Worried? Please Respond@!!!

[davidbrandee]

Every time we try to put the leash on Scruffles to take her outside, she starts shaking and she seems really scared. She then starts to pee on the floor. Do you know what could be causing this? She used to not be like this when she was younger, but now we have to clean up after her every time we take her out. We’ve tried different tactics, but nothing has worked. Have any suggestions? She should have no reason to be scared of the leash. Once it’s on her, she gets so happy.

[Saje]

Can you tell us more about her? How old is she? Where did you get her from? How long have you had her? What breed or mix? Who has contact with her? What is your routine? Does she go out on leash regularly?

[davidbrandee]

She's a full bread Cocker Spaniel and she is pretty much house broken. She started this about 2 months ago. She is 7 months old. We got her from a lady who breads Cockers for a living. She is one of the most well known breaders in this state. She goes out on a leash every 5-6 hours, but she also knows to go to the door when she needs to go outside. It seems that she's afraid when we bend over her to put it on.

[Maxy24]

I don't mean to offend you but I have to ask, Do you ever hit her? especially when on a leash or with her leash? If not try to kneel next to her when you put the leash on instead of bending over her. She is definitely scared. It is either a very submissive personality or something happened to her. How old was she when you got her?

[davidbrandee]

We got her when she was about 3 months old. She used to love the leash. We've never used anything to hit her.

[davidbrandee]

Do you think it could be a bladder infection?

[Saje]

It could be a bladder infection. It could be a lot of things. Who does she have contact with? It really sounds like submissive urination, which usually means she's been mistreated. Do you have anyone come and walk her or has she spent time in the care of someone else? Doggy day care? A friend? Not accusing. Just asking.

Also, at seven months, if she has been unrealiable with her housetraining she is not ... housetrained.

What does her breeder say about all this?

[Doberluv]

How have you been reacting to her when she shakes and dribbles? What do you do?

Why don't you try to sit down on the floor for a while when you put the leash on and try not to loom over her. See if she'll come to play a little bit, get some treats and snap on the leash while she sits in your lap on the floor. Then just walk ahead of her without a lot of fuss. Don't make a fuss when she is shaking and dribbling. Act very confident and unworried. Don't reinforce her fears by showing sympathy. Let her know that there's nothing to worry about by your happy go lucky attitude.

Try to avoid standing, facing her or bending over her.....just for a while. Don't look right into her face or eyes....avoid direct eye contact when you're doing this with the leash. Sometimes turning your head and body a little sideways helps ease a dog's tension. See how she does for a couple weeks.

Then you can start gradually getting her to accept that better by bending a little over while you drop a super high value treat on the floor. Associate that intimidating posture with really good and tasty things. Stay low key with your praise....don't get too excited or loud.

It sure wouldn't hurt to make sure and give the vet a call. That shaking could be pain or discomfort if she has a bladder infection, which would be intensified when she goes pee. So, putting on the leash to go outside is a predictor of the pain she will have when she goes pee. She's already associated getting the leash on and going outside with going pee. So, that could be it too, although you say she seems fine once it's on.

It's so hard when they can't tell us in plain English. So, a call to the vet would be in order, for sure. Then work on the behavior end of it. Let us know.

(Didn't you post this somewhere else too? Deja vu. Oh yes......you did. For the future, just post once.....no duplicates. Thanks.)

[IliamnasQuest]

You've gotten some good responses here .. I echo the idea of having a vet check her out. When a dog suddenly starts a behavior that hasn't happened before that, it's always best to rule out health problems.

Something else you might try is to have her drag a light leash inside the house (only when you're home and can keep an eye on her). Then sit on the floor and play a game where you pick up the end of a leash and then give her a treat. Do this frequently and gradually hold the leash closer and closer to her neck .. only increase the behavior (moving closer to her neck) if she's handling things fine when you pick up the end of the leash. Continue to treat and praise quietly and calmly when she doesn't react to your handling of the leash. I say "quiet and calm" praise because sometimes exuberant praise can make excitable dogs urinate and you want to avoid that.

When you get to the point where you can pick up the leash very close to her neck without any reaction, fiddle slightly with the snap or collar. Again, only do this if she's doing great. You want her to view the handling of the leash and collar as something wonderful! When she accepts you handling the leash/snap/collar, try unsnapping the leash and then re-snapping it to the collar, with lots of praise and treats when she accepts that.

IF she pees - ANY time she pees - when you approach her or try to put a leash on her (or play with the leash if she's dragging it), you need to try your hardest to completely ignore the urine. Act like it never happened, keep your voice happy and take her out of the room. Then go back and clean it up. With a really sensitive dog, just a mild "ohhhh .. " can feel like a correction. Cleaning it up with her out of the room helps keep her from thinking she did something wrong.

Good luck with this. Please get her looked at by a vet and then do some slow, calm behavior work with her and you should get through it just fine!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska