rescue dogs with issues do they ever fully get over them,

[Mrsjayy]

Just that really jay dog came with loads of issues and behaviour problems not the dogs fault he wasnt socialised and first owner's found a puppy difficult we got him at 7 months he is 2 now, with the help of here the rescue and lots and lots of patience he is better, but he has a fear problem he seems go be a flighty dog he is ok one minute and running and cowering the next,

He was at the vet in NOVEMBER he seemed to be having panic attacks of panting and drooling and shaking, vet checked him over he was physically healthy vet prescribec calmex for 2 weeks it seemed to help him now he is doing it again not so bad do dogs have these issues for life I dont know if I should be reassuring or wait till it passes I am doing a mix of both not a clue what started it this time I think it might be flies with the nice weather windows are open, I just want him to be relaxed and happy and not so on edge all the time, he is at the vet next week for booster s so will mention it then, oh that turned into a novel sorry

It is possible to help him. Ask your vet for a referral to an APBC behaviourist.

I used to be In touch with dog trust behavourist wll email her again she was very supportive i just thought he was better iyswim

Mrsjay, you are right to get continued support. Dogs who miss out on socialisation may never be "cured" in that they will still struggle with new things, but you will get better and better at helping him cope. You could consider an Adaptil collar in the meantime - they work well to alleviate anxiety in many dogs.

He had one of those collars he had it on for months after we got him didnt really help him , thanks for replying its such a shame he is a lovely dog and he has come so far , I read up on the socialisation thing it is so important , will email the behaviourist

I know you want to solve the problem ,not medicate but my mum had an anxious dog and he did very well on fairly regular diazepam . He was very chilled on it .

I have given him calmex every so often since vet prescribed it for the 2 weeks will see what the vet says, he is quite chilled at the moment he has found a warm spot

I was just thinking the same OP, do they ever get over their issues? CQdog2 is a rescue and has a horrendous hunting streak, to the extent that I rarely let her off lead now. Recall is brilliant 99% of the time but if she sees something small and furry she's off. And she hunts to kill, not just for the thrill of the chase .

I've just had my arms nearly pulled out of their sockets as we came nearly face to face with a fox, who promptly turned and scarpered. Lord knows how far she would have chased that, or what would have happened if she'd caught it.

Some things are always there, just below the surface, and it's hard to stay one step ahead to spot the triggers.

Sorry, that has not helped you at all, but wanted to share my sympathy with you.

We do a very noble thing by rescuing these dogs, but my god the stress they cause at times.

You can get thunder coats
I've heard good things about them

We cant let him off the lead wr dont have anywhere secure enough near us he is so flighy we were at a wood near us last year and he was fine ambling along then took off no warning , the time before that dh had him playing with his ball then all of a sudden he jumpec a wall and was nearly run over, I agree some things csnt be fixed just managed

Meant to add, not a cure all but if going through a stressy phase due to kamakaze flies for whatever reason they can reassure a nervy dog, like a hug I suppose?

Zylkene is another thing worth experimenting with :)

I don't think recall and chase instincts are anything to do with being a rescue its breeding or a training issue . My terrier was a Battersea rescue at 15/16 weeks . He goes offlead but only in certain areas where I know he is safe ,he has a good recall but I never let him off in woods or near livestock or anywhere where I can't see way into the distance. I also never let him get more than about 100m away from me .I doubt if I'd had him from 8 weeks that anything would be different ,he is a natural hunter .

My rescue dog got better but the behaviour never disappeared, but I've got better at managing it.

I use a thunder coat with great success, but they don't work for every dog!

Well mine is now 5yo, she was 9mo when I got her.
I can't say I'm still hopeful!

Luckily she is the loveliest, gentlest dog but she's so bloody over excitable it's unreal. She jumps almost 6' in the air instead of greeting people normally. (She's a lab/whippet cross)

Not once in 4 1/2 years has she had any attention whatsoever for jumping. Every time she does it I turn my back on her. She is not a fast learner.

Her recall is great but I can't let her off the lead unless I know we are definitely on our own as she would attempt to launch herself at every dog/cat/person/bird/squirrel she sees.

She's also an eater. Not a chewer, an eater. I cannot count the amount of random things I have had to pull out of her arse. [boakety boak]
I was hoping the crate training would be temporary but for her own safety I've had to accept that it will probably need to be permanent.

I do love her very much though!

Well, that was positive wasn't it, glad I could help.

We've had mine for a year now and while he's better he's still quite bad.

Aggressive with dogs he doesn't know due to fear. Aggresive to dh. We use zylkene and he is better on that. Dh can tell if I forget for a couple of days.

Mine is almost over 99% of his issues, although it's took us a good 3 years to get to that point and for some of the time we felt we were taking one step forwards and three steps backwards, for every issue we fixed or managed he'd throw three new ones at us.

He's lovely now, he had fear aggression, food aggression, guarding issues and dog aggression and 0 basic training.

His fear aggression has all but disappeared. He still needs to kill the hoover. It needs to be hidden away in the cupboard or he will spend literally all day growling and snarling at it, but he's fine with people and 99% of other dogs (he still hates puppies)

His food aggression is much better but treats are dished out in a careful and controlled way if they are high value (chicken wings, for example) He now has off, leave it and give commands and will give up everything but chicken wings without a fight.

It takes time and hard work and patience, but you can get there.

Randell she sounds like she has character

Randall obviously, I would just like one of those dogs that amble along side you with out legging it down the street if thecwind blows the wrong way ,

He likes some dogs but not others he loves spaniels he likes to lick them

My mum got a rescue dog. He hadn't been trained at all so would shoot off after rabbits and not come back - she had to go home without him many times but she worked on his recall with a really long lead and it improved amazingly.

The things he had a problem with though (and still does does after nearly 13 years) is if someone moved suddenly as if to hit him he cowers away or reacts aggressively. He's bitten me twice, my brother once and my dad once purely out of fear. We slowly got used to his triggers and he hasn't bitten anyone for years now so I do think they improve but I don't think they really get over what ever happened to them.

We think he was beaten at his first house which i guess is a hard thing to ever really get over no matter that it never happened again once he came to live with my mum.

i should stress that we never hit him! If we moved quickly to pick something up near him or went to play with him in an unexpected way he would freak out.

Our dog is scared of newspapers or magazine s or if we move quickly he cowers we have never hit him , he doesnt bother if I push him of me iyswim its sudden movemrnt

I'd love of those too.
I wouldn't trade her though, well, not every day