Advice please. 9 month old BC, Post-attack behaviour.

[MadisonC]

Hi there, 

I was just hoping for some advice regarding my 9 month old Border Collie puppy, Ace. I'll try to give as much detail as I can.

 

He was unfortunately attacked by an American Staffy two weeks ago. The dog jumped the fence whilst we were coming home from our daily walk (they live at the top of our court). The dog came from behind and bit his left shoulder, causing a tear in the muscle with a very deep puncture, alongside multiple other punctures on top and underneath the leg. Ace is okay and recovering well (a very active pup is hard to keep quiet!). The attack was unprovoked and unexpected.

 

We spoke with the vet about how to support Ace with recovering psychologically. She suggested getting him back out there to socialise and build up his confidence again, but to be aware that his behaviour towards unknown dogs may change. Ace is more than happy to be back walking, albeit short walks whilst he is still mending. He does not care about walking past the house which the dog came from. He is very relaxed on his walks, until he sees another dog. He immediately growls, barks and tries to jump at the other dog. It seems to be quite aggressive behaviour which we never saw before - he was always happy to go up to any dog and say hello or play. I understand why he has changed, I just don't know how to help him and I don't want to leave it too long before trying to correct his behaviour. Whenever I see another dog coming, I make Ace sit off the footpath where he can still see the dog and kneel next to him and try to keep him calm. He lives with two other border collies and is fine with them, and he also still loves our neighbour's dog.

 

He is also very unsure of some people - though this started about a month before the attack (8 months old). Even people he has met before and been very happy to see, the next day he might bark and try to jump at the person. Even if they reach out a hand for him to sniff, he pulls away as if he does not want them to touch him. Sometimes it takes a very long time to get him to stop barking/lunging at others. When we are sitting in the car, he has barked at people crossing the road, in nearby shops or someone off in the distance. This behaviour has continued since the attack. There are other unknown people that he will happily walk straight up to for a pat so I really can't pick who he is going to be wary of. It was mentioned by a friend that this behaviour could be age related and due to him not yet being desexed (we were told to wait until he was 12 months old) and that he is being protective of his family. What can I do to help him with this?

 

Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Edited September 30, 2021 by MadisonC

[Rebanne]

you need to see a behaviorist so you and Ace can get the help needed. Dog attacks can cause some bad side effects. If you can give a rough area of where you live I'm sure more knowledgeable people will be able to recommend someone. I hope the owners of the attacking dog are paying your vet bill and I hope you reported the attack.

[MadisonC]

Thank you. I live in south-east Melbourne.

The owners of the other dog have been fantastic, they have paid all of Ace's vet bills and they also made the decision to have their dog put down. It's just a long recovery for my puppy unfortunately. 

[Loving my Oldies]

1 hour ago, MadisonC said:

Thank you. I live in south-east Melbourne.

The owners of the other dog have been fantastic, they have paid all of Ace's vet bills and they also made the decision to have their dog put down. It's just a long recovery for my puppy unfortunately. 

That attitude is certainly a change from so many attacks.  I don’t have any advice, just wanted to express my sorrow that this has happened.  It must have been terrifying for you and Ace and hope that it isn’t a long recovery for Ace.  
 

The daughter of a friend of mine went to a park with her three young children and little dog.  The boys had run off to the playground, she was getting all their things out of the car.  To cut a horrible story short, she ended up in hospital having micro surgery on her thumb and plastic surgery on her face.  The owners took off, but someone got the number plate of the car.  Needless to say, she is traumatised and can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if her boys had stayed with her.  
 

 

[MadisonC]

36 minutes ago, Loving my Oldies said:

That attitude is certainly a change from so many attacks.  I don’t have any advice, just wanted to express my sorrow that this has happened.  It must have been terrifying for you and Ace and hope that it isn’t a long recovery for Ace.  
 

The daughter of a friend of mine went to a park with her three young children and little dog.  The boys had run off to the playground, she was getting all their things out of the car.  To cut a horrible story short, she ended up in hospital having micro surgery on her thumb and plastic surgery on her face.  The owners took off, but someone got the number plate of the car.  Needless to say, she is traumatised and can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if her boys had stayed with her.  
 

