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Topic Dog Boards / General / Can anyone Help! Dog reacting after being attacked
- By peppe [gb] Date 15.03.15 17:51 UTC
Ever since one of my aussies was attacked by a malamute last year if he sees one or a husky especially if it stares at him he reacts and growls at it. Unfortunately where we walk in the evening there is a man who walks 2 husky's and one of them always lunges out at him growling and he reacts back I have tried changes times but still seem to bump into him. I have tried if I have a chance walking down a side turning until he has gone passed. Tonight I held back hoping he would just turn into a path leading off where we were walking until I walked passed but no he just walks passed with the dog threatening you cannot talk to him and it make walking not an enjoyable time. He gets on with all the other dogs we meet especially small one.
- By JoStockbridge [ie] Date 15.03.15 18:45 UTC Upvotes 1
Ever since one of my aussies was attacked by a malamute last year if he sees one or a husky especially if it stares at him he reacts and growls at it.

I'd work on building good experances around friendly mal and husky types to teach your dog that there is no need to react to being around them. I'd either find a ringcraft/training/sports class that has one of those types of dogs attending and work your dog at a distance he is happy with at first then work on slowly getting closer. Distraction, plenty of praise and treats and give him something to think about. If you can't find a class maby find an owner locally with a friendly well behaved one that you could do some training with on a walk.

Unfortunately where we walk in the evening there is a man who walks 2 husky's and one of them always lunges out at him growling and he reacts back I have tried changes times but still seem to bump into him.

I'd work on teaching your boy to watch you on comarned so you can use it if changing direction is not possible for some reason. when you see them approaching move away as much as possible and have your boy watch you, if he has a fav toy you can try that to distract him or  a big treat he can chew on to keep him distracted. Again Distraction, plenty of praise and treats and give him something to think about.
- By Carrington Date 16.03.15 14:35 UTC
I think you have a hard one to beat here.........

Your dog has already been attacked by a Malamute, so you're not going to fool him into thinking that ignoring a reactive dog or re-focusing on yourself, or training will stop him from being worried of another attack.

The deed is done, he knows that dogs threats can be and are real now.

If you were never to meet this aggressive, lunging Husky, you may very well re-integrate his thoughts on other dogs not being a threat.........but nothing will work whilst he is constantly meeting this dog, his only option is to stand up for himself, wouldn't you do the same, fight or flight? He doesn't wish to be attacked again.

Your only job now is to keep him away from this dog, if you are to have any hope of helping him to not react anymore, before he becomes fear aggressive, well.........I guess he already is.......

When I was training my brothers GSD's, some dogs would happily have attacked them, during adolescence. I used an umbrella to spread in front of them, when such dogs came close, the dogs were never once attacked or sewn a seed of fear, once adults they used their own body language at such dogs, and they are never approached in such a way now, but it is so important to not allow a dog to attack your own.

If your walks absolutely cannot avoid this dog (but I would try really hard to do that) then I guess you could also try the umbrella trick to avoid eye and body contact between them, and then continue to do as Jo advised above with continued training to help with other large dogs he approaches.

Good luck..... hope you can sort this out, some people just don't care do they. :sad:
- By Hethspaw [gb] Date 16.03.15 17:09 UTC
he just walks passed with the dog threatening you cannot talk to him............

Those sort of guys cannot be dealt with at all.....you will simply have to find/work out the best ways for you & your dog to exercise in the environments you have available without conflict.
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- By Nikita [gb] Date 16.03.15 17:31 UTC
Change route if you can to avoid him or drive to walks.  I have to do the latter for my reactive girls - Willow is okay street walking but Ren finds it too stressful, since the first street walk she did, we bumped into a woman and her westie!  So we drive to the field nearby for our walks.  I was considering starting to work on it with her but since next door have a doodley thing that has the run  of front and back when they let it out (front gates closed but still), and the next house along now has an elderly ambull, and the house the other side of me has an ambull X who has escaped several times, it simply isn't worth the risk.

Much less stressful to drive, and FAR more room for maneuvre at the field if we do see other dogs.
- By peppe [gb] Date 16.03.15 19:44 UTC
Thanks for all your help and advice.  I wish I could move as we are loosing so much of our open ground near us as the council is just building everywhere and because of it being so built up now there are so many dogs around and it doesn't help having a Dogs Trust open up near us as they are re homing dogs with problems with no follow up and some of the people taking them on have no idea. I feel what I will have to do is if I see him coming towards me is to turn around and walk a different way until he passes.
- By Lacy Date 16.03.15 20:00 UTC Upvotes 2
Something I also found very helpful, was training classes, not suggesting that he needs it but ours found it somewhere where he could regain confidence where other dogs were under control! Also good fun.
- By Brainless [gb] Date 17.03.15 11:05 UTC Upvotes 1
On the rebuilding his confidence around other dogs front, getting to a ringcraft class may also be of benefit, they are more likely to a have a wider range of breed types and the emphasis is different. 

It's about the dog being happy to be handled and waiting for their turn, which means settled watching, and interacting with other dogs and people if both agree.
- By tinar Date 17.03.15 13:52 UTC Upvotes 1

> On the rebuilding his confidence around other dogs front, getting to a ringcraft class may also be of benefit


Absolutely agree. My dog had a bad experience where he was attacked at a vet run puppy socialisation class and then a week later on a walk where two adult westies went for him. I took him to ringcraft classes, even though he couldn't be shown I continued because he gained confidence around other dogs there of varying breeds and ages. It worked wonders and have had no problems with him since, and in turn he taught the same self-confidence and calmness around other dogs to my girl when she was a puppy. Ringcraft classes are a GREAT way to have your dog able to be calm and confident around dogs.
- By peppe [gb] Date 17.03.15 14:52 UTC Upvotes 1
That's an idea. The ringcraft I might go back to that.
- By biffsmum [gb] Date 17.03.15 16:31 UTC
Personally I would not be happy if someone used ringcraft classes as a way of getting their dog over a dog attack! I'm there with my puppy to learn about showing, how to behave in the ring and learn to sit quietly while waiting to be gone over by the instructor. I don't want my puppy traumatised by a dog that has been attacked and will probably be on the defensive in an indoor environment.
You are better finding a suitably qualified dog trainer and have some one to one lessons and then join an appropriate group session.
Topic Dog Boards / General / Can anyone Help! Dog reacting after being attacked

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