# Gaining confidence in a "nervy" dog



## Kayla Young (Nov 23, 2007)

I was just curious how many people here have worked with reactive, overly nervous dogs and in what ways you helped them improve on this?

Duke began exhibiting reactive behaviours towards other dogs at a very young age. The first time I remember becoming concerned was at a dog park when Duke was prehaps 20-25lbs and maybe just 3 and a half 4 months old when another dog tried to approach his best dog play mate which a close friend of mine owns he charged it, hackles raised barking manically. It's shown itself in many other ways but essentially I'm pretty sure its apart of his personality simply because of how young the over protectivness started when as far as I have read protectivness doesn't really manifest itself until a dog is much older.

On the more severe end of his reactions Duke has lunged at a small boy who was walking by when we were sitting, has gone manic lunging and trying to attack other dogs walking by when he's on leash and once became fixated on a pylon at night which we were walking past and he refused to turn his back to it while doing threat displays etc. It seems to have flare ups as some days he is reliable and will not react to things on other days he will.

I have had my OB trainer come over to do a private consultation but during the session Duke wouldn't react to anything. I also bought, "Fiesty Fido, help for the leash aggressive dog" by Patricia B.McConnell, Ph.D and Karen B. London, Ph.D which talks about drastic success with leash reactive dogs by teaching a firm watch and other control methods to override whatever the dog is reacting to.

So far I've started teaching a stronger watch and have enrolled Duke in Level III OB but besides that I'm really not sure to help out with the rest of his nervous behaviour, despite non stop socilization.

He barks non stop when people come into the house and will not stop, while backing away fearfully, unless he already has meet them at least twice outside of the house. Despite being crate trained as a puppy he recently became afraid of his crate after taking it away for a few months and despite handling his paws non stop as a puppy he can only be safely clipped with a muzzle and three people. Lastly though as a puppy we constantly took the bus everywhere I can no longer ride it unless it is less then 10 mins and there are not many people on or he becomes very aggrivated/ nervous.

Though the leash reactivity is getting better with his halter and work on desensitising to people walking by I'm not sure how to in general just boost his overall demenor in situations. Obviously much of this is controlled by genetics how much can be conditioned through various methods?

Lastly, and I know this one is my fault, but I've never really gone through alot of efforts after the puppy nipping phase to not mouth, usually because he's always been very gentle the occasional time he would, now he thinks its completely acceptable and when excited will start jumping and mouthing my arms, and while still not hard, I want it to stop as on several occasions when he has become over stimulated during sled training his grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise it badly but not break the skin. So far I just turn my back and ignore the banter when it occurs and just get him to sit before giving attention so any other pointers for this would be appriciated.

Any thoughts?
Thanks 
Kayla


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I have one of these dogs, Toby, who is not quite as reactive as your dog but is fearful and reactive, nonetheless. Fortunately his reactivity is most with strange dogs, and next if he is "surprised" by strange men and he is very good around people in our house........all my dogs are. His training as a search dog was short lived  -- He gets spooked by the strangest things and I often have to make him face them head on. ..... For awhile he was scared of going outside. There is somehting new in the yard, oh my god, etc. If it is new, he is scared on it. The dog is 11 and still has a panic attack when I turn on the vacuum efforts at trying to desensitize him to it by feeding him hot dogs near it.

The desensitization worked to a point but did not solve the issue**, but I have to put him on a "heel" to get past a lot of obstacles and physically correct him for deviating from his obedience. I have a number of fence chargers in the neighborhood and I love them as they make great training opportunity and good confidence builders because the "bad guys" don't get him (we heel past them and sit at the other side of the fence - and he gits a big jackpot and lots and lots of rewards for sitting. His sitting usually calms down those dogs (calming language and I must admit to throwing the small tidbits when they are quiet). I think moving in the heel really helps because it takes a good bit of coordination and focus on his part.

I do think that growing older has helped some. Maybe, though, we have just gotten used to him and learned his ways.

There is a new book "Click to Calm". I think I have it somewhere but never really got into it as Toby is 11 and really does not get out much....I am so busy with the other two.

A really good thing to get is Turid Rugaas video "Calming Signals" they really do work, even when given by humans, to some extent on an anxious dog. It is neat to have another dog, Grim, who is very skilled in dog language as he can defuse some very snarky dogs ....... neat to watch. He does it with calming signals but he is not submissive to them....if they try to take something from him - one bark and thrust with his head and shoulders - that is all he does - and they back off. If they try to put paw on shoulder, or head over shoulder he will counter (that is where I stop it before it goes any further) - But if they snap in his face or charge and act yappy, he just walks off. Does not react hardly at all. I think he realizes by their body language they are not a real threat. Obviously I don't encourage these things to happen so this is a summary of the here and there experiences we have run into.

**I do NOT believe the issue will be solved. I think it is genetic and part of the core temperament of the dog.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Kayla, What specifically have you tried so far and how did you react during all of these episodes?


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## Kayla Young (Nov 23, 2007)

Well my OB trainer recomended switching him to head halter initially during these eposide for more control especially over what he could and could not look at. This combined with building up a stronger watch me for when passing dogs/ people walked by.

This has helped alot as now, even though episodes occur he's much easier to manage as he's more relaxed in public. 

My main concern was whether or not over time with more desensitizing work if he will ever grow out of his excessive fear of being handled and of most unfirimilar people, especially in our home enviroment.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Short version - personal experience = 1 nervy dog. 

I think desensitizing will go a long way but will not 100% fix the dog.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I've never used a head halter, so I can't speak to that issue. The reason I was asking how you handle the situation as it occurs was because there are some who when their dog initially spook, make a pretty big deal of it, one thing leads to another, pretty soon the dog is reacting either because it sees any reaction from the handler as positive or just because of what travels down the lead.


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