Dog scared of anything over her back.

[fankino04]

Any suggestions oh wise ones on this...
I walk a jrt x toy poodle who is lovely but acts terrified of anything over her head or back. She has always been like this but is actually getting worse (she's 2), her owners say nothing has caused it that they can think of. She will run away from you when you pick up her harness, she did have a horrible one when I started walking but they changed it for a much better fitting Y fronted one. Once the harness is on she races to the door so excited for her walk so she's not running away to avoid walking. If you get too far in front so the lead goes over her head, or even diagonally in front of her she drops to the floor cowering, yet is fine being handled in anyway and rubbed all over her back etc.

 

[AmyMay]

How is she having her ears touched?

 

[fankino04]

How is she having her ears touched?

Absolutely fine

 

[CorvusCorax]

Vet to rule out a pain response.

 

[fankino04]

Vet to rule out a pain response.

They has the vet check when she had her vaccs and they couldn't find anything, she's just always been like this but is getting worse, if you were in front of her so the lead was coming from behind and over her head she would stop and drop but then if you got down and called her over to play she would come to you but now she stays in her dropped position and you have to move around her to get her walking again.

 

[AmyMay]

Does the lead clip on the harness in the middle of her back?

 

[CorvusCorax]

They has the vet check when she had her vaccs and they couldn't find anything, she's just always been like this but is getting worse, if you were in front of her so the lead was coming from behind and over her head she would stop and drop but then if you got down and called her over to play she would come to you but now she stays in her dropped position and you have to move around her to get her walking again.

Sounds like she needs x-rays or a scan then.

 

[fankino04]

Does the lead clip on the harness in the middle of her back?

Halfway between middle and her neck, it does have a front clip but it's so low on her chest the lead trips her up, I guess the work around is to find a harness with a front clip that's higher but thought someone might know why she does it. She was never bothered by bigger dogs either but now if they tower over her she freezes...

 

[AmyMay]

 

[skinnydipper]

Sounds like she needs x-rays or a scan then.

Also, has her vision been checked? If she is not seeing clearly then shapes looming over her would not be great from her point of view (apologies, not an intentional pun)

 

[Parrotperson]

Why not just use a collar? That way it’s on all day and you can just clip a lead on.

 

[fankino04]

Why not just use a collar? That way it’s on all day and you can just clip a lead on.

Not my dog, not my choice x

 

[CorvusCorax]

Can I just what sort of suggestions you were expecting?
Here are the owner's options as I would see it:
The dog is in pain or discomfort - see vet
The dog is in fear - see behaviourist or trainer to isolate the source of fear and learn how to counter-condition
The dog does not like the equipment because it has associated it with pain/discomfort/fear - change the equipment

 

[fankino04]

I suppose I wondered if anyone had had a similar experience and if they got a behaviourist out if it helped, that way I could tell the owners that something similar had happened with someone else and a trainer / behaviourist gad helped. As I said they have checked with the vet who told them she's fine so just wanted a reason to give them to look at it from a different angle.

 

[CorvusCorax]

A physical check at vaccination wouldn't be enough for me, I'm afraid, and you say yourself it is getting worse.
Here's my previous experience and it will be a similar experience for a lot of people who have worked with multiple dogs: many, many 'behaviour' problems are down to pain/discomfort, the fear or memory of previous pain/discomfort or bad associations.
If they are using a harness because they think it is 'kinder' yet still have a dog who is unhappy with the harness, they might want to think how 'kind' they are being.

 

[Parrotperson]

Not my dog, not my choice x

fair enough but could you gently suggest it?

 

[MurphysMinder]

It sounds more physical ie pain rather than behavioural . Perhaps ask for a vet referral to a decent physio who might be able to find tender spots , although it’s likely a physio will want x rays if they find a pain reaction.
Skinnydippers vision check suggestion is good , I had a bitch with sight issues which led to strange behaviour.

 

[splashgirl45]

i used harnesses on both of my terriers as they were both tiny as puppies. they both hated them and i had to trap them in a corner of the room to put them on. both seemed ok once the harness was on. i dont use harnesses now and the older boy comes to me to have his lead clipped on and the younger one has started to slowly get better and will come to me, but its still a work in progress..i thought it was just my first one being silly but as my other one had similar behaviour i wonder of they hurt their backs so i stopped using them..

 

[AmyMay]

Not my dog, not my choice x

Actually as the person walking the dog, it sort of is.

I would certainly tell them you’d like to experiment with using a collar to see if it makes a difference. My clients trust my judgement and are always open to discussion and suggestions. I would hope yours are too.

I’m assuming it’s a regular lead you use and not a flexible one.

 

[Terrayza]

Could this be an issue with sensitive skin. My dog sometimes cowers when i approach with his lead and harness. he loves all his walks on or off lead. He has had skin sensitivity since he was a pup, it is getting much better now, I have addressed his diet