Hm... advice for my parents about their lab's behaviour?

[Natch]

I keep thinking about the way Bracken behaves, and whist they are decent dog owners, and are doing the good citizen dog tests with her (have just got silver and are working on gold) I think they are missing a trick or two when it comes to "real life" behaviour.

Oh, by the way Bracken is.. um.. 4-5 ish I think? lab, failed gundog (too wimpy) and has come on leaps and bounds in her general confidence levels (thanks to my parents patience and skill) whose first home was as a kennel based working dog, and at 1 year old went to live with my parents - who at the time had Poppy, an elderly lab, and two cats.

All the other pets have passed away now, leaving Bracken, (who in fairness I don't think minds, or even notices ). But I have noticed a couple of behavioural issues - one is that she will go for cats she doesn't know (she was perfectly trustworthy with the two at home), and the second is that her current tactic for warding off dogs who approach her is to get in first with aggression Always when she is on a lead and the other dogs aren't and they approach her. She isn't exercised off the lead unless they are confident there are no other dogs around, and is good at coming back to go on the lead if others appear. Having said all that she can't be that bad, as the dog trainer at doggy school is happy for all 3 regulars to be off the leads and wandering around each other, and there are *rarely* any disagreemenrts between dogs.

Before she got to the stage of aggession, she was scared, petrified of other dogs - yet I think as a shooting man, her old owner probably did have her out and about meeting other dogs, so I don't think its a lack of socialisation. She used to shoot to the end of the lead as far away as possible from the other dogs, and generally look very unhappy and miserable. Then she would cower behind my parent's legs. Then she would sit down immediately, to stop the other dogs from sniffing her bum. Now she is aggressive.

The cat chasing thing really shocked me. She was on the lead on the yard when my parents visited and she properly went for one of the resident moggies No success since she was on a lead, and the cat had survived 4 non-cat-friendly shooting dogs all his life, so wasn't about to be intimidated by her and arched his back and spat right back at her - but I really don't think this put her off (it never did at home, when the other lab was best friends with one and scared of the other cat, whereas if Bracken was in the mood she would just fuss them both, regardless of claws until the cat gave up and went high-rise!). When I questioned mum about it apparently this was usual behaviour when it comes to cats which aren't "hers" - possibly born from a visiting tom cat whose visits were unwelcome and a nuisance to our cats? Poppy used to chase him off the property (never bothered with ANY other cats in any other situation) as a protective measure protecting her cats I think, so whether Bracken has picked up the wrong end of the stick from Poppy's behaviour?

I don't live with, or near my parents, but am seeing them and the dog soon... they seem to listen to me when I advise them about dog training, so what can I advise them as to how to overcome these two issues?

Sorry its so long - any advice appreciated

 

[AmyMay]

My understanding is that a lot of aggression can come from a lack of confidence - and can be especially displayed whilst said dog is on the lead.

Do they do clicker training with her??

I tried it with the little dog I was looking after recently, and she cought on very quickly.

 

[Natch]

Amymay I am positive it is from a lack of confidence.

Regarding clicker training they have done it in their training classes, and I think Bracken would be an ideal candidate for it (tries hard to please, very food motivated) but my parents didn't take to it because she spooked at the click to begin with I'm sure the little darling would have made the connection with food quick enough and got over that though!

Maybe I'll take mine when I see them next and have a play around with her, show them how good it could be.

How would you clicker train her in those two instances?

 

[CAYLA]

The cat thing is very normal most dogs will live very peacefully in an environment with cats but will chase and even try and maim an unfarmiliar cat/or even the one they live with outside it mostly a chase instinct and my own dogs will do it even though I have 4 cats in the house, dogs this I would reprimand her firmly and let her know it;s not acceptible, but be aware she will chase other cats its natural.

With the dogs again this is a more natural respons for a dog to show aggression when restrained, flight is now gone so an insecure dog will choose fight, or not even choose but feel almost forced into it, again a confident approach by your parents, walk on , dont freeze or grapple with her, give her a swift check and tell her "leave it" focus on walking on by and, try not to create a situation, if the dogs sniffs just walk on past if it is aggressive tell the owner to get it back, she is obs fine to socialise in free play she jsut does not like being approached and a dog forcing its self on her with no where to go, so walk her away.

 

[CorvusCorax]

As Cayla, for a change

I bet 'her' cats didn't run away from her or display prey behaviour.
Dogs are chase animals and a lot of them are hard-wired to/will chase small furry projectiles they see outside the home, even if they don't do it AT home.
Tom chases Jerry, Brutus chases Tom, and so the story goes.

My dogs will chase our cats and probably always will and all we can do is catch them in the act and give them a reprimand. I have had them in the same room and in the same space without chase, but only because I was there and it was not going to happen on my watch and the dogs were like coiled springs waiting to pounce.
(The time when I walked past Blue Cat with exemplary heelwork, me feeling all proud of myself, then looking down, to see dog had changed his mind and tanked off after her after all, was fun...)

After 2.5 years, they have now stopped bouncing off the walls and squealing when they see one, so we may get there eventually

Re other dogs, as mentioned, she is getting in their first. All you (your parents) can do with that is build her confidence, handle her confidently (ie calm, forwards, never stopping and never thinking, never mind saying 'Oh no, another dog!' as she will pick this right up) and socialise, socialise, socialise.

If your parents trainer isn't worried overly, then I wouldn't worry either...FI my dog can do a long down under distraction and will remain in a stand with me out of sight with a passive dog walking past, but I wouldn't trust him with every dog or in every situation.

I have the dogs I have and I manage them the best I can and work with their 'issues', I can't make them perfect or the dogs I would have in an ideal world and yes, I caused most of them, unwittingly, as we humans are prone to do!!!

TBH I wouldn't regard these as 'behavioural' issues as such, just dog behaviour that we find annoying, in the nicest possible way

 

[Natch]

Thanks guys. The thing about the cat i saw her try to chase was that the cat wasn't fazed and was just strolling by - not something I'd have thought would be a trigger for a chase instinct to kick in...?

The ignore, carry on walking and say leave it bit makes an awful lot of sense, thank you.

 

[CAYLA]

Yep, they still will have a go even if the cat is standing still, my mams vets have 4 cats wondering loose and if I get mine out and stand and chat and ones is siting doing bog all or approaches and nuzzles into ya leg mine wil still reach to the end of the lead and try and grab, the cats never move cos they are well used to dogs, I just give mine a switch tug and "leave it", hours later they will happily curl up in a bed with my cats.

My boy whippet tries to nab my garden cats when they are doing nothing more than sun bathing, yet he will lie and sleep, he would of course shat himslef if they belted him

 

[reddie]

Our setter lived with a cat, in the house the cat was king. If the dog was lying in front of the fire, she would move to allow the cat to lie there! However in the garden the dog would always chase the cat!