Settling in - is this how she will always be?

MrsElle

MrsElle

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As many of you know we got Rottie Elsie between Christmas and New Year, so she has been with us coming up for 6 months now.

She is fantastic, well behaved and rarely puts a paw wrong, although she has cost us a small fortune at the vets, who we are now on flashing headlights and waving when driving round, and on first name terms with!

Over the last few weeks she has started to yelp and scream for no other reason than we have stepped over her if she is laid in the hallway, or have accidently nudged her if she has been laid at our feet. I tripped over her in the dark the other day, hardly touched her but you would have though she had been battered. We don't even have to touch her, as I said, if we step over her she cowers and yelps. She cowers if we move quickly or jump up to answer the phone.

I took her with me when I went to do the horses yesterday, as I always do. Because they decided to have a mad five minutes and gallop around I got hold of Elsies scruff (had forgotten to put her collar on), and oh my, the noise! She cowoered down, she was screaming, no other word for it, and wouldn't shut up, even when I let go. Two neighbours came out of their houses to see what was happening she was screaming so loudly.

She isn't in any apparent pain, you can pat her, and touch her anywhere and she loves having a good firm rake with the solo rake (she is moulting like mad). She is booked in at the vets again next week to be spayed, have her manky teeth done and have a good old check up while she is under GA, but this yelping doesn't appear to be pain related, more mental.

We assume, from her actions when we move quickly, or if voices are raised on the TV that she has been in an unhealthy environment at some point. But why has she started reacting now, after 6 months? Was she 'locked in' for the last few months, and is now starting to emerge, personality wise and mentally?

Our hearts just break when this poor dog is cowering with a look of fear on her face, when we have done (and never would) raise a hand or voice to her :(

Has anyone had a dog behave like this, and have they settled and accepted that you wouldn't harm them? Or is she going to be like this forever?

Poor, poor Elsie :(
 
Treat her when you step over her? Dunno.

My youngsters cower if we loom over them and act fearfully, but I doubt the breeder treated them badly, he was soppy with them. I just think dogs are more fearful than others, even if generally confident otherwise.
 
My JRT has a habit of yelping when things 'almost' hurt her. She does it a lot when playing with bigger dogs. she will never let anyone step over her, if the phone rings she legs it out the room, if we drop the tv remote on the floor she will bolt upstairs, that kind of thing. She has, this winter, started to yelp and flinch violently whenever we do up the belly strap on her coat, even before it touches her.
We have no idea why she does this, I have had her since a puppy and I know the people who bred her. I know her parents well, and a few of her sisters, and all of them are fine.
She also acts like she's been beaten- if someone raises a hand quickly (eg to swat a fly buzzing round their head) she either flinches back like you're gonna hit her, or she'll have a good snarl and bark at the person, depending on who it is.
She started this behaviour at around 6 months old and its just grown- I have no idea why, she has never been hit or mistreated or anything of the sort. I guess its just one of those things. She is now 3 1/2 years old. Anyone that meets her assumes she is a rescue dog!!
 
Hmm, perhaps this is just how she is then, and that she never has been beaten, although she gives a good impression of an abused dog!

When we got her she used to be sick all the time, which the vet said was a stress related thing, as she has settled in the vomiting has practically stopped, while the yelping and screaming has increased!

I suppose there is nothing we can do about it if she has previously been beaten, we won't treat her any differently, but it would be nice if she could get to the point where she stops doing it.

She might just be a big drama queen :D
 
My dog squeals the place down when you almost stand on his foot, accidentally put your finger in his ear, or as my friend's dad did today, lightly pinch a bit of skin on his back to gauge his weight. You would have thought he was being killed.

He has not been abused, beaten etc, he has lived with me since 14 weeks and he is not a wimp, he can take correction and he is like a tiger in protection work. A very squeaky, noisy tiger but a tiger nonetheless :p
He is just a very vocal dog and a bit of a manipulator, he learned early on that if he squealed, I would initially stop doing whatever it was that he didn't like me doing. Now I just ignore it.
 
I think you get whimps and drama queens in some instances which is a good tactic to hault what you are doing, esp in shepherds I find the drama is unreal for such bit toughies:D as CC suggests, a bit of dramafied manipulation.
I think the rotti mentioned sounds submissive/a little timid, my rotti is a bit like this (not to that extreme) but she is submissive to me and the OH and anyone she knows for that matter, it could be she is very familiar with you now and is showing you her vunerable/submissive side unlike she would do around a stranger, if I scruffed mine she would die a thousand deaths and act like you where killing her, if you trip over her unlike a normal dog that would scramble out of the way she would squal like a gisse pig and think you where trying to kill her (yet she is fierce as hell) to a strangers eye:D if someone else tried to scruff her you may end up with no arm:D
My rotti does lack confidence in some aspects, and jumps ten feet high if someone else does or they trip up near her (she looks at them like they are weirdos) or if you drop something near her she scrambled so fast to get away, yet my akita for instance is more like a bomb proof horse, very confident, not phased and tough as old boots, scruff her and she will literally stand her ground or be dragged without a vocal uttered:D
I think she is just confident enough with you to show you her vunerable side and drop her guard, they are big softies at heart just trying to please, esp the bitches.
 
Think you are right Cayla, she is confident enough now to show us the 'real' her. Since we got her at the end of December she has, if anything, been a bit aloof and quiet. She is still quiet, likes to be with us all the time, but is definately more submissive than she was. She is aloof with strangers, very few warrant a wiggle of the stump, but is nicknamed 'Wiggles' by us - she never stops! Good to know she is relatively 'normal', thanks all for putting my mind at rest.

npage123, I don't really know, we are a very quiet household, don't think we have had any loud sudden noises since we got her, but she doesn't like shouting on the tv.
 
Whippets and greyhounds are world champions at this (at least mine are) Don't worry too much is my advice and just give her a bit of a cuddle if she gets stressed out over stuff.
 
my boy jumps out of his skin if you drop something in the kitchen or the like.

when i 1st played `boo` with him around the big tree (as i used to do with my old girl) he nearly poo`ed himself but loves it now.
 
Maybe it would help if you try and get her used to different noises, like clapping your hands loudly or stomping your feet as you walk along the house? You could have a play session with her - pretend you're a crazy person and want to play a silly game with her, to try and encourage her to get playful and excited whilst you're making all sorts of noises. Is it possible that she got scared that one time when you accidentally tripped over her, as there possibly could have been some loud noises at the time that it happened? And maybe she's now anticipating loud noises when she thinks you're going to stumble over her again, when in fact you're only going to touch her very lightly? (I agree that it won't be a good idea to give her affection when she's doing any unwanted/unbalanced behaviour, like being nervous or scared. It could potentially encourage her to repeat the unwanted behaviour in similiar situations in the future.)
 
Gosh no, I'm never nice to her when she is scared! That sounds wrong, but you know what I mean :D She was scared of cars when we got her, when she cowered away from them OH told her she was a good girl and it was alright and petted her. I told him that all he was doing was telling her she was a good girl for being scared, and once he realised that he stopped.

I guess time will tell if this is just her being a complete drama queen, or if she really is scared and will calm down in time. Thanks for all the thoughts and advice, it has given me food for thought and put my mind at rest somewhat :)
 
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