# Dogs behaviour getting worse, lurcher lab x - help!



## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

Hi! I need some advice about my dog. She is a 1 year old (we think) Labrador Lurcher cross. I say we think because we adopted her from the local shelter this July. She is a really lovely dog, very playful, lots of energy, very loving and very well behaved (mostly). She is toilet trained, has never barked at night time, loves travelling in the car, trained not to go upstairs etc. 
However she can be very temperamental and territorial which I really want to try to work on. When I take her on walks she can be aggressive towards other dogs, this doesn't always happen but sometimes she barks and growls when other dogs don't want to play. Her hairs also stand on end on her back sometimes too which I've read can be a sign of aggression/excitement. 
Other times she has a great time playing with dogs and it's all fine. She doesn't show this behaviour at all when my boyfriend takes her out though which makes me think it could be her being protective? 
She also has a really bad habit of barking when people come to the house and not stopping. Her back is so loud is almost like an Alsatian so people get scared of her. 
There's been a few times when people have come round and she's barked constantly (to the point where our guests were scared) so we've had to take her to my parent in laws house (she loves them and has no problem with them at all). I've tried different tactics to calm her down, speaking calmly and reassuring her everything is ok but it doesn't work and I feel bad because she's obviously barking because she's scared  
I want to be able to get to the stage where I can have family and friends come stay at our house with their dogs and her not be so protective. 
She loves chasing the ball at the park and has so much energy to get rid of I don't want to keep her on the lead as I don't think she would get the exercice she needs. 
What do you think the best course of action is? 
Her behaviour has developed since we got her and she was quite quiet when we first got her and she's always been so well behaved so we didn't need to train her but she seems to be getting more territorial and scared or people coming into the house! 
Help!


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## theglissgliss (Oct 25, 2016)

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## kerrybg (Aug 25, 2016)

How long have you had the dog? I agree with what theglissgliss said (sorry you lost your dog mate). I think you need to watch your dog all the time and modify your behaviour to fit the dog. Not forever, just until he/she fits in with what you want it to do. I recommend a book called 'Problem dog' by Valerie o'Farrell. I don't agree with everything she says, but most of it makes sense, and she writes quite amusingly so it's worth reading anyway.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Lola90 said:


> Hi! I need some advice about my dog. She is a 1 year old (we think) Labrador Lurcher cross. I say we think because we adopted her from the local shelter this July. She is a really lovely dog, very playful, lots of energy, very loving and very well behaved (mostly). She is toilet trained, has never barked at night time, loves travelling in the car, trained not to go upstairs etc.
> However she can be very temperamental and territorial which I really want to try to work on. When I take her on walks she can be aggressive towards other dogs, this doesn't always happen but sometimes she barks and growls when other dogs don't want to play. Her hairs also stand on end on her back sometimes too which I've read can be a sign of aggression/excitement.
> Other times she has a great time playing with dogs and it's all fine. She doesn't show this behaviour at all when my boyfriend takes her out though which makes me think it could be her being protective?
> She also has a really bad habit of barking when people come to the house and not stopping. Her back is so loud is almost like an Alsatian so people get scared of her.
> ...


 I would strongly suggest that you do not take your dog to puppy classes in any case she is no longer a puppy and would not be a suitable candidate IMO. In fact I doubt classes would be beneficial at all at the moment, more like 1:1 training, whereabouts do you live perhaps we can recommend someone?

It sounds as though you are quite anxious and I am afraid that anxiety is very contagious which may be why she behaves one way with your and another with your OH

I am not sure that dogs really try to assert themselves at every corner

I am not sure that dogs are pack animals either.

In any case whether they are or not is irrelevant.

We can probably point you in the right direction of a reputable trainer.


