What can I do to help my dog get over lingering anxiety after a cat attack?

[BluthsFrozenBananas]

A couple of weeks ago my ten month old dog was attacked by a cat in our garden. I didn’t see the start of it, but I think what happened was she disturbed a cat hiding out in some weeds under a bush, barked at the cat and the cat went for her. The dog wasn’t hurt as far as I could tell, but she screamed, which I’d never heard her do before, and ran back into the house screaming. It was so loud and unexpected DH came running downstairs from the shower with a towel wrapped around him.

She’s been a nervous wreck ever since. We’ve dug out the weeds under the bush and blocked up a hole in the fence. There’s now no hiding place for anything and there’s clear air between the bush and the ground, but every time the dog goes into the garden she stands in the middle of the lawn and barks continuously at the bush. She also barks at any strange or sudden noise, something she didn’t do before other than the door bell, and is generally jumpy and anxious.

She also now can’t cope with cats. Previously if she saw one she’d have a little woof at it, but wasn’t really bothered, now she goes absolutely bonkers if she sees one. This is a real worry as she’s meant to be staying with DHs brother while we go on holiday, and he has a cat.

Is there anything I can do to help her calm down, and at least tolerate cats again?

Hopefully Vallahalla will be along soon, but I suspect the answer will involve getting some professional help from APBC / CCAB accredited behaviourist.

Note that dog training and behaviour is a totally unregulated industry, so absolutely anyone can call themselves a trainer or behaviourist. My non-dog owning NDN decided that call centre work had got a bit monotonous, so now he's set himself up as a dog walker and trainer, despite zero experience or qualifications He's clueless, and it's only a matter of time before he adds behaviourist to his list of skills - and will likely irreparably damage some dogs in the process. To avoid these idiots, you need someone accredited by APBC or CCAB.

When's your holiday booked for? You may need to start making contingency plans.

Bumping this for you in the hope @Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten might see :)

Thanks. I'm considering cutting down the bush in the garden, even though I've spent the last few years taming into a pleasingly round shape. The poor dog is just so upset at the sight of it.
The holiday isn't until Christmas, so we have quite a bit of time to sort the problem out. DH has suggested a kind of aversion therapy, showing the dog pictures of BILs cat and getting something it's slept on to get used to the smell. I'm a bit this will work, but I suppose it can't hurt.

That's not technically aversion therapy . Aversion therapy would be something like finding a cat, waiting for the dog to react to it, and then giving the dog a swift kick, or perhaps a shock from an electric shock collar, for reacting to the cat. Needless to say, this is a Very Bad Idea. Not only is it cruel, it doesn't work, and will likely make the dog worse (because it associates seeing the cat with experiencing something unpleasant).

Positive reinforcement training is the way to go - by way of contrast, an example would be giving the dog something very nice and tasty for not reacting to the cat. I have had some very strange looks for suddenly and effusively praising my dog in the middle of the street and delivering a treat - because he hasn't reacted to his trigger - but all people see is me suddenly praising the dog for absolutely no reason whatsoever (note: there's a lot more to what I do with my dog than I've described here; however it would be irresponsible of me to start detailing it as your dog's issues may be fundamentally different and I don't want you to start a DIY version of it that might not go well).

Unfortunately, a lot of things people try to sort out their dog's behaviour when they really don't know what they're doing can do a lot of harm. The fundamentals of training are simple; behaviour is mind-bogglingly complicated a lot of the time. I certainly made mistakes in the early days and probably still do now. I have to say that taking advice from a qualified behaviourist really did help, though I wish I'd done it sooner before the behaviour became ingrained.

In this particular instance, the dog is unlikely to relate the picture of the cat to a real cat, and if he's reacting to the mere sight of a cat then the smell is a rather secondary issue. I fear I'm just telling you that your ideas are rubbish (really not what I'm aiming for here) but I really would encourage you to have a session with a CCAB / ABPC behaviourist sooner rather than later. Depending on your pet insurance, some will cover the cost (e.g. PetPlan does).