Nervous aggression. Tips needed.

[Heldi]

Frodo is 6 months now.

He is very nervous of any strange or abrupt noises. Also any loud vehicles except our own.

I'm tackling the vehicles by walking him around the streets,past coach works,past pubs (hated the beer barrels) and anywhere where he has to deal with noise. I'm not making any fuss of him when he is frightened - trying to think of what Cesaer Milan - dog whisperer- would do. Frodo is gradually getting better every day with noises.

He doesn't like sudden loud talking..on the telly or in the street...it seems it's especially womens voices.  He is fine with people who come up to him and give him a scrub around the ears, men or women so this has me confused. Is it just the sudden high pitched voice sound? Children give him a fright too when they get loud so he is trotted up to my daughter's school most days and made to sit outside the school yard. Not a picking of bother from him when he is there.He just sits,watches and sniffs the air. So again is it just sudden high pitched noises? Thought about taking him to a park with my children and have him sit for a while to get used to the screaming,shouting ,laughing etc. Trying to get him to ignore it.

He went for a puppy trim at a groomers. It was noisy with lots of dogs barking as there is a kennel on site. Frodo is very good with other dogs and has not shown any aggression towards them since his first time at a puppy party where he played a bit rough with two Rottweiller crosses! (Little guy syndrome?) He often has a run around on the beach with other mutts. So he is becoming nicely socialised.At the groomer's he obviously did not like the noise of the dogs barking and maybe the fact he couldn't see them didn't help?

He growled at the lady taking him in, who reassured me that he would probably be fine once I'd left. Nope.  He wouldn't let her anywhere near him. When I picked him up she had to drag him out with his ears back and his tail between his legs. She said he'd been very frightened and had become aggressive. so he had no grooming done at all.

I'd thought he might be difficult but hadn't thought he'd point blank refuse to co-operate.

I know his breed is a very private breed and they do not take kindly to being touched by strangers. But Frodo is forever getting people coming up to him - he is very cute.  I can only think it was all the noise in a strange enviroment with a strange person being very personal with him? 

I am thinking either I try him again and stay with him or try a quieter groomers ...and stay with him.  I want to succeed with this as it will help with trips to the vet etc. He didn't enjoy his last trip to the vet for injections and micro chipping.

Myself and OH can touch him anywhere,bathe him,open his mouth to look at his teeth,inspect his paws,nails,ears and I've got him to accept the hairdryer too. The children bath him too.

It's not the grooming that is the issue,I'm fully intending to do it myself but would like a professional to do it first so I can follow the lines lol.  It's the fear Frodo is displaying and the fact he could bite. How do I get him comfortable in strange surroundings and comfortable with another person doing his grooming?

Unfortunately all the dog groomers in the region are a few miles away so I can't just pop in with him and pop out again to get him used to being in the place. That would be ideal.

[Heldi]

[betula]

Do you buy the magazine Your Dog?It has a lot of helpful information in it.

There is an article in it this month about Sound Phobias.They say a behavioural plan involving steady desensitization to a variety of noises,linking sounds to rewards is needed.Obviously the dog concerned has not got the exact problems frodo has.

Good luck with frodo :)

[Heldi]

No I don't buy Your Dog? Have only recently noticed it. I'll check it out. Thanks for that. 

Deep down I'm hoping this is a stage he is going through on his way into adolescence.

I've just taken him on a walk around town.  He met a blind Cocker Spaniel who constantly barks. Sniffed his bum and behaved very well. He got a treat off the spaniel's owner which he took with good manners. The owner told me I can have the address of a lady who grooms his dog in his own home. That might be another avenue to try.

Next we walked down to the harbour where a group of shell - suited lads and lasses were throwing stones at the seagulls and eider ducks. Looked like asbos day out tbh. The adult in charge was half heartedly telling them to stop. Frodo growled at them and I have to say I couldn't agree more with him on that one.  ;)

Carried on to the fishing boats. Wasn't happy. Had to keep stopping to have a look before moving on a few paces.  (My last dog would have jumped on board ! )

Up to the High Street. He walked beautifully. Couple of little doubts about a group of people and a very squeaky door but otherwise no problems. Vast improvement.

Walked along a very busy road. He was coping brilliantly until a few feet away from the Vet's. Not even the branch he goes to!  Not exactly sure what he wasn't happy about though it seemed to start with the sound of a motorbike. He just can not be scared of motorbikes  ::) Will have to tell OH to start getting them out of the shed. Atleast we can start small with the bike my son used to ride when he was four lol.

