Has anyone trained a dog that has been brain damaged? I have a 10 month old who seems to have 'arrested' his development at about 16 weeks old! He is very biddable but forgets very easily. His recall is appalling as he is very easily distracted but I don't really want to confine him to a life on a lead (there are some places I can walk him safely off lead). Does anyone have any tips?
Bec
Oh to cap it all he may have hearing and sight difficulties too! Apart from that and his short hind leg he is an absolute joy and housetraining hasn't been a problem!

Bec,

What breed dog is it? Recall is something I would never trust most terriers to do with anything approaching reliability. It may not be mental slowness that is to blame at all. If he cannot see or hear well it could certainly be that he is not even aware you are recalling him. Have you tried working a recall with him at very short distances?

Stacey

Hi there Stacey he is a Boxer cross Terrier. My terriers, bar one, have very good recall (surprisingly) as does his father, the Boxer, and his brother, well sort of but all will come back once they are aware I have treats in my pocket! He responds to his name but nothing else seems to trigger with him. I'll try a short distance recall in the garden to start with and maybe find a tasty treat he likes and work on that me thinks!
Bec

Hi Bec, I know this may seem a silly question but how do you determine if a dog has brain damage.
I have two 9 month springers (litter brothers) one has severe retinal dysplasia and has very limited vision, his brother has been checked and is meant to be ok, however they both have very odd behaviour especially the one who is meant to be ok. When they are outside they just stand and stare for ages at the dirt then lunge at nothing getting very excited, this appears more noticable in the one who is meant to have good sight. We have been told that its probably behaviourable but I am not so sure I cant understand why both dogs are presenting with the same problem, surely its unusual for both to have the same behaviour problem. When we distract them however they are fine and work really well off lead with no sign of any problems, this only happens when they are just standing around doing nothing. Reading your post just got me wondering if they might also have some type of brain damage.

Red was born and raised by myself and it was just something I began to notice with him as he developed. He had a very traumatic birth which I think was how his leg became damaged and he may have been starved of oxygen at birth as he took about 15 minutes to pull his head free (he was born hind feet first). He stands with his head to one side a bit like you would imagine if he had had a stroke. He also 'weaves' his head from side to side when he becomes stressed.
Really it is just a feeling I get from him, hard to explain really!
I'm not really sure about your 2 boys. If it is behavioural then one could have learnt from the other. I don't know how you would distinguish behavioural, permanent brain damage or problems as a result of disease or disorder! Not much help, sorry!
Bec

Oh Bec, tough one.
I do know a dog with apparant brain damage, a Border Collie. She does display some worrying behaviour and is VERY difficult to train or predict. She cannot be let loose, she is too unpredictable, some dogs she attacks, some dogs she screams in terror at. She also sways her head and holds it uncharacteristically low. She is not house trained, can't remember commands, and even doesn't recognise food sometimes. Sounds terrible I know, but her owners deal with it, they love her. Good luck with Red.
Dawn.

I think I'll just have to give him a one to one training session every day and hope some of it sticks! Fortunately Red hasn't got a nasty bone in his body and loves everyone (part of his recall problem)
Bec

Hi Bec

You may be right about the brain damage. A friend of ours cat had kittens, one of which had a difficult birth. This kitten (which they kept) was shaky and held it's head slightly to one side. The vet said it had cerebal palsy caused by lack of oxygen at birth. It didn't live a very long life but it did live a very full life.

I think Dozer has a brain damage too. He always leans his head to one side when he walks or just stands there. I also think he only has the mentality of maybe a 6 month old pup. He too had a hard birth.

Cerebellar hypoplasia: Underdevelopment of the back part of the brain, characterized by lack of ballance.
That is just one defect that boston's can have, and Dozer seems to be like this with a lack of ballance. Also being deaf can cause a lack of ballance.

He does know sit and come very good. Stay well he is kinda getting there. He is house trained when Iam home,(he will ask at the door) but I would never trust him any longer then maybe an hour out of his kennel if I'm out. If I'm home I can trust him all day. He is also the pup with the prolapsed rectom. We love him very much and is our special need boston.

I just found that they need alot more attention and time when training.

ttfn :)