Dog issues

[YoureAQuizardHarry]

I would post in the dog house but it's dead.

Our dog was attacked a couple of months ago. Picked up and shook, the dog broke her leg and jaw. Since then she's become very reactive.

She does not like to be in contact with any dog other than our elderly dog. She reacts by lunging and growling, and barking.

She had redirected a bite onto my leg and arm.

I don't care if we never take her to the pub ever again but I just want to know I can at some point take her for a walk and not have her shout at another dog!

She is coming to the end of her season now, and is so fucking grumpy it's ridiculous. DH took her out with his friends and their dogs on Saturday and she was not happy. Lots of barking and lunging but they were off lead and she was on lead..

I've got in touch with a behaviourist and this week she isn't leaving the house as her cortisol will be so high after this weekend

She's 1 year old and a rescue. Does anyone have any happy stories ? Or is this our new normal? She used to be so good with other dogs but now she can't even be in the same room 😭

It's only been a very short time since her accident and she needs time to get her confidence back , I would expect her to be reactive at this point , she's clearly terrified now of other dogs - she had to fight for her life , she needs lots of time , love , patience and rehabilitation, think of her as suffering post traumatic stress disorder ,
It's good she gets along with your old dog and feels safe , can you talk to your vet and ask for ideas ,, I personally would avoid making her do walks and such with a lot of other dogs but build her confidence up slowly let her have some space and time , gradually let her meet with very calm dogs individually - but don't push her too much too early

Sorry , should have added , she's gorgeous !

@sifted thank you. Yes I've said to DH she's not to go out again now, as she clearly can't cope with other dogs at all. I might go for a walk with her tomorrow morning at 5am so she gets exercise but hopefully no other dogs!

Thank you for your advice, I will speak to the vet

No advice, but what a sweet little face!

@whiskersonkittenss she is totally adorable and I absolutely refuse to let her go. She's in her forever home now. We don't have children so she's not a risk. But I need to sort this right now!

Bump!

Has anyone got any experience?

You need a calm gentle non reactive dog to help build her confidence.

I'd start by literally walking her past at a distance and praising her if she's calm. Work on keeping her engaged with you by asking her to sit, give paw, whatever. Then gradually close the distance between them. If she seems calm, try letting them loose together in a large space.

I'd also look at a muzzle for her, just to be safe.

BTs are by nature can be quite reactive to other dogs (look at the #BTPosse on Twitter). They also seem to remember things for a very long time - my female was attacked by a Westie (not badly) at about 16 weeks & 8 years on she is still not guaranteed not to react to little white dogs despite significant socialisation with a friend with a Westie, time with a behaviourist and lots of socialisation with her dog walker.
A behaviourist is the way forward I would suggest, we saw an excellent one who helped us with her issues.
Also a yellow collar / lead that says nervous / reactive on it so that other dog walkers know to take it carefully around her.
Advice can be gained from the BTPosse on twitter too - there are over 1000 members so someone has always experience in these things.
Good luck, she is absolutely gorgeous & I wouldn’t be without my two BTs

Oh gosh she's gorgeous! I love BTs. If it's any consolation, my old girl was the same after being attacked. She was fine in day care but with me she went ape shit at other dogs. She did get better as time went on. I miss her so much

And I second looking at the #btposse on Twitter. Have a look on Instagram too.

There are a few FB pages too - border terriers are just the best dogs and some others. I can't remember off the top of my head as I'm not on there anymore.

We also saw a behaviourist. She was great off lead too but like I say, mad with me. I think she felt she had to protect me.

Thank you all so much! Who'd have thought a 4kg dog could bite hard!

She may never go over it, so you need to consider strategies.

Firstly, on lead=no escape and she’s probably terrified so reacting. My reactive dog is worse on lead.

Secondly, currently she’s petrified of other dogs so don’t make her confront them. Don’t stick her in front of other dogs and make her cope.

Thirdly, re-introduce her gently to a dog/dogs she already knows. Walk her on one side, friend on other side with their dog on the far side away from her. (Demonstrates other dog is no threat). Don’t force contact. Stay on neutral ground.

Fourthly, get a good behaviourist-took me 4 gos to find one who knew the breed and tapped into his strengths and re-directed me to keep him, other dogs and myself safe.

Is she a border? Read up on terrier behaviour/purpose and play to her good bits. She’s cute as a button, I hope she overcomes her fear.

