dog who growls and nips

Question

Ladybug   We adopted a "rescue dog", Ladybug, from a no-kill shelter in Central Ohio  on July 14. She is a border collie, 5 years old (approx.) and about 58 lbs (overweight). She was attacked by two other dogs (they told us "pit bulls") that she lived with; she was severely injured on the neck, hindquarters and her ears were shredded to pieces; she required extensive surgery.

She also had a bladder stone removed sometime later. She spent about 7 months in the shelter; she was well-cared for except for her weight problem. She seemed very friendly, loving and sweet so we took her home. (We had lost our beloved 12 year old BC in June.)

In fact, she IS friendly loving and sweet -- to us. She is OK with our cats. But she has proven to be unpredictable with other people and other dogs; she gets "growly" and has twice nipped people who walked by or stepped over her. One was the 8 year old daughter of a friend, and the child is now terrified of her.

Sometimes she is fine with people or other dogs, so this is entirely unpredictable. She spends time with a couple of pugs down the street, no problem. But we took her to visit our daughter, who has a lab/chow mix and Ladybug spent the whole afternoon snarling at him.


Our last BC was the most wonderful, sweet dog you could trust with anyone, never bit or nipped and I could let children come up and pet her with confidence. I can't do that now. We also used to travel extensively with our BC, and I don't see how you could do that with an unpredictable dog who might without warning snarl at people or dogs, or bite!


Otherwise, she is OK -- housebroken, walks fine on a leash, no food aggression, only minimal barking, no cat aggression, etc.

Her other behavior is fine. We do have her on a strict diet due to her weight (she has lost 12 pounds from when we adopted her).

We are terrified of this behavior and the potential she will bite someone, worse a child. Also, we cannot take her anywhere, which was the real joy of owning our last dog, because of how she acts....and we can't enjoy letting children come up and pet her, or go to places with crowds. This is making us miserable, and ruining our building a relationship with a new dog.


I figure the problem with other dogs is likely because she WAS severely attacked and injured, only 8 months ago. I don't know what causes the problem with people, or why it is so unpredictable.


I don't know if you've dealt with this. All the stuff I read in books or online, it is very "philosophical" about dog behavior in general, or it's about long term elaborate dog training, but nothing SPECIFIC to get rid of this awful behavior, or give you a sweet, loving, trustworthy dog you can take anywhere -- which is what we desperately want!

I don't care about a lot of "come fetch stay" types of training. I DO CARE about a dog we can't take anywhere, or have to muzzle, or must worry might turn on someone and bite them for no reason.



If you have any suggestions, help or a specific training related to this issue, I'd be interested in anything. We are desperate.

Answer
The dog attack is undoubtedly a large part of Ladybug's problem. That was very traumatising for her and she is ready to protect herself from all other dogs except for the smallest which pose no threat to her. Some dogs adopt the attitude "I'm going to get you before you get me!" This isn't a huge problem if you keep her away from other dogs; dogs really do not need to interact when they go out, and since they should be going out on a leash anyway, it is easy enough to keep the dog's attention on you and away from other dogs.

As to your daughter's dog, he was probably getting into her space and she was telling him off. That is perfectly acceptable behavior. I would have been hollering at the male and telling him to go lie down and leave her alone. In time she will probably come around and tolerate him more as long as he keeps his nose out of her rear end.

The people thing may or may not be related to the dog attack, but I suspect it most likely is. She probably reacts to anyone coming up to her suddenly or surprising her. You might try letting strangers give her treats... something really tasty that she likes. Cheese is the first thing that comes to my mind. If you are out and about with her and don't want to go the treat route, people really do not need to be petting her... and they should always be asking permission before doing so anyway. I would just say, "No, sorry, I would rather you not pet my dog. You don't have to give a reason; just keep walking or go the other way.

If company comes to your house, just put the dog away in another room or in a crate. Give her a few more months to settle in before having her out with others.

And, please, stop comparing Ladybug to your previous dog. This is a dog who got the snot beat out of her, her body shredded, and nearly died from the experience. It will take a lot of time and tender, loving care for her to recover from that terrible experience. She may never be the dog she once was, but, with time, she may learn to trust again.

I would be practicing "Nothing in Life is Free" with this dog. http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm  As she learns that you will protect her from other dogs and any unwanted attention from strangers, you will also want her to know that you are Alpha and she must listen to you at all times.