 

Thank you for your concern. Ace is really doing quite well. The vet is very surprised that he didn't need surgery, though he has a large seroma that she is monitoring and will need to drain when he goes back in a few days time. Even a couple of days after it happened, he was trying to run and jump around like his usual self and it has been a nightmare trying to keep him calm as he is so active. 

 

That sounds so awful. Some dogs are just unpredictable and unfortunately not all pet owners are responsible. I hope she is okay!

[jemappelle]

Sorry to hear about this.  It's a stressful time for all and I also recommend a dog behaviourist.  Try Underdog Training as I think they are in Glen Iris - they may be able to give you a phone consult with some temporary measures until your lockdown restrictions eased.  https://underdogtraining.com.au/  

 

Good luck!

[Papillon Kisses]

Hi Madison,

 

Ace is traumatised as you know and needs help to change his emotional response to seeing dogs and people. He also needs to heal physically as pain will be playing a role, even though he seems spritely. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/2/318/htm

 

You can look here for a force free trainer:  https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional Many are doing online consults at the moment and can get the ball rolling, so you and Ace are ready to do controlled setups when restrictions ease.

 

You might find you also need help from a veterinary behaviourist, so here is a link for those: https://www.anzcvs.org.au/chapters/veterinary+behaviour+chapter

 

It’s good to see you don’t want to punish Ace. The barking, growling and lunging is his way of saying “I don’t feel safe, go away!”  We don’t want to punish that as it would be like taking the batteries out of the smoke alarm, and lead to a dog who goes straight to biting the moment things become too much. Emotions are driving his behaviour, and we can’t help dogs feel better about the things that worry them by making them feel worse.

 

While you wait for help:

 

1) For your walks, choose times and places where you are less likely to encounter dogs and people; have good sight lines; and are able to increase your distance if you do by crossing the road, going down a side street etc, well before Ace would react. Some people have success with cemeteries, or industrial areas outside business hours, if street walks aren’t suitable. Every time Ace gets a fright and practices the behaviour, it is reinforced.

 

2) Emergency U-Turns are a nice little skill you can start teaching him at home and then practice randomly on walks. Don’t go seeking out dogs and people. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-L2qtD7MQ

3) Increase his at-home enrichment. The Canine Enrichment Facebook group has lots of ideas. You might find you need to stop even the short walks if conditions aren’t suitable. Enrichment activities will work his brain and tire him out.

 

4) Please don’t try to DIY behaviour modification. There is a lot you need to learn, and many pet parents inadvertently worsen the problem. I initially did that with my own dog. Learning more about dog body language would be a good start. It’s likely that Ace shows more subtle signs of stress before his big reactions. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=00_9JPltXHI

I hope this helps!
 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Papillon Kisses

[Tassie]

That was a horrible thing to have happen to your pup, @MadisonC.  It"s fortunate that his physical injuries are not worse, and also that the other dog's owners have taken responsibility - at least that's one thing off your mind.

It's quite likely, since it had already started, that the uncertain behaviours in relation to people is not directly related .   That sort of age can in some dogs be a time when they might experience another fear period.  And it's unlikely that it has to do with Ace still being entire.

 

It might be worth trying to get in touch with a specialist vet  - specialising in behaviour.  You'll find a list of them here https://www.anzcvs.org.au/chapters/veterinary+behaviour+chapter  -  you'll need to scroll down to get to the lists .. and then you can scroll to the list for Victoria.   (I personally know 2 of the vets on the Victorian list.)  Lockdown might make things a bit difficult, but some may do online consults.

 

You might also get some useful general information in a couple of the Susan Garrett Dogs That podcasts.. This particular one https://dogsthat.com/podcast/45/  is relevant to your situation.

 

In the meantime, distance is your friend  ..as I think you're already doing.   I like the ;emergency; turn and go .. just a U turn, preferably with you stepping in front of your dog as you turn, and trying to stay very cool for him .. treats if he'll take them.

 

Please keep us updated as to how Ace is going.

[MadisonC]

Thank you all for these suggestions, I will look into each and every one of your ideas as I really want to help Ace, I just didn't know where to start. 

 

Thanks again.