroom door, and he will walk down the hallway and outside on his own, when other people are around he will either want to be in the bedroom or outside, I am hoping he will follow the other dog's lead, they lounge around everywhere. Again outside he has an area of about 50 meters. So if hubby or one of the boys is standing on the back deck he stays that distance away until they have gone inside and when he is sure they have gone he will come and sit with me.

I haven't done a lot of training with him, just going on what he has learnt prior to coming here. He walks fine, stops when I stop, sits when told, with me only he comes when he is called. I am starting to work on that when there are others around, I have a long line and for now it's just when there is noise but no one else in sight.

So, I rang the vet and got the number of a behaviourist / trainer, I left a message but she hasn't gotten back to me, I will ring again in a couple of days. I imagine she is busy.

I am not making a big deal of his fear, the boys leave him to his own devices, sometimes husband will lay down with him in the bedroom either on the floor or hang his head over the edge of the bed.

I would love some advice on how to go about getting past this, I put some of it down to a new environment. Our place is a lot busier than where he came from. And the rest down to not enough socialisation or desensitisation when he was younger.

And if you have gotten this far, thankyou have a coffee on me :)

[megan_]

Get a professional in. Your dog might not be exhibiting aggression now, but as he grows he might realise that agression = things that make me scared go away. It only has to happen once. I have a girl who was used as a breeding bitch at a puppy farm and for a good year she would just shake and hide away if she was scared. Then one day she charged someone. A lightbulb went off - hey this works! It sure is a lot more effective than shaking.

She is particullary territorial of the car so she is belted in.

[Chompadomp]

Get a professional in. Your dog might not be exhibiting aggression now, but as he grows he might realise that agression = things that make me scared go away. It only has to happen once. I have a girl who was used as a breeding bitch at a puppy farm and for a good year she would just shake and hide away if she was scared. Then one day she charged someone. A lightbulb went off - hey this works! It sure is a lot more effective than shaking.

She is particullary territorial of the car so she is belted in.

Thanks for your reply, yes I am aware it could turn to aggression, and it will be easier to deal with before it gets to that. I am in no-where-ville and dog behaviourists are few and far between, I have rung a behaviourist and I am waiting to hear back from her, but I figured I wasn't going to sit around and ignore the problem while I am waiting hence why I have come in to ask for advice for what I can do in the meantime.

thanks

[mita]

I was given a list of helpful hints when dealing with a dogl who'd behave much the same way. Fearful & socially timid....to the point of doing that same submissive urination as your dog.

They could be helpful until you get some professional advice from a behaviourist. I'll see if I can still find them. They proved very helpful in the case I mentioned.

Edited April 2, 2012 by mita

[mita]

Found! I stored them away because they'd proved helpful.

Pick any that you think are relevant.

How to Build Confidence in a Timid or Under-confident Dog.

* Encourge her to do chasey games, when a treat or toy is tied at the end of a string.

And she's encouraged to chase it. Apparently that helps the

submissive dog to 'feel' & act more dominantly.

* Try to protect the dog's personal space. Do not let strangers

overwhelm him, etc. You may not be aware of a passersby

actually petting the dog. It is amazing what really goes on. Do

not allow people (even family members) to pet the dog on the top

of the head or behind his ears. Instead, pat and scratch the dog

on his chest and neck. This is much less threatening to a dog.

* Teach the dog how to play with you. Entice the dog for a game

of chase, with the dog chasing you. If he won't chase you while

you're running, try crawling, yes really. Crawl on the floor on all

fours away from him, then lie down and roll. Cover your face and

make high-pitched whimpering noises. This should entice the

dog to come over to you. This is success, praise the dog and

then walk away and try it again later.

* If the dog is scared of people, instruct people to sit down with

their backs facing the dog. Then, hold out a their hand (behind

them) for the dog with a food treat in it. Gradually, the person

can turn so that they are sideways, and then facing the dog.

Avoid eye-contact until the dog is no longer scared of this

particular person.

* Do not stroke a scared dog and say "It's OK." This is perceived

as praise by the dog and will make it more likely that the dog will

repeat his fear again next time. Instead, give robust pats on the

sides and act happy, pretend there is nothing to be scared

about, and if at all possible, remove him from the frightful

situation.

* Yawning is a calming signal for dogs. When your dog is

nervous or unsure of a situation or person, you (and that person)

should sit down by your dog, turn your head and focus slightly

away from the dog, and yawn continually. I am not talking about

30 seconds of yawning, rather 3-30 minutes of consistent,

passive yawning. Try it, over time it should make your dog more

comfortable.

* It is important to avoid eye-contact, especially if the dog is used

to running away or submissive peeing. When you are able to be

close to the dog, kneel or sit down so you are on his level and

turn your head away from the dog and lick your lips. Continue

doing this until the dog either ceases being nervous, or brings

their face closer to yours in a gesture of friendship. If/when this

occurs, praise the dog's efforts with kind words and a gentle

chest rub, however still avoid eye-contact. Whenever you are

close to a scared or submissive dog, it is important to avoid

eye-contact so the dog will not feel threatened in any way.

* If she's food oriented give visitors some little treats to hold in their

hands & occasionally drop next to her as they walk by.

* Do not over-stimulate or push the dog too far to fast. Let the

dog regulate how close he can get to other people, places and

things. If you push a scared dog too far, you will create a

neurosis that will be more difficult to treat.

* If the dog is scared of human contact, even from you, pet the

dog unexpectedly as you walk by. Do it quickly and friendly, and

then keep walking. The dog will probably be scared and

surprised, for if he knew you were going to pet him, he would've

run away and not allowed it. By sneaking in friendly petting with

no consequences (you simply walk away) the dog will learn that

being touched is not a bad thing.

* Being scared is very stressful. Exercise is one of the most

beneficial ways to relieve stress, so make sure your dog gets

plenty of it. If your dog likes other dogs (if you don't know, find

out) I strongly recommend that you find a dog for him to play with

on a weekly basis (more often, even better). Canine

companionship is very important to dogs, and especially a dog

that does not trust many humans, another canine can relieve

more stress than anything else. Be sure to allow the dogs to

romp around and play unrestricted (except for a fence) until they

tire out. This may be one of the best therapies that you can give

a shy dog.

[Kajtek]

Perhaps do some reading while waiting for advice from the behaviourist.

Patricia McConnell is amazing and you may find her training booklet "The Cautious Canine" useful. Here is the link

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/product/cautious-canine-dog-training-book

[Chompadomp]

Beautiful, the sort of stuff I was looking for thankyou.

Off to do some reading.