Gog Magog Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 Hiya - wonder if anyone has had any ideas I can try with Cass. Brief summary (I have a tendency to ramble so will TRY to be brief!!) She's 11, spayed crossbreed bitch - terrier type. I've had her since a pup and we did lots of socialising etc with excellent results but between the ages of 6-9 months she was attacked by 3 different dogs on 3 seperate occasions which left us with problems with unknown dogs. She would "get them before they get me" and although never bit another dog would go into noisy threat displays which a) wouldn't be nice for other dog owners b) might wind the other dog up into attacking her! We spent years rehabilitating her and she is now ok with other dogs with limitations - she is fine walking next to another dog off lead but I can't stand and chat with another owner, you can see her stress levels rise pretty quickly. She also doesn't like bouncy dogs and will tell them off pretty sharpish (again, no teeth just noise). If we see another when out I say "buddy!" and she gets her tennis ball (which she loves more than me), if on the lead then we make sure we're on the opposite pavement and again say "buddy" and she gets a treat so she learns good association. The problem has come now we've taken on Mish (a utonagan). Mish loves other dogs and is great with everything so she's very happy to play. The problem is Cass seems to be getting v protective of mish and if another dog runs up to her then she launches herself at it. Its ok if I'm walking with my partner as he can look after mish and chat whilst I distract cass but its difficult if we're by ourselves. We've had 2 other dogs with cass over the years but they've been old and timid rescues that don't want to mix anyway so its not really come up. We've also had lots of foster dogs come through and cass welcomes all of them into the house with no problems (apart from the GSD, didn't realise how much she hated them!!). Its just outside as that's where the problems happened. She's always been protective of her friends and puts herself in the middle of any scraps but she seems to be especially so of mish (who is 4 times her size!). Mish doesn't turn a hair no matter what the other dog is doing but I hate to see Cass get stressed out and its not nice having her yell at other dogs. She can walk out with several dogs with no problems - its just if they try to play with Mish. She is extremely active btw - we are out for 2 hours a day split over 3 walks any ideas? hope that all makes sense, let me know if I need to clarify anything. and wasn't as brief as I hoped! ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K9Fran Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Have you tried using the tennis ball or any of your other ploys in these new situations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Can you put Cass on the lead and distract her with a tennis ball while Mish plays? I have the same problem (though not so bad I think) with Az and Mollydog - Molls loves other dogs and often wants to play with bouncy ones, but then Az gets all protective and 'GET OFF MAH BITCH!' I have to hold him when Molls is running with other dogs or he will run them down and scruff them, even if they are three times the size of him. Actually, particularly if they are three times the size.... He's a little monster. The other thing I have found is that I need to make it clear to Az that I am in charge and it's not his job to be policedog: if I get in there early and get him looking at me, and obeying a command such as 'close in' (which is our cheap sucky version of heel) that helps a lot. Az is quite a sensitive soul and I'm told has been abused in his early life, so to start with I think I was a bit soft about that: I've now realised that sensitivity and being a cheeky little monkey can go together sometimes! Sorry, dunno if that helps at all.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gog Magog Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Az gets all protective and 'GET OFF MAH BITCH!' I know its not funny when its happening but that's a brilliant description! Yup we've tried using treats/ball (the ball is her highest reward). If there's two of us then one will take cass some distance away until she's relaxed enough to concentrate then play or do some training. If I'm by myself then we'll high tail it in the opposite direction until we've got the distance or put her on a lead but still play. Problem is - sometimes it doesn't work. If the dog is noisy/bouncy she will ignore everything and go roaring across from quite some distance. Its not serious at the moment but I think its getting worse - I also don't want Mishka to get a complex about other dogs (we see one and have to run off in the opposite direction! Or she has her mate yelling her head off at it). If cass is by herself or if the other dog's attention is on her she can cope (if if its unwanted attention -barking etc) its just when the attention turns to Mishka. I think she can't tell the difference between playing and fighting so gets het up when the other dog plays with Mish but her reaction is over the top. She's done so well to overcome her fear of strange dogs (as said, once she gets to know them which only takes a short time, she's fine whatever they do) and has even ignored other dogs trying to attack her. We've got a bit stuck with this I think as its difficult to do a controlled situation. I've wondered about keeping her on lead for a while but worry this might make her feel worse as she is normally better off lead. Equally I can't let her yell and rush other people's dogs! Is Az a terrier type as well btw?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 No, Az's a skinny whippety lurcher thing that most of the time looks like butter would not melt. When he does his huge roaring lion impression and decides to scruff some giant lolloping hound it's particulary odd. I find I can usually spot if he's about to do it now, because he gets this very stern face and starts to strut like a grumpy old man laying down the law to The Youf of Today. I'd say, try her onlead and watch her carefully to see how she handles it. I thought Az would be bothered, but he seems to think of the lead as a bit of a security blanket. I do step in front of him to try to break his eyeline and stop other dogs rushing right up to his face too. Normally Az's fine with others though, and he sooooo isn't afraid of them, so it is a bit different for him to how you describe Cass - he's definitely prompted by Mollydog starting to boing, bow and flirt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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