[tiatortilla]

hello all.
we've just moved to our new place, there's a huge field just at the end of the road so that's good!
however, following on from my thread about tia being chased by a husky, she is not keen on big dogs at all again. she was scared of big dogs when she was younger, but i'd just about managed to get her over it. today a lab just looked at her and she bolted. she tenses up whenever she sees another dog and tries to avoid it. feeling a bit useless, right now, as i know her fear is making me anxious.

 

[tiatortilla]

sorry ran out of space cos i'm using my phone..

other people with nervous dogs.. do you worry about them off lead? i don't want her to feel scared and restricted by being on lead but now i'm a bit worried she might run off to get away from another dog. i'm going to book some socialisation classes too as i don't know anybody here.
just needed to get all of this off my chest really.. it's frustrating when you've done everything right only to end up with a fearful dog cos of other people. sorry for moaning!

 

[Burrowzig]

Socialisation classes are a really good idea - training classes too, that may help you to feel less anxious. Your nervousness and hers will feed off each other and make things worse. You could also put up an ad in a local pet shop or vet asking if anyone would like to dog walk with you.

 

[912142]

See if you can find someone with a large dog that is laid back and walk with that dog on a regular basis on lead if necessary until your feels settled enough in it's company.

 

[tiatortilla]

i know i'm definitely making it worse by being scared for her, it's really hard to be just cautious enough so that she's not put in a situation she doesn't want to be in. thing is, she'll happily ignore all other dogs, she only really wants to play with dogs she knows or if they're little and approach her slowly but unfortunately i can't control what other people let their dogs do..

 

[Burrowzig]

i know i'm definitely making it worse by being scared for her, it's really hard to be just cautious enough so that she's not put in a situation she doesn't want to be in. thing is, she'll happily ignore all other dogs, she only really wants to play with dogs she knows or if they're little and approach her slowly but unfortunately i can't control what other people let their dogs do..

At training classes, what other people let their dogs do IS under control - not by you but by the people running the class.

 

[tiatortilla]

At training classes, what other people let their dogs do IS under control - not by you but by the people running the class.

yes, that's why i think it will help because there will be little to no risk of a dog charging at her, which is the only real problem, whereas in a public place it happens a lot. hoping the new area i've moved to will be a bit better though, where we were before people had a very lax attitude towards their dogs.

 

[moonviolet]

I have a bit of a nervous nellie, like your girl what she'd liek to do is pit some distance between herself and the approaching dog to size things up however as you have found this encourages some dogs to chase ( I've found this too)

Classes are great for building confidence in a controlled environment, but you need a few strategies for walking in the real world too. Here are a few things I have found useful.

As she's likely to run, I'd say putting her onlead is going to be essential for her safety, howeer you can make being onlead a good thing, by showing her you will be her advocate. You greet approaching dogs first by stepping in front of her.

If there is a quiet area in your fields hed up there and just crouch down beside her and just watch whats going , let her see the interactions between other dogs. Leslie McDevitt's " look at that" game is good to encouage looking without fixating. described here Raising K9: Leslie McDevitt's LOOK AT THAT! Game and in her book control unleashed ( Welcome to Dogwise.com)

Give her time and space, really support her

Taking the gentle approach really will pay dividends. My girl will now sit next to me and lift a front paw to indicate she'd like her lead put on when she feels unsure, as she trusts me to deal with things

ETA : I forgot to say praise any calming signals she's gives when another dog is approaching.

 

[tiatortilla]

thanks for your reply, moonviolet, it sounds as if we have very similar dogs!
seems like i'm doing some things right.. i have to let other dogs sniff my hand or something before she'll greet sometimes and i think she might prefer being on lead around very lively dogs as she'll walk right next to me until they're gone, so it sounds like she trusts me to look after her until she gets to a freak out point when it's too close. she didn't run too far earlier so idk if she'd run off but i don't want to risk it.

 

[moonviolet]

thanks for your reply, moonviolet, it sounds as if we have very similar dogs!
seems like i'm doing some things right.. i have to let other dogs sniff my hand or something before she'll greet sometimes and i think she might prefer being on lead around very lively dogs as she'll walk right next to me until they're gone, so it sounds like she trusts me to look after her until she gets to a freak out point when it's too close. she didn't run too far earlier so idk if she'd run off but i don't want to risk it.

Sounds like you are doing great with her
I'm sure you'll start to see improvement