Reactive sheltie needs help!!

I am not sure what correction she uses, we are supposed to talk more in depth when she brings him to my house. They walk him with a anti-pull harness, so I know they dont use chokers or prong collars. When they are outside she can stop the barking at cars by sitting on the ground beside him hugging him. She said for the barking in the house they have tried; the penny in a can, water bottle, and an ultra sonic bark house thing, none of those work. When I was on the phone with her I did hear the barking, which she was making it worse. She had a very frustrated high almost whiney tone, and just kept saying no Bailey stop it, and would grab his collar, which of course he just redirected his frustration on her.


She is not ready to give him up yet, they love him and are trying hard to work through his problems, but I think she is starting to realise that they might not be the right home for him. I just wish I knew what went wrong! He went from being the calmest laid back puppy of the litter to an anxious upset dog. None of the other pups are even close to the way he acts.
 
I have no problems with crating dog, my dogs are crated through the day on and off too, even if I am at home. BUT they also have tons of scheduled actvities in between.
As a breeder question to you-what was Bailey like as puppy? You are mentioning that pup now does not settle at all if not crated? Was this pup first for everything when born? Was this pup alwasy hyper? Some pups are born hyper and need experienced home to deal with it and some are just get frustrated as life goes by because their needs are not being met.
I am assuming pup is about 9 months old?
 
My question would be, since he was a calm puppy, is the atmosphere of the home. I had a neighbor with 2 great pyrenees. Gavin was soo confused at her house because she had ADHD, and was high energy, stressed out, and just not like his calm house (or other houses he visited) where things were laid back and he knew the rules. Her puppy also developed anxiety issues (scared of thunder, noises, etc) and I am pretty sure it was because she sensed the personality/atmosphere of the owner. Shelties are sensitive, so maybe he picks up on something?
 
He will be 10 months old on Oct. 25th.

No, that is the mystery he was the calmest pup of the litter which is why I chose him for them. He was always happy to just sit and cuddle with people, of course he would play like a normal puppy but he was never the one that initiated play, that was usually his sister, who was the more active pup of the litter.
 
Cindy said:
My question would be, since he was a calm puppy, is the atmosphere of the home. I had a neighbor with 2 great pyrenees. Gavin was soo confused at her house because she had ADHD, and was high energy, stressed out, and just not like his calm house (or other houses he visited) where things were laid back and he knew the rules. Her puppy also developed anxiety issues (scared of thunder, noises, etc) and I am pretty sure it was because she sensed the personality/atmosphere of the owner. Shelties are sensitive, so maybe he picks up on something?
Click to expand...


I am not sure, it could be from the home. He is an only dog, and they are an older couple with no kids in the house and only occasional visits from the kids/grandkids. He is alone usually from 8am until 5 or 6pm occasionally 7pm. But just from talking to her she seemed to be very frustrated and he could be picking up on that and that is what is making him act up more.
 
JessicaR said:
When they are outside she can stop the barking at cars by sitting on the ground beside him hugging him. She said for the barking in the house they have tried; the penny in a can, water bottle, and an ultra sonic bark house thing, none of those work.
Click to expand...

I think all these methods are probably just making it worst. Especially if the puppy is reacting out of fear. It really seems to me like that is what he is doing : Bark at the scary things before they get to me!

  • Hugging him on walks might calm him in the sense that : ''I am now safe'' or ''mommy is praising me because I am doing the right thing''.

  • And the penny in a can, water bottle, sonic bark thing in my opinion just heightens stress which makes the poor stressed out dog even more anxious.

I really think this dog will need a lot of patience and work. It's a good thing the owner is realizing that the methods are not right. But are they ready to change these methods and put time and effort in getting the dog better adjusted? Sounds to me like they are overwhelmed with these problems which is understandable. I would suggest that they start by reading some books specifically about reactive dogs such as: Scaredy Dog! (I read this and found this helpful) I also was recommended Feisty Fido which I have yet to read.

It's great that you are willing to help them out but I believe that they should be doing the training in their home environment. Even if you get a better behave pup at your place, he will probably just regress when he goes back to that environment.

One thing that I find strange is that they got 2 different behaviorist that didn't help a bit. Makes me wonder about various things like for example (and no need to specifically answer these questions here but it might be important to talk it over with the owners) :
- were the behaviorist qualified for these types of problems?
- what methods did they use?
- did the owners follow through with the methods?
- are the owners constant with those methods?

Finally, at the adolescent age, they need lots of exercise and he seems to have a lot of pent up energy. 8 hours crated is okay IF the dog is getting enough daily activity to compensate. Are they doing like 45 minute walks morning and evening + play time + trick or stuff to get the pup thinking?
 
Meldor said:
I really think this dog will need a lot of patience and work. It's a good thing the owner is realizing that the methods are not right. But are they ready to change these methods and put time and effort in getting the dog better adjusted? Sounds to me like they are overwhelmed with these problems which is understandable. I would suggest that they start by reading some books specifically about reactive dogs such as: Scaredy Dog! (I read this and found this helpful) I also was recommended Feisty Fido which I have yet to read.
Click to expand...

I agree.

I'm not ready to write this family off yet. It sounds like they are using the wrong methods, but they don't know that. They feel as if they have exhausted their options...but they are only doing what they know. It sounds like they have tried a lot of different things, so they don't want to give up on this dog unless they absolutely have to.

I think the best thing that can be done, as a breeder, is to point them in a right direction. Maybe get a recommendation for a good behaviorist, point them at some good books, tell them about getting a Gentle Leader, and encourage them to exercise the dog much more.

Suggest getting the dog a job--agility, therapy, something to keep his mind occupied.

Just because they aren't doing the right things now doesn't mean that they can't. Now if they refuse to do any "new" ideas, that's when it's time to consider rehoming.
 
I am waiting for her email to explain what exactly she has done and what has/hasnt worked for her, so I can get a picture of what is going on.

I will definitly give them those book suggestions!

I know they are trying their hardest and dont want to give him up, but they will if they feel that is what is best for Bailey. I have suggested agility, it is something they are not interested in. So i told them he will need more exercise, preferably off leash somewhere, and lots of mental stimulation.

I believe they are just overwhelmed right now, which is why I suggested them let Bailey stay with me for a week. Maybe if they use that time to regroup it would be better. Also I could see how he does at my place and maybe offer some better suggestions. I did tell her though that I would probably not see the same behaviors as my house dynamics are way different from hers. I think they just wasnt prepared for a sheltie puppy. They have always had St Bernards, which are pretty mellow, and not too demanding for exercise, then their son has a sheltie which is older and of course calmer. So they werent ready for an active frustrated pup.
 
I think that boy is ready for farm life and not being crated for so long. He must be so bored. I feel badly for the owners but at least they realize he may need another type of home life. Not fair to Bailey to be alone so much.
Keep us posted on what happens. I think some time with you would be a good idea.
 
I think you said it all when you said they were not ready for an active frustated pup. Hope it all works out so they can keep him. I am finding Liam is acting up as well, as he has not had the activity level he had been used to due to the move.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top