# my dog is suddenly frightened of other dogs and people.



## vikinruby (Dec 7, 2009)

Ruby, our German Pointer has been with us for just over a year. She has always been very well behaved. On walks, she came almost immediately when we called her enjoying a treat for doing so. She has always socialised well with other dogs and people. About 2 weeks ago she suddenly became very frightened of Labs or Lab types and turned and ran in the opposite direction, refusing to go passed them. This then gradually became a fear of all other dogs and now has become all people including children. As soon as she see's them (which in a wood is fairly often) she runs away and will not return whilst they are still there. As far as we know there hasn't been anything that has caused this sudden behaviour. No loud noises, attacks from other dogs or people. I am at my wits end what used to be a wonderful experience has turned into a nightmare. Please can anyone help?


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2009)

German pointers can have a tendency to be timid dogs naturally.

It maybe that as she has matured these behaviours have appeared due to sexual maturity do u know if the labs u have encountered on walks are male or female?


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## vikinruby (Dec 7, 2009)

Thankyou for your help. Ruby was 2 when we got her, having already had a litter. We had her spayed shortly after we got her. The dogs she is particularly frightened of are the ones who bound up to her. Previously she would have loved this and enjoyed a good play!


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

hey, vik! :--)

there must have been something that the dog associated with the arrival of other dogs or other ppl; it could have been something entirely coincidental, like stepping on a sharp stone and getting a deep bruise, or a momentary alarm (a distant plane breaks the sound barrier, and the dog hears that far-off scary noise WHILE some friendly dog is galloping toward her... ) - 
who knows?

these are superstitious fears, but dogs fall into them just as humans do. 

as this is a relatively recent development, i would STOP leaving her off leash; 
there is no point in her practicing running-away from other dogs/ppl, 
and there is also Absolutely No reason to have her rehearse Not-Coming when called, that is a bad thing to practice! 

this is what i would start - 
desensitization / Counter-Conditioning: aka DS/CC 
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
have her on a 6-ft leash, and as ppl or other dogs approach, the Bar opens... 
and a thin but rapid stream of treats appears, as long as the dogs/ppl are within earshot / eyesight. :thumbup1:
they are too far off to see / hear? the Bar is CLOSED... no more goodies, too bad! 

_*Click to Calm (book) is an excellent DIY reference for the pet-dog owner to B-Mod various problem behaviors - 
there are step-by-step protocols in the back of the book, all pos-R and dog-friendly. 
NO flooding, choking, poking, etc!  just safe, sane, kind re-training - and detailed enuf for any beginner, too. 
if U do not want to buy it, U can borrow it from the library - 
via Interlibrary loan, if the locals have no copy. :thumbup: 

good luck - keep us posted, please, on how she gets on? 
--- terry

*_


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

leashedForLife said:


> these are superstitious fears, but dogs fall into them just as humans do.


*Superstitious* is a great word to use in relation to how dogs pick up on things, it covers perfectly how they remember and react to seemingly unrelated stimuli, although some might say it's a bit anthropomorphic!

I remember how Merlin reacted to a certain shop we walked past, a hardware shop that always had buckets and washing up bowls etc stacked outside (you know the sort). One day a sudden gust of wind blew a stack of buckets over as we passed and spooked him.

_Every time_ we walked past that shop for the next 2 years (often daily) he always shied (like a horse) when we passed, in case the buckets jumped out & bit him again. I tried carrying treats and distracting him, which worked a bit, but the only thing that really cured him, was when a new manager took over the shop, who loved dogs and always welcomed him in & gave him a big fuss. He completely forgot the buckets within a few weeks and has never shied again.

I find it so interesting how dogs learn and associate things - and yes, you could say he had a real superstition about that shop.


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## vikinruby (Dec 7, 2009)

Things have gone from bad to worse. Ruby started behaving very oddly in the house. She is ok for 5 minutes and then starts to look around her as though she has been spooked by something and then darts around trying to find somewhere to hide.Its almost like she has forgotten or doesn't recognise where she is. I am worried in case she is starting with some type of mental illness. Can this happen with dogs? Or perhaps the house is haunted and she is seeing something we can't see. I'm very worried.


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## Sol (Dec 9, 2009)

vikinruby said:


> Things have gone from bad to worse. Ruby started behaving very oddly in the house. She is ok for 5 minutes and then starts to look around her as though she has been spooked by something and then darts around trying to find somewhere to hide.Its almost like she has forgotten or doesn't recognise where she is. I am worried in case she is starting with some type of mental illness. Can this happen with dogs? Or perhaps the house is haunted and she is seeing something we can't see. I'm very worried.


