Traumatised dog

[Mamadoes]

My lovely gentle cavapoo was unexpectedly and completely out of the blue attacked by a large chocolate Labrador yesterday. I immediately took her to the vet and other than punctures on the inside of her back legs they said she's fine. She's on pain medication and antibiotics and a collar of shame.

I know it's only 24 hours but she seems so sad and traumatised. She's definitely still in pain and doesn't want to move/walk. I'm just wondering if any of you have any tips or advice on how to make her feel better. She timid anyway and this is going to really knock her confidence. I don't know why but she sometimes attracts these random attacks by other dogs as this is the third time it's happened (all totally unprovoked) but this is definitely the worse yet...

Thank you for any advice in advance x

I'm so sorry this happened to your dear little dog.

It's very distressing to see how withdrawn and unconfident a dog seems when s/he is in pain. But it might be helpful to remember how heavily they are programmed to withdraw and cringe when unwell. If my terrier so much as stubs a toe he will retreat and hide in a corner and adopt a very subdued/appeasing demeanour.

Something to do with fearing the social reaction of other dogs when one of them is perceived as vulnerable?

I think the best thing to do with your dog in these sorts of situations is to give the strongest impression you can of completely ignoring them. Don't make eye contact, go about your normal business and don't approach and fuss them unlesss you need to. Even talking to them in what we might think of as loving tones can be a bit overwhelming.

And then, in the fullness of time as the pain wears away it will be important to build positive social experience. Perhaps go back to whatever basic traning classes you have tried in the past and explain to the trainer that your dog need chilled experiences of just passing by other dogs and being in their presence?

Hope she feels better and bouncy soon, xx

I am sorry to hear of your experience, OP. I know how awful it is.
I just wouldn't rush her back to walks. If ever.
You say she's timid and perhaps not a high energy dog (?) so she might be best having enrichment activities and training in the garden if you have one, then build up to secure field walks if possible, then maybe street walks around the perimeter of a park that has railings. Lots of sniffing opportunities there and she will be able to see other dogs without them being able to reach her and just see how she goes.
It's a awful thing to happen to both of you and I genuinely think the way thing are now that traditional walks is not always the best option for a significant number of dogs.

Thank you both for your advice - I didn't know that about removing themselves when in pain so I will try to stop smothering her with attention! And yes I think stay home and small, safe walks is a good plan x

I am sorry this has happened. Poor girl. 😢
Please don't ignore your dog. She is injured, in pain and probably traumatised. She needs comfort and reassurance. Which isn't to say smother her, but there is a happy medium.

Oh dear, poor thing. That must have been so upsetting for both of you and I hope she heals well.
Is she black? My SIL's Cavapoo is
Quite a few dogs react to black dogs for some reason

Longer term, if her confidence is knocked, perhaps look for some calmer dogs that she can get back to socialising with, and perhaps even share walks. My service dog is a calming influence and is often sought out a a "friend" by dogs who won't even approach another dog. I have no idea how they know he's gentle (although woe-betide any dog that picks on one of his friends - he's protective of his friends). But this is a temperament that some dogs have, and if you can find one or two like this, it will give her a chance to grow her confidence back.

When my dog was attacked I very much went at his pace. He didn't need vet treatment but was very shaken and didn't want to go out for the first couple of days. To start with we did very short quiet walks that he knows well with lots of yummy treats so that he associated outside with good things again (he's very food motivated). If we saw a dog I didn't let any come near him. I then built it up and took him on fun quiet walks, again with tonnes of treats. I also started letting him say hello to a well-behaved dog if he showed interest (and the other dog did) and calmly praised him for that. If he had calm dog friends (he doesn't!) I would have him taken him out with them at this stage because he'd decompressed and got used to being out again.

I don't know if I did things right or not. My dog isn't timid and loves walks so I wanted to get him back out there and get his confidence up. But your dog has injuries so you need to build in healing time, it'll take longer. And because she was already timid before.

It's so scary when your dog is attacked. I hope she heals well and you both get your confidence back.

For emotional trauma, Bach flower ‘revival remedy’ will help a little. A few drops in every meal and in her water. You can’t overdose on it and even if it doesn’t help, it definitely can’t hurt
The big thing is your reactions though. You need to role model complete normality to help her cope. You over fussing and acting different to normal will simply freak her out at a time where she needs you to be a calm,reliable source of everyday normality

God, there's some terrible advice on this thread! Comfort your dog if she wants it. Leave her on her own if she takes herself off. But for God's sake don't ignore her if she's clingy and clearly wanting your company and comfort.

Here's the advice from the DTAS page. It starts by saying take a few days at home.

"Then you can stand at the door, or at the gate, or in the street, etc, with a relaxed lead and a few treats and see how your dog is. The majority of dogs will shake off such an incident and you’ll find you can carry on as normal, but for others just one attack can have a much longer-lasting effect. There is no one-size-fits-all, and you will need to judge what’s right for your pooch. Perhaps walk with a friend who has a dog you know and that your dog likes. If yours is only a pup and small, you could carry them outside at first and watch their reaction. Don’t be in a rush to get back out there and show there’s nothing to worry about. Take it steady and let them see for themselves that they don’t need to worry."

There's a whole load of advice on fears as well if she's still very worried.

I do hope she's okay, poor little bug, and poor you.

@Bupster
The advice is NOT all terrible and SOME has truth.
It IS important to try and get a dog out and about as soon as possible after a traumatic event.
And no im not saying throw her out in the wild they day after but, her confidence will need building back up and sooner the better or she WILL get worse and the more nervous the OP is on walks so will the DOG.

Fear is an involuntary response. For the OP, as well as the dog. The first piece of advice for all frightened dogs is stop frightening them. Go at the dog's pace; and that should help the OP manage their anxiety as well.

Thank you all for the support and advice. She's starting to come out of her shell (if not her cone of shame!) and being a bit more her but she's definitely not as confident. And of course we took her round the block and a big dog growled at her. I think we're all going to be a little over aware of every reaction and interaction for a while.

My poor dog was attacked by the same dog in our village 3 times. 1st time was just noise, 2nd time drew blood, 3rd time it went for the kill. Initially the vet thought he was fine and just gave pain meds but days later a huge blood clot appeared on his chest and he ended up on antibiotics, steroids and more painkillers. He was so reactive intially that I ended up walking well off the beaten path away from other dogs. Keep an eye that further injuries don't appear, and go really gently when you do start considering more walks.

Do report the dog if you're able. I ended up having a serious battle as we don't have a dogwarden covering the area but I wouldn't let it drop with the Police and eventually they did press charges against the owner and they now have to walk it muzzled and on lead. (They don't always but I'm more than ready to report them if I catch them).

Bless her. She's going to be feeling more fragile, she's hurt - that'll make her feel more vulnerable, and she's had a bad experience. I'm glad she's beginning to pick up a bit though.