Went around past my daughter's school. They were playing in the yard so lots of noise. He perked up.ears pricked and tail up so I think he thought we were picking up my daughter.

All the way home,off the lead for a bit taking no notice of passers - by.  Back into the street,he did a mini bark at my neighbours who were chatting and laughing. He knows them very well so I again I think it was the sudden unexpected noise?

Same again tomorrow I think.  I'll be fit if nowt else. Also thought to myself,someone with a really well behaved dog to walk with would be brilliant.

[nilly71]

What breed is he?

I have a Parsons jack Russell, that is very sensitive to sound. He is nearly 3yrs old and still tries to get as far away from the road as he can. Someone said they have extremly sensitive hearing as they were breed for hunting rabbits and foxes and needed to hear them underground.
He hates anyone trying to groom him (he looks like one of them dogs you see on the tv adverts dumped under a bridge). Whenever we have had to take him to the groomers, he has to have a mussle on and that takes ages to get on.
Maybe your dog is the same?

Neil

[Heldi]

Thanks Neil.  Frodo is a Scottish Terrier.  Through and through.  ;D  What you say makes a lot of sense as I am led to believe Scotties were orginally bred to kill vermin. Most people mistake when I say Scotish Terrier for a West Highland White or "Westie".  But no, he is a black Scottie or as the guy in my mother's nursing home said. as Frodo took a hike..." He's a proper wee jock!"

But terrier is as terrier does and all advice welcome.  :)  :)  :)

[flowerofshona2007]

It sounds like he was not raised indoors !!
My pups are raised in the lounge and are used to all noises inc the hoover, tv, washing mashine ect from the start and nothing fazes them ! pups raised in kennels do have trouble adjusting to 'normal' noise levels.
You are doing great ! just keep taking him to noisy places, put the TV or muisic on loud ect, and puppy classes will help him.
My mum had a cocker spaniel that hated the groomers and they would not touch him even muzzled !!!!
It might help him if you could take him noisy places with another dog that does not bother about the noise and be really confident :) tiny treats and loads of reasurance will get there in the end, he is only 6 months old and has a great owner who is trying very hard so he has the very best chance  :D

[terrier]

Heidi, 6 months old is still not very old for your Scottie, he's still a puppy at heart. We took a rescue Welshie in about 18 months ago who was terrified of everything and would react with sheer agression when he felt threatened in any way. He's now 2 years old and although a lot more settled, we still feel he has some way to go. Just give your youngster as much time as he needs. The confidence he needs to improve doesn't come out of his own head, it comes from YOU. As he learns to put his trust in you, so his confidence will grow. Don't deliberately push him into situations he can't deal with. Patience will win out in the end and you have to be strong for him :)

[mummybunny]

Hi,

I have a Scottie too called Angus he's 14 mths and there are quite a few Scottish terrier web sites that you could try. Just google Scottish terrier there will be plenty to choose from. It seems to me your doing all you can and I'm sure over time  Frodo will get better. They truly are a great breed even though a little stubborn at times ;D

As far as grooming goes he will let me bath him brush him and dry him. I don't think i could cut his hair myself even when the lines are there lol  ::) But he does look so handsome when he's been done professionally.   :D

Lucy x

[Heldi]

8 months now.

Frodo is getting along really well.   You would have been proud of him the way he handled home time at the Middle School  ;D  Have been continuing to walk him around town to get him used to noises and I have met some new people on my walks. He loves the beach and the sea - one day he might get a ride in a boat.

I'm still not convinced that Frodo would allow anyone other than the family to groom him. I have no way of trying this out either really, unless I can get a volunteer to try. Can't imagine anyone being up for that job lol! I am not sure how to get him used to being handled by others. I have managed to use the clippers on him and he will sit and have his fur blow dried. Doesn't like it but knows the routine.  He will keep trying to chew the brushes which makes the grooming take ages. I HAVE to groom him often,he is the dirtiest dog I have ever had. Always full of tats on his legs and I find things buried in there lol. He also likes to lie on the manure heap at the lotty. (He's dead good with the hens).

The best thing is- I have signed up for a "Dog Grooming Taster" course at college. It's just a couple of mornings. Hope I pick up some good pointers.

H x