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

theglissgliss said:


> Hi there - on reading your post it's clear you really care about your dog, but there are a few aspects that ring bells (we experienced some similar issues). Just wondering - have you taken your dog to puppy classes yet? Even if she's a year old, she's still a puppy, and she may benefit from the opportunity of proper socialisation with other dogs. I think a lot of people believe that if they can take their dog for a walk and there no major issues, then it's all ok. But the thing is that it's really essential to take all dogs to classes as that's where they can properly learn how to communicate with other dogs. Our dog was really friendly etc and we had no major problems with her, and funnily enough she was a little timid and under-confident at the first couple of classes. By the third though she really began to enjoy it and I have to say she benefitted so much from going. We took her to beginners then intermediate and I'm so glad we did because it taught her so much more than just how to sit and stay! One thing someone once said to me when our lurcher (whippet x cocker spaniel) was testing the boundaries with us, was when you say something - mean it!! And that somehow made a big difference! If you think that whilst you're talking to her, it kind of works - mean it! Also - all the time you are talking to her i.e. telling her to stop barking, or stop intimidating other dogs etc - remember, YOU are the boss, not her! Make sure you communicate that well and not just say something without really believing it will have any effect, which is how I think we were when we felt that we we didn't have sense of authority. It often springs from the dog feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibility - that probably (unwittingly) you have endowed her with, by treating her as 'an equal'. Does she jump up out of interest? Dogs will try and assert themselves at every corner and you have to set the boundaries, not her. She will feel more relaxed if she knows she doesn't have to look after you, she can just be a dog. They are pack animals and so if she feels she's the leader of the pack, she will try and protect you. Another thing is that dogs pick up on owners' feelings so if you're uncertain, or unrelaxed, she will sense it. I'm sure you are familiar with all this, but just though I'd pass on what I've learnt as I'd never have known had I not had a dog before - it's all terribly unknown territory isn't it?! Anyhow I wish you lots of luck - I'm sure it's just a matter of time, she is still very young. They really change and mature around 3 years old - ours was so energetic and crazy but really calmed down around 3!


Thank you for your advice! She does jump up yes which I now realise is something we really have to get her to stop. I think because she's so gentle when she does it, we've never said she shouldn't but obviously its something we need to make sure she doesn't do. 
The reason I haven't taken her to any puppy classes is because there have been a few incidents with me where we've seen a dog in the park and she's got her hackles up (is that the right term?) and then growled. Having done some research, I don't think she has been socialised well as a puppy because she's a little bit temperamental with certain people (mostly men) and some dogs. 
I've started being more firm with her but I know not to shout at her because I don't want her to be scared which i've read can make things worse. 
I'm so sorry about your dog too!! xx


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

smokeybear said:


> I would strongly suggest that you do not take your dog to puppy classes in any case she is no longer a puppy and would not be a suitable candidate IMO. In fact I doubt classes would be beneficial at all at the moment, more like 1:1 training, whereabouts do you live perhaps we can recommend someone?
> 
> It sounds as though you are quite anxious and I am afraid that anxiety is very contagious which may be why she behaves one way with your and another with your OH
> 
> ...


Hello,

Yes I agree with you on the puppy classes, I'm not sure if she would be suitable to them at the moment.

I'm not too anxious really, I always try to play with her and keep her busy by throwing the ball etc if I see a distraction coming our way.. I live in the North East and have been in touch with a trainer but I want to try training her myself first until I've saved some money up for the classes.

Thanks


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Lurchers are usually very sensitive so make sure the trainer does not use dominance or pack leader theories as that really won't help (for any dog IMO).

Until you do get some help with her, I would try to keep her interactions with other dogs to a minimum and reward her for not reacting to them from a safe distance.

Be careful not to put her into situations with dogs or people where she feels uncomfortable.

Avoid telling her off for unwanted behaviour, but rather redirect her to what you do want and then praise and reward.

Take a look at Positively.com for some tips.


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## lemmsy (May 12, 2008)

theglissgliss said:


> *Does she jump up out of interest? Dogs will try and assert themselves at every corner and you have to set the boundaries, not her.* She will feel more relaxed if she knows she doesn't have to look after you, she can just be a dog. They are pack animals and so if she feels she's the leader of the pack, she will try and protect you. Another thing is that dogs pick up on owners' feelings so if you're uncertain, or unrelaxed, she will sense it.


A few things:

1. Dogs jump up to assert themselves?! Absolute woolfluff!

Jumping up when meeting or interacting with a human, as a general rule is an appeasement behaviour ('I'm ok. You ok? Everything is ok right?'). It's social buffering.
Dogs that jump up repeatedly and frantically may be anxious or overstimulated.

