Damage Reversal

[ToscasMom]

A friend of mine had her home robbed about a month or so ago. The guy who did it worked for the alarm installer and knew the lay of the home, believe it or not. He's been caught but not without leaving behind a lot of damage to the heart of my friend's JRT. The dog got his feet badly cut on the broken glass from the door the SOB crashed to get in. When my friend arrived home the dog was running around like a crazy pup in the yard, his paws all cut up from the glass. Fast forward to today and we have a JRT who goes absolutely WILD every time someone comes near one of the home doors. He has turned very aggressive toward all visitors and my friend is crushed. So my question is: What next? Can this problem the poor dog is having be reversed and if so, how?

[Herschel]

I think it's just going to take time and a lot of gradual steps. A certified behaviorist would be your best bet so they can address the problem in person. This is a good place to start: http://www.apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx

A lot of APDT trainers might not be able to help you directly, but they should be able to refer you to someone that can.

[Doberluv]

How horrible. Your poor friend and her poor little dog. It's just amazing how (other thread) someone can think dogs don't learn by association. Here we see a frightening incident, just one.......and pain from injury to his feet have caused him to fear all people coming to the door. What a shame.

It can by turned around IMO, but not without a slow, gradual and arduous process of counter-conditioning him by baby steps.

I think the best bet would be to get a certified behaviorist with a degree in animal behavior.....someone like Dr2little who uses gentle methods only and who has a savvy plan for going about it. Maybe she can give you some tips to get started, but I almost suspect that your friend should have someone right there to help her in person. If Dr2little doesn't see this thread, you might pm. her. She may know of someone in your area as well.

This is a true tragedy that I hope can be rectified. Keep us posted, K? (((hugs to your friend and her little dog)))

[Doberluv]

Missed your post Herschel. We think alike.

[ToscasMom]

Well she used the same trainer I did for obedience and I'm thinking he might be able to help. I would imagine there has to be some desensitizing going on. You know what I see in this dog, I know it's stupid, but I see a dog who is REALLY angry he couldn't protect his family's stuff and now he's "working on it" in his mind. I know dogs don't think that way, but I knew this dog before. He was never calm but he had a strong sense of his mommy. I could always spend time with him safely but now I sense a huge tension in him when I pet or talk to him. Others are faring far worse, they can't even get into the house for a visit without her first putting him in another room. My friend is afraid to have a gathering at this point, he's that different.

[Doberluv]

I suspect that it's a form of defense aggression based on flight distance. If you can't avoid a dangerous thing by taking "flight" or going away, then you make the dangerous thing go away. Aggression works to make the scary thing go away. He needs distance now, beween himself and the scary things....people coming to his house.

It will take time, but I think the scary things can be turned back into good things....from a distance. If she can get friends to help her, the can be at a distance with which he is relatively comfortable. As long as he is comfortable seeing the person at a distance, he can be given high, high value treats on a hungry stomach and praise. Then the person will go away. In other words, he'll be rewarded at first with the person going away (what he wants) WHEN he's in a comfortable state of mind. This will be at whatever distance works, no matter how far.

I suspect that this will be carried out for a long time, with a VERY gradual decrease in distance between. When the scary thing can be fairly close and he's comfortable and non-reactive, then the scary person will begin to transform into a good thing. He will get the things he loves from this person. At some point, instead of the person going away when he's calm, the person is going to start reinforcing his calmness with high value stuff on a hungry stomach.

No fussing over the dog when he's reacting, no tension or worry....his owner has to be very confident and comfortable, not showing any kind of anticipation or worry. Try to wait for a calm couple of seconds before the person goes away or the dog is taken away....not that the reactiveness/aggressive display is reinforced by what he wants...distance. Try to distract enough to get one or two seconds of quiet/calm, treat and remove dog. (if it's those times where she's putting him in another room) Or, when the person is to walk away.

This is aproximately what I suspect might be carried out. I could be wrong. Maybe there's a better way. At any rate, it should be done over time and not rushed IMO.

[otch1]

This is certainly a very scary thing for a dog to experience. His staying in the yard, (if unfenced) and continuing to alert even with wounds, indicates he probably put up a bit of a fight and was traumatized in the process. There's no telling what transpired between intruder and dog before he ended up in the yard. All kinds of behaviors can develop from this. Has your friend experienced her dog starting to mark the home yet? Doberluvs' right, it's a gradual desensitization process from here to modify current behavior. Your friend needs to first start outside of the home and do training to restore appropriate behavior with strangers. Then, she'll do the same training but in the home, where the anxiety level is likely to be much greater. Since you said this is a JRT whose very bonded with his mom, her handling skills here are key. First, she needs instruction. Keeping him on leash until she's in a training program is important, so there's nothing to trigger him in the household when company comes over, that might cause him to make a mistake. Putting him away and taking her out of his sight can increase his anxiety right now, if he's truly becoming protective of her. He needs to know that she's back in control of the environment, of anyone that enters the home and of his well being. He needs to be in the room with everyone present, to experience that. That'll often be done by a trainer in a staged setting, with owner and a few cooperative friends or trainers assistant. (Not when she's trying to have a dinner party.) Hopefully, the trainer you used and like has experience in dealing with this kind of anxiety and is a good person for your friend to start with. You and Tosca would be the first I'd solicit in helping here, as it's often ideal to have another well trained dog present for the anxiety ridden dog to observe and take cues from. Good luck. Glad this guy was caught!!

[ToscasMom]

Gotcha Dobe. That's doable. I am sure there are others whol will be willing to help with this. Basically, if she gave everyone in her life instructions about what she is doing, that would help too. Is there an additional part I could play myself? I ask this because I and one other person seem not to rattle him as much as everyone else. This is probably because he has seen more of us and interacted more with us.

