Stooge Dog/very passive non reactive needed please?

SaharaS

SaharaS

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Hello...just wondered if anyone on here has a safe & sensible stooge dog that is very passive & non reactive who might be able to occasionally, even short term, help me re integrate my dog into doggy society GENTLY and very carefully, distance parallel walking at first & both dogs under full control at all times.....bit nervous about posting this, but my boy is very much in need of very gentle socializing.....girls preferably (owners & dogs!)....just testing the waters to see if anyone can help:-)
 
piebaldsparkle said:
Probably best to give a rough idea of area
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oops....sorry I was thinking it!:o Somerset/Dorset/Wilts borders ish kind of areas...kind of Shepton Mallet to Wincanton would be my immediate easily local area...as is stourhead etc... though would travel a further weather times daylight etc depending
 
CAYLA said:
I have like 9:p but you are a bit far for me to travel too....it would take me 5 hours to get there:D:p
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oh....;-( not even for cake?and tuna cake for the fur nannies? I'm occasionally in west Sussex too visiting mum if that helps anyone.......for dog walk I mean, not just cakes!:D
Never mind Piebaldsparkle , the thought was there...;-( if my house sells before i find a fur friend for him I'll have to re post before i pick my new area!!!or before he thinks he;s a sheep (friends with my ram & wether-ewes are getting better but they are protecting the lambs as they boing up & have trouble stopping in time...but I swear he'll start bleeting soon!)

Anyone else? :D
 
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If nothing better came up, I'm not that many miles from you - well, about 20 probably - 4 miles south of Bath. Have two dogs, one which yours would NOT want to meet, but one slightly sour old spinster of 13 (GSD X whippet). She will give an initial bark, but is usually too concerned with doing her own thing to bother much with anybody else. What you really need is a sunny-tempered elderly Lab lady??

Anyway, if nothing better comes up, do PM me (after Christmas!!). I also can recommend a lovely dog-training group based at Dunkerton and Radstock.My last 5 dogs (rescues all) have been to their classes at one time or another, and socialising has been a high priority.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Im in Somerset, have a couple of big dogs, tell me about your dog age,breed,sex and the problem you have.
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Hello sorry for the delay...he's a 2yr old male Berger Suisse Blanc (Swiss White Shepherd) he came to me as a foster who I promptly adopted. Came with massive issues and terrified of new people and so socializing has been very difficult as dogs tend to have people attached.. made worse by 3 separate dogs over a week running into our yard loose & going for him(black lab, brown lab, miniature dachshund black & tan) AND my stupid next door neighbour goading their dog (weimaraner bitch) to attack him thru the garden fence,we've got over the fear of garden & he can now go out alone after getting a solicitor involved & extra fencing put up, he was so scared he would fall over & shake for half an hour after. He is now reactive particularly in his safe zone(my truck) basically he's very much a friend for life once he's braved making the first move..before this he barks & backs off/shakes/sometimes gets so upset he has a number 2 accident. He has had good people & dog experiences with me before the attacks that added to his past(which luckily for me I have a very detailed account of too long for here!) but his barks are now different & its almost like he wants to let the dogs know he's in the car'look I'm here' kind...I think now is the time he is ready to start socializing by doing some very controlled distant paralell walking which would gradually increase to close walking & hopefully making a friend.I have to be completely able to trust the other person & dog tho, as i'm sure you'll understand!He's very upset with human eyecontact unless he braves the first move so won't be a quick fix, tho some people are very easy to make friends with him so we may be lucky!He is a guardian breed tho not used or trained as a guard dog, but for this reason i HAVE to be very careful about how its done. He also came with a massive fears and separation anxiety & has been hit & treated roughly but is the most devoted loyal gentle dog you could ever wish to meet, i just really want him to be able to be a dog & I think he's ready now...
 
Has he been to a good training club that has knowledge of GSDs and their quirks? He is essentially a white GSD, they originated from purposefully breeding whites to whites and the breed was only recognised by the FCI about ten years ago (don't think the KC recognise them yet but stand to be corrected) :).
Steve Havers in Leicester is very good.
I recommend a training class as I found out to my advantage, that you don't have to go through these things on your own :)
 
