Calming reactivity in a puppy
Maisie is a beautiful, black Kelpie Collie cross puppy whom came to live with Richard and his family near Hereford, when she was 8 weeks old. She was born on a farm in the countryside and probably had no contact with the outside world during those early days. Her family managed to complete her vaccinations quite early, and she started to go out when she was 10 or so weeks old. Maybe Maisie’s mother was a nervous dog and passed her fears onto her pups, or maybe the outside world seemed all too much for Maisie. Either way, although she attended puppy classes, lives with another dog, meets people and enjoys regular walks, her reaction to dogs and strangers worsened quickly and by the time Richard contacted me when Maisie was 7 months old, she was snarling and barking at passing dogs, pulling on her lead and wanting to chase them. She is loving and friendly at home and gets on well with her older doggy housemate.
There are some breeds of dog which are less likely than others to be comfortable near strangers and other dogs as they grow up. Herding breeds are amongst these sensitive breeds. For these dogs, early, consistent and careful socialisation is a must to help them to learn to relax and enjoy social contact. The most important time for all dogs to learn about the world and everything they need to understand, is during approximately the first 4 to 5 months of life. After this time, they begin to worry about new experiences and we need to be more careful and slower with their education, to support them. Fortunately, it’s never too late to teach a dog socialisation skills and self-confidence and Maisie came along for a programme of sessions to help her and Richard to change the way she was feeling.
Maisie was terrified of me at our first meeting, as well as being suspicious of my dog, who carefully ignored her to show her she wasn’t a threat.
Richard worked consistently with Maisie to keep her safe, both at home and when out and about. He showed her that being near strangers wasn’t so bad, as long as she trusted him to keep her safe. Her focus on him became great to watch and she soon learned to look at dogs when he asked her to and then to look back at him for support, praise and for him to decide whether or not to move away.
She shared space with my dog as they both enjoyed sniffing and foraging in ACE Free Work and over time she showed less anxiety and only a little caution. At the end of the programme we took Maisie into Monmouth where she had to deal with cars, children, dogs and all sorts of unusual smells and sights. After a few minutes of adjustment, she focussed on Richard and started to relax, playing with toys and checking in when dogs and people were nearby. She even interacted with me and asked me to play with her toy.
With continuing practice, she will relax more and more with Richard’s support and I am so pleased that I was able to set them on the path to helping Maisie grow up to be a balanced and happy dog.