P. S If you’re not already, get on Horse and Hound, the dog section. There are some very helpful people on there. forums.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/all-about-dogs.67/

My in-laws had a dog that was very reactive. We introduced him to our greyhound who’s so laid back she’s horizontal! Started off walking around a field, one in front of the other or parallel We kept a good distance, far enough that he didn’t react to the greyhound’s presence then gradually reduced the distance until they walked side by side. He actually got very fond of her to the point where he’d lay beside her using her for a pillow.

He never got entirely comfortable with other dogs but, so long as the greyhound was there he was calmer. She always bounded out in front to greet passing dogs so I think he felt protected.

It’s going to be a long process but do persevere. Consider a muzzle in the meantime, just in case. Keep treats on you, reward for good behaviour and most importantly stay calm. If your dog feels you panicking it make her worse.

Thank you all! I've got an appointment on Saturday now with a behaviourist. Yes she's a border. Absolutely fantastic and honestly my saving grace. I will not give up on her.

I'm seeing a behaviourist tomorrow I'm so nervous!

Having a reactive dog is really, really tough and it's very easy to feel despondent and isolated whilst you're dealing with it. I've been there with one of mine, he's always been a very sensitive soul and he became reactive after several scary encounters with rude, pushy dogs as a youngster. I've got a pretty similar goal to you; I don't care if he's not a social butterfly (he's never been one of those, even before the reactivity!) but I do want to be able to take him out for nice chill walks which we both enjoy. A lot of time and effort later and we are getting there, it's not been the smoothest journey and we've got a way to go yet but overall he's improved so much and it really does feel like that goal is attainable. It might take a while but I really do think we'll get there!

I would highly recommend the FB group Reactive Dogs UK, it's got loads of excellent resources and there's plenty of non-judgemental support to be had there. They recommend the use of CARE for Reactive Dogs and BAT/Behaviour Adjustment Training.

I agree with QuestionableMouse that muzzle training would be a good idea. As well as keeping you (and her) safer muzzles can act as a really good deterrent for people likely to let their dogs wander over to you! The Muzzle Up Project has got loads of really good information about muzzles and muzzle training.

I've also found books by Sally Gutteridge (particularly 'Inspiring Resilience in Fearful and Reactive Dogs', 'Easy Walks With Reactive Dogs' and 'Lessons From Your Reactive Dog') and Beverley Coutney (the Growly Dog series) very useful and they're all available either cheap or free in ebook format. 'Your End of the Lead: Changing how you think and act to help your reactive dog' by Janet Finlay (who is an admin of the aforementioned FB group) is also really good.

Getting the right professional in is really helpful, don't be afraid to try more than one if anything they suggest doesn't sit right. Like Cherrysoup I had to go through a few before I found the right one but it was definitely worth it. She showed me various techniques to build on what I'd done using CARE and BAT. These days we can actually have some nice, chill walks in quiet places and when he does occasionally react at another dog it's with far less intensity than he used to.

Fingers crossed it all goes well tomorrow!

Good luck with the behaviourist. Your pup is gorgeous, poor little lady.

My golden retriever has been attacked a few times albeit without serious injury thankfully. He can therefore be reactive to other dogs. He has never attempted to bite, but he can be very vocal and boisterous throwing his weight around. It's fear aggression really, and he is worse on the lead. People automatically react badly to him because he's a big dog and they perceive that GRs are big cuddly lumps.

Even now we never meet other dogs he doesn't know on lead. Lead greetings are stressful for dogs because they don't have the space to get away. I don't even let my other two greet on lead and they're not remotely interested in other dogs.

As my eldest is a GR, he is a very greedy pig. If I see another dog I either talk to him and get him to focus on a treat, or if the other dog is causing a racket and it's harder to get his focus I will literally shovel treats down his neck one at a time until we are passed. I count it as a success if he doesn't bark or lunge, not bothered if he looks at the other dog, but generally the longer he stares the more likely he is to upset himself and then react.

Also, if we meet a dog and there is no easy way to give them space (and I would define space for my lad as 20 feet+) we do a 180 and go back the way we came. Probably looks weird to some people, but every time he reacts badly it reinforces the negative experiences he has had.

I know a lot of this may not work for a small dog, but thought it might reassure you that there are things you can do and it can get better with work. I am sure plenty of people would manage him differently, but we get along just fine. As I said my other two aren't remotely interested in dogs, which I do appreciate now tbh!

My dog was attacked by a flat nosed dog - he wasn't hurt but it did affect him mentally, he'll snarl and react and he has got worse over the years - we tend to avoid flat faced dogs if we can but sometimes I don't spot them quickly enough and sometimes their stupid owners don't listen when I say he is scared and ask if can they stay away . He has a long memory.