Heart broken in Texas

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Desperatefurmom
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:07 pm

Heart broken in Texas

Post by Desperatefurmom »

Hello I am currently watching Victoria's TV show and have decided to reach out to anybody who might be able to help me! I have two the sweetest girls ever. I have a chug and a miniature pincher mix that everybody just adores. I started dating my boyfriend eight months ago and everything has been wonderful up until Christmas Eve. Thats when my boyfriend picked up Holly, my Pug Chihuahua mix. This seemed trigger what I can only describe as a flashback. She ran to the corner, was shaking wildly, she didn't appear to recognize any of us and she wet herself. Holly has never reacted in this way towards anybody and I have been with Nick every moment that he's been with Holly up to this point. I know that he's never been forceful or abusive towards her prior to this incident. Holly adored him! She always wanted to be right next to him whenever he came over. Now when ever Nick comes over she does what we call a commando walk. She walks on her belly and has her tail completely curled under her and pidles on the floor anytime he comes near. She won't even take treats from him. Not even sliced cheese which is like the best treat in the whole wide world according to my dogs. Well Thursday while I was at work I get a call from Nick he's very angry and yelling at me and it turns out that when he went to pet Holly she bit him. Well it was really more like a nip at his hand. This is SO uncharacteristic of Holly.I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose out on this great relationship that I have with my boyfriend, but I'm not willing to part with Holly either. She's one of the two furry loves of my life.
dontpugme
Posts: 1294
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:01 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Heart broken in Texas

Post by dontpugme »

Hi and welcome to the forum! If you haven't already, you should post in the Dog Training Advice section of the forum. You will get more help and support there. I would start with explaining to Nick that he needs to give Holly her space and teaching him to recognize her body language.
--dontpugme
Ari_RR
Posts: 2037
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:07 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Heart broken in Texas

Post by Ari_RR »

Hi there!
Positing under Dog Training Advice is a good idea.
In the meantime - ask (or tell) Nick to just stay as far away from Holly as he can. The closer he gets to her - the more stress he inflicts on her - the more difficult it will be to undo the damage once you figure out what triggers her reaction and how to deal with it.

His intentions may be good, to give her treats, or to pet her... But the timing is wrong. If she is scared of him, treats won't mean a damn thing. He needs to stay away.
Desperatefurmom
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:07 pm

Re: Heart broken in Texas

Post by Desperatefurmom »

Thanks for the quick responses! I will most def repost this in the dog training forum.
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