Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

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Wizard_Dog_Harry
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Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Wizard_Dog_Harry »

Hi, Harry is 17 weeks old and is causing myself and my partner major anxiety. He barks at everything, taking him for a walk is unpleasant and has caused myself and partner a few rows with each other. We have been to puppy class, tried the distraction techniques he is just not interested toys/treats nothing. When he sees a dog he becomes chaotic and when we move in to greet them he just will not stop barking incessantly. I have a number of illnesses and Im so worried that my partner will re-home harry if we cannot help find a solution. Does anyone have any behaviouralist recommendations for the Wirral/merseyside area I really need help 😢
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
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Schnauzer Sam
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Schnauzer Sam »

Hi Tj,

I can't remember who or if you have Harry insured. If it's with Petplan then they will pay for an animal behaviourist provided you are referred by your vet AND they are suitable qualified. You can, of course, self refer. They will work with you and only use "hands off" techniques.

The main focus is on understanding the root cause of the problem and then coming up with a solution that will work for all of you.

Have a look on www.apbc.co.uk/need-help/ and choose North West England. There are two listed for the Wirral that I see.

Best of luck
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zeta1454
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi TJ - so sorry to hear that you are still struggling to settle Harry. There is a link here to a pet behaviourist in the Wirral area that looks to be good but this is not a recommendation from experience as we have not used her services ourselves:

http://pet-behaviour.co.uk

I noticed in your post here that you said Harry "becomes chaotic" when he sees a dog and "will not stop barking" when you move in to greet them. If Harry is stressed at seeing other dogs, you must not take him up to them as this is likely to make him worse. While he is reacting so strongly at the sight of other dogs, you need to keep Harry at a distance which he feels comfortable with until the dogs have gone. Moving in to greet dogs is likely to take many weeks and months and, it is possible that Harry may never want to greet random dogs in the street or playpark. Not all dogs are keen to socialise with other canines just as not all people are "the life and soul of the party" types - some naturally are more reserved and prefer to keep themselves distant. This may not be Harry's natural temperament but you do need to start by finding a way of taking him out and keeping him at a good distance from other dogs until you reach a point he is calm when walking.

Harry is still very young and needs lots of encouragement and support if he is to overcome his anxieties. It will not be an overnight change but something that takes time and patience. We re-homed a young dog just under a year old who had been in an isolated home previously where there was little traffic of any kind. Although we live in a village so it is hardly that busy, there are quite a few cars at certain times of day, and agricultural vehicles passing through. This was (unexpectedly to us) very stressful for this dog who would try to hurl himself at passing vehicles from the pavement as though he thought they were going to attack him. It made walks hard work, a tight lead on his harness and a keen ear and eye on my part for any approaching vehicle. As soon as I heard or saw one, I would stop, start talking to him, get his attention, even at times, getting right down next to him and talking reassuringly until the vehicle had passed. Some occasions were better than others and sometimes a distraction would work and he was always rewarded for not making a move towards the car..so I now have hardly any problem walking him with any large or small vehicles going by. However, he is not keen on walking near busy main roads and even now, at 5 years of age, there may be the odd reactive response to particular cars for some reason.

Puppies are easier and quicker to train the younger you can start and I do hope that you can find a good behaviourist to guide you with Harry specifically as I am sure you can get over this troubling time with professional advice and support.

Have you spoken to Harry's breeder or are they not very helpful?

Good luck and do not despair. Take time to understand what may be stressing Harry and give him the space to feel confident he is not threatened by other dogs and does not need to meet them if he doesn't want to. You and your partner are his family and it is you that he will have the closest relationship with :-)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

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Oscar 12345
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Oscar 12345 »

If I can just add to the excellent advice above. There is a facebook group called Reactive Dogs UK that have a list of recommended trainers who know how to deal with reactive behaviour like barking for example. They are so helpful and have helped me enormously with my reactive boy. If you can't find anyone suitable from the above recommendations then all you have to is join and give your region and they will identify someone who can help. The sooner you get help the better and he is only a baby so idea time. Good luck and well done for reaching out.
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Wizard_Dog_Harry
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Wizard_Dog_Harry »

Schnauzer Sam wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 16:40 Hi Tj,

I can't remember who or if you have Harry insured. If it's with Petplan then they will pay for an animal behaviourist provided you are referred by your vet AND they are suitable qualified. You can, of course, self refer. They will work with you and only use "hands off" techniques.