CaveCanem said:
Has he been to a good training club that has knowledge of GSDs and their quirks? He is essentially a white GSD, they originated from purposefully breeding whites to whites and the breed was only recognised by the FCI about ten years ago (don't think the KC recognise them yet but stand to be corrected) :).
Steve Havers in Leicester is very good.
I recommend a training class as I found out to my advantage, that you don't have to go through these things on your own :)
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Thats really kind of you and very glad to hear someone who understands the breed/relatives! No you quite right, not KC recognised but very popular in Switzerland/Europe/Aus & USA. I eventually want to go to a training class...but we need to get the fear of people/fear of new dogs/fear of new dogs because they have people attached senario then once he's more comfortable with that,we can start..sadly v far from leicester so would be virtually impossible with horses too.He's bark & reactive at the mo but its not naughtiness and not aggression but most the clubs I have approached don't tolerate barkers or shout at them (so wrong) he's doing very well with me in the school & my fields(very secure) we do positive reward training (ball & holistic treat based) and clicker training and scent work with some very carefully selected secluded walks to avoid other (esp loose) dogs-hard, but best safe hey!poor lad has been through so so much before he came to me & as i'm sure you'll know what a wonderful breed shepherds are and he deserves to be able to enjoy being a dog and to be fun like he is at home when he's totally relaxed.Currently working with him in a thundershirt and two point tellington touch harness..but too much stress (eyecontact from new people) causes different degrees of reaction-sometimes barky/shakey to number two accidents (instant)and fur loss in tufts(on the eve of the stress).vets have categorically refused to castrate him until he is more comfortable with life and have said this may be years off, which I totally agree with..don't want to trap him in this frame of mind..it will be long & hard work but worth every minute..:-) ( not obsessed in the slightest honest!):o
 
Wish you were closer to me, when dogs gob off at our club no one bats an eyelid, trainers or members, because most of us have been there already, it can be hard to find clubs that don't freak out the minute a dog doesn't behave in a perfect manner!
A good club will have dogs who you can road-test your own against without their owners tutting and dragging their dogs away :p

My older male is a stressyhead and used to lunge and gob off at other dogs, I use to see it as aggression and I am afraid I did correct him in order to break his fixation (however he did not break :p) but at the same time he is very insecure, likes to sit on my feet, lean on me and additionally I was passing my own apprehensions down the lead to him and making him feel even more defensive. It took one look at me from the trainer, very early on to see how many mistakes *I* was making.
I also used to keep him away from all other dogs but there came a time when that made it much worse and he had a lot of help from Colleen Miss Tom's dog on here :)
And things like standing in front of him (not panicking and reeling him in and sweating) and giving him the leadership and protection he was so desperately looking for, he used feel forced into the role of protector because I was weak and it put so, so much pressure on him, hard to believe it of the big grey lump but he is a bit of a wimp at heart and I am sorry I did not see it for so long.

He will never be 100% with all dogs and he gets very stressed and angry with rude dogs, he does not like my younger male at all, who is a very bolshy, in your face kinda guy and you can see it visibly stresses him to be near the pup so we don't force them to be together (we have the facilities to be able to cope with that)

Could his ball drive be built to the extent that he could focus on a ball, rather than the things which are stressing him? Not ideal but a bit more relaxing for him.
Has he ever actually had a go at another dog? Like properly? Or is it all noise and bluster? I know better to be safe than sorry, my dog has never had the opportunity to get into a full blown fight but any altercations he has had, have just been air-snapping and noise to get the other dog to go away and leave him alone.
 
Oh god, so sorry I haven't got back to your PM.

I'm still happy to help out. My pooch is a good calm girl and has been stooge dog before now. I'm also not that far from Stourhead, in fact I walk near there regually with my mothers dogs, who one is also a stooge type!

PM me and see what we can arrange.
 
MurphysMinder said:
No further advice to offer but just wanted to say it sounds like he is a lucky dog to have found you.:)
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Ah thank you:-) He came along to me to foster just after I lost my 15yr old rough collie in april, by june I was slightly more demented than I come across now:D I stepped in 12 hours before he was going to be pts as owners were going home overseas for a hol.they'd had him since 8wks old -he came to me at 18months.he'd been left 12 hours a day(massive separation anxiety/ptsd) had been hit/scared of movements/noise.had moved house with them 8 times and been on the run for a month injured after being hit by a car.I was lucky enough to do some investigating & find a behavioural therapist who tried to help him-the original owners had brought him up specially home cooked food...bl**dy curry & spag bol :-( When he arrived direct from the assessor who colelcted him from the owners, he looked terribly worried but seemed to feel so safe he pulled to come to me & depsite having met them before but not me, he looked very uncomfortable with them & pulled till he could sit down behind me & said he was home, not a bark or a worry, just wagged his tail & grinned! Poor boys stuck with me now!boyfriend is jealous & is in a perma sulk but we've come along way..from 4 hours to let him in the first time bf came, my boy now recognises his car and only barks at him if he comes in from smoking!;-) bf wondering if there is a rescue site for him & other bf's that are in a state of neglect following new 4 legged arrivals! I love your profile pic by the way :-)
 
Christmas Crackers said:
Oh god, so sorry I haven't got back to your PM.

