How do I correct my dogs neurotic behavior?
Good Morning... I have a 3 year old medium male mix... neutered. He is an indoor dog and lives with a pack of 5 balanced dogs, 2 kids that are dog knowledgeable, my husband and myself. We have a large fenced in yard and a large house.
We have had him since 12 weeks of age. He was the last puppy of the litter... He was skittish immediately with me at the shelter. He would not come near me... but I was confident that he would be fine with time. In the home he was only comfortable with me... with time he accepted the boys and my husband. He was immediately comfortable with all dogs and fell into the routine fairly easily.
He is a pretty normal dog within the home. However he does not accept company easily... the kids friends and women do not take long... but there has never been a man besides my husband that he will let touch him. My husband has a good friend that has tried for 3 years and he still does not go anywhere near him...
This past year he has started to life his leg on my pillow any chance he gets. He also lifts his leg on anything left on the floor that is not usually there (a bag, moved furniture etc...) I cannot seem to break him of this... as a result, I have to crate him when I am not home.
We are dog knowledgeable and have fostered before he came along for several years with multiple dogs in and out of the home. He is my biggest challenge... and I just do not know what do to to change his behavior if it is possible.
I should mention that he has never bitten or shown any aggression to people... He does wait when I let the other dogs out to the yard and attacks if I am not right there to intercede. The other dogs do not ever initiate and just try to get away. He seems to get so excited during this time that he gets a crazed look and acts upon it.. until I can redirect his attention. This behavior has emerged the past year or so too...
I put him in the room with my eldest (11 year old son) to sleep... he seems to love the one on one attention... and there is no urination.
Any ideas........ I am desperate for a solution...
If you got him around 3 months, his vaccinations should have been over or close to it. The moment that happens, it is great to have him around other dogs, BUT not just ones in your home. Same goes for people. He would STILL benefit from interaction with other dogs who were with their owners and calm
It sounds like you were (appropriately) nervous, but way too sheltering in terms of allowing him to begin interacting with humans as a puppy who were outside of the house. Friends/family should also have been brought into the house at that point so he knows that YOU determine who is "safe" for him.
You noticed at the shelter that he was nervous with you even, which indicates that he needed and still needs to have exposure and socialization with humans. If he loves other dogs, but gets overwhelmed, have him meet your friends/family inside the house with the other dogs ENJOYING the humans.
He is likely lifting the leg on YOUR pillow because if he started being comfortable with you and you did not encourage him to approach others, or if you held him or even touched/pet him to "calm his nerves" in other human situations, you became someone HE controlled. He is "marking" your pillow...
I have had a large number of clients with dogs who have SEVERE attachment issues and have taken months/years to warm up to owners and friends/family. When the owner leaves and I sit the dogs, things change...I now feed the dogs and let them out to potty...I also focus a TON on praise for ANY good...
behavior, BUT I also use any commands the owners use and I make it clear to the dog that I respect their space, but they are not allowed to be Alpha, AND that includes controlling my life by hiding from me when it is time to potty (etc., but that is important since they'll do it inside easily).
I have questions, as well: 1. When you brought him into the house, how many other pets were there, and ages/sizes/breeds/genders? Was there an Alpha? Did they all meet at once and was that in the home or outside? Were ALL previous dogs and the new dog trained in the same way to do the same things?
2. Did you immediately allow him to sleep with YOU/be with YOU until HE decided to approach the other humans in the home? Is there a reason that you did not begin by crating/crate-training him OR, did you ever leave and have your husband be his only source of FOOD, PROTECTION.COMFORT, and HELP?
3. For your pack, do you follow a routine? Do the pets have a stable daily routine so they know what to expect each day? Also, are you spending time walking him alone from the pack (and having your husband and kids do the same)? Is he better with certain dogs at home than others?
4. When he is with the pack and "attacks", how do you "intercede"? I think you are correct that he gets "crazed", but it seems to be from fear/anxiety/overstimulation, NOT excitement. His marking of NEW/MOVED objects is likely his reaction to changes that make him MORE confused in the house.
5. When you have new people meet him or your husbands friends, do you have a strict set of techniques for YOU, your family, and the guest(s) to follow that are BASED on his nervousness and can help reduce it and calm him down? Have you allowed him to meet guests on a leash outside past the yard?