Some of you may remember that I posted about Quinn being attacked a couple of months ago at our local park. She was always a cautious dog around big/loud dogs, but since that incident she has been very nervous of all other dogs, immediately tail between legs and trying to stay away. It's been really bothering me. I have been meeting up with friends with dogs she is friends with since then, and staying away from very busy areas, but otherwise not really sure how to help her gain her confidence back with strange dogs. Yesterday, we went for a walk with my friends from out of town, one has a 7 year old boxer and one has a 7 year old great dane mix. Both are confident dogs and the boxer is vocal and fearless. Quinn has known both since a puppy, and her boxer friend did wonders for her confidence...she was her old self! He seemed to know when she was uncomfortable and got between her and the other dog and take the focus off her, and by the end of the hour she was playing and zero tail between legs, cowering or running to me. We are going to meet weekly for awhile and hope it helps her get back to her old happy self on off leash walks!
That sounds like a good plan , dogs are just the best therapy, to humans and other dogs alike , go Quinn !
Sounds a good plan to me. Just let her have fun and play. Hopefully she will begin to relax more around strange dogs but if she still is unsure, please don't let it bother you, some dogs take longer to put aside an unpleasant experience than others (just like us) but the more she has good experiences the better it is.
Harley took a while to be comfortable around any collies, but with patience and controlled meetings is much better now. I always put Harley on lead if I see a dog I don't know as she seems to be calmer and more confident when I do this. If I leave her off lead she tends to be guarded and more likely to tell the dog to go away. It sounds like the boxer has really helped