[squirtsmom]

That poor puppy and owner. What a shame. Is the pup doing okay now at least with the wounds?

[ToscasMom]

Whoa Otch, that's a lot of information. Thank you!

You are right, we thought about what might have transpired between the dog and the intruder, and I bet it wasn't all very pretty. The intruder came in thru a back door that led to a corridor to the master bedroom in fact, and that is where the dog usually likes to sleep, so we guessed he was right there when the chithead came in. It's really possible the dog followed him out the door when he left and we haven't discounted that he didn't mess with the dog as well. The yard is fenced and he came in via the gate.

As far as I know the dog has not marked anywhere.

Putting him away and taking her out of his sight can increase his anxiety right now, if he's truly becoming protective of her. He needs to know that she's back in control of the environment, of anyone that enters the home and of his well being.
I never thought about this. So the best thing to do is leash him when there is someone at the door, right?

You and Tosca would be the first I'd solicit in helping here, as it's often ideal to have another well trained dog present for the anxiety ridden dog to observe and take cues from.

Could you be more specific here? He does know Tosca well and they get along well. Are there specific exercises Tosca and I could do to help out?

Yes, the moron got caught when the bank called my friend up and told her that someone was there cashing a check for cash with a signature on it that didn't look like hers. They had his ridiculous face on camera and she went down and identified him as a helper when she had her home alarm installed.

I do know a behaviorist, the problem is I know her and never really believed she has any credentials whatsoever, except to brag. I know her from another time and place and just wouldn't ever trust my goldfish with her much less my dog.

[ToscasMom]

Is the pup doing okay now at least with the wounds?
Yes he is doing well. She took him to emergency vet immediately as he was bleeding. They were mostly surface cuts and pad cuts, they did have to remove some glass fragments, but overall it looked worse than it was. She didn't want to let him stay in the hospital because he ws already so traumatized. It was hard to keep him from getting the wounds dirty, as you know how they are with bandaging. And a dog HAS to walk. But he seems fine now and there doesn't seem to be any residual physical problems with his paws. The real problems are in his head now.

[otch1]

Trust your instincts there and find a trainer/behaviorist with credentials you're comfortable with. Often, your vet will have a recommendation. On you and Tosca specifically being of assistance, the trainer should be able to help with that. I've often used my own dogs in the past (Kohl, my pup is a bit much for now. Lol) or another dog the dog in training is comfortable with. Practice side by side down stays in public, in the home with when company comes over, practice sit stays at the door for each dog to take food reward from guests. It can be relaxing for the dog in training to have that additional training tool (a dog) to start with and a lot of exercises a trainer can do to take the focus off of the stranger in the room. Mom just has to be in control at all times.

[ToscasMom]

Well now that his paws are healed, she plans to call the trainer and see what he recommends. She is also seriously considering getting a large guarding type dog and have him well trained, as she has been a bit skittish since the incident--as you can imagine. But she also realizes that now is not a good time for that considering the JRT's issues, so she is focusing on him first. She's going to discuss that with the trainer as well.

[ToscasMom]

Herschel, I click on the search link at the site you gave me and nothing comes up. It just stays at the main page. I opened popups for it, but it still stays fixed.

[jess2416]

Dr2Little can maybe find someone for your friend, she is helping me find a behaviorist for Chloe, so maybe she could come up with some ideas...:)

[ToscasMom]

For Chloe? What did she do, lick somebody to death with her tongue?:lol-sign:

[jess2416]

For Chloe? What did she do, lick somebody to death with her tongue?:lol-sign:

No, believe it or not she is having some issues right now....

[ToscasMom]

No kidding? Want to share? Not that I know squat but I can listen.

[jess2416]

I sent you a PM I dont wanna hijack your thread ;)

[ToscasMom]

Ok I answered. No big deal on hijack. Hell I do it all the time.

[ToscasMom]

I hijacked my own thread. heh.

[ACooper]

Wow TM........your poor friend & her pup :( I am glad she recognizes that he needs more help than she can do on her own...........that is probably half the battle won right there. Keep us updated.

On another subject of your thread...........I can tell you I didn't like the looks of the 'helper' that came to install our alarm system, not one tiny bit. And it wasn't just his looks, it was a FEELING.......and the way his gaze shifted around the house, and over me as well (not that I am miss america) I tell you they weren't off our block before I had Mr. Kevin making adjustments to the system, and changing all codes! It just makes you wonder how these companies screen their potential employees huh?

[Herschel]

Herschel, I click on the search link at the site you gave me and nothing comes up. It just stays at the main page. I opened popups for it, but it still stays fixed.

Go here: http://www.apdt.com

On the left, click the link for Trainer Search.

[ToscasMom]

Trainer SearchIt's a dead link for me, Herschel.

[ToscasMom]

Cooper you aren't kidding.

[Herschel]

It's a dead link for me, Herschel.

If you PM me your zip code I can send you the results. :)

Do you use Firefox and have the AdBlock extension, by any chance?

[ToscasMom]

Yes, but I also can't get it with IW--and I am SURE it's a setting in my machine. I am a truly paranoid security person. No matter though. Our trainer is going to help her out at her home. But still I must solve this blocking riddle.

[Zoom]

I really, truely hope your friend can help her dog get back to being a happy dog. I can only imagine what might have gone on and I'm glad she had a live dog to come home to!

Keep us updated, I'm following with vested interest.

[adojrts]

Wow, how terrible for this dog and his family.

I don't have time right now to read all the posts and someone else may have already suggested this method. By all means get a good Behaviourist and trainer.
This may help the dog understand that his owner is accepting people into their home, is to have the owner approach the person and shake their hand (everyone that comes to the home.) Of course giving him huge rewards for remain even somewhat calm.

Good luck
Lynn