hi am new on here.thought it may be the best place to come for some urgent help.have been fostering a jrt cross(roughly 2 years old maybe) for a month he is newly castrated.nothing known about his past.he was happily with other dogs(as far as i know)and i walked him with another dog before i brought him home with no problem.he had one night in the home of the rescue with 8 dogs which i am wondering if something happened there...zbut since getting here he is now extremely dog reactive pulling growling etc.,
i dont know how to begin to cure this problem.especially if a dog runs up to him out of the blue as he is on his lead at all times on a walk because he has a very keen chase instinct.
he has a new home to go to in a couple of days and i dont want im to be returned to the rescue when he shows his new people how much he is aggressive to other dogs.i have told them about it the husband is planning to have him on a farm at work all day where there are other dogs running about.the mum of the family has a little girl and they will walk him and obviously come across other dogs.is there any advice initially to pass onto the new family and that i can start to work with for the next couple of days?
dog reactive foster
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: dog reactive foster
Castrating will lead to a drop in testosterone in male dogs which could result in a lack of confidence around other dogs now. As well as the fact that the surgery itself will take time to get over.
As well as a change in home, plus the experience with 8 other dogs, and it's no wonder he feels nervous and scared.
Others will have better advice than I can give, but hopefully (with the right management) this can be turned around.
As well as a change in home, plus the experience with 8 other dogs, and it's no wonder he feels nervous and scared.
Others will have better advice than I can give, but hopefully (with the right management) this can be turned around.
My Blog: www.terriertreks.wordpress.com/
Re: dog reactive foster
Yes bless him he has had a lot of changes in the past couple of months from being found as a stray going to the pound to be pts rescued from there brought to the rescue via another holding area being castrated then coming to me.I guess going to yet another home wont be that good for him either?but it is sorted now the people have met him and want him -i am unable to keep him because of unrelenting work/family commitments as i have toyed with the idea of him staying here permanently many a time.He is a Jekyll and Hyde character.He needs mammoth amounts of play and excercise to keep him busy.I cant give that to him as a permanent thing.
i am fostering him so he could be out of the rescue environment and also so i could see how he was with things such as the hoover washing machine visitors people on bikes horses children cats dogs sheep traffic all usual things he will come across.he has a very strong chase instinct i keep him on a long leash at all times outside.He has done well on all of the above bar the sheep he shows far too much interest in them.
He has a lot going for him and does learn most things..he doesnt bark when left he doesnt have seperation anxiety he will allow himself to be bathed rubbed clean with a towel brushed turned over on his back and picked up.he seems good with my grandsons aged 2 and a half to 8 as long as they dont crowd him he has had the odd spat with my cat but has learnt to leave her alone and she doesnt have any fear issues with him.its just this thing with dogs which was the last thing i expected him having been with dogs in the rescue.i havnt been told he has had a fight with any of them i can only guess as like i say he was fine the week before i had him here at home something big changed in a day or two.i am no expert in fact far from it but he deserves a forever home but i am worried his behaviour when he sees a dog will spoil that for him.When he has got past a dog and done the usual song and dance he nips my feet and shakes the lead.maybe frustration at not being able to get to the thing he wants to?
i could be totally wrong and his new family could be great with him and iron out this problem hopefully that will be the case.
Hopefully someone will come along and help me out.
i am fostering him so he could be out of the rescue environment and also so i could see how he was with things such as the hoover washing machine visitors people on bikes horses children cats dogs sheep traffic all usual things he will come across.he has a very strong chase instinct i keep him on a long leash at all times outside.He has done well on all of the above bar the sheep he shows far too much interest in them.
He has a lot going for him and does learn most things..he doesnt bark when left he doesnt have seperation anxiety he will allow himself to be bathed rubbed clean with a towel brushed turned over on his back and picked up.he seems good with my grandsons aged 2 and a half to 8 as long as they dont crowd him he has had the odd spat with my cat but has learnt to leave her alone and she doesnt have any fear issues with him.its just this thing with dogs which was the last thing i expected him having been with dogs in the rescue.i havnt been told he has had a fight with any of them i can only guess as like i say he was fine the week before i had him here at home something big changed in a day or two.i am no expert in fact far from it but he deserves a forever home but i am worried his behaviour when he sees a dog will spoil that for him.When he has got past a dog and done the usual song and dance he nips my feet and shakes the lead.maybe frustration at not being able to get to the thing he wants to?
i could be totally wrong and his new family could be great with him and iron out this problem hopefully that will be the case.
Hopefully someone will come along and help me out.
Re: dog reactive foster
Sorry this was missed.
Do you still have this dog in your care?
If not you could always suggest that the new owners come on here for advice on helping this little guy.
It is possible that being with so many dogs after such a rough time has left him feeling shaken and not sure how to deal with other dogs. Even if there was no big fight that doesn't mean he wasn't very frightened or feeling bullied.