I'm still happy to help out. My pooch is a good calm girl and has been stooge dog before now. I'm also not that far from Stourhead, in fact I walk near there regually with my mothers dogs, who one is also a stooge type!

PM me and see what we can arrange.
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Ah thank you...don't worry i've been hectic this week weather & general confusion among my horses after one finally sold on sat...( i think you may have commented on that thread of mine too!) all good now its just taking 4 hours longer to look after my 4 horses rather than my 5!(???)I will pm you :-)xx
 
CaveCanem said:
Wish you were closer to me, when dogs gob off at our club no one bats an eyelid, trainers or members, because most of us have been there already, it can be hard to find clubs that don't freak out the minute a dog doesn't behave in a perfect manner!
A good club will have dogs who you can road-test your own against without their owners tutting and dragging their dogs away :p

My older male is a stressyhead and used to lunge and gob off at other dogs, I use to see it as aggression and I am afraid I did correct him in order to break his fixation (however he did not break :p) but at the same time he is very insecure, likes to sit on my feet, lean on me and additionally I was passing my own apprehensions down the lead to him and making him feel even more defensive. It took one look at me from the trainer, very early on to see how many mistakes *I* was making.
I also used to keep him away from all other dogs but there came a time when that made it much worse and he had a lot of help from Colleen Miss Tom's dog on here :)
And things like standing in front of him (not panicking and reeling him in and sweating) and giving him the leadership and protection he was so desperately looking for, he used feel forced into the role of protector because I was weak and it put so, so much pressure on him, hard to believe it of the big grey lump but he is a bit of a wimp at heart and I am sorry I did not see it for so long.

He will never be 100% with all dogs and he gets very stressed and angry with rude dogs, he does not like my younger male at all, who is a very bolshy, in your face kinda guy and you can see it visibly stresses him to be near the pup so we don't force them to be together (we have the facilities to be able to cope with that)

Could his ball drive be built to the extent that he could focus on a ball, rather than the things which are stressing him? Not ideal but a bit more relaxing for him.
Has he ever actually had a go at another dog? Like properly? Or is it all noise and bluster? I know better to be safe than sorry, my dog has never had the opportunity to get into a full blown fight but any altercations he has had, have just been air-snapping and noise to get the other dog to go away and leave him alone.
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So much of your reply is very close to home!So many clubs really don't deserve to call them selves that when they just don't get it! I very much know the not panicking/reeling him in & sweating bit....its so so hard...so there is much sweating!I worry about the other owners stupidity alot of the time as they stare when you beg them not to, they try approach/let their dogs off /try touch him when you beg them not to..its so so hard. He's lungey & barkey but backs off -its not a frothing king of agressive bark, but most people don't differentiate & just presume. I have never allowed him in the position where he could contact with another dog to hurt or attack. when he's been attacked he twice was muzzled for safety(I have lambs & pygmy goats we'd just been with)& I'd not had yet taken it off as we were walking to my truck to do so with hands full.the times int he garden with next doors dog thru the fence, she was going ballistic like psycho baskerville hound with owners egging her on, he would be very barky & pull jedward hackle hair but shake & stress but back off..he's very ball orientated unless deer are about but often i think he's so far into protection mode it totally depends on the situation tho i do carry lots of distractions just incase..sometimes it difuses, sometimes not. I do feel semi to blame as he feels he has to be my guardian..I'm officially damaged goods so I know he knows when i have bad pain days and when its getting me down..and this I think has made him more guardy of me..even to the extent that when I'm having a bad day/night, he wakes hourly & checks on me!he even seems to know where i hurt & always tries to help me by licking better or by helping me do jobs.we literally are joint at the hip-two reasons- I find it safer & easier to walk him on a double ended lead tied round my waist...and also as his separation anxiety was to the extreme of post traumatic stress disorder so it has taken me from june till only a few weeks ago to be able to go to the little girls room on my own!Slowly but surely we'll get there!I'm very grateful you shared your experiences, I know it sounds silly, but so many people just don't understand..love horse & hound:):-) your profile sig thing is gorgeous btw...
 