The main focus is on understanding the root cause of the problem and then coming up with a solution that will work for all of you.

Have a look on www.apbc.co.uk/need-help/ and choose North West England. There are two listed for the Wirral that I see.

Best of luck
Thank you for replying ❤️
Wizard_Dog_Harry
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Wizard_Dog_Harry »

zeta1454 wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 16:46 Hi TJ - so sorry to hear that you are still struggling to settle Harry. There is a link here to a pet behaviourist in the Wirral area that looks to be good but this is not a recommendation from experience as we have not used her services ourselves:

http://pet-behaviour.co.uk

I noticed in your post here that you said Harry "becomes chaotic" when he sees a dog and "will not stop barking" when you move in to greet them. If Harry is stressed at seeing other dogs, you must not take him up to them as this is likely to make him worse. While he is reacting so strongly at the sight of other dogs, you need to keep Harry at a distance which he feels comfortable with until the dogs have gone. Moving in to greet dogs is likely to take many weeks and months and, it is possible that Harry may never want to greet random dogs in the street or playpark. Not all dogs are keen to socialise with other canines just as not all people are "the life and soul of the party" types - some naturally are more reserved and prefer to keep themselves distant. This may not be Harry's natural temperament but you do need to start by finding a way of taking him out and keeping him at a good distance from other dogs until you reach a point he is calm when walking.

Harry is still very young and needs lots of encouragement and support if he is to overcome his anxieties. It will not be an overnight change but something that takes time and patience. We re-homed a young dog just under a year old who had been in an isolated home previously where there was little traffic of any kind. Although we live in a village so it is hardly that busy, there are quite a few cars at certain times of day, and agricultural vehicles passing through. This was (unexpectedly to us) very stressful for this dog who would try to hurl himself at passing vehicles from the pavement as though he thought they were going to attack him. It made walks hard work, a tight lead on his harness and a keen ear and eye on my part for any approaching vehicle. As soon as I heard or saw one, I would stop, start talking to him, get his attention, even at times, getting right down next to him and talking reassuringly until the vehicle had passed. Some occasions were better than others and sometimes a distraction would work and he was always rewarded for not making a move towards the car..so I now have hardly any problem walking him with any large or small vehicles going by. However, he is not keen on walking near busy main roads and even now, at 5 years of age, there may be the odd reactive response to particular cars for some reason.

Puppies are easier and quicker to train the younger you can start and I do hope that you can find a good behaviourist to guide you with Harry specifically as I am sure you can get over this troubling time with professional advice and support.

Have you spoken to Harry's breeder or are they not very helpful?

Good luck and do not despair. Take time to understand what may be stressing Harry and give him the space to feel confident he is not threatened by other dogs and does not need to meet them if he doesn't want to. You and your partner are his family and it is you that he will have the closest relationship with :-)
Hi
Thank you so much for your advice, I feel so very lost. Especially as Im dealing with my illnesses on top. My partner gets very frustrated which in turn makes me very anxious, I think because anyone man, woman, child,dog? He barks and just seems to lose himself, you cannot seem to snap him out of it, it is like watching a strange dog, We have not left him on his own yet as even going into the next room he starts whining. We have found if we put him in the kitchen or on the deck he is not as reactive. My partner got so angry today because he is taking H out at 7am so not to cause issues with other walkers, unfortunately its not that simple and H was particularly reactive today which then passes to me and I fall to pieces when I see how deflated my partner is. H is a baby but my partner is already saying if this continues he cannot see himself wanting to keep H as his anxiety levels are real high in anticipation of a walk or meeting anyone. I feel utterly lost and tbh with you all I haven’t stopped crying today as I just don't know what to do hence my post. I will pass on all your recommendations to my partner and see what we can come up with. Thank you so much again for taking the time to reply xx
Wizard_Dog_Harry
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Wizard_Dog_Harry »

