debeda

Richard Rowland

I took him out on the leash this morning, Emily. When we had gone a good distance from the house, I carefully, when he had his mind on other things, unsnapped his leash. When realizing he was no longer restrained, he bound off with the other dogs.

We walked around the farm buildings and gradually worked our way back to the house. At no time did he seem anxious and fearful, except when first leaving the house. In fact, we had gone to town for breakfast, upon returning he voluntarily came out of the house. It seems things are returning to normal.

However, it seems he is sensitive to a fault. It causes one to wonder what kind of treatment he endured previously. An example: After we had had him for a few days, and he appeared to have settled in, I was letting him out the door, one morning, when the force of the wind caught the door and blew it out of my hand. The door slammed shut on the tip of his tail, causing him to yelp in pain.

Things changed quickly, he associated me with what had happened to him. Even though I had made every effort to comfort him, we could tell he was still apprehensive. Later that day, he was on his way down the lane, intent on leaving. We had all we could do to convince him to come back.

Of course, he eventually came around. However, I'm concerned that with his temperament, something could happen that he may not recover from. Only time will tell.

Thanks, again to all who offered helpful suggestions.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

I would only suggest Valium for a dog that was ill and in pain. While it does work on many dogs, a lot of the dogs on it suddenly become very aggressive, not a good idea. As I posted earlier, determine that the dog is not injured, has a normal temperature and no swelling anywhere. Make sure that the dog can urinate without pain, so that it not because he blames the door or the great outdoors for the sudden pain, when it is really a bladder or kidney stone. Reconditioning a frightened animal takes time, but it is absurd to assume that there is no physical reason for the reaction. I really doubt that you had a veterinarian do a total work up when you picked him up, not just had his temperature taken and a rabies shot given. Hopefully it is a fear response, and that you can find out why. Now that it is daylight you can go out and look for things that might have scared him, but please realize that it may be a physical problem, as I posted lasted night. Please let us know what happened.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

I honestly would not suggest trying to train a dog that is frightened. If it is not a physical problem but a mental one, a matter of fear, trying to train a fearful dog is a lost cause and likely to make the dog more fearful. Often watching a dog that is afraid you can see him shut down, space out and go into a trance like state. Just how do you expect to reach a dog in that condition? Believe me, we have but over a hundred obedience, rally, therapy dog titles on dogs in the last 40 years, and I guarantee you, trying to train an animal that is not able to focus on what you and he are doing is absolute cruelty.

Rose42

It depends on the individual dog. If its that far gone the kindest thing to do is to put it down. I've seen these dogs reached (and some not) but it takes work on the owner's part. There is less success with using treats because that takes the owner more out of the equation. There are a lot of techniques you can use which aren't cruel and they teach the dog to look to the owner to relieve their stress. I should say the most important part of making this work is not the dog but the owner.

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

Great idea. Drug him up to the eyeballs like you do with your children.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Well, how is he doing today? Have you figured out what is going on yet?

Richard Rowland

Much better, he has calmed down considerably. Goes out with me willingly. Scroll back a few posts and find where I explained the situation a bit further.

Thanks for inquiring.

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

Who, Smelly McFartyPants? I have no idea. The less I see, hear and know of him/her/it, the better.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

We are talking about a rescue dog, Grow Up Man!!!!!

Larry the Legend Loc: Not hiding in Milton

Oh, I thought you were talking about this miscreant, who's name is beyond utterance anywhere near any post of mine:

https://www.onepoliticalplaza.com/user-profile?usernum=5315

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

That particular serpent of the devil is on my list of don't mention by name people too.