Do you still have this dog in your care?
If not you could always suggest that the new owners come on here for advice on helping this little guy.
It is possible that being with so many dogs after such a rough time has left him feeling shaken and not sure how to deal with other dogs. Even if there was no big fight that doesn't mean he wasn't very frightened or feeling bullied.
Operant conditioning rocks but classical conditioning rules
Re: dog reactive foster
Well he is with me for today and going tomorrow.
He looks very much like the dog in your picture actually.He is an Irish stray saved from being pts.no history known.He is a gorgeous little chap when he wants to be.i would hate for him to be unhappy every time he comes across another dog.
He looks very much like the dog in your picture actually.He is an Irish stray saved from being pts.no history known.He is a gorgeous little chap when he wants to be.i would hate for him to be unhappy every time he comes across another dog.
Re: dog reactive foster
That's my girl in the pic, she's also an Irish rescue (well we're Irish 
) and is fearful and reactive. The good news is shes waaay better then she was when she came to me. 
Unfortunately you don't really have much time to work with him so the best thing you could do is strongly recommend that the new owners come here for some advice.
) and is fearful and reactive. The good news is shes waaay better then she was when she came to me. Unfortunately you don't really have much time to work with him so the best thing you could do is strongly recommend that the new owners come here for some advice.
Operant conditioning rocks but classical conditioning rules
Re: dog reactive foster
i am waiting for her to pick him up and feeling very sad.he has been with me 5 weeks and i was walking him for a week before that.bless him he is totally unaware that he is leaving here today.i hope hes going to love his new home and people.
so irish fosters are pretty similar then?no-one knows what they went through before if only they could talk.when i have a lifestyle that supports getting a dog of my own i would go for an irish dog again.they need a home so badly and to be shown love and positivity.they do come on in leaps and bounds.
how have you got your girl on since you first had her and how long have you had her for?
so irish fosters are pretty similar then?no-one knows what they went through before if only they could talk.when i have a lifestyle that supports getting a dog of my own i would go for an irish dog again.they need a home so badly and to be shown love and positivity.they do come on in leaps and bounds.
how have you got your girl on since you first had her and how long have you had her for?
Re: dog reactive foster
I've had her for nearly 2 years now.
Not all Irish dogs are the same but we just don't have a great record with treating animals right. A large number of our dogs have to be found homes in the U.K and Sweden, particulary the sight hounds, so theres always dogs in need of a loving home.
I will say that my own dog is very high energy and a huge amount of work. Don't get me wrong I did take her on knowing she had problems but I seriously underestimated the level of her fear. She was afraid of pretty much everything and made sure the whole world knew it by screaming at everything that moved or didn't. I was very unprepared and approached everything from the old skool way of training (lead jerks etc). I got nowhere with her, she was getting worse everyday and collapsing out of fear on the street.
I only came to positive methods about a year ago. Since then she has blossomed into a wonderful funny sweet girl. She's still lots of work and can be very reactive and fearful but she can now be in the same room when I do a small amount of house work with out hiding and shaking. I'm working on building trust between us as I totally destroyed it when she was first with me. We're now at the point where if she sees a scary plastic bag or tree stump she'll look and see how I feel about it and if I say it's ok she'll go past or have a sniff so we're getting there.
She can also see dogs at distance without reacting and has a few dogs she's happy to be around (though I'm starting to suspect it's really their people she wants to see).
She's learned to play with toys, how to do stuffed kongs and to eat hard food. She's very smart and at the moment I'm getting a lovely surprise almost daily as she shows what she understands (for example I said to her yesterday "come 'ere and I'll take your collar off" and she came over and presented me with her neck
)
Honey's currently conked out on the couch after spending 2 hours hunting pheasant, squirrel and rabbit in the graveyard (on a long line, she does have pretty good recall but not when she's hunting) but would be ready to go again if it was on offer.
Hopefully all goes well in this little guy's new home and if the new owners have any issues I'm sure if they come on here they will get some great advice on how to help him settle in.
Not all Irish dogs are the same but we just don't have a great record with treating animals right. A large number of our dogs have to be found homes in the U.K and Sweden, particulary the sight hounds, so theres always dogs in need of a loving home.
I will say that my own dog is very high energy and a huge amount of work. Don't get me wrong I did take her on knowing she had problems but I seriously underestimated the level of her fear. She was afraid of pretty much everything and made sure the whole world knew it by screaming at everything that moved or didn't. I was very unprepared and approached everything from the old skool way of training (lead jerks etc). I got nowhere with her, she was getting worse everyday and collapsing out of fear on the street.
I only came to positive methods about a year ago. Since then she has blossomed into a wonderful funny sweet girl. She's still lots of work and can be very reactive and fearful but she can now be in the same room when I do a small amount of house work with out hiding and shaking. I'm working on building trust between us as I totally destroyed it when she was first with me. We're now at the point where if she sees a scary plastic bag or tree stump she'll look and see how I feel about it and if I say it's ok she'll go past or have a sniff so we're getting there.