2. Dogs are not pack animals.
Domestic dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years to live and work with humans.

3. When dogs are reacting aggressively or defensively, especially when reading an account on an internet forum, it is pure supposition to suggest that they are doing so to protect their 'pack' (they don't form packs, so 'humans' or 'family' is more appropriate).
They might be fearful of the thing they are reacting to and their response is for this reason (get it to go away!).
They might be overstimulated, in pain etc.

We cannot make assumptions about their cognitions or cognitive state based on what we read.

4. Dogs don't pick up on 'feelings' but they do pick up on stress. Why? They pick up on physical, physiological and hormonal changes associated with stress. We are not conscious of many of these ourselves because our sensory abilities are limited by comparison.

I can't add much to the advice given in @smokeybear's post, @Lola90.

All the best with your pup


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

lemmsy said:


> A few things:
> 
> 1. Dogs jump up to assert themselves?! Absolute woolfluff!
> 
> ...


I think I need to make her stop jumping, just so she knows who's 'boss'! She understands 'down' so I usually use this but may also turn around and enforce that technique too unless she completely stops.
I get the impression she is quite protective over me because of the way she acts, she's very responsive to my commands though so hopefully enforcing these and being more assertive will work. I've got a lot of reading to do so fingers crossed! Thank you


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## lemmsy (May 12, 2008)

Lola90 said:


> I think I need to make her stop jumping, just so she knows who's 'boss'! She understands 'down' so I usually use this but may also turn around and enforce that technique too unless she completely stops.
> I get the impression she is quite protective over me because of the way she acts, she's very responsive to my commands though so hopefully enforcing these and being more assertive will work. I've got a lot of reading to do so fingers crossed! Thank you


Don't worry about the 'boss' thing.
She isn't jumping up to assert her authority over you.
Preventing her jumping up will no more make her aware of who is the boss than doing than doing the cha cha cha around the living room in a tiara in front of her.

You see, generally when dogs jump up when greeting us, physically they are getting themselves closer to our faces. Many dogs if you kneel down when they are jumping up will try to lick your face. If you were to study their body language in that moment in time, generally speaking you would see ears drawn back (but not pinned), eyes looking at you, licking lips, fast wagging tail. Your dog is just interacting with you. 'I'm ok. Are you ok? Is everything ok?'
It's a little comparable to when you get home from work and say to your partner 'You ok?'. Physically you can see that they are all in one piece, actually that question gives you information about whether and how to interact with them, how they are feeling etc.

Dogs are far more socially intelligent than many would give them credit for. She isn't trying to be the boss, she is merely trying to interact with and read you.

If you don't want her to jump up, you could ask her to sit and reward that (treat and fuss, get down on her level so that she can interact with you more appropriately). Alternatively you can squat down, hold her collar in one hand (hold it so that you are holding the collar with your hand under her chin, not pulling on it from above as that would be uncomfortable and punishing for her) and gently fuss her calmly.

Dogs who are anxious may jump up more frantically. They are desperately seeking to appease in a situation they find tricky.

Dogs interact in different ways with different people. Now that you are more aware of her behaviour towards others, you may be subconsciously displaying signals of slight apprehension about her behaviour. It's not a crime so don't beat yourself up about it. It's just normal human behaviour, just as her attempting to interact with you by jumping is normal behaviour in the scheme of things.
Instead of trying to be more assertive with her, if I were you, I would focus on thinking about what you DO want her to do in the situations you have described where her behaviour is problematic. How can you make sure she does behave in such a way by making it more worthwhile for her to do so?


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

lemmsy said:


> Don't worry about the 'boss' thing.
> She isn't jumping up to assert her authority over you.
> Preventing her jumping up will no more make her aware of who is the boss than doing than doing the cha cha cha around the living room in a tiara in front of her.
> 
> ...


I had read that too before actually...I know that she isn't anxious when she's jumping up because she just wants to lick and say hello and gets down after a couple of seconds so I'm kind of glad you've said that. 
She always sits on command (sometimes it takes longer than others) and when we feed her we make her sit and she stays there until we say 'eat' (considering she's such a greedy pup i'm impressed with her for doing that!)

