Behavioural First-Aid Help - fear/anxiety issues

Please does anyone have any advice/help. I can't give exact details of the original situation as I don't want to identify the previous owner of this dog.

I am looking after a dog saved from euthanasia due to 'aggression' problems however vet did not feel the reported 'aggression' warranted euthanasia and is looking to rehome the dog. (It was one occasion, seemed to involve possessiveness and dog is having a phantom pregnancy). As all rescue waiting lists are acres long, and I am thinking of getting a dog anyway, I am currently looking after her. I don't have any dog of my own at the moment ('harry' is family dog doesn't live with me).

She has become attached to me very quickly. Have had some lovely walks, off-lead, good recall. Has learnt not to bother my pet rabbits in the garden. Spends time happily with me playing or snoozing at my feet. All well and good, until my boyfriend came home. Immediately, after knowing me less than a day, she started guarding me and growling and snapping at him to get away from me, not wanting to let him through doors etc. She even nipped him. She also will not be left alone, she yaps and yaps, and last night dug up a bit of carpet. We ended up both sleeping downstairs on the sofabed with her on the floor next to it to avoid having her in the bedroom. She slept like this no problem, but did growl at my boyfriend when she noticed him cuddling me.

If she stays she'll be at work with me 4 days a week, can spend some time at my feet/under a desk/in a colleagues office but will also probably for an hour or so each day sleep in the dog crate when people can't be directly wih her. When we've done this she yaps and yaps (although is getting a little better with me putting her in, going out the room, coming back a minute later, getting her out, then a few mins later back in, out the room, etc etc).

Any help or advice please is welcome. In particular how to help my boyfriend be less intimidating to her and how to help her relax on her own. I've really fallen in love with her - she's asleep nice as pie at my feet as I type. I'd love to be able to give her the steady home she needs and avoid sending her to rescue.

I only have internet during lunch break so will check this thread back tomorrow.

Just bumping this to see if anyone can offer any advice at all. I am trying to find a proper behaviourist to do a home visit with us to help my boyfriend, but obviously that isn't going to happen immediately so any advice to help us in the next few days would be more than welcome.

Hiya.

Aggression is always a difficult one for people to comment on because there is a real worry that suggestions could make things worse and of course without seeing her, there may be important signs/information missing.

For her seperation anxiety, you are doing the right thing, getting her used to you leaving for very short periods. The only thing I would query (and I've never really used a crate, so not entirely sure), is whether it is right to only put her in the cage when you leave and get her out as soon as you come back. To me that is going to teach her that the crate = you leaving and I'm not sure if that is a good idea as the idea of a crate is that the dog sees it as a 'happy', safe place.

I therefore wonder whether you shouldn't get her to spend some time in the crate when you are still in the room too, probably with a kong or a favourite toy so that she associates the crate with good things rather than only being left alone.

As for the issue with your boyfriend, I am more hesitant about making any suggestions. We adopted a very nervous bitch a few months ago who was better with woman than men and although she never growled/snapped at my OH, she would always prefer to be with me and initially, when he wanted to take them for walks, I had to go to the door with him, put her on the lead and then step back inside and shut the door. But shortly after we got her, I had a spell of being away from home effectively 2 nights a week (back home really late the 2nd night) and this actually did wonders for Stumpy's relationship with OH - she is now as attached to him as she is to me.

So from my own experience, I would be tempted to say he should spend more quality time with her without you, feeding her, playing with her, training her. But of course depending on the aggressiveness of her fear of him, that may not be a good idea.

Sorry that I can't give any suggestions of real use.

I would agree that your boyfriend should get to know the bitch more feeding her etc. When she triesto guard you & goes for him its you who should express displeasure not him. You need to show her that you don't want that behaviour. Put her out the room for just a minute, ignoring her as you do so, if you do this every time she will get the idea. Its no good him telling her off. Its you she wants to please. Hope you find help soon.

Personally i would go to www.apdt.co.uk or www.apbc.org.uk and get a qualified trainer or behaviourist to come to you home and do a full assessment on the dog.

Like other have said, aggression, as with a lot of other behavioural issues, is a very difficult thing to diagnose and treat when you haven't actually met the dog.

Good luck.

