My poor lab/chow + mix is the best doggy EVER! I trained her without any hard hitting and with a lot of rewards. I got her when she was only 8wks and she's very obediant and gentle. The ONLY thing she has trouble with is licking when someone arrives.. a little overwhelming.
The last 4 months she has changed a lot though. When men show up at the house, like the pest control guy or anyone with a hat or holding something, she shakes. She runs and hides somewhere. She also used to play fetch with everything and now if I get her bone away from her and try to throw it she jumps like I am going to hit her with it.
My theories are that a meter reader came in back one day and was scared of her and maybe mased her, or maybe my neighbors hit her for getting into her yard (they have a guard dog) I dont know what else it could be. The vet said maybe seisures but she hasnt had any other signs. What should I do to find out if someones hitting her? How can I break her from the fear?
2006-06-28 02:29:14 · 7 answers · asked by Mommyof3 BGB 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
unfortunately it's hard break the dog's fear.
once they have it, it's real hard to fix.
maybe get a friend to get some type of uniform n come to your house.
maybe - i stress maybe - once your friend has been around the dog enough, it'll calm down.
i say that you're probably right on with your comment about someone hitting your dog/
2006-06-28 02:35:06 · answer #1 · answered by Big Dog Mercer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have been working with abandoned and abused animals for some 30 plus years. Sounds to me like someone definately hit your dog. You should ask around yur neighborhood to see if anyone saw anything suspicious. You may never find out exactly who hit her. As far as getting her over her fear, first of all you need to show her lots & lots of love. Talk to her in a soothing voice & let her know how sorry you are that that happened to her & that you will see to it that it never happens again. Then after about a week of doing that, try holding something in your hand & get down on her level & let her know that it's okay, you won't hurt her. If she tries to run, let her. Don't try to force anything, that will only make things worse. After doing this at least once a day for about a week or so, get a friend to come over holding something & have them get down on her level with you holding her & try to convince her it's okay. This will take ALOT of patience on your part. It is a slow & painful process to rehabilitae an animal after they have been abused. Right now she is in shock & doesn't understand what she did to deserve such awful treatment. It will take a while for her to come around. Just don't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do right now. Give her time to come out of her shock. Since she was such a sweet & playful "kid" before, she should get back to her old self in time. Good luck Hope this helps you & her.
2006-06-28 09:54:41 · answer #2 · answered by wolfribbon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's hard to believe, but dogs go through personality changes. Anytime from 6-8 months dogs experience anxiety and discomfort as they try to become more independent. This is a natural process and you need to comfort them and expose them to the things are frightened of in a safe environment. They will grow out of it with time. If this behavior continues I suggest talking to an animal behaviorist, taking him to a professional trainer or discuss further health issues with your doctor.
2006-06-28 09:44:57 · answer #3 · answered by scoty_dosntno 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have owned dogs all my life. Someone has been hitting your dog or it wouldn't be afraid when your hand is raised. If your dog is outside, get someone to watch while you are gone and see if it is being abused. Also, any time the dog overreacts to something being raised, give it hugs and love to support that it will not be hit. This will reassure the dog that there are no worries.
2006-06-28 10:42:14 · answer #4 · answered by pug 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
poor thing- I feel for you. It sure sounds like she had a BAD experience recently. Was there a situation that would've had a stranger or heck, even someone you know that would've been alone with her? I think you need to to take her out alot and let her know and feel that not all people are bad, see if she reacts to men. We had a male pet, Zeus, for years, that was smacked by my neighbor when he was a puppy, the guy was roughhousing with Zeus and after that Zeus never liked men. It even took a long time for him to get used to our family MEN, but they can change. I know it was that puppy smack that did it. We never talked to that neighbor guy again.
2006-06-28 09:45:30 · answer #5 · answered by ogradywierdness 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe someone smacked her once.
Dogs get freaked out by weird things for no reason. My wifes dog is scared of my dad who has never touched him and is nice to all dogs. Its just something thats weird.
My other dog never saw a bicycle till older and it freaked him out. Maybe you should take the dog out and have them meet more people.
2006-06-28 09:33:44 · answer #6 · answered by Lupin IV 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sould take her to vets make sure shes not sick
2006-06-28 09:40:55 · answer #7 · answered by biglove1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