Terrified Dog

[omaha_red]

i don't think even "mutt cutts" can help here

[Jocephus]

i don't think even "mutt cutts" can help here

footlong! who ordered the footlong?!

[Leroy]

That dog went after her like she was made out of ham.

[heyzeus]

Cocker spaniels are notoriously daft and flighty. My grampa had two of them, and they were among the cutest and dumbest dogs I've ever been around.

One of them loved to play fetch with a tennis ball. But one of the hallways in the house had a floor to ceiling mirror. If you threw the ball down that hallway, the dog would run to get the ball, then see his reflection, and go absolutely nuts with barking and terror.

Every time. For years.

[Tambourine Man]

Thanks for the advice all. I'll try some of this stuff out, but I honestly don't have a good feeling that she'll ever trust me. She trembles the entire time I'm present.

Spider John, the other dogs are a Westie and a King Charles Spaniel, so they're a bit smaller than the freak dog. They sprint around like maniacs when I'm around and couldn't be happier to see me. I'm always on the ground playing with them and freak dog still wants nothing more than to get as far away as possible from me.

[StatmanCrothers]

have you tried meeting the dog on neutral territory? some dogs are very territorial and someone they'll wag to and happily meet out on the walk, they'll go crazy barking and growling at on their home territory. Once they get to know you, it will be no big deal.

Also, at our house we would nearly always exit and enter through the back door, which was closest to the garage. Strangers such as delivery men, mail man, etc. would always come to the front door.

We quickly learned that any one visiting us, we'd have them come around and enter through the
"family" back door entrance, not the "interloper" front door entrance. This made a big difference to Nadine.

[Tambourine Man]

The neutral territiory thing is interesting, but she doesn't react to anyone else that way, including my brother-in-law who's much more imposing than I. We tried letting her hear my voice before she sees me so it's not startling when I walk inside and it doesn't help at all. My voice is enough to make her run and hide behind the lounge chair and start the barking and growling bit.

[Radbird]

The neutral territory thing is interesting, but it does seem like this dog associates you with a bad someone/thing from her past more than she is defending her turf. Would she let you take her on a walk?

[Tambourine Man]

Would she let you take her on a walk?

Not alone. I could suggest to my dad that we take a walk together, but I think she'd just seize up and stop walking. If he's got her out in the yard on a leash, she watches me the whole time and pulls in the direction away from me.

[docellis]

I think that I am less mature than a dog because I would feel so insulted by the dog's behavior that I would refuse to try to get the dog to like me.