Any dog behaviourists help needed

[Satellitetimedelay]

Hi any help advice appreciated.

We’re 18mnths into rehoming a Romanian rescue dog that had been in rescue centers for over a year before us.

hindsight a wonderful thing & I realise not an easy rescue & yes what did we expect but here we are.

He was initially crated when alone as quite destructive ( cushion eating). That stopped & he has the loveliest nature in the home.

outside hugely reactive to cars & once activated by a car or squirrel then reactive to anything/ anyone.

He goes to day care one day a week & socialites brilliantly with other dogs there.

We have him on reconcile 32mg ( he’s 24kg) & have had dog training bark busters- not very effective.

At a loss he’s started shredding cushions all over again so we’ve got the crate out again.

Its feeling impossible- we drive to quiet walks & genuinely dread being out with him
now which I know not helping.

Any advice/ suggestions?

Should we increase dosage.

We’ve had rescue dogs before but this is an other level & negatively impacting on our lives.

Probably not telling you anything you haven't already racked your brains for, but did anything change that made him start shredding again?

Is he getting enough exercise? Has food changed? Is doggy day care new?

Could you try a different trainer? Get recommendations from local social media or vet?

Have you tried the Dog's Trust. They run all sorts of courses and offer advice.

So sorry not to be of more help as I do know how exhausting, upsetting and draining this can be.

Thank you so much.
All great points to think about.
Day care has been months so not new.
Will look into Dogs Trust training & keep on keeping on 😅

https://www.facebook.com/share/19SMX966Ej/

Don't know if this is any use to you. My friend had a lot of help from him with her Bosnian rescue dog. All force free training taken at the dog's pace.

No link but did read such reactive /trauma ddogs shouldn't be walked every day as just adding to the stress levels..
Maybe a Google would find it?

Reactivity in dogs can be caused by hidden pain, so if he hasn’t already had a very thorough vet check then that would be my first step

edited to add: scent training can be really beneficial for reactive dogs, and used as a great distraction in stressful situations

Have a look at Dog training advice and support. Run by behaviourists. https://m.facebook.com/groups/dogtrainingadviceandsupport/

Sadly medication is often a short term help but very commonly the dog’s system gets used to it and you are in an ever increasing dosage spiral. It is really only truly effective as a bridge whilst behaviour modification work is carried out
Your dog is clearly incredibly anxious and/or over adrenalised but diagnosis by internet and suggestions in one direction or the other can go more harm than good. A responsible behaviourist (ie me!) will not give advice based on such a tiny snapshot and you need some in person help. Qualified and recommended and not the people you used before obvs
I will say however as a general observation that daycare is a very high octane environment and will certainly not contribute to calmness in pretty much any dog. If you were my client, I’d personally be looking carefully at whether it was an appropriate choice for a dog already high as a kite in most everyday situations

Seconded.

Too late now but for anyone reading - do NOT touch Barkbusters with a barge pole.

Brilliant replies thank you 🙏
the day care felt important to socialise as avoiding cars means we also see few other dogs.
totally agree Bark Busters🫣
Thanks will keep reading

Have you considered a structural dog training class?
There is obviously a lot going on and often in these cases it's about management rather than cure. As he's OK with other dogs, I think you might be well advised to join a dog training club and try your hands at something like obedience or hoopers. This would give him a much needed focus, build on your relationship and you are around other people who are teaching their dogs similar stuff.

I would recommend a pain trial. Any clinical animal behaviourist would say the same. The majority of dogs with behaviour issues have pain somewhere so that has to be ruled out first. But really a referral to a clinical behaviourist from your vet would be best, not a trainer.