I think you're definitely right, I'm probably displaying signs of being a bit worried because I've seen what she can be like sometimes and I worry that the worst may happen!

I've been reading a lot about rewarding her good behaviour and ignoring the bad etc but i've also read about possibly giving her treats in situations where she may be a bit anxious so that she can in future recognise these situations as positive...I find this quite confusing though because if she's barking at someone coming to the front door should I be ignoring the barking (and putting her in another room so she doesn't bark/jump at the guest), or feed her treats to make her feel better about the situation?! I feel like feeding her treats when she's barking is reinforcing that behaviour?

I want her to be friendly to other dogs and humans - ideally I want her to be better socialised!


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## lemmsy (May 12, 2008)

Lola90 said:


> I had read that too before actually...I know that she isn't anxious when she's jumping up because she just wants to lick and say hello and gets down after a couple of seconds so I'm kind of glad you've said that.
> She always sits on command (sometimes it takes longer than others) and when we feed her we make her sit and she stays there until we say 'eat' (considering she's such a greedy pup i'm impressed with her for doing that!)
> 
> I think you're definitely right, I'm probably displaying signs of being a bit worried because I've seen what she can be like sometimes and I worry that the worst may happen!
> ...


I think is video may help you.





When an animal tells us that they are fearful (as your girl does when she barks at new folk in the house), initially we have two options.
1. Get her to a place where she feels safer.
Does she have a crate or den in your house when she goes to chill out, where new folk would not be visible to her or have access to her?
Could you have her settle in her bed or crate in another room while you answer the door? That way she doesn't have to deal with random folk coming through the front door which will be quite stressful for a fearful dog.

Ideally you would send her to her safe space (away and secure from the incoming visitors) before you answer the door and give her something nice to keep her busy whilst they come in and settle. A nice chew or a stuffed kong?

Doorbell goes= go to bed for nice nom.

2. Comfort them and make sure that they situation does not become more stressful to the dog.

I.e. don't allow the visitors to actively interact with her (give her lots of eye contact or touch her).

The subject of reinforcing fear based behaviours is one that crops up a lot.
You cannot reinforce fear. It is an emotion not a behaviour.

For behaviours that are motivated by an emotional response (fear in this case), it is the fear that drives the behaviour. She is motivated to bark because she is stressed and the barking may get the scary thing to go away. Thus, whilst you might get compliance for new behaviours by rewarding with treats whilst she is barking, the fear is still there. The treats might reinforce a behaviour such as staying close to you, but the treats will not reinforce her fearful response. For as long as she is fearful she will feel the need to bark. Or if barking no longer becomes an option (because it's tricky to bark and eat treats at the same time, or in cases where the poor dog is punished for barking), the fear will manifest in other ways.

The process you describe of feeding the dog around people, sounds like intended desensitization and counter conditioning. What this means in laymen's terms in changing the way that the dog feels about the new people. We want them to go from, new people in the house= scary, to new people= fabulous things happen.

However in order for this process to be effective the dog has to first be exposed to the scary thing at a level which is not too troublesome, i.e. at a level that does not yet cause her to bark or feel stressed. She sees them or hears them, she is aware of them, but she is not panicked or feels she has to bark. Over time you pair their appearance with nice things (high value treats) and at that level she learns that, new folk at that distance= nice things appear. Once she is happy at that distance/level, you very gradually increase her level of exposure and repeat the process. Thus gradually she learns that new folks= nice stuff. It is essential though the the dog feels safe at each stage of the process and does not feel so concerned that she has to react.

Here is a useful video on this from Suzanne Clothier (the same trainer as in the above video)





I think contacting a good trainer would be beneficial for you. Take care to avoid folks who mention 'dominance' and 'pack theory' as this is very outdated (and scientifically has major issues).
The following places are good places to look for trainers:

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers
http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/choosing-a-trainer

The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

COAPE Association of Applied Pet Behaviourists and Trainers
http://capbt.org/

KCAI
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/training/kcai/

Pet Professional Guild
http://www.ppgbi.com/

I hope this makes sense and helps


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

lemmsy said:


> I think is video may help you.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


She doesn't have a crate unfortunately no. The way our house is set out, she has her bed near the stairs downstairs as its blocked off from the lounge/dining room because those two rooms are then open plan. We used to have her bed on the floor in the lounge but we found that she'd sneakily sleep on the sofa once we'd gone to bed so we moved her out of there and now she has a little spot in the hall. We don't let her go upstairs too as I read not to give them free reign on where they go on the house. (Plus, I think she might be scared of upstairs as when we bathe her its a real struggle getting her up there, maybe something happened there in her last home or maybe she just knows thats where the bath is!)