Oscar 12345 wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 16:58 If I can just add to the excellent advice above. There is a facebook group called Reactive Dogs UK that have a list of recommended trainers who know how to deal with reactive behaviour like barking for example. They are so helpful and have helped me enormously with my reactive boy. If you can't find anyone suitable from the above recommendations then all you have to is join and give your region and they will identify someone who can help. The sooner you get help the better and he is only a baby so idea time. Good luck and well done for reaching out.
Thank you I will go and look right now. Much appreciated.
Oscar 12345
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Oscar 12345 »

I really can hear your despair here. Whilst hopefully waiting for a good trainer to help I would do the following. Don't worry about walking him outside if he is getting anxious and you are both anxious too. It won't help and he will pick up your anxiety and it reinforces the fear inside him. If you have a garden, play games in the garden, walk around the garden or alternatively find a secure field/area where there is no one around. You can work on recall in the garden, do lots of training, anything that builds his sense of security. I would also contact sibling owners to see if you can arrange play dates with the other pups. There might be some barking to start but he should settle when they start playing. That will help with some puppy socialisation and hopefully build some confidence. So stop with the walking outside for the moment until you can get help with a proper plan with all the steps you need to help everyone in this relationship. :ymhug: :ymhug:
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zeta1454
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by zeta1454 »

Wizard_Dog_Harry wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 21:55
zeta1454 wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 16:46 Hi TJ - so sorry to hear that you are still struggling to settle Harry. There is a link here to a pet behaviourist in the Wirral area that looks to be good but this is not a recommendation from experience as we have not used her services ourselves:

http://pet-behaviour.co.uk

I noticed in your post here that you said Harry "becomes chaotic" when he sees a dog and "will not stop barking" when you move in to greet them. If Harry is stressed at seeing other dogs, you must not take him up to them as this is likely to make him worse. While he is reacting so strongly at the sight of other dogs, you need to keep Harry at a distance which he feels comfortable with until the dogs have gone. Moving in to greet dogs is likely to take many weeks and months and, it is possible that Harry may never want to greet random dogs in the street or playpark. Not all dogs are keen to socialise with other canines just as not all people are "the life and soul of the party" types - some naturally are more reserved and prefer to keep themselves distant. This may not be Harry's natural temperament but you do need to start by finding a way of taking him out and keeping him at a good distance from other dogs until you reach a point he is calm when walking.

Harry is still very young and needs lots of encouragement and support if he is to overcome his anxieties. It will not be an overnight change but something that takes time and patience. We re-homed a young dog just under a year old who had been in an isolated home previously where there was little traffic of any kind. Although we live in a village so it is hardly that busy, there are quite a few cars at certain times of day, and agricultural vehicles passing through. This was (unexpectedly to us) very stressful for this dog who would try to hurl himself at passing vehicles from the pavement as though he thought they were going to attack him. It made walks hard work, a tight lead on his harness and a keen ear and eye on my part for any approaching vehicle. As soon as I heard or saw one, I would stop, start talking to him, get his attention, even at times, getting right down next to him and talking reassuringly until the vehicle had passed. Some occasions were better than others and sometimes a distraction would work and he was always rewarded for not making a move towards the car..so I now have hardly any problem walking him with any large or small vehicles going by. However, he is not keen on walking near busy main roads and even now, at 5 years of age, there may be the odd reactive response to particular cars for some reason.

Puppies are easier and quicker to train the younger you can start and I do hope that you can find a good behaviourist to guide you with Harry specifically as I am sure you can get over this troubling time with professional advice and support.