Thanks :) the big grey one is the one I am on about, the other is his sister but we do not have her anymore, I went and got myself a fluffy black puppy :o

Keep us posted and I would love to see pics of your lad x
 
CaveCanem said:
Thanks :) the big grey one is the one I am on about, the other is his sister but we do not have her anymore, I went and got myself a fluffy black puppy :o

Keep us posted and I would love to see pics of your lad x
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Tuesday is the big day...so keep everything crossed!tonsils the lot! Nothing wrong with puppies...except not being able to have ALL of them!I don't think that will be any time soon tho!

I've just added some pics of the polar bear to my profile so you can see him! oh and before anyone asks...he cries if I wear my hat then pulls it off & runs off with it, so before my pompom got pulled off, I got him his own Scandinavian one that ties up under his chin.Problem solved! I am now allowed to wear my hat and he brings me his and his waterproof jacket if its raining!...I'm honestly not one for dressing dogs up unless it is practical..harness/thundershirt/rainproofs...& I definitely can't afford a Hermes Birkin big enough to carry him around in!...ofcourse if anyone from Hermes is reading this, Chanel or Louis Vuitton etc ...he would be more than happy to try them out for size & model them for you! White is the new black!:D:D:D
 
Oh bless him, looks like a dude :D
I used to frown upon putting coats on GSD but my young one is a house dog at night and it makes life a lot easier what with all the crap weather we've been having :p
Does he not tolerate a collar at all, I know harnesses are nice and all but sometimes when you need control the type of collar can be important, not yanking the neck off them but in terms of getting focus. A harness also leaves dogs more 'open' if that makes any sense and they can direct their neck and head towards the object of interest for good or ill, in a collar or head collar you can direct their head towards yo.
 
CaveCanem said:
Oh bless him, looks like a dude :D
I used to frown upon putting coats on GSD but my young one is a house dog at night and it makes life a lot easier what with all the crap weather we've been having :p
Does he not tolerate a collar at all, I know harnesses are nice and all but sometimes when you need control the type of collar can be important, not yanking the neck off them but in terms of getting focus. A harness also leaves dogs more 'open' if that makes any sense and they can direct their neck and head towards the object of interest for good or ill, in a collar or head collar you can direct their head towards yo.
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:D don't worry -he doesn't have a pink wardrobe!its only a thin rain proof with reflectors,though it has a removable fleece lining. I originally bought it for my pygmy goat but they sent the wrong size!When he first came he was pure white...then it rained & mud happened! Seriously though he was very hard to put & keep weight on as was previously fed by ex owners on crap(spag bol/curry etc) so is very picky eater, he now loves his holistic dry food but still chews every tiny bit one at a time!He also shivers if gets wet and it seems to do nothing but rain here...plus the keeping him clean side does help too, though i think he is toughening up a little-very gradually. He is not good walked in a collar as came with a scar on his neck/throat. I have not much strength due to my accident either but he settled beautifully in a harness-we now also have a balance harness from xtra dog which is waterproof and is useful for Tellington Touch training which will help when we start meeting other dogs but he walks beautifully in the two I have-its the difference between fingertip control & getting dragged & hanging onto random trees on a neck collar!I was given a choke by the rescue, obv only to stop him getting free should he panick & not to be used as a control or to choke check etc but he's a billion times better in his harness and a double end lead(two points attached if in new/scary situation at chest & on wither)I also have a dogmatic headcollar for him for walking in new dog situations or those where I need to know I have full head control....ie if deer are about!:rolleyes:
 
Yeah, not all dogs can cope with pressure around the neck or head either I suppose, I use a long-link choke/fursaver/whatever you want to call it :p on my boys, usually on the dead link so it acts just like a flat collar but I have the option of clipping the lead onto the live ring if I need more power steering.
 
CaveCanem said:
Yeah, not all dogs can cope with pressure around the neck or head either I suppose, I use a long-link choke/fursaver/whatever you want to call it :p on my boys, usually on the dead link so it acts just like a flat collar but I have the option of clipping the lead onto the live ring if I need more power steering.
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power steering..love it! I sometimes think I should just get short skis & set my leads up like reins...too many hills & trees tho i think esp if we meet someone/thing scary...or a gate!:D
 
Sarah, I am 22 miles from you if that is any help.

I have two that might be able to help you, my GSD bitch and a black Lab. Mind you, if you brought him here then he would meet the pack, all 13 of them!
All are very good at accepting a strange dog and usually just ignore them once sniffing is over.
 
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