Born with issues?

[PitterPatter]

Fast forward two years. Ruckus had aggression issues, NEVER once wagged his tail, and was scared of many many things. After a few vet visits we put him on Amitriptyline, and he is now a different dog. He plays, comes up to strangers in the dog park for attention, wags his tail, etc.

If the medication is working, then I would continue and not worry.

All animals can have a rough birth that can create issues. Growing up on a large farm with hundreds of different animals you would see the vast majority of animals would have the personality traits of their parents. This was something you would really notice where animals were NOT raised by their Mother, but would have the characteristics of their Mother. So it wasn't a learned trait. Some were even easy to determine their parentage (without having to look at their tag) just by the way they were acting. And there was something else you would notice about personality. Whichever parent the animal looked like the most, would also seem to inherent their disposition. Especially noticeable in the same sex. i.e. Female that looks like her Mother. Or male who looks like his Father.

My second sheltie was shy and withdrawn. She was selected with one of my children, which means we were coming home with a dog. Her Mother was very timid and her Dad was a goofball. So we had a 50/50 chance. Needless to say, she looked like her Mother and had her personality. She was also a very smart dog who I still miss and think about.

 

[Caro]

thanks guys! I was hoping that Lynn would help him out, but if anything she makes him worse. She is reactive herself and loves to get Ruckus fired up!

Ah, yes, that is always a problem too. Mine feed off each other's naughtiness. Deska was calm until he learnt how to be naughty from Tully. On my last trip to the vet psych she said to work on one dog at a time - so even if they are both barking and being silly just focus on the one I think will settle most readily (that's Deska if there is a treat around or Tully if theres a ball). It has helped.