Have you spoken to Harry's breeder or are they not very helpful?

Good luck and do not despair. Take time to understand what may be stressing Harry and give him the space to feel confident he is not threatened by other dogs and does not need to meet them if he doesn't want to. You and your partner are his family and it is you that he will have the closest relationship with :-)
Hi
Thank you so much for your advice, I feel so very lost. Especially as Im dealing with my illnesses on top. My partner gets very frustrated which in turn makes me very anxious, I think because anyone man, woman, child,dog? He barks and just seems to lose himself, you cannot seem to snap him out of it, it is like watching a strange dog, We have not left him on his own yet as even going into the next room he starts whining. We have found if we put him in the kitchen or on the deck he is not as reactive. My partner got so angry today because he is taking H out at 7am so not to cause issues with other walkers, unfortunately its not that simple and H was particularly reactive today which then passes to me and I fall to pieces when I see how deflated my partner is. H is a baby but my partner is already saying if this continues he cannot see himself wanting to keep H as his anxiety levels are real high in anticipation of a walk or meeting anyone. I feel utterly lost and tbh with you all I haven’t stopped crying today as I just don't know what to do hence my post. I will pass on all your recommendations to my partner and see what we can come up with. Thank you so much again for taking the time to reply xx
I agree with Julie that, until you have been able to get professional advice and support re Harry's barking, it will be far better not to try walking him outside when it is causing so much stress and distress to you and your partner. Harry does not need lots of exercise but he does need a fun, relaxed and happy atmosphere at home with you and your partner and if he is picking up on the tension and anxiety (as dogs do) this will not help the situation at all.

You will almost certainly need a vet referral for the behaviourist and, in any event, it would be a good idea to have a vet check over Harry to make sure there is nothing causing him pain or any illness that is making him so over the top reactive outside of your home.

Has Harry been like this since you collected him from the breeder or did it start later? Just wondering whether you could pinpoint anything that may have led to this extreme behaviour which is not normal for a puppy, in my experience. It could be useful (if his behaviour has altered since you got him) to look at whether anything happened to trigger the change which could be anything from a frightening experience with another dog or person to a reaction to medication or vaccination.
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by mikegoodson1 »

Hi TJ,

I have been away for four weeks, just reading through some threads and this one really caught my attention. Poor Harry and I can see that you and your partner are at your wits end too. Is there any update at all?

One of the pieces of advice earlier was walking Harry in a secure field, I wonder if this would help to boost his confidence and your trust in him. There are plenty of places around that offer this service, obviously you have to pay for the time but I wonder if it would help him to know he would not bump into another dog? I appreciate the underlying cause still needs addressing but it may buy you some time and show your partner that Harry is probably a little scared/nervous of other dogs.

One of my minis, when she was a puppy, used to squeal like a pig and run up my legs if she came across a bigger black dog - maybe Harry is just vocalising the fact he is scared? Also, have you tried taking Harry to puppy socialising events? Granted he will only interact with other puppies but it may help him build up his confidence. Our local pet store 'Pets Corner' ran these every Saturday morning for an hour, they were free to attend although you had to sign up but for me, they were invaluable in getting both my mini's when they were puppies, out there and introduced to other pooches.

Good luck but please keep us updated.
Mike
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Re: Barking/behaviouralist recommendations Wirral

Post by Riesen16 »

I don't know whether my advice will be of any help but maybe it could:
Schnauzers are barkers "full stop".
It's "cheating" a bit, but may help. Try playing games with the dog with his favourite toy. Try to get him absolutely fazed on whatever toy you choose. When you take him out, be sure you have it with you and show him the toy but keep it out of his reach. The idea is to gain his attention on you and the toy but foremost on you.

And what all Schnauzers "XL and S" really need is a very firm hand. If necessary, bodily force!!!

Good luck
Gill





You could add little sequences of play with the dog in between. It's not necessary to take long walks. Schnauzers, small oder large, love to play
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