Hello, I am new to this forum and was looking for advice please. I have a three year old lab, Fred. He didn't have the best start in life - to cut a long story short he has had three big operations in his short life, all really within his first 18 months. He is entire still as the vet advised if we can get away with not getting him done we should because the testosterone is good for his bones (all linked to his ops). Because of all his problems he did miss out on vital training when he was little. Please no nasty comments I am the first to acknowledge this, he is not naughty just over the top sometimes, loves everyone and everything about life. He wants to play with every dog he meets and isn't always the best at knowing when enough is enough so during lock down I have been more cautious and kept him on a lead when other dogs are around in case I need to go and get him and can't keep the 2m social distance. Anyway, that's just a bit of background and not usually a problem for me. My problem started a week ago Friday. My husband and I were walking Fred in the evening and he was on his lead as other dogs were around. Suddenly out of no where a huge French Mastiff came charging at him and just attacked him. He grabbed his neck and just sort of locked its jaw. The owner seemed powerless and his dog took absolutely no notice of him. It was honestly horrific and I cant get the image out of my head. After what seemed like ages we eventually got Fred free and at home blood was dripping from his neck. We went to the emergency vets where he was checked over. Lots of bites marks etc. but the main puncture wound was 5cm deep, I was told normally they like to operate on a wound that deep and open it up to completely clean it then re stitch. However, the vet said it was too close to his jugular and too risky to try and open it. It was flushed through as best as they could and he now has antibiotics to hopefully stop any infection. Touch wood he is recovering really well, back to his usual self at home etc. My problem is now every time I take him out he has become aggressive to every other dog he sees. He has not been off lead yet, he's wearing a harness as he can not have a collar around his neck, but even if we pass a dog he growls at them. This is making me petrified to let him off the lead again, he will growl at the wrong dog and be attacked again. It upsets me as he was the most fun, friendly dog ever and I don't want this to change him. I will look at hiring a specialist when lock down is over but was wondering if anyone had any advise I could start to try now on my own. Thank you. Kate
I'm afraid I don't have any specific advise other than as you say find him a behaviour trainer to help, but I just wanted to say how awful that experience must have been for you and your poor dog .Glad to hear he's recovering physically, hopefully his mental wellbeing will follow soon. Big hugs to you both xx
I am so sorry to hear about your dog being attacked. Unfortunately, this has happened to my dog a few times in his three short years and now he can be very leash reactive when he sees other dogs and I have become very nervous which seems to travel down the leash and increase his anxiety. I have been working with Mason on the leave it command and use lots of tasty treats when we see any approaching dogs. Sometimes that doesn’t always work and I just turn and avoid the situation and walk the other way. Mason is great off leash playing with other dogs but on leash not so much and unfortunately he may never be. I now avoid having Mason meet any dog while he is on leash just to be safe. Hopefully, with time and some training, you and your dog will get better. Best of luck to you!
I am so sorry this happened to you. How scary and sad to see that happen to your boy. I don’t have any professional advice either but perhaps some counter conditioning in the mean time before a behaviorist can work with you step by step. Starting far away and giving treats for him as much as glancing in another dogs direction (even if it’s 50 feet away). Maybe get him a bit longer of a leash to give him some more freedom while working on this. Or even renting out off leash areas that you would only have access to. (Tennis courts, fields, etc.) He sounds like a wonderful dog and you a great owner. All the best.
I'm really sorry to hear about what has happened. In the short term, I would really recommend you try to walk in locations where you don't see other dogs - on or off lead. Give him some time to recover and relax and for the physical wound on his neck to heal (and not make him feel so vulnerable). Have some tasty treats in your pocket and, for now and until you get further help and advice, feed him generously as soon as another dog appears and until that other dog has disappeared from sight. If he won't eat, move as far and fast away from the other dog as you can - and then feed. Continue using a harness even when the wound heals, because harnesses are much better options for dogs than collars - and they are especially recommended for dogs which are fearful - having something around your throat is going to make a dog feel very vulnerable (especially if that's the spot where they have previously been attacked! https://www.welfare4animals.org/blo...bhS0KeTeY7wF4Y7bXxgFmuhiij-drMhYSqy7u7H3f86FI Purchase Grisha Stewart's book on BAT and then get in touch with a behaviourist - preferably a Certified BAT Instructor - who can then help you. There are many of us offering online consultations at the moment and it doesn't matter where you live - this is one of the huge benefits of the coronavirus, pretty much all trainers and behaviourists have moved online, giving you access to world-class people wherever you live.
Does he have any dog friends that he has been around a lot in the past. Meeting them might help him get more comfortable. We dog sit a friends Sammy (Loki) most every day. He is fine with other dogs when they are all off lead, but goes nuts when he is on lead or in the car, and sees a dog he doesn't know. Cooper has very good sense about which dogs seem friendly and which aren't. She will stay away from dogs that don't act friendly to her. We usually let her meet other dogs when she and they are on lead, if the owner says it is OK, and the dog acts friendly. Off Lead she is also very good about who is friendly and who is not. At the Lake or in a field she will retrieve tennis balls with other dogs as long as they want to play. She has three dog buddies including Loki that she plays with on a regular basis.
Sorry this has happened to you too, the more people I speak to the more I realise that this is happening far too much. Owners really need to take more responsibility. Thank you for replying and I’m going to try the treats in the pocket and try to get him to focus more on me and the treats! X
my sister in law has the most gentle Staffie, Bow, who Fred loves and he’s fine with her still. They play like they used to do it’s just a case of new dogs he’s not sure about. Just going to take time I think. Thank you for replying x
