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so my dog, clover, is about 1yo, a rescue and some sort of mix of breeds. He is super dog friendly, likes kids (will whine to greet them, but not as much as with dogs) and usually likes women, but very reserved with men. I have had him for a little over 2 mos. I believe he must have been abused in his past, of course I don’t know, but he has flinched (better put has flying across the room/yard) from feet and hands when tossing something over-hand. He has separation anxiety…I can’t leave the room without him getting upset. I have been dealing with all of these things, slowly, by training and a lot of socialization. People who met him during his first weeks with me are now astounded by how much more secure he seems. I am very lucky to know people who are willing to take the time to care about him in his insecurities…I have tried to make interactions with people positive for him and most people are so happy to help out with the rescue effort.
Last night, I think I probably pushed him a bit to hard with the socialization. I have taken him to the beach and to outdoor concerts, places where there are people and noises. He has so far done amazingly well and seems to enjoy the outings. He will most often lay next to me on my blanket, with a chewie or play with other dogs and he greets people, doesn’t show signs of distress. Last night I decided to take him with me to a friend’s b-day party. We bar-b-qued outside, then moved into the house to play some card games. Clover was very well behaved, watchful, but stayed on the towel I brought for him to lie on, and seemed happy to accept petting from people that he had only just met. He even tried to follow my friend's bf around playfully. He did do a warning bark and growl when new people showed up, but stopped when I said “it’s okay” “enough” (i'm trying these as cues to stop barking). Then he greeted the new comers when I told him the cue for that “say hi”. When we went inside the boys started playing with a balance board (a wooden board on a cylinder that you have to stand on) clover was really upset by this. I think it was a combo of the noise that the board made and the movement that was threatening to him. We took some time to let him sniff the board and the boys, he calmed down, but began to bark and even growl a bit when they tried again so we put the board away (there was already a lot going on for him) by this time most of the people had left. I stayed and chatted for a bit more then realized that I had stayed very late and left. I think this was a bit much for poor clover, he is used to going to bed on time, and I know I shouldn’t have stayed so long….it was really out of routine. Any thoughts on this?
The part I really need advice about happened today and I think is in part to do with Clover being pushed too hard last night. My roommate and Clover have been having a hard time getting to know one another. She has a very different schedule than I do, and doesn’t get to spend much time with him. There has been marked improvement, and Clover now greets her and walks up to her for petting and things like that. Before, he would hide from her and bark when she came home from work, and he wouldn’t approach her without a lot of encouragement. Today, I followed my usual routine of feeding the dog (he is outside during the day) and then leaving for work. My roommate gets up later than I do. For some reason, she opened the back door (she goes in and out of the back yard when Clover is back there, we were hoping to sort of get him used to her this way) and the dog ran into the house. He wouldn’t respond when she told him “out” and when she reached for his collar he growled and snapped at her then ran into his kennel, in my bedroom. She closed my bedroom door to avoid any further issues and called me then left for work. When I went home, Clover didn’t seem to be in distress. My assessment of the situation, based on what my roommate told me, is that Clover’s response was a fear response and not aggressive. I am open to the possibility though that he simply doesn’t see her as any sort of leader and that he simply had decided to be in the house (again this is out of character because he is so much more anxious when left in the house, he barks his head off and shreds things…we are working on it though). Either way, my “plan” is the same. I would like to have my roommate participate in some of Clover’s training sessions focusing on the cues for “in” and “out” of the house, and practice walking him with myself and my sister (Clover gets along well with her). I am hoping this will help him to see her as a leader and to trust her more. I do not want to do anything that will push him or her into a bad situation, but I also want to deal with this ASAP to avoid a recurrence.
Dog | Forum | Rocks!
Last night, I think I probably pushed him a bit to hard with the socialization. I have taken him to the beach and to outdoor concerts, places where there are people and noises. He has so far done amazingly well and seems to enjoy the outings. He will most often lay next to me on my blanket, with a chewie or play with other dogs and he greets people, doesn’t show signs of distress. Last night I decided to take him with me to a friend’s b-day party. We bar-b-qued outside, then moved into the house to play some card games. Clover was very well behaved, watchful, but stayed on the towel I brought for him to lie on, and seemed happy to accept petting from people that he had only just met. He even tried to follow my friend's bf around playfully. He did do a warning bark and growl when new people showed up, but stopped when I said “it’s okay” “enough” (i'm trying these as cues to stop barking). Then he greeted the new comers when I told him the cue for that “say hi”. When we went inside the boys started playing with a balance board (a wooden board on a cylinder that you have to stand on) clover was really upset by this. I think it was a combo of the noise that the board made and the movement that was threatening to him. We took some time to let him sniff the board and the boys, he calmed down, but began to bark and even growl a bit when they tried again so we put the board away (there was already a lot going on for him) by this time most of the people had left. I stayed and chatted for a bit more then realized that I had stayed very late and left. I think this was a bit much for poor clover, he is used to going to bed on time, and I know I shouldn’t have stayed so long….it was really out of routine. Any thoughts on this?
The part I really need advice about happened today and I think is in part to do with Clover being pushed too hard last night. My roommate and Clover have been having a hard time getting to know one another. She has a very different schedule than I do, and doesn’t get to spend much time with him. There has been marked improvement, and Clover now greets her and walks up to her for petting and things like that. Before, he would hide from her and bark when she came home from work, and he wouldn’t approach her without a lot of encouragement. Today, I followed my usual routine of feeding the dog (he is outside during the day) and then leaving for work. My roommate gets up later than I do. For some reason, she opened the back door (she goes in and out of the back yard when Clover is back there, we were hoping to sort of get him used to her this way) and the dog ran into the house. He wouldn’t respond when she told him “out” and when she reached for his collar he growled and snapped at her then ran into his kennel, in my bedroom. She closed my bedroom door to avoid any further issues and called me then left for work. When I went home, Clover didn’t seem to be in distress. My assessment of the situation, based on what my roommate told me, is that Clover’s response was a fear response and not aggressive. I am open to the possibility though that he simply doesn’t see her as any sort of leader and that he simply had decided to be in the house (again this is out of character because he is so much more anxious when left in the house, he barks his head off and shreds things…we are working on it though). Either way, my “plan” is the same. I would like to have my roommate participate in some of Clover’s training sessions focusing on the cues for “in” and “out” of the house, and practice walking him with myself and my sister (Clover gets along well with her). I am hoping this will help him to see her as a leader and to trust her more. I do not want to do anything that will push him or her into a bad situation, but I also want to deal with this ASAP to avoid a recurrence.
Dog | Forum | Rocks!