Well done you for taking her in
Things are v new and scary for her at the moment so I would take it v slow
Deff get help from the links above

Personaly I wouldnt tell her off for a wee growl, nipping yes, I would say you should calmly give her time out in another room

Go slow and give her time to get used to your man - you never really know her experiences of men before
I would have him totaly ignore her but drop yummy treats at his side so she can come to him
When she is calm you get closer to your man and praise her for not reacting (so you might not be able to move v close)
Both of you together feed her
give her fuss when both of you are together
so she sees that great things happen when both of you are there

Glad she is saved - sounds like a lovely dog who just needs a bit of work
Get a nice kind trainer who will take it softly softly with her

I would just be wary of reading human feelings into what a dog is exhibiting, personally. That doesn`t mean don`t show love, it means that allowing her to control who comes close to you, for whatever reason, is reinforcing her need to do it. Does that make sense? It would be better for her to feel that you will protect her - not the other way round. Until you can get a behaviourist, why not provide her with a place she feels safe and train her to go to it (with rewards) If you gradually build it up at least it gives her a positive association with being away from you. I wouldn`t push her at all - progress at her pace. However - every time she chases people away from you, or is brought into a room because she shouts is strengthening her controlling behaviour. I would begin to do basic obedience with her (if you don`t already do so) as this will also make her feel you are a person `in charge` so she doesn`t have to be. Sorry this is a bit long.

Thanks for the replies! Some much appreciated advice thanks.

We've had a very good weekend. He's walked her without me, she spent saturday night in with him alone whilst I went out, and about an hour on Sunday too when I went to the garden centre. She's fine if she returns to the house without me, just gets on with it, but if I leave the house and leave her alone with him she spends about 20 minutes whining and looking for me before she settles. He mostly ignores her until she is quiet and then praises. She has started looking for praise and attention from him whilst I'm there now too. We've had no more aggression. Generally we're just taking things slowly and letting her settle, but also providing boundaries.

At work she is being a bit tricky - whining and yapping if there is noone in the room with her, so she's spending most of her time in someone's office. Slowly slowly I guess.

Have discussed everything with an APBC behaviourist who has said no point doing full assessment etc until the false pregnancy is under control, she is on medication and has stopped lactating now. Behaviourist said to give it a few weeks and call her back. She is also booked on a GCGS Bronze training class starting next month with an APDT trainer with whom I talked a little on the phone also.

My main problem now is how to motivate her - all she wants is attention and a cuddle. She's not really into food, although is eating better each day, definitely not interested in most treats. She doesn't seem to understand toys and playing, so can't motivate her with a favourite toy. So I'm struggling at the moment to think of a way to train her.

So pleased that you are making progress

lack of interest in treats & just wanting a cuddle could be part of the phantom pregnancy - I've never had a bitch with either a false or real pregnancy, but I've certainly experienced 'lack of enthusiasm' and going off food during a season.

What sort of treats do you try? Some of the more popular ones which get most dogs interested are
Cooked/dried liver
sardines
hot dogs
cheese

I find these work much better than any of the shop bought treats (though never tried the shop bought dried liver ,which is supposed to be good).

Otherwise, cuddles/attention will have to be her reward and you may have to be a bit more sparing with them so that she is willing and enthusiastic to 'work' for them .

I do hope you continue to update us with how you are getting on

I've only really tried various shop-bought treats, fresh chicken and did tried some bits of cooked pasta. Will have to bite the bullet and try some frankfurters - I just think they're horrible!! (I know shop-bought biscuits are full of the same rubbish). I do have some liver in the freezer - I could try making that into dried liver 'treats'. I'll try cheese as well, thanks.

I am hoping it's all part of the pseudopregnancy/settling in etc. Last night and this morning she ate a lot better that she has done so far - last night actually finished the bowl in one sitting. She's lost 0.5kg in a week (and was only 7kg to start with) but hopefully with eating better will get it back on. She's not too skinny at the moment but is definitely lean.

Anyone got any tips on how to teach a dog fetch?? She's not interested in the ball or frisbee, however she gets quite active on walks and can really run when she wants (to chase birds in the park!) if I could get her playing with the ball or frisbee then I could run more energy off her at lunchtimes and in the morning to help her settle more at work. She gets 30 mins in the park before work, 30-45mins at lunchtime either on-lead to town and then a little off-lead in a small park or playing field, or if my friend & her dog have lunch at the same time we're all getting in the car and taking them for a better 45min off-lead walk, and then in the evening another 30-60mins depending on weather.