SCREAMING DOG

[GarryJ]

Hi

I have found a great area where I can run Abby and there are a few other dogs around. The thing is Leo my puppy is so friendly he is right over to any dog no matter what the size to say hello and play, however Abby is terrified of any other dog.

The second another dog comes near her she lays down and submits but the dogs are friendly and sniff her wagging their tails. When this happens she screams and screams and sometimes snaps at them.

Yesterday this golden retriever came along and was very friendly and she screamed the park down. His owner was a distance away so god knows what he thought was going on. This seems to happen everytime she encounters other dogs. Why do you think she acts liek this. She is not in season as that ended in Sept.

I am getting her spayed next month, do you think this will help?

I just wish she had more confidence, she is also very wary of strangers.                    

[Jane S]

Abby is behaving like this purely out of fear - she does not know how to relate to strange dogs. Spaying is unlikely to have an effect on this type of nervous behaviour I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why she is like this with other dogs but the most likely is that she was not socialised with other dogs when she was younger, plus she may have a genetic tendency to nervousness anyway. You may be able to improve her behaviour but it will take a lot of work on your part & will take many months & even then, she is unlikely to ever be a really confident dog. You could perhaps find a trainer in your area who will give you one-to-one advice on how to go about helping Abby to overcome her fears (www.apdt.co.uk is a good place to start your search). There are also some alternative remedies that may help Abby with her nerves eg a supplement called Serene-Um or herbal remedies such as skullcap & valerian.