Barky, jumpy dog - please tell me, can it get better?

[Pleasehelpmehelpmydog]

Hi all,

our dog is almost 2. We’ve had her from 10 weeks old, but she was behind on her jabs, so she couldn’t go for walks (on the ground) until all her jabs were done. We still took her out and about carrying her, so she could see the world, and she’s been to puppy and adolescent training, and has lots of enrichment activities and at least one off-lead, sniffy walk a day, usually a run with one of us or a play with DH’s family’s dogs as well.

She just doesn’t seem to be able to settle properly. In the house, she barks at the slightest noise, at car doors or voices outside. If she sees anyone out of the window, she goes crazy, so we’re getting film for half the window.

I’m doing lots of training with her - we’re back at school for Obedience Level 2, and she does so well there - focuses on me, doesn’t bark at the other dogs, settles on the floor happily, properly relaxed. The trainer doesn’t seem to realise how unsettled she can be at the slightest noise at home because she doesn’t show it at ‘school’.

I work from home and it’s so hard to focus on my work because we live in a terrace and I’m constantly trying to distract her or calm her. I really really don’t want to be that neighbour and I also feel so guilty towards our dog.

I’m working really hard on our training and she’s having a calming supplement each day too in her lickimat as part of her enrichment. Can anyone offer reassurance that this will get better in time, if I keep working at it with her? I feel constantly on edge and I’ve cried today because I just don’t know how we can live like this. TIA.

I do think relaxing in her home will help her relax generally so you're doing absolutely the right thing there. You're building a bond with her, gaining trust in each other and both learning skills which you can put in place whilst you're out and about, so it's all good.

The key thing is to keep going out too. The more experiences she's exposed to the more she will grow comfortable with them. I think many people who've been through the reactivity you have avoid experiences and then they build up into something to worry about for you and your dog, then the stress/react cycle starts again. Hope you and your pup are having a good day today.

Thank you @BunnyBettChetwynnd 🙂 we went to a pub today in the middle of a walk (a couple of miles there and same again back) and she did so well with her mat and treats for lounging/relaxing. She did have two separate bark incidents at other dogs passing through - she seems totally fine if they’re in the pub already and stay where they are, but if they enter or leave and move, that seems to be a big trigger.

In that case, is it just more focus training with her, so treat when she sees the dog (although it’s a split second reaction, and sometimes she sees them before we do), and then get her to focus while they pass and treat once they’re gone? At her classes, I’ve been practising this but she now knows those dogs in that environment I think, so it’s not quite the same as an unknown dog in a new place?

I want to keep working on this with her out and about but in a way that doesn’t stress her out too much. I might go to a cafe or pub on my own and work with her without having the added pressure of being in a group or with others, so we can use it solely as a training exercise.

Thank you again for your help and replies, we really do appreciate it.

In that case, is it just more focus training with her, so treat when she sees the dog (although it’s a split second reaction, and sometimes she sees them before we do), and then get her to focus while they pass and treat once they’re gone?

That's exactly what I'd do.

It's the spotting the other dog before she does that's difficult. The best dogs-woman I ever knew gave me a great tip for this. 'Don't look for other dogs, just watch your dog. She will always see another dog before you do and the moment you see her move a muscle you move in with your focus/distract/treat'

If you practice on your own with her then you can choose places where you can be a reasonable distance from other dogs. As she gets used to things from a distance you can get closer bit by bit.

Judging by what I witness from the dog-friendly pubs I go in, there are always a few barking moments so your dog is doing just fine.

Thank you @BunnyBettChetwynnd 🙂 I’ll
work on that basis, watching her rather than watching out for dogs. We didn’t have any people reactivity today, which we’ve had previously with people coming up to the table.

I’ll take her out to pubs and cafes on my own as well on my days off. I think possibly part of the reason she might find it overwhelming is she’s also with a big group of people and two other dogs so it’s a lot for her to take in. If we can get her more comfortable with just me and then me and DH in out-and-about locations then that would be brilliant. She’s been so much more relaxed at home already yesterday evening and today which must be making a real difference to her (and to me when I worry about annoying the neighbours).

I read something about us expecting a lot of our dogs now than perhaps we would have done in years gone by, and she’s already doing better than she has previously, so I’ll try to keep that in mind as we go. 🙂

Generally I think you are correct but I still think you are doing too much, wayyyy too soon. I agree you should be doing exposure but you have to pick it carefully in a pub for example you give her a lot of stimulus, limited opportunities to leave/move away and an element of surprise. Id personally be moving towards pubs in a few months after she has totally learned to ignore dogs at increasingly close quarters. That starts from a long distance tho.
On the treating- the timing has to be perfect- too late and you are treating for barking. You want to treat for no reaction. Id pull right back and do less then increase the threshold with new things.

@Gardendad I think you’re right. It was a planned family outing but I think she might’ve been better left at home and try an ‘occasion’ like that again after a few months of proper training and exposure.

