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Hey guys, I could use some extra brain power on this one...
I have posted several times regarding my behavioral and health problems with my little girl (will be a year old, next week). After we moved to the city she has started to show increasingly more reactive behavior when on a leash as well as extremely anxious behavior. After $1000's in medical diagnostics we did find that she is totally deaf in one ear and there is a hypothesis that something may be going on in the other one, as well, but it does appear to be able to register sound, so who knows.
Anyhow, We believe that this could have a huge effect on her behavioral changes. It is very loud in our new house and since she has no ability to locate where sound is coming from, it is understandable that this would frighten her. We have started her on Clomipramine in a hope that It may lower her threshold for panic, but that will take time to build up in her system and show any effect.
In the meantime, I have been working with her about 2-3 hours a day (split up) by going for walks around the neighborhood, down town, petsmart/petco, etc and using click for look followed by a treat or game with a toy for really high value reward ( for about 2 months, so far). Some days I swear we have made excellent progress, other days I just come home and cry. I have also been trying to work in our yard. Unfortunately our yard butts right up to a very busy sidewalk and she has nearly gone over the fence a couple times at passers-by.
So here is my issue:
1. She has to be on leash to go outside because as much as a doubt she would actually bite someone, I cant take the chance of her flying over the fence and doing that, or running out into the busy traffic.
2. I feel it is reasonable for her to want to guard her house and bark, my other dog does it too, but he stops when I tell him to and runs back to me.
3. I feel like the barking and fence chasing that would occur, if she werent on a leash is self rewarding behavior. And in order for it to stop we need total extinction and I dont see how we can do that.
4. This is the only place I can take her to potty, but it is clearly well over her threshold for handling a passer-by
5. It takes all my strength to hold onto her leash and she is hurting me as she jumps and lunges at the end of the leash barking her brains out.
6. Since she is over her threshold, there is no getting her attention. I also question if she can even hear me when she is in the midst of a barking frenzy.
She is not aggressive and is fine with strangers when we aren't at home (strange dogs is another story) I guess my problem is, how do I deal with this? I cant exactly do a click for look after she has gone over the top. I have been removing her from the situation which really consists of using all my might to try and drag her back into the house, but this really doesn't seem like it is doing anything to help the situation. I have been trying to work on getting her really revved up with the flirt poll and then asking for a heel and sit, which works great with the flirt poll but isn't going to happen when she is going ballistic. My thought behind that was just to try and get her to switch from a crazy mindset to one where she is more focused on me and her job. I have absolutely no issue with her staring at the people, and might even be OK with the barking (for now) If I could just get her to stop lunging.
Does anyone else have any ideas how to approach this? I have had some people say that she is a Doberman and its her instinct to guard her home. That is fine, I just want an off switch or some illusion of control. I dont want to have to ice my shoulder every time she needs to go out to pee :screama:
I am also weary of giving corrections as I dont want to escalate the issue. I am positive this is coming from a place of fear since after the person is out of her sight she will spin and whine and pant as if she is having an anxiety attack. At this point, I will try and redirect that energy to something more "fun" like a game or some tricks, etc, and she will calm down. It just takes a bit longer for her to recover then a confident dog would.
I am also curious if anyone has used one of those vibrating collars with a deaf dog? I am a bit unclear as to whether they are meant as a punishment or strictly an attention getting device. Given her deafness I think 1/2 of our problem is she inst completely hearing me?
Thanks for your help. I am sure I am just not thinking this all through, completely. When its other peoples dogs it so easy to be clever in finding solutions but I turn into a bumbling idiot with my own dog. lol
I have posted several times regarding my behavioral and health problems with my little girl (will be a year old, next week). After we moved to the city she has started to show increasingly more reactive behavior when on a leash as well as extremely anxious behavior. After $1000's in medical diagnostics we did find that she is totally deaf in one ear and there is a hypothesis that something may be going on in the other one, as well, but it does appear to be able to register sound, so who knows.
Anyhow, We believe that this could have a huge effect on her behavioral changes. It is very loud in our new house and since she has no ability to locate where sound is coming from, it is understandable that this would frighten her. We have started her on Clomipramine in a hope that It may lower her threshold for panic, but that will take time to build up in her system and show any effect.
In the meantime, I have been working with her about 2-3 hours a day (split up) by going for walks around the neighborhood, down town, petsmart/petco, etc and using click for look followed by a treat or game with a toy for really high value reward ( for about 2 months, so far). Some days I swear we have made excellent progress, other days I just come home and cry. I have also been trying to work in our yard. Unfortunately our yard butts right up to a very busy sidewalk and she has nearly gone over the fence a couple times at passers-by.
So here is my issue:
1. She has to be on leash to go outside because as much as a doubt she would actually bite someone, I cant take the chance of her flying over the fence and doing that, or running out into the busy traffic.
2. I feel it is reasonable for her to want to guard her house and bark, my other dog does it too, but he stops when I tell him to and runs back to me.
3. I feel like the barking and fence chasing that would occur, if she werent on a leash is self rewarding behavior. And in order for it to stop we need total extinction and I dont see how we can do that.
4. This is the only place I can take her to potty, but it is clearly well over her threshold for handling a passer-by
5. It takes all my strength to hold onto her leash and she is hurting me as she jumps and lunges at the end of the leash barking her brains out.
6. Since she is over her threshold, there is no getting her attention. I also question if she can even hear me when she is in the midst of a barking frenzy.
She is not aggressive and is fine with strangers when we aren't at home (strange dogs is another story) I guess my problem is, how do I deal with this? I cant exactly do a click for look after she has gone over the top. I have been removing her from the situation which really consists of using all my might to try and drag her back into the house, but this really doesn't seem like it is doing anything to help the situation. I have been trying to work on getting her really revved up with the flirt poll and then asking for a heel and sit, which works great with the flirt poll but isn't going to happen when she is going ballistic. My thought behind that was just to try and get her to switch from a crazy mindset to one where she is more focused on me and her job. I have absolutely no issue with her staring at the people, and might even be OK with the barking (for now) If I could just get her to stop lunging.
Does anyone else have any ideas how to approach this? I have had some people say that she is a Doberman and its her instinct to guard her home. That is fine, I just want an off switch or some illusion of control. I dont want to have to ice my shoulder every time she needs to go out to pee :screama:
I am also weary of giving corrections as I dont want to escalate the issue. I am positive this is coming from a place of fear since after the person is out of her sight she will spin and whine and pant as if she is having an anxiety attack. At this point, I will try and redirect that energy to something more "fun" like a game or some tricks, etc, and she will calm down. It just takes a bit longer for her to recover then a confident dog would.
I am also curious if anyone has used one of those vibrating collars with a deaf dog? I am a bit unclear as to whether they are meant as a punishment or strictly an attention getting device. Given her deafness I think 1/2 of our problem is she inst completely hearing me?
Thanks for your help. I am sure I am just not thinking this all through, completely. When its other peoples dogs it so easy to be clever in finding solutions but I turn into a bumbling idiot with my own dog. lol