Puppy has just really gone for ds :(

[JingleBellsJuliet]

We were out playing in the snow, ds had his hood up and was covered in snow, pup (8month old JRT) really took exception to this, seem absolutely terrified of ds and started barking and growling with his tail between his legs. I put him back on the lead and made a fuss of him, and we started to walk towards home. When ds got close, pup flew at ds, snarling and teeth gnashing. I have no doubt that if he wasn't on the lead, he would've made contact :(

We've had issues with him reacting to strange dogs in this way, but, on advice of a trainer, I've been slowly getting closer and closer to new dogs, whilst treating him constantly, and we seem to be making headway. Generally, he does the snarly snappy thing for a few minutes, then wants to play, but he's never shown any aggression towards a person before, let alone ds and it's really unnerved me.

He's a very, very fearful, timid dog. He's scared of traffic, bikes, horses, loud noises etc, and it know this aggression stemmed from fear, as I don't think he recognised ds and it scared him, but I'm terrified that the next time it will be a strange child and I don't even want to think about that.

I'm going to get a muzzle tomorrow and try and get him used to that, and will book an appointment with the vets to see if I can get a referral to a behaviourist, but is there anything else I can do in the meantime? I'm not worried about him going for ds in the house as he loves him to bits and I really think he just didn't know it was him, but I don't want that situation to ever occur again. I'm really shocked and sad at the minute :(

I think call him outside with a treat and a bit if casual reassurance when he's in the garden with snow and when he's calm try and give him a treat or toy (whichever he prefers) outside. Take it slowly - just a minute or two - and frequent throughout the day. If he gains confidence perhaps try some basic obedience, sit, stay etc or whatever he already knows, outside so he can learn to understand that he can do normal things in the weird whiteness. It will gradually register that the weird crunchy cold stuff doesn't do anything and going outside is associated with yummyness and that should override his fear.

Blimey, just tried to read the thread and can't believe what a bunfight it turned into.

OP you sound extremely sensible and appear to have a good handle on your dog's personality and tendencies. Your approach of a vet check, plus referral to APBC behaviourist is absolutely the right thing to do and there really is very little for anyone else to say, given the behaviourist, who will actually meet your dog and witness his behaviour will be the only person qualified to actually advise you on how to tackle the behavioural modification required.

Fwiw, I'm with CCCC, mutty and needastrongone wrt their, scientifically based knowledge of canine behaviour, socialisation, training and modification, but from what I'm read, so are you.

Good luck.

Just as I thought we were starting to get used to the snow, some idiot person has started to let fireworks off, and pup is now jammed in the corner of the sofa with his nose pressed against it, shaking like a leaf and growling at every noise :( Life is so stressful for this little guy; I've never had a dog like him.

Def check in with a behaviourist. And speak to your vet about zylkene or alprazolam. Poor little fella

Loose balls of cotton wool in his ears and play radios in a couple of different rooms to disguise the noise. And yes to alprazolam.

You will get there OP. Christmas is really, really tough for the most laid back of dogs. The poor thing has had a really tricky few days.

We are getting another dog in the spring. We lost our old boy three weeks ago. I think the pack theory was still being used when I started training him eleven years ago. I am now really worried about training a new dog. I thought I'd be fine seeing as how my old boy turned out to be such a fantastic dog but now I'm not so sure. There's so much conflicting advice from so many people. Someone upthread said something about each dog being different and going with your gut. I think I'll have to stick to that.

Hope you sort it out op.

Yes I'm going to ring the vets tomorrow and hopefully I can get an appointment fairly quickly and set the ball rolling. He's just so stressy about everything, and, after the event the other day, I'm very wary of ds around him when I can see he's unhappy with something, as I know he's in a heightened awareness state and I don't want to let him have the opportunity to snap again. He's still in the same position next to me on the sofa, but he's fallen asleep with his nose still jammed up the arm!!

MsAdorabelle I'm pleased that you're getting another dog in a while :) how exciting!

The pack theory stuff has been old for a long time but it is refusing to fade unfortunately. I can see how confusing dog behaviour can seem when there's a lot of disagreement between dog owners about why a dog behaves a certain way. I think the best thing any owner can do is find out about how dogs learn for themselves, to equip them to make their own minds up. I really rate Karen Pryor's book "Don't Shoot the Dog" for a clear overview of what makes dogs tick.

I also point a lot of people to the APBC's great resources, which are so handy especially for puppy owners: www.apbc.org.uk/info/APBC_Behaviour_Advice_Information_Sheets

Sorry I guess I'm not helping by throwing more unsolicited advice your way but I really believe the best way to clear up confusion is to direct people straight to the facts shop they can then come to their own conclusions (ie don't take my word for it! )

Good luck Juliet :)

Shop = so

Hi cccc, I remember you from the other threads.

Sorry to hijack but thanks for the recommendations. I was going to ask about some reading material. I will order them and get prepared.

Now all dh and I have to do is agree on what breed.

Roonerspism If you spoke to your vet you would find it is highly likely your dog would be boostered three yearly anyway. Leptospirosis however needs a yearly booster in order to keep the immunity up. It is a nasty disease, easily picked up (rats/mice urine in puddles/streams etc as one example) and can also be transmitted to humans. As you refute the common knowledge that carrying a pup before its vaccinations is a sensible thing to do on medical grounds, perhaps leptospirosis is something you should have a read about.

OP you sound very sensible. I hope it all works out with your pup :)