We’ve done a sniffy/training/gun-dog games walk this morning, not very long distance-wise but lots of focus and find-it games. We have an old railway line near us which is like a wooded walking route now, and it’s perfect for her to practise her skills, especially when there’s nobody else around at 5.15am! She did loose-lead walking all the way there and back, lots of eye contact and checking in (including when she saw a neighbour when I was waiting to let her back into the house, which is a huge improvement!), and she waited really well while I hid her toy for her to find.

Getting her to ignore other dogs is going to be trickier as right towards the end of the walk, an off-lead dog rushed up to us and mine got distracted and just wanted to play, but all other signs were great and hopefully it’s given her brain a bit of a work-out. I want her to learn the difference between playing with dogs we’re ‘allowing’ and just charging up to or getting distracted by any and all of them. She’s out with her dog walker later this morning like usual on a Monday, so she’ll see her friends and have a lovely play with them. 🙂

All sounds good.
I will pop a few poins below - I'm not a trainer or behaviourist but have experience with this and currently work with a great trainer. I apologise for being pedantic. Ignore me if so.

You cannot go too slow with exposure but can can easily go too fast. So, there is no rush, the better you bed in each stage the better it is long term. So what if you ignore pubs for a few months.

On the other dog stuff. She cant learn 'which' dogs you want her to play with and which not. They are all dogs to her.

So, you adopt the rule that NO dog is of interest (people are obsessed with socialisation, dog parks, play dates - total waste of time) - no dog is interesting unless you say so. To do that you need to train two things:

1. 'Watch me' Which is unbreaking eye contact trained with a treat held above your eyes in one hand and dropped into dogs face once they stay focussed. You progress to longer focus, walking with focus. So when thats fully good she should watch you no matter what.
2. 'Close' - Close is walking on left side always and always behind your knee. So start with on lead and turn only away from dog as they follow, once you get that then start doing straight runs, corners, turning into dog etc. Mark any slipping forward with 'oh oh' and a quick tug and turn on lead so they catch up. Watch you tube videos of competitive heelwork to see this in action. When my dog is off lead I either call to 'come back' which means come here to me roughly as I walk or stand or I call for 'Close' - close means come back and return to my left leg and continue to walk there with me until released with 'free'.

In time both of these things will give you superb control. Other dogs do not matter because you cannot control them ( see example of off lead dog from earlier today)

I would never ever have my dog with a dog walker as you present too many oportunities for mistakes, bites, off lead antics etc. They don't need it and it can undermine in seconds what you are training for months - you build a deeper bond with your dog one to one. My dog sees only my other dogs or other competition dogs. What other dogs are doing out there is none of our business. Most dog walkers cannot see what the group of dogs are doing on a walk. There is far too much going on and low grade frustration can grow easily.
You are doing great but do think about above - esp dog walker.

Thank you @Gardendad, I’ll have a proper think about that.

DDog is having a proper, snory sleep next to me and has definitely been a lot more chilled overall yesterday and this morning so far. It’s like even the smallest bit of ‘settle’ training has just given her permission to switch off.

She’s also been more cuddly with DH and me, so I think the more intensive training is improving our bond too, which I suppose will be a good thing for ‘focus’ and everything that stems from that?

We’re seeing the trainer for a scheduled session later, so I’m looking forward to that as well.

Thank you all again for your advice and support 🙂

That all sounds great. Its amazing the change in dogs when we deepen the bond, provide boundaries and remove stressors. They become, in my experience more deeply trusting of us. In my training with an excellent trainier she is always working with us to get the dog to always 'choose' me over anything else.

The 'settle' is a command but one which really benefits 'busy' dogs. I have a GSD and he would gladly spend all day checking doors and windows- if not told to chill he would. I think you are doing great and whats even more great is that you are curious about problem solving. Super stuff. Keep us in the loop!
Remember you will have slip ups but try not to give your dog the opportunity to fail. Ask yourself ' Can they fail at this and how would they' if they can fail easily then modify. Choose distance seeing dogs over pub for now for example. You will do a great job.

Thank you for your kind words @Gardendad. The failure thing is really interesting - we’ve just done a little training walk down to the park and sat at the edge just watching the other dogs and she did so so well, she got the jist/gist of what she was supposed to do really quickly - sit and watch and look to me and get a treat. But on that failure point, I noticed a dog whose owner has let the dog bounce all over mine in the past, so we moved on and practised walking and focus on the rest of the loop and came back home. I just didn’t want the other dog/person to put back all that success that she’d had.

DDog did so very well, bar one initial bark and lunge at the first dog we saw before she seemed to work out exactly what to do, and my DH has got a huge long lunchtime text about all of her achievements 😄

The other thing that really helped me was that that first dog’s owner seemed completely understanding of what we were trying to do and smiled and said hello and moved on. It’s so so reassuring when people respond in that way, because other reactions and comments have really knocked my confidence. So that was really heart-warming and helped us both to carry on with the session. 🙂

Morning 🙂 just wanted to say to the PP who suggested a good morning walk first thing, we were out today from 6.30-8 which is longer than usual and included both a bit of on-lead training and off-lead sniffing with recall practice, and DDog has been fast asleep on her blanket since then, with only one interlude to bark at the postman knocking on the door. Even next door’s DIY and hammering noises aren’t disturbing her. After her walk, she had some breakfast from her snuffle mat, which she loves.

