Second Fear Period: 6 to 14 Months???
He still gets great grades when Casi and I aren't around at doggy daycare and boarding so we dont think that he doesnt like other dogs or anything. Examples: Dog Park - he played with a few dogs here and there but when a new dog came up to him and he was near us he would bark and growl a bit basically saying to get away we think. He never pursued or tried to get overly fightlike as he just did like the one angry sounding bark and the other dog would leave and that was it. The next time those dogs came up he would be fine and not be "mean" Sitting outside or on leash: If he sees another dog he does a similar thing to what i said above. We can be sitting at a coffee shop and 3 dogs walk by no issue....the next dog he barks loudly and growls and we have to hold him back. We've been redirecting his attention with treats and this has worked pretty well but still happens from time to time. I think it's getting better but i wanted to see what you guys thought. Have you heard of this second fear period? We are going to work with him and if we keep seeing small improvement I think we'll be fine but if it regresses or something we'll definitely have to get a behavioral trainer involved. Oh and he's fine with other dogs that come inside our house and he plays really friendly and fun. weird. |
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| Maybe it's his way of saying "Hi, who are you?" Maybe the lead side of things he is picking up on you worrying about any new dogs. I'm no help really as I have never really witnessed any major barking or indeed growling towards other dogs as it's always directed at Archie, as he tends to be a big over friendly goofball who will be the one running to greet other dogs asking them to play, whether they are in the mood or not. Even on the lead he is extremely one chilled out dog. Is it a particular breed/size/colour of dog that he reacts to? |
| From my experience training and going to training camp and classes, there is a fear period of about 8 months. Also a time when they may "flee" from anything they percieve as scary. The "flight" period so to speak. Also if you have a male, it might be a time when they challenge other dogs. Is he neutered? I would suggest some training courses and socializing. If he is growling at other dogs and getting agressive, you may want to nip it in the bud. Although, not all dogs are geared for doggy parks and not all dogs will like all dogs. My dogs do not do well at doggy parks and they don't always "like" all the dogs they meet. I don't like all the people I meet either  But agression is something that needs attention. Also, you may be unintentionally adding to the growling at other dogs in the way you hold the leash and your body posture. If they perceive you as nervous, it carries down thru the leash. I'm sure others will give their advice but I suggest getting into a training class. |
| Hold him back or correct the wrong behavior? Training continues and helps them through problem periods. Firm commands given with authority, not anger, lets them know you are in charge and they don't have to be. Not a lot of talking, they don't understand languages, but do understand your firm but fair action. They can relax knowing they don't have to become dominant. Hormones inside cause brain burps, just guide him through them. |
| we are having a similar thing with Sprocket (nearly 10 months old) and small children so have to be carefull. He used to love being stroked etc by anyone but now when at a vechicle show etc and a small person,about up to the age of 8,comes up to him he does the putting head up so can't stroke it and grabs their sleeve. We do not let him get away with it but it's strange how just happening now. He is ok with them if they have dogs in thier house it seems,it's if they are to "over the the top" or very shy.x |
| Luckily we havent had or seen any issues with humans. He seems totally fine with them but still keeping our eye on all his behavior |
| At about 8 months Ecco started being leash reactive to other dogs. It has taken quite a long time to get past this, but she is slowly coming out of it. One of the things I found from working with my trainer was that my posture and anxiety over the situation was definitely contributing. I "knew" she was going to misbehave, so I tightened my grip on the leash and clenched my jaw when other dogs came around. Basically, I was confirming to her that there was something to be fearful about. We used positive reward and negative punishment to help her come out of this. Positive reward meant giving Ecco treats and loving petting the moment she saw another dog and didn't react. We made sure she was at a comfortable distance, not up close to the new dog, and decreased the distance over time (and by time I mean it took a YEAR to get her into social sniffing distance). Patience was the key. Negative punishment means taking away the reward. In this case, Ecco's barking was self-reinforcing b/c it made her feel better. SOOOO...if I couldn't reward her immediately before she started freaking out, I moved her away from the other dog in a direction that put her back to it, saying "time out", and once she quieted down I gave her a treat (positive reward). In addition, we practiced tricks at home that encourage self-control. "Leave it" is a great trick for this. I should note that Ecco is fine at dog parks, though her methods of "playing" with other dogs can be a little rough, and sometimes leads to her being ostracized by the potential playmates. For those situations, I let the other dogs "handle" it as long as it doesn't get aggressive. If Ecco gets too aggressive or I don't trust the other dog, I can tell her "time out" and she knows to move away |
| This is reassuring as we are taking a lot of the same steps you have mentioned! Thanks for the encouragement and advice |
| We had a weekend away with Sprocket in our green goddess fire engine,we sleep in the cab on a bed we make up-Sprocket is supposed to sleep under it-I woke up hot to find I had a heavy licky weight on me!!Whilst at the GG Sprocket would be tied up to it on a rope. Every person-child,dog (not vehicle) he would charge out from under GG or wherever he was laying and charge to the end of his rope,barking and sounding like a very fierce dog-embarassing!!Little children would ask if they could stroke him-he used to be so gentle with them-but we had to make sure we were holding him firmly and they didn't stroke his head (just in case). When I was walking around during the day with Sprocket on his haltie and lead he was the perfect pet except to one yellow lab and the family's children that kept pestering him. We thought protecting vehicle but he used to be fine. We don't want it!! Help. Also he protected me from everybody by getting between us. We had been to training class when he was younger but due to back troubles I had to stop. Now, don't know if this may make his behaviour worse-Our middle "child"-32yrs old,came back home to live,bringing his dog. Sprocket has grown up with him,Ted(the dog) used to try and dominate Sprocket so they were always "fighting",we loudly stopped them and Dougal,Sprocket's brother comes round weekends and they get on very well but have constant charging around and take it in turns who is "boss". Any ideas-we just want to stop the barking etc at children etc.X |
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