≛☣ General Chaos ☣≛ wrote:Hello, If anyone remembers the story about Pie and Prince, (the Pitbull that attacked the Papillon.)
I need a bit of help. At first Pie did amazing with other dogs; but it seems like her fear has gotten worse? If that makes sense. Right after the attack she acted normal, running around and playing with other dogs like normal. Now if she even sees a dog, even if its a mile away, she freaks out.
Ive been working with her but toys and treats cant take her focus off dogs even in her sights. She just screams like shes in pain when she sees another dog. Ive tried everything from squeaky toys, training treats, and chicken to try to get her focus on me and not the dog. I can even stick the chicken infront of her face and its like its not even there. I do the 'look at me' trick to try to get her to look at me to get the treat but she wont even look at me for a second.
Note: when I do this training I know the other dog, its under control and usually in a relaxed laying position on the other side of an open field. But she cant even handle that.
Is it just hopeless at this point to have her socialize with dogs again? Is there anything I can do?
What size is the other dog you're working with? If possible it might help to start out with dogs her size or smaller then work up to larger dogs.
The fact she won't take food and is getting that upset says to me she's over threshold. Can you take her further away from the other dog? Also you could try a few other behaviors beside just look at me, like a sit or even a little agility course. Or simply try parallel walking. Seeing the other dog moving but not paying attention to her (doing behaviors, agility, or just walking with it's attention on the owner) might help her better understand that the dog isn't interested in her.
Also treat wise have you tried peanut butter? Baby food? Duck? Canned sardines (packed in water) Steak? Carrots? Broccoli? Bannanas? Blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries? Whipped cream? Cheese? Unsalted un-buttered air popped popcorn? Shrimp? Crab? (be weary wish shellfish though as dogs can be allergic and too much can cause stomach upset) You may just have not found the right reward yet.
Make sure you're only upping one criteria at a time, for example if you intend to try and get an inch closer to the other dog make sure you're not doing this with a new dog that same session. If possible see if the other owner can lend/give you blanket with the dog's scent on it to introduce to your dog before they meet. Feed her meals/treats, give puzzle toys etc. on that blanket to help her assoicate the scent of the other dog with good things. Having already been exposed to the other dogs scent in a positive and non-threatening way may help calm her down.
Honestly at this point however I would recommend you look into, if you can, hiring a positive reinforcement based behaviorist and/or trainer to help you through this process. They may have access to other dogs as well as tips and tricks that I'm not aware of. Also having someone physically with you to help you out with Pie's handling may be of benefit. You might also want to talk to your vet. If she's developed PTSD from her previous experience you may need to consider putting her on some medication, at least temporarily, to calm her down so she is able to focus on training.
I wouldn't say it's hopeless to socialize her with other dogs, however you do need to be realistic about what she's been through and what she may be capable of going forward. Being attacked was clearly a traumatic experience for her and getting past that may take time, a lot of time. And she may never get to the point where she is 100% comfortable hanging out with other dogs. For a pet that shouldn't be too much of a problem and it should get to the point where it is manageable. However you may at some point have to consider that due to this experience she may now be unsuitable as a SD. I don't want to scare you, honestly I think it's too early to say and you both have a ways to go. Things could turn around and I wouldn't give up.
