need opinions

[shar]

hi there, we have a beautiful yellow lab pup who is 20 months old...remi has been "scared" of dogs since she was much younger as our neighbours dog basically tried to smother her when she was young and then once bit her...if off leash, remi just goes the other wayif a dog approaches..if tied(camping) she will try and back away but will snarl or snap if the dog gets too close(usually, but not always)...anyways, this isnt what i am wanting opinions about....

we were camping this summer and remi was tied up...my husband was 2 ft away from her cooking and me and the kids were in the trailer...a little girl we know was jumping around outside talking to us and then went down to remi...next thing we know she came up and was covered in blood..of course we are all freaking out...the little ended up having one tooth mark above her lip and a scratch under her chin..she needed a couple of stitches...all i could think was "we gotta put her down"...everyone at the small campsite, including the little girls family told us NO WAY...we truly arent/werent sure if it was intentional as there was no snap, no growl and remi sometimes gets excited and we thought maybe she was coming up as the girl came down...anyways, we got past it...but this is my concern...remi is a dog that gets scared by a lot, and i noticed that if any kids come near her in her crate, she backs to the corner...i do tell the kids they are not allowed to bug her in her crate, but i did notice that she once did a snap(did not come close to the child) but this is stressing me out..she is the most loving dog, she loves all kids that comes to the house, sometimes i can tell they stress her out, so she wants to go to her crate(understandable as there are always lots of kids around)..we can take a bone right from her mouth with her tail wagging,we can do anything with her and she just doesnt care...she doesnt growl or anything like that at all, just these two things, and the first no one blames the dog (should we)do u think my dog is "bad" or we can help her...how do u get a dog past fears of things...please let me know what we should do, we love this dog, but if she is a threat, that isnt right either...hoping for help from all the experts :)

sharon

[So-Crafty]

With a fear-aggression dog - one thing I would do would be to teach her that new things aren't so scary. Start carrying treats with you at all times. Let's just say that she gets scared while going on walks and when she encounters another dog.

So, you start taking her for walks more often and treat her when she behaves. The second another dog steps into the picture, you get her attention and treat her when she does. Eventually she'll put two and two together that good things happen around other dogs (just as an example).

I prefer working with more skittish animals because it is such a joy when they finally come around and the little light clicks on. :love:

Of course there are other tricks and methods to helping an animal overcome fear and this is just the method I have used. Others may have other opinions :)

[shepgirl]

I wouldn't call your dog bad, she just needs more socializing. Obedience classes would be a great help, she would meet lots of dogs in a controlled atmosphere. Lots of patience and hard work should turn her around unless she's inherited this from her dam...did you meet the dam when you purchased her? I wouldn't quit on her now, sounds like good advice above also.

[Giselle]

NO, your dog is not "bad". There are NO bad dogs in my book. There is only inadequate communication and deep misunderstanding between dog and human. Remi's body language is her only way of communicating with humans. She can't say, "Hey, kid, back off, I'm getting really uncomfortable". She can only tense up, fold back her ears, curl her lip, push her weight back, etc. But when people don't understand and attempt to touch her anyways, Remi reacts the only way she knows how: she bites. She is a fear-biter. But being fearful does not make her inherently "bad".

As for the incident with the little girl, blame nobody but Remi's caretakers (i.e. you and your husband). It sounds harsh, but that's the mentality you have to take. In a strange new environment, a strange little girl tried to approach and probably touch Remi. Remi was tied up and scared out of her mind. What else was she supposed to do? I know it's humbling to admit to these things. I have a reactive dog and I've been through these situations waaaay too many times, so I completely understand where you're coming from.

Now, for the good news, first read this excellent link:
https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/fear.htm
Basically, you have to change Remi's emotional state. Through desensitization and counter-conditioning, you can mold her mind from fear of strangers to love of strangers. It's a bit of a long process, but the link explains it very very well. It also lists several books you should become familiar with:
- The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell (I HIGHLY recommend this one as a first read because it's simple, easy to understand, and provides step-by-step instructions)
- Calming Signals On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas
- Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
and another one I love is The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell

Rehabilitating a fearful dog's mind is a very unique, rewarding process if you do it right. And if you do it right, boy, the feeling of seeing a confident, happy dog is just heartwarming :) You can definitely do it. Remi sounds like a dog with a lot of potential. She just needs some clear leadership, solid rules, and a different mentality.

[shar]

wow, thanks for all these great replies, they have been great...remi is truly a great dog...the hardest thing is she was socialized very young, but the neighbours dog got her twice...we know this is why she is fearful of many dogs, much worse when on leash or tied camping...if she has her choice, she will choose to go the other way, never confront...as for people, she can be skiddish, but not with people who come to our home, only if we are out...we are definately going to be working with her and all these book recommendations sound great, i will have to check them out for sure...she is slowly getting better about weird things like the dishwasher...funny thing, as a pup, if it was left open we would catch her licking everything inside, then one day her collar hooked on the bottom tray and when she went to move, it came with her..scared the crap out of her and she ran and pulled the tray and shattered dishes all over...we are working on this one...she is such a "people" dog, always wants to be around when we have people over...we just got to get her out more and get her to realize that people outside are great too....i know my husband and i, and our 3 teenagers, gotta work together...thanks and any more advice is always appreciated...you have made me feel SOOOO much better :)
sharon

[Karen]

The good news is, at 20 months, for a Lab, she is still a puppy. So with careful and consistent training, you can help her overcome these fears. She may never be the fearless wonderdog, but she can be a better, calmer, and happier girl.