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ROXY - GERMAN SHEPHERD |
ROXY'S owner contacted me, due to her 2 year old
GSD's complete nervousness around strangers which was affecting her quality of
life dramatically. Roxy lives in a large house with 6 other dogs and an
extended family. This family absolutely adore their dogs and in most respects
Roxy is a balanced member of that family. However, when out on walks, or when a
caller comes to the house Roxy is uncontrollably nervous and is a real risk of
being a fear-biter. 
Roxy's owner bought her as an 8 week old puppy from
what might be described as a back-street breeder.Roxy's owner was appalled at the conditions in which she had been reared. Whilst the father of the litter was approachable, the mother was chained up and appeared to be very aggressive and the breeder said she could not be approached. Well obviously, this was the time when the lady should have walked away and found a reputable breeder but this lady felt so bad at the thought of leaving the puppy in those conditions that she just had to buy her. The classic emotional heart-strings issue. And who are we to say she was wrong. Severely nervous dogs are in many ways, much more of a challenge than dominant, aggressive dogs. What little confidence they have in their lives is usually within the four walls of their home and any lack of sensitivity by the owner or a trainer in trying to push the dog into being more sociable, is almost certain to make matters worse. I was informed that this dog would not be in the same room as a stranger without taking flight. Obviously, if backed into a corner this sort of dog would almost certainly fear-bite. In assessing her, I had her brought into the room where my aim was to prove to her that I, a stranger to her, posed no threat to her or her family. Quietly, we commenced to build up her confidence by ignoring her pacing around the room. There was no aggression - her owners were absolutely amazed at that, and slowly but surely she started to calm down. Over a period of almost two hours, she relaxed and her body language changed from being tense and nervous - tail between the legs, ears pinned back, staring eyes. She became calm - no panting, soft eyes, ears pricked, no licking of lips, tail not withdrawn, but not yet submissive. This was far too early to push her at all. She took treats from a distance but was reluctant to take them from this stranger's hand. I knew this would be a long road to her rehabilitation, but felt confident we could drastically improve her life. We then conducted some lead-work in the lane outside, reproducing a chance encounter with myself. Initially, Roxy was very alarmed and nervous but again, gradually and calmly we were able to reduce the distance between us until her owner and I were able to walk along the country lane with Roxy trotting happily at her owner's side with me next to her. Whilst on the walk, purely by chance a jogger passed by. Normally this would have led to a major outbreak of nervous energy from Roxy but following our session she quietly sat in a farm gateway and watched inquisitively as the jogger ran past. This was a very encouraging start to the process of rehabilitating her, so that she can live a more normal life. "This was far more of a result than we ever expected on the very first day. Roxy would never normally be in the same room as a stranger without barking and snarling and hiding behind furniture. I was amazed when she watched the jogger run by without reacting at all. That was a first for her.This has been very encouraging, more than we could ever have hoped for."Karen and Emma. |