Controlling Nervous Energy (long)

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Blackhawk

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I need some viewpoints on my 6 year old vizla bitch. Her past is that she's been living with my family for the past 4 years and has recently come to live with me. I will point out that everything below is exactly how she acts at my family home, as well as in my home.

She is a very very nervous dog. She spends most of her time in her bed and when she's not in bed she will hardly ever relax. (ie she's sitting behind me as I type this and shaking all over as I'm not giving her attention. When I do give her attention she instantly goes submissive, whining, getting low, tail down between her legs)

The main problem areas are;

If I get her lead to walk her she shakes so much it looks like she's convulsing. She whines and throws her head from side to side and is so excited and nervous she ignores everything else.

If anyone enters the house she gets aggressive, which I believe is her being nervous again. She won't come to the front door but will growl and bark as well as show teeth and have the hair on her back raised. Men seem to set her off more than anything else.

If she sees someone she knows, or a family member she will lose control of her bowels and urinate. Every single time.

If she thinks she's getting a treat she will act the same as if I take her lead out.

She will only eat when there is no one in the house, or we're upstairs away from her.

She gets highly protective over her bed.


My ways of dealing with this so far have been to ignore her as I come into he house, when I am trying to take her for a walk I ignore her until she has calmed down. This has addressed the urinating and she is much calmer on walks but I need some opinions on this behaviour s it's quite distressing.
 
Sorry, I should also point out that we've had her since 8 weeks and she's never been mistreated but I do believe she's been under socalised. She is fine with other dogs when she meets them on walks though.

Another thing that we have been doing is inviting people over and having them ignore her as they come in and allowing her, in her own time, to introduce herself to them when they're seated in the living room.

We've also upped her exercise as I don't believe she was getting nearly enough, and is another cause of the problem.
 
sounds a bit like one of mine-different breed however. sounds as though you are along right lines wrt visitors and exercise. with mine, I ahd to be careful to not give attention when demanded. also, if they are scared, fuss will just emphasise there is something to be scared of. she needs to trust you and your leadership.unfortunately, with a badly socialised dog you have a struggle on your hands and its unlikely she'll ever be happy go lucky. I would try a behaviourist-they can really help make both your lives a bit easier.poor lass, just sounds like she's really unsure of the world and doesnt know whether to be submissive or attack! I can sympathise!
 
ive heard about these plug-in things (like the air fresheners) that release hormones which are meant to have a calming effect, i think you can get them from the vet? might be worthwhile to help her relax for the time being until you sort out something more permanent?!
 
These behaviours are most unlikely to be caused by under socialising during her early puppyhood - after all 8 weeks is very young and it is generally speaking, after this age that pups are taken to places and allowed to met different people and situations ( not usually done any earlier due to the risk of infection).

It sounds to me as if she has inherited this ultra nervous temperament (most unusual for this breed) and to be honest there is a limit as to how much you will be able to change her. Dap diffusers can help by releasing calming phermones as can herbal remedies such as Skullcap and Valerian tablets or Bach rescue remedy and you could try applying 'Tellington Touch' techniques which can have a calming effect on nervous dogs - google for any info on all these suggestions.

Ignoring her when she behaves like this is the right approach but you could also try giving her her own space where she can go when she feels insecure (such as when visitors arrive)- an enclosed area such as a crate can often help. Try to stick to a set routine as this will also help avoid anxiety - hard though it may be - do try and remain very calm around her - even when you want to tear your hair out
crazy.gif
as she will only become even more anxious if she thinks you are angry with her.


I wish you well with this girl - she sounds as if she is finding the world a very worrying place to be
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Thanks for the replies and PMs everyone.

I went to see a nutritionist yesterday as she also has a bad skin condition that causes all her hair to fall out. She's medicated for this but I'm hoping a better diet will help with her condition and temprement.

She has in her space as a crate just under the stairs so it's nice and enclosed for her and not somewhere where people walk. We're trying to limit guests to one or two close friends dropping by.

I'll have a look at some herbal remedies and I'm taking her to the vet on monday so I'll see if he can recommend a bahaviourist.

I just feel incredibly sorry for her, and angry that she's been allowed to get like this. I've seen a small improvement in the past week from ignoring her when she's having a 'moment' of demanding attention and shaking all over.
 
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