The journey to a calm, contented spaniel continues. 🙂

We went out slightly too late this morning and took a path that’s more popular than where we walked yesterday. DDog did ever so well quietly sniffing a labradoodle and then sitting down and chilling while I had a quick chat with the other owner, and she quietly watched two Westies trot past quite close.

Things didn’t go so well with the French bulldog who raced up to her and wouldn’t leave her alone. Its owner said ‘oh sorry, he’s a rescue and he gives other dogs a hard time!’ Then when I said I was working with DDog to help her ignore other dogs and feel comfortable chilling out in public, her response was ‘can you train mine too?’ 🤦‍♀️

Lesson learned to go out earlier tomorrow and take the quieter routes. DDog seems pretty unbothered though and has still flopped down next to me for her morning nap. She’s doing so well and has made such progress already. Thank you all for your advice, helping her to learn how to settle is the best thing we could have done for her, I think. 🙂

Hi everyone, just posting a little update, I hope that’s OK.

DDog is doing so well at settling at home. She still has a bark at the odd noise outside, like another dog barking or a loud door slam, but she’s much quicker to settle. ‘Quiet’ followed by ‘gooood quiet’ when she actually is quiet seems to be sinking in, which is great, and then she settles herself again.

We had a slip up yesterday - we were supporting DH’s family on an ultramarathon and waiting in a shelter on the beach for them to appear. DDog lay down next to me and we practised her settle and gave her treats for calmly watching things. But when two big collie-type dogs arrive, she couldn’t cope and did her usual bark and lunge, so I had to leave with her.

I’m trying to keep in mind all of the huge improvements she’s made. Afterwards she sat quietly under the garden table while we had tea outside, for example, which was great. And she did loose-lead walking all along the seafront earlier in the day, and had a lovely run on a dog-friendly bit of the beach, watching other dogs and practising her recall etc.

She is doing so so well and I’ve got to focus on that and think of this as a slip-up and not fixate on it. I think it’s probably partly because she was overstimulated and a bit over-tired, which is completely understandable.

Hi all,

Not such a good day today. We went for a two-hour walk with the aim of tiring DDog out so I can work this afternoon. She did really well, watching other dogs ahead of us calmly and looking to me for a treat. Then we had to pass four horses - the first two were ok and then the second two were too much and she lost the plot - a couple of barks, pulling, panting, generally whizzing around. We got things back under threshold eventually, and she did loose-lead walking on the way home.

Since we’ve got home, she’s just not settled properly. Every tiny noise outside, she’s barked at, she’s taken shoes, tried to take the remote control, etc. I gave her a chew and popped her in her crate to settle, but she just barked at me. She’s finally crawled under the sofa to sleep, but I’m not sure how long it’ll last.

Is she just really spooked? The horses were really close, we’ve passed horses before but not so many on such a narrow path in quick succession.

Poor girl, she seems to have had a tough morning, I thought a lovely long walk would tire her out. They do say progress isn’t linear, right?

When she’s like this, I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I can’t have the windows open because she barks at things, I sneak out of the back gate rather than use the front door to avoid the neighbours.

I want to try for a DC but sometimes I can’t see how I’d cope with the dog and a baby? Sorry, I really feel at a loss today. She’s made a lot of progress but the last couple of day’s it’s felt relentless. It’s also just me and her about 90% of the time as DH is at work and out in the evenings. I wanted a dog as a companion but it’s intense.

Sorry I have no advice but just wanted to say you're not alone. Everything you describe sounds the same as what we're going through (although mine will not nap outside the crate at all). We have good days and bad days - Monday was awful when she seemed to get spooked at lunchtime by a man in a big hat and then wouldn't settle for the rest of the afternoon.

@sinesperanza sorry to hear that. Is yours a WCS too? How old is yours? X

Try not to be to discouraged. It sounds like you managed it well as you got her walking well afterwards. Next time give her more space if possible. Loads of dogs will react to horses. Our first dog was super chilled but I still had to watch out for horses.

Thank you @Sarfar45. There was nowhere else to go, the path was very narrow and we tried to wait to one side as far as we could, but the rider wanted us to come past, which is when DDog got spooked (not going for the horses at all, but skittering around on her lead and a couple barks).

I think it just really filled her stress ‘bucket’ and I guess it might take a while for her to empty it again. I’m going to keep going with the settling and we’ve found some boundary training games as well to help her rest. I know she can do this and she learns quickly, poor love was just scared.

Also if she chooses a hideout I would encourage it.
Our first dog we crate trained but the rescue dog we have now chose his own safe space under my sons bed. I tried a crate but never had much success, but he will always take himself off there. We put a blanket and a pillow under there for him. Over the last year or so he's used it less.