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Author
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Topic: Scared Dog
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Doc
Junior Member
Member # 396
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posted December 07, 2003 05:07 AM
Seeing as I got helpfull/friendly advice about my toilet training I guess ill see if anyone can tell me how to solve a problem we have been having with our older dog ever since we got her and still havent been able to correct
I have a dog who is terrified of anyone new, even visitors we have around regularly it always goes the same way, as soon as she senses someone is there she growls, bares her teath, barks and runs runs up and down the fence like crazy, ok this is not such a problem except as soon as she realises that the person is going to come in anyway her tail is between her legs and shes of seeking out the nerest hiding place, if any visitor tries to talk to her she bares her teath at them or whimpers patheticaly and slinks away with her tail between her legs....
I belive she may have been beaten as a young pup because if anyone (even one of the family who she is usualy fine around, after much coxing) is holding something like a newspaper or a broom she becomes terrified of them and does whatever she can to get as far away from them as she can, so I asume she was hit with some kind of stick when she was younger because she has been this way ever since we got her and nomatter how much we try to introduce new people to her, generaly we tell people not to go to her but just sit down and see if she will come to them, she never goes up to anyone and will keep growling baring teath etc or just whipmer in a corner, once one of my friends was realy sick of having our dog scared of him he spend a couple of hours sitting down a little way off from her and eventualy she came up to him and even let him pat her but even if he comes over she still resoponds in the same way as before anyway.
Posts: 5 | Registered: Dec 2003
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punkytail
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Member # 381
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posted December 07, 2003 09:34 AM
Just work with your dog. It does sound like it has been abused. How old is your dog? It's real hard to see a pet that we love going through this.
We got a 7 month old Border Collie who was abused also, and we just kept working with him to get over being scared. This may sound silly, but keep telling your dog that k no one is going to bring any harm to you.
Let me know how your dog is doing.
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Darlene Brownlee
Posts: 28 | From: las vegas, nv | Registered: Nov 2003
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Doc
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Member # 396
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posted December 07, 2003 08:15 PM
She is a border collie crossed with a coolie and is about 5 years old
Posts: 5 | Registered: Dec 2003
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bearsmom
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Member # 405
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posted December 08, 2003 08:37 AM
Border collies are really in tune with people, so it doesn't take much to abuse one. When my dog was younger, I just had to raise my voice to him and he'd be slinking off into a corner like I'd beaten him with a stick. They're so smart, though, that it takes A LOT to get them to unlearn something.
How long have you had your dog? It could be that she's still learning that she's safe with you and doesn't need to worry about anybody hurting her anymore.
When people come over, you might want to leash your dog and have her sit/lay by your side. Never take your hand off her - pet her, scratch her ears, rub her tummy, whatever. That way, she might be more accepting of people because she's near you and you're loving on her.
Good luck!
Posts: 90 | From: Oregon | Registered: Dec 2003
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