When we had visitors the other day we put her on her bed with a bone but she was quite fearful and would still bark when she wasn't chewing. Also with her being right next to the stairs we still needed access to the upstairs for the toilet etc…

Will make sure she doesn't interact with the visitors in future though, sometimes I think if I give them a treat to give to her she will understand that they are nice but that hasn't always worked.

Even if she doesn't usually see guests she will always bark at the knock on the door and then bark when she hears their voice too.

Thank you for your help and videos too


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## Lola90 (Oct 24, 2016)

I bought her a harness the other day for her walks which has worked on her pulling on just the lead (and hurting her neck) but she absolutely HATES it!! In the house she stands very still and won't listen to any command when she has it on however when we are out, she will sit before crossing the road etc. It doesn't seem to be hurting her and its not too tight - anybody know why she hates it so much? 
I like to make sure she sits before I put her lead on/take it off before and after walks but since getting the harness she won't, she just stands there staring at me! @lemmsy @Lurcherlad @smokeybear @theglissgliss @kerrybg ...anyone have any ideas on this?


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## lemmsy (May 12, 2008)

Lola90 said:


> I bought her a harness the other day for her walks which has worked on her pulling on just the lead (and hurting her neck) but she absolutely HATES it!! In the house she stands very still and won't listen to any command when she has it on however when we are out, she will sit before crossing the road etc. It doesn't seem to be hurting her and its not too tight - anybody know why she hates it so much?
> I like to make sure she sits before I put her lead on/take it off before and after walks but since getting the harness she won't, she just stands there staring at me! @lemmsy @Lurcherlad @smokeybear @theglissgliss @kerrybg ...anyone have any ideas on this?


What kind of harness did you get for her? Do you have a pic?

It could be that she finds the material uncomfortable? It could be that it fits too close to her armpits. Is it a harness that tightens when she pulls? It could be that she finds it a bit worrying to be put on if it goes over her head.

It might just be that she is not used to it.

The good news is that there is alot you can do to build her confidence with it so that she enjoys having it put on. This involves employing the principle classical conditioning- that I mentioned in my last post. You can also teach the dog to 'put the harness on themselves' which gives them a level of choice and makes them more of a participant.

You may find this video helpful:


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I think she might be better off in a quiet area that isn't a thoroughfare during the day. Also if visitors come her bed is not in an ideal spot - close to the door and a restricted space. Do you have a utility room on the other side of the kitchen she could go in behind a baby gate. Make the kitchen off limits to visitors so she has plenty of space away from them?

Bones are a high value treat and can be something that dogs resource guard, so added to her anxiety around people etc. I would say "double whammy". Save the bone for a time when she is left completely in peace to enjoy and the house is quiet.

As for not allowing free reign around the house, it sounds like someone told you that who believes in dominance theories. IMO the only reason to restrict your dog's access to certain parts of the house is for your own personal preference (no hairs or mud upstairs, etc.). Nothing to do with the dog feeling it's in charge 

But, this is my lurcher right now:









On the new cream sofa that he's not allowed on! Actually, I think he might be in charge!  

Night time her bed could go in the hall, as the house will be quiet.

My lurcher didn't know about stairs and was iffy on them at first, but is absolutely fine with them now. He associates the bathroom with baths, but he's only had 3 in the 4 years I've had him 

It's hard to train her to accept visitors once she is already anxious.

Take a look at Victoria Stilwell's site for some tips on helping the dog to relax around other people.

As for the harness, I don't really know as Jack just accepted his without issue. His is a Cosydogs, fleece lined. (Although he finds his collar irritating indoors and only has it on when going out for a walk otherwise he keeps scratching at his neck.)

Maybe try putting it on for short periods at home, praise and treat and then play some games with her - so she either forgets she has it on or associates it with good things.


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