My Dog See's Stranger Danger

Daisy and I after a great trail run!

My dog Daisy is one of three dogs I have.  She is very fit, loves to run, learned to like swimming and is such a love bug.  Since I got her from the shelter 4 years ago I have had various behavior problems with her.  I have tried to manage them for 4 years with zero luck.  I knew she didn't need a dog trainer because she knows basic commands and is very smart.  Her problem is aggression with other people and dogs.  It has gotten worse not better over the years.  I realized I needed some professional help. I contacted Crista Coppola a dog behaviorist.  

Daisy barks aggressively at people when they enter the house.  She paces while they are here rarely ever getting comfortable with anyone other than me.  Crista was immediately aware that Daisy was a frightened dog.   She likely learned this behavior when she was young and in the shelter.  When I first got her and she would meet people she would squat and pee.  She realized barking at them rather than peeing become more efficient at keeping them away.  Crista suggested I be in control of every greeting that Daisy encounters.  They must be controlled and only what Daisy can tolerate.  She will never be a perfect dog but we can now hopefully manage her interactions with people.  I will follow the guidelines outlined by Crista and hopefully Daisy's life will be less stressful. 

She suggested a few things:

• Crate train all of my dogs.  When people come in the house introduce Daisy very slowly.  Keeping her in the crate have the guest (stranger) throw Daisy treats.  No sudden movements when she is around.  Feed them in their crate because Daisy is protective over her food.  
• Walk or run Daisy alone so I can manage any potential problems better. Daisy does not like bikes, people running, skateboards.  When I see these coming have treats ready to give her as the potential stranger goes by.  
• She seems slightly nervous when my boyfriend talks and she said he needs to talk to her in a FUN way.  He also will be playing her favorite game with her when he comes home.  She loves tug-o-war.  The other dogs will be separate from her when she plays with him. 
• When I take her to run groups with other people around I will provide them with treats to throw her way.  This will be a good feeling when she encounters strangers however they will not approach her as she is worse when on leash.  We just want to present good feeling on leash.

These are the few things we are going to start with.  I am ready to start right away.  I love my dogs like a mother would love their kids. I wish she was a normal dog and loved people because she has such a sweet personality with me.  This is how she is and I will manage it for the rest of her long life!

Daisy at Dog Diving!  She is a great swimmer!

Teaching your mutt to love the water

Can you believe she didn't like the water!

My dog Daisy (one of my 3 of my dogs) did not always love the water.  When I first got her she was scarred of many things including water.  She even walked around puddles on our walks.  My other Dog Tigger a lab mix is your typical water dog.  When boarding them one time I decided to pay the $30 extra for pool time.  I thought maybe a professional could work with Daisy and get her in the pool. It was not going to happen. They said she was terrified of the water.  I never forced her into the water but when I would take Tigger to the lake I brought her along.  I got her a life jacket and thought I would let her do what she wanted.  I would stay on the beach and throw the ball for Tigger and he would run into the water and fetch the ball. She would stand at the shore and watch him fetch the ball from the water. She would greet him back to shore with enthusiasm.  She eventually would run into the water when welcoming him back to shore but only into a few inches of water. I still found this exciting  because it was progress.  Then I would go into the water a little deeper and she would follow.  Finally she was up to her chest and she wasn't nervous or scared.  She was having fun and actually fetching the ball in the shallow water.  Then it happened; she went out far enough she couldn't touch.  She immediately went back to where she could feel the bottom of the lake.  I  could tell she wanted to follow Tigger but wasn't really sure what to do. I put the leash on her and lead her out to where she could barely touch. I threw the ball for her and Tigger and kept leading her by the leash.  It finally happened she was actually swimming!  She got the ball and we went back to shore.  I was so happy and could tell she was having a great time.  She got to a point where she would do it by herself. 

A few years later I heard about a group called Vegas Dock Dogs. I originally thought about this for my lab mix Tigger. I thought he would be perfect for this.  I took him and he was a natural from the start jumping 14-15 feet on his first session.  I thought I had a champion on my hands until I realized the top dogs do it in something like 29 feet.

Ok so maybe not a champion but he was having a blast.  They told me I could bring two dogs at a time so next time I brought Daisy with us.  She didn't want anything to do with jumping off the dock.  I actually got in the water and tried to coax her in. It was not happening.  She would run with Tigger to the end of the dock and just watch him jump in.  I let her go over to the exit ramp and she starting fetching the ball from there actually jumping in to get it.



Here I am trying to coax her to jump and she is

not going for it

So while Tigger would jump off the ramp she was quite content fetching the ball from the ramp!  Come to find out she is a pretty fast swimmer.  They both have a blast at our dock diving sessions.  The come back from them tired and ready for a nap.  It is the perfect thing for them during the summer months.  It is yet another way to keep your dogs fit and at a healthy weight. 

Here is my water dog enjoying a hot summer day!

Best friends swimming paw in paw!