She can also see dogs at distance without reacting and has a few dogs she's happy to be around (though I'm starting to suspect it's really their people she wants to see).
She's learned to play with toys, how to do stuffed kongs and to eat hard food. She's very smart and at the moment I'm getting a lovely surprise almost daily as she shows what she understands (for example I said to her yesterday "come 'ere and I'll take your collar off" and she came over and presented me with her neck
)Honey's currently conked out on the couch after spending 2 hours hunting pheasant, squirrel and rabbit in the graveyard (on a long line, she does have pretty good recall but not when she's hunting) but would be ready to go again if it was on offer.
Hopefully all goes well in this little guy's new home and if the new owners have any issues I'm sure if they come on here they will get some great advice on how to help him settle in.
Operant conditioning rocks but classical conditioning rules
-
Dibbythedog
- Posts: 214
- Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:08 pm
- Location: Middlesex West London
Re: dog reactive foster
Well done for fostering a homelss dog. Good luck to the little fella and I hope all goes well in his new home.
I adopted Pip JRT about 18mths ago. He was saved from the pound and had some issues but has improved with postive reinforcement and is improving all the time.
alison
I adopted Pip JRT about 18mths ago. He was saved from the pound and had some issues but has improved with postive reinforcement and is improving all the time.
alison
Re: dog reactive foster
Good morning.Well he went to his new home yesterday and it was very sad for me but i need to get a life i am an adult after all!
Anyway the new lady has now come across little Jekyll and hydes other character when he came across a dog whilst walking this morning.so i have sent her the link for here and hopefully she will come on and find some help as otherwise he is such a sweet dog.
interesting there is a terrier on V.S me or the dog atm cat training him.This is one thing that took some work with my little man but he got it in the end and they were sat on the sofa every day my cat and little man.even kissed one day!so hopefully this dog thing will also be able to be sorted.thanks guys....
Anyway the new lady has now come across little Jekyll and hydes other character when he came across a dog whilst walking this morning.so i have sent her the link for here and hopefully she will come on and find some help as otherwise he is such a sweet dog.
interesting there is a terrier on V.S me or the dog atm cat training him.This is one thing that took some work with my little man but he got it in the end and they were sat on the sofa every day my cat and little man.even kissed one day!so hopefully this dog thing will also be able to be sorted.thanks guys....
Re: dog reactive foster
sadly this hasnt worked out as the dog thing has become too much for the new people and they are now looking to send him back to the rescue.i cant have him back much as i would love to because i have personal circumstances preventing me from doing so,what chance is there for this little man?can anyone please advise?
Re: dog reactive foster
Every chance if the right work is done with him and expectations stay realistic, because a terrier can only ever be a terrier.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Re: dog reactive foster
I feel helpless because i cant have him here any longer but its not up to me its the rescue and sadly they dont seem to find the right homes for the dogs always so i guess he will go from home to home or worse.this is such a bad situation and i feel so frustrated about the whole thing. 
Re: dog reactive foster
I think this is always going to be the downside of animal rescue - sometimes you are powerless to do anything about a heartbreaking situation. Many people simply wouldn't be able to do the job because it can be so upsetting, particularly when previous abuse is involved. Kudos to you for doing everything you can for the dogs in your care even if sometimes it feels as if it just isn't enough.dog2 wrote:I feel helpless because i cant have him here any longer but its not up to me its the rescue and sadly they dont seem to find the right homes for the dogs always so i guess he will go from home to home or worse.this is such a bad situation and i feel so frustrated about the whole thing.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Re: dog reactive foster
I have been scouring online and found a terrier website which is plain and simple and even made it sound as if i could do this.but can you tell me how much time a jrt needs excercising a day?i would have the mornings wednesday- to sunday(have to work lunchtimes) and the afternoons every day except tuesday(have to work evenings)...i babysit my grandson 2-3 times a week in the day as well and get asked to do a fair bit by my other kids.but then i work lunchtimes and evenings 5 days a week.i never get a break from this routine but would fit the dog in if i could.i had walked him twice a day an hour at a time once morning before work and once afternoon before work but is that enough?if it is i would be in with a chance of having him here.also what do you think of muzzling a dog reactive jrt?and having him on a long retractable lead..i do have a bad back and was up for an operation 2 years ago and having the dog on the lead has caused me considerable back pain but is a retractable lead less likely to pull my back(i had about 10ft of lead before when he was here and it was really causing me back problems).i want to make this work but cant in all honesty have him back if it means he will have to then be passed on again.i also cant have all my day being taken up with him.he will have to meet me halfway timewise but it seems better than him having no life at all.after all you see little old ladies with jrts how do they manage?
