debm Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 My sweet BC/lab mix, Baxter, who showers me, my husband and child with more love than I can even describe, hates other people! He's okay **sometimes** outside the house but even then he has had issues. I have worked with a trainer to some degree but there is very little even she can do since she can't get near him without his muzzle on. He's made some progress but he still spends a lot of time in his crate when other people are around. I know, in part, I just need to accept that he has a high strung personality but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of problem. Am I destined to have this wonderful dog locked behind closed doors when other people are around for the rest of his life? Will anyone else in the world even get a chance to know how great he is?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herdcentral Posted December 3, 2007 Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 I also own a dog that is wonderful with the family and with a few close friends but highly strung and is very reactive towards strangers. If people come to my house I put her in her crate unless she knows them. I have worked for the past 12 months on obedience and counter conditioning and I have taught her that when we are out walking and she sees a stranger she gets a delicious treat. This has worked very well. To start with I worked with her at a distance from people that she didnt react and fed her lots of treats. I found a wonderful trainer who took me through this methodology and showed me the correct timing. She was happy to work at a distance from me untill my dog became quite comfortable with her. I can now walk right past people and she just looks at me for her treat. Strangers can now walk up to me and talk and she sits quietly by my side. I do not allow these engagements to be too long and I give lots of praise. It has been hard work and time consuming and has been successful to a point. Strange people entering my house is a more difficult situation and I am happy to put her in her crate. She quite frankly doesnt need to meet them or them her. The family knows how loving she is and my first priority is to keep other people and my dog safe. She is high maintenence compared to my other 2 dogs but she is very well trained and she is very manageable in most situations. Good luck with your boy, I do know what you are experiencing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted December 3, 2007 Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 I have experience with a dog like this. He broke my heart over and over when he was young because he was such a wonderful dog at home, but out and about he was a basket case. At one time I thought he would never be able to be around anyone other than my husband and myself. These days he struts his stuff in front of audiences and has the time of his life. He even lets strangers touch him . . . sometimes!! To say it took a lot of work is an understatement. It took years of work. It taught me the true meaning of the word "patience". The thing that ultimately made the difference for him was clicker. I was able - through a long process - to teach him that the click means that I have everything under control and that he can relax. If you can find someone in your area who teaches clicker, I recommend contacting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tualizzy Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 My little Jak is like this. He's wonderful with my husband and I, but scared of everyone else. Hes not aggressive, he just doesn;t want anything to o with anyone else. Even our agility trainer, with whom he has had a class with once a week for more than a year now, can't pet him. But, he will play with her...when she's using a clicker. I love clicker training, and it has done a ton of good for Jak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debm Posted December 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 I have experience with a dog like this. He broke my heart over and over when he was young because he was such a wonderful dog at home, but out and about he was a basket case. At one time I thought he would never be able to be around anyone other than my husband and myself. These days he struts his stuff in front of audiences and has the time of his life. He even lets strangers touch him . . . sometimes!! To say it took a lot of work is an understatement. It took years of work. It taught me the true meaning of the word "patience". The thing that ultimately made the difference for him was clicker. I was able - through a long process - to teach him that the click means that I have everything under control and that he can relax. If you can find someone in your area who teaches clicker, I recommend contacting them. Is it your black dog? I swear she and my dog are from the same litter. I live in Northern VA and Baxter came from Prince George's County MD. Just yesterday I contacted a woman about clicker training. I am going to start classes after the holidays. I hope it helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 Well, it's one of my black dogs, but not the one you mean!! LOL!! Maddie - the one who looks like Baxter - is actually quite social with both dogs and people. She can be a little soft if someone is yelling, or if she thinks she's in trouble for some reason, but normally, she is very outgoing. The one in my avatar with the stand-up ears is my shy guy. I'm not sure where Maddie was from originally, but she is older - about 7 years old now!! The one caveat I will say about clicker training is to give it some time. It is an amazingly incredible tool for both typical training and behavior modification, but it takes some time before we (the handlers) see what is happening sometimes. The first time I tried it, I quit thinking it wasn't for me. Then I saw a demo and I started using clicker again and never looked back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie H Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 My current foster, (also happens to be a mostly black, high drive Border Collie! ) has a similar issue. He is just wonderful with me and my husband, but he does not care for strangers either. Actually, I had him for at least 2 1/2 weeks before I could touch/pet him everywhere and anytime - he never snapped at me, he would simply jump out of his skin and hop backwards. He only "reacts" on strangers if they move towards him while he is contained, such as on leash or in a crate. He puts on quite a show and does the pearly white showing snarl/snap thing. I have stopped allowing strangers to reach out to him for now. I have been instructing visitors to ignore the dog at first and then to casually drop treats for him when he is relaxed and near them. This is working well for us so far, and he now tries to solicit the attention from the visitors, but I have not encouraged anyone to push past this point, as I have him drag a leash when new visitors are in our home and I'm afraid it would cause a setback if he did react because of the leash... So, I too understand what it's like to have a wonderful dog that no one else can share with you! My sweet BC/lab mix, Baxter, who showers me, my husband and child with more love than I can even describe, hates other people! He's okay **sometimes** outside the house but even then he has had issues. I have worked with a trainer to some degree but there is very little even she can do since she can't get near him without his muzzle on. He's made some progress but he still spends a lot of time in his crate when other people are around. I know, in part, I just need to accept that he has a high strung personality but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of problem. Am I destined to have this wonderful dog locked behind closed doors when other people are around for the rest of his life? Will anyone else in the world even get a chance to know how great he is?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debm Posted December 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 Okay root beer I guess they are not related since Baxter is only one! I showed my husband and son the pic of Maddie and they can't get over the similarity! I watched a bunch of clicker training videos online and am really excited about it! The whole concept is very much in sync with how I like to treat my dogs in general and is similar to the way I parent my kid (no I don't use a clicker with him lol!). I am now on an email list for a local class (I think it would be good for Baxter to be around other dogs and humans as much as possible) that will be starting up after the holidays. Its nice to get validation from other folks here who have awesome dogs that no one else gets to experience. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted December 17, 2007 Report Share Posted December 17, 2007 Basic countercounditioning and desensitization to 'friendly strangers' would help a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenkshipley Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 My sweet BC/lab mix, Baxter, who showers me, my husband and child with more love than I can even describe, hates other people! There is a great book and a yahoo support group. The book is "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt. The yahoo group is CU_Dogs@yahoo.com. My young Border Collie went through very serious behavioral and reactive problems at about 19 months. She is immensely improved after working through the exercises in this book. I did spend a significant amount of my free time outside of work taking her places to work with her, but the hard work was worth it. We now do regular exercises as part of our weekly training for agility, but I can say she is a much happier and much more well adjusted young dog today. Best, Jen Flute AAD, AX, OAJ, OAC, OGC, NAJ - semi-retired ADCH Enna TM - Bronze, SACH, GCH, SCH, MX, MXJ - rescued champion Fever - BC in training Kasi EAC,EGC,EJC, OA,OAJ - (1992-2007) When someone tells me there is only one way to do things, it always lights a fire under my butt. My instant reaction is, I'm gonna prove you wrong. -Picabo Street Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debm Posted December 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 There is a great book and a yahoo support group. The book is "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt. The yahoo group is CU_Dogs@yahoo.com. Thank you, this is a fantastic resource for us!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Hmmmmm, I mentioned it on the 'Bark, bark, bark' thread but guess no one saw it. Anyway I concur as far as Control Unleashed... Goodness knows there are quite a few BC folks on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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