I highly doubt your house is haunted:closedeyes:

It can most definitely be a mental ailment of sorts or a hormonal imbalance that causes the dog to act in erractic ways so get her checked by a vet FIRST.

If the vet says she's healthy then....

It could be a fear stage. Some dogs (and this is just a theory), once they reach a certain point in their young lives start becoming overly cautious and fearful of different things. If you want to draw a connection to their wild counterparts, its more or less the time when wolves would go off on their own and no longer count on the protection of their family and thus have to be more cautious of things. A hardwired fear? But this is definitely not something "that will go away", you need to continue to socialize her but doing it slowly with (as another poster said) CCDS techniques.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

> re sol - * It could be a fear stage. *


hey, sol! :--)

how?  this dog was past 2-YO on adoption - there are Two 
*fear-PERIODs* that i know of; the primary fear-period is the classic 
one, at approx 10-WO (which can vary somewhat by breed - 
Airedales seem to hit it around 12-WO); it lasts for 7 to 10-days; 
the secondary fear-period at 6-mos, lasts for approx 2-weeks.

other than phobias, which are typically acquired via some sort of traumatic 
exp / assoc, i cannot think of any root-cause that makes sense, given the 
facts at hand; this dog at 24-mos+ /ETA was *not!* fearful, and there are 
no developmental-periods past-puberty that are fear-sensitive - 
* unless new research has discovered one/them, + i have not heard? *

24-mos is the typical age for social-maturity, when the dog is reacted to 
as a fully-adult individual by other dogs (rude behavior now can be very 
severely punished, if the rudeness is extreme). 
if there is something i am missing or have misconstrued (the dogs age?), 
please let me know - but i cannot see any way that a fear-sensitive 
developmental tage had anything to do with this spooky behavior.

very puzzled, 
--- terry


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## Sol (Dec 9, 2009)

leashedForLife said:


> hey, sol! :--)
> 
> how?  this dog was past 2-YO on adoption - there are Two
> *fear-PERIODs* that i know of; the primary fear-period is the classic
> ...


Pardon me, I must've skimmed over the OP's second post which said that they've got her at 2 yrs. The hardwired fear stage I was talking about is the second one you mentioned, the one that hits more or less around 6 months, however pinpointing a time frame like that is dificult because of the differences in dogs and how they are raised usually I'd say anywhere from 6-8 (or even 9) months is when (and IF) the fear stage affects some dogs.

Seeing now, with the new information, that the dog is a little over 2 years I think we can safetly scratch that idea. This is more likely a physical ailment requiring the intervention of a professional. Even if the dog would to have had a traumatic affect, at the age of 2 it is less impacting that it would have been if the dog was 12 weeks.


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## vikinruby (Dec 7, 2009)

After the evening when Ruby was behaving most strangely she has now resorted to quite normal behaviour, so I think I can rule out a mental illness.
I tried taking her for a walk in a different place and interesting she is fine there with other dogs and people. The 'new' place is open fields as opposed to a wood.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2009)

As i said b4 u have to take the breed into account here and this breed is renowned for being of quite timid nature and these characteristics can appear at any point i think ur doin the rite thing taking her to different areas to experience always remember always baby steps if she is unsure :thumbsup:


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## scruffysmum (Sep 2, 2009)

Hi there! I'm not an expert, and I know the guys on here have given me excellent advice in the past so I really hope it helps you. I will only add, you might want to consider adding some Rescue Remedy to Ruby's drinking water if she's having some fearful times. It's easily available and we have it on hand for our animals (and us). Great for nerves and worry.


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## Sol (Dec 9, 2009)

vikinruby said:


> After the evening when Ruby was behaving most strangely she has now resorted to quite normal behaviour, so I think I can rule out a mental illness.
> I tried taking her for a walk in a different place and interesting she is fine there with other dogs and people. The 'new' place is open fields as opposed to a wood.


Don't mean to scare you, but even if your dog is alright now, it doesn't mean you can cross out physical ailment as a possiblity for the strange behavior. If you think your dog is ok for the time being, just keep an eye on her and write down all that has happened and the date. This way in case she has another 'fearful episode' and you decide to take her to the vet you'll be able to provide useful information to them.

Of course its not always possible to take your pooch to the vet for every little thing, I completely understand that, but in case that it is possible for your situation I would consider it.

Also, I'm just throwing this idea out there. Dogs have good senses and usually detect things to which we are oblivious to. For instance my dog will act scared and restless when there is an earthquake near by or one is going to hit (we live in California where they aren't uncommon), so maybe this temporary fear behavior could have been in reaction to a change in the environment? Who knows.lol.

Anyhow, best of wishes and hope your pooch will be alright


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