A couple of dogs have had a go at Riley on our walk today I had to get quite fierce with them as their owners just vaguely asked them to stop. Riley was even forced into sticking up for himself which he's generally very reluctant to do, he'd far rather play! This seems to have had an impact on his recall which was going really well where other dogs are concerned. Instead of coming back he seems reluctant to turn his back on the dogs heading towards him and lies down submissively in their path. Does anyone think this will just get better as we continue to proof and improve his recall or do I need another strategy? I really don't want to chop his bits off just so he doesn't get picked on.....this really took the shine off a nice walk today
Re: Recalling a nervous dog I can't offer any advice as a novice, but just wanted to say I am sorry to hear that Riley and you have had a terrible walk today and I hope you are both OK. Helen x
Re: Recalling a nervous dog I'm sure he'll get over it, don't worry too much. In my experience if you have a male dog, he is going to get into a bit of a scrap at some time or other... As long as he wasn't actually hurt, I would try not to get too upset about it. Lying down and being submissive is a good tactic, Poppy does it all the time with big dogs she doesn't know! His confidence has probably taken a bit of a knock, so go slowly and I am sure that as he gets his confidence back, his recall will improve too. Poor old Riley. He's only a pup, right?
Re: Recalling a nervous dog He's 20 months now and has always been a softie just looking for new friends. I guess it's back to basics and no recall if I don't think he'll come. Just a shame when he's being submissive but the other dog keeps coming at him. Oh well maybe we'll give the lane a miss for a few days and head somewhere quieter. Thanks all
Re: Recalling a nervous dog Barbara , Sam is about the same age as Riley and he is a submissive dog too , always wags his tail and approaches in a friendly manner but if he gets mobbed by two or more , he will adopt the pose , sideways laying on the ground, complete surrender . I usually find that he has forgotten about it within a day or so and reverts back to his usual happy self so I wouldnt worry about it too much , they are just babies and arent yet really mature enough to cope in some situations x
Re: Recalling a nervous dog Hi Barbara, Sorry Riley had a horrid experience. I personally feel that it is important never to ask a dog that feels threatened to turn his back on the other dog. It is one of those situations where you are asking the dog to chose obedience over his own safety. If Riley did turn and run away from an aggressive dog he might have triggered a chase and attack. You may find that Riley does this with all dogs for a little while because he has lost his confidence. Castration might make this worse. Hopefully he will bounce back quite quickly, especially if he gets opportunity to meet plenty of nice dogs Hope I have understood the situation correctly. Pippa
Re: Recalling a nervous dog Thanks Kate and Pippa Yes I figured I would let Riley decide how he handles meeting other dogs and our recall away from dogs would have to take second place to that until he's got his confidence back. I wanted to check that was the right approach. He's met this dog before when they were younger and they got on fine and the other dog isn't generally aggressive he's taken against Riley in the last few months for some reason. Often the other dog is on a lead but today he wasn't hence all the noise and fury. I was a little surprised that he didn't stop when Riley backed down completely so I growled at them all and it eventually stopped and all the dogs went on their leads including a sweet lab who missed out on some extra play cos of his stroppy mate. I'm sure he'll be ok, we're all on the floor in front of the fire, lizzie with her toys (all of which she's trying to eat) and Riley with a chew
Re: Recalling a nervous dog Riley is particularly fond of Sophie la Giraffe !! ;D http://sophielagirafe.co.uk/p/option_page/4/
Re: Recalling a nervous dog Aww....thats cute. I will have to tell my daughter about St Sophie's day ;D jac
