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***Carrie*** · 12-17-2005, 11:38 AM

I agree with RBW....to take it slowly and let her get to trusting you more. But it sure wouldn't hurt a thing to work with her a little bit by herself...with the other dogs out of the room. Does she know anything like sit or come? At other times....not when she's on the couch and not wanting to get off, can you get her to come to you for a pat and then give a treat? Can you lure her into a sit and reward her with quiet praise and a treat? How about a little game...slow movements, but maybe fetch, just tossing a toy or treat a very short distance and seeing if you can get her to bring it to you? Does she have any playful tendancies? If you can get her involved with interacting with you more on this level, you can begin to show her how wonderful you are and how you actually control all the wonderfulness that she gets from interacting with you and following your lead to sit, come, stay, fetch, shake hands, whatever. When she starts seeing you as such a confident, gentle, trustworthy leader, she'll feel so much more secure and will lose that need to be in charge of the couch. She'll rather like the idea that you are going to guide her in her schedule and her "duties" so she doesn't have to worry about it.

So basically, you can't do anything immediate about a snapping episode, but you can circumvent and come in the back door...gradually helping her to find her place as she becomes more in the know...so to speak. Once she sees you as her safety net, her leader who is trustworthy, who never hurts her, your position as "the man in the house" (lol) will become more clear. But you're going to have to be confident and not fussing over her anxiety. That can be viewed by her as though you are worried. You don't want that. Let her feel your happy, cheerful, easy going, confident manner.

Can you identify what types of things seem to trigger her fear? If so, is there any way to avoid some of these things and later you can deal with it with desensatizing etc? (If they're things which are associated with something that happened to her before) I guess I'd try to minimize those things for now and just sort of let her adjust to a new way, but go slowly without being too much of a tenderfoot.

These are just my ideas. I am not the expert with working with abused dogs, so take my ideas with a grain of salt or see what others think.

I'm sure I left something out, in spite of this usual long winded approach. LOL.

12-17-2005, 11:38 AM	#4 (permalink)
*Carrie* Super Moderator Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: north panhandle of Idaho Posts: 7,551 Rep Power: 292	I agree with RBW....to take it slowly and let her get to trusting you more. But it sure wouldn't hurt a thing to work with her a little bit by herself...with the other dogs out of the room. Does she know anything like sit or come? At other times....not when she's on the couch and not wanting to get off, can you get her to come to you for a pat and then give a treat? Can you lure her into a sit and reward her with quiet praise and a treat? How about a little game...slow movements, but maybe fetch, just tossing a toy or treat a very short distance and seeing if you can get her to bring it to you? Does she have any playful tendancies? If you can get her involved with interacting with you more on this level, you can begin to show her how wonderful you are and how you actually control all the wonderfulness that she gets from interacting with you and following your lead to sit, come, stay, fetch, shake hands, whatever. When she starts seeing you as such a confident, gentle, trustworthy leader, she'll feel so much more secure and will lose that need to be in charge of the couch. She'll rather like the idea that you are going to guide her in her schedule and her "duties" so she doesn't have to worry about it. So basically, you can't do anything immediate about a snapping episode, but you can circumvent and come in the back door...gradually helping her to find her place as she becomes more in the know...so to speak. Once she sees you as her safety net, her leader who is trustworthy, who never hurts her, your position as "the man in the house" (lol) will become more clear. But you're going to have to be confident and not fussing over her anxiety. That can be viewed by her as though you are worried. You don't want that. Let her feel your happy, cheerful, easy going, confident manner. Can you identify what types of things seem to trigger her fear? If so, is there any way to avoid some of these things and later you can deal with it with desensatizing etc? (If they're things which are associated with something that happened to her before) I guess I'd try to minimize those things for now and just sort of let her adjust to a new way, but go slowly without being too much of a tenderfoot. These are just my ideas. I am not the expert with working with abused dogs, so take my ideas with a grain of salt or see what others think. I'm sure I left something out, in spite of this usual long winded approach. LOL.
	__________________ Get more out of Global Paw. Check out these great features. Global Paw Book Club -- Art Classes -- Woof Review As a member of Global paw staff my opinions are not necessarily those of the website or the owner. Last edited by Carrie : 12-17-2005 at 11:45 AM.