BBP
Well-Known Member
As is the way with forums, I tend to post here when I am having one issue or another. Generally I read the forum about numpty dog owners creating dog problems and thinking 'yep, that's me' taking on a dog I am not prepared for and then having issues despite my best efforts. So I figured i would do a happy update.
After our horrible session with the sheepdog trainer, my dog and I were pretty much maintaining our sanity by a thread, with both of us tipping over into hysteria at the slightest thing. He would go ballistic at the sight of my cats or horses, hated being left alone, would throw himself at cars and although a lovely dog I saw his treactions escalating. I in turn was on the verge of tears a lot of the time, tipping over a few times, feeling useless and unable to manage and coming up with all the worst case scenarios about how things would never get better. My lyme disease symptoms had been overwhelming me for so long that i didn't realise how close to the edge I was getting, just brutal headaches that meant I really wasn't coping.
Happily, things started to fall into place after the sheepdog session. Firstly my treatment started to make a real difference so the headaches reduced, making other things easier to deal with. Then a few sound words, from a behaviourist, from people on here, and a few other places, made me sit and rethink how I was affecting my puppy. If I as a grown human being couldn't control my own emotions and prevent myself from tipping into an anxious wreck at the slightest thing, how on earth could I expect my puppy to control his reactions and anxieties. So I took a grip of myself. I quieted everything down, I speak less and in a slower and lower tone, rather than my usual nervous energetic voice. I quit reacting to the sight of the cats myself, and although i don't ignore them I don't draw extra attention to them. If I feel myself getting stressed I take a time out, some deep breaths and remember to keep everything calm. I don't grab hold of him or make a bog deal of if a car is coming.
I have found an excellent dog school that is helping me a lot. They work on a range of activities from working trials to tricks to agility (not for mine as young), so each session he goes through some obedience and heelwork, a few tricks, some search training, send aways to mats, and waiting politely during the coffee break. Its a very distracting environment as its a big field with a lot of sessions going on around him, so he is learning to focus on the task at hand even when other dogs and owners are hurtling around. He's really on side when at these classes and is doing really well.
I have also booked onto a workshop with Craig Oglivie (sp?) to learn how to get him more engaged in play and toys, so that i can use these to divert him in tricky situations. I'm REALLY excited about this as although puppy is better with toys I still haven't got him to the stage where they are more important than chasing other things.
Anyways, long story short, in just 4 weeks the transformation in both of us is pretty amazing. I can now feed him and my cats in the same room, with him quietly waiting on his mat for his food. He is still excited that they are there, but is containing himself and not yapping and leaping at them (they have a high walkway through the house I feed them on, I don't trust him not to chase the timid one at ground level yet, but she is at least happy to come into the house when he is here, she just stays up high).
I have also had him lying quietly within 10m of the road without fixating on cars, and taking treats from me, which he would not do before. He is now coping well with slow moving vehicles and not getting over anxious. Fast moving ones are a work in progress, but this is a dog who was completely fixated, so I am celebrating the small wins! It's a challenging week this week as I am on my own with him and have to manage him, my horses, my cats and my job, and we are still managing to stay on top of our emotions, the odd overexcitement from him but I am handling it so much better.
Plenty of people have commented on how much calmer he seems, and pretty much all because I have got myself under control.
So hopefully there is some hope for some of us numpty dog owners!
After our horrible session with the sheepdog trainer, my dog and I were pretty much maintaining our sanity by a thread, with both of us tipping over into hysteria at the slightest thing. He would go ballistic at the sight of my cats or horses, hated being left alone, would throw himself at cars and although a lovely dog I saw his treactions escalating. I in turn was on the verge of tears a lot of the time, tipping over a few times, feeling useless and unable to manage and coming up with all the worst case scenarios about how things would never get better. My lyme disease symptoms had been overwhelming me for so long that i didn't realise how close to the edge I was getting, just brutal headaches that meant I really wasn't coping.
Happily, things started to fall into place after the sheepdog session. Firstly my treatment started to make a real difference so the headaches reduced, making other things easier to deal with. Then a few sound words, from a behaviourist, from people on here, and a few other places, made me sit and rethink how I was affecting my puppy. If I as a grown human being couldn't control my own emotions and prevent myself from tipping into an anxious wreck at the slightest thing, how on earth could I expect my puppy to control his reactions and anxieties. So I took a grip of myself. I quieted everything down, I speak less and in a slower and lower tone, rather than my usual nervous energetic voice. I quit reacting to the sight of the cats myself, and although i don't ignore them I don't draw extra attention to them. If I feel myself getting stressed I take a time out, some deep breaths and remember to keep everything calm. I don't grab hold of him or make a bog deal of if a car is coming.
I have found an excellent dog school that is helping me a lot. They work on a range of activities from working trials to tricks to agility (not for mine as young), so each session he goes through some obedience and heelwork, a few tricks, some search training, send aways to mats, and waiting politely during the coffee break. Its a very distracting environment as its a big field with a lot of sessions going on around him, so he is learning to focus on the task at hand even when other dogs and owners are hurtling around. He's really on side when at these classes and is doing really well.
I have also booked onto a workshop with Craig Oglivie (sp?) to learn how to get him more engaged in play and toys, so that i can use these to divert him in tricky situations. I'm REALLY excited about this as although puppy is better with toys I still haven't got him to the stage where they are more important than chasing other things.
Anyways, long story short, in just 4 weeks the transformation in both of us is pretty amazing. I can now feed him and my cats in the same room, with him quietly waiting on his mat for his food. He is still excited that they are there, but is containing himself and not yapping and leaping at them (they have a high walkway through the house I feed them on, I don't trust him not to chase the timid one at ground level yet, but she is at least happy to come into the house when he is here, she just stays up high).
I have also had him lying quietly within 10m of the road without fixating on cars, and taking treats from me, which he would not do before. He is now coping well with slow moving vehicles and not getting over anxious. Fast moving ones are a work in progress, but this is a dog who was completely fixated, so I am celebrating the small wins! It's a challenging week this week as I am on my own with him and have to manage him, my horses, my cats and my job, and we are still managing to stay on top of our emotions, the odd overexcitement from him but I am handling it so much better.
Plenty of people have commented on how much calmer he seems, and pretty much all because I have got myself under control.
So hopefully there is some hope for some of us numpty dog owners!
) looper with a naturally loopy dog who I nearly ruined, as we exaggerated and mirrored each others loopiness, I totally identify 
) who took on a dog I shouldn't have had but lived to tell the tale, working by much the same method as you have described. Once you have those hard-won foundations everything else gradually starts to fall into place, it gets easier and more rewarding the further down the line you go. 
