(update) Avoiding dog fear after attack

[job28]

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my 5mo aussie mix being bit in the face by a yellow lab. Wanted to give an update - she's doing awesome! Her face is almost fully healed (aside from some minor cosmetic issues), but the biggest relief is that she has so far been completely un-phased around other dogs of all shapes and sizes, including other yellow labs that she's seen on walks and at my fiance's dog-friendly office. So, so, pleased that we put so much time into socialization before the accident (she was meeting and playing with new dogs almost every day), as I'm sure it's played a huge part in her ability to bounce back so quickly. SOCIALIZATION IS SO IMPORTANT. Thanks for all your kind words and advice on the original post; fingers crossed she continues to do so well!

Puppy tax: Just after attack and today

 

[brehar]

@job28 Yayy so happy to hear this! My dog, Mocha, just went through something similar and I think I have been more terrified of her with other dogs then she has. She’s 5 months old and also has been around a good bit of other dogs before the attack. We’ve seen a couple of pups since then and she’s been totally fine. I think it’s more of me needing to get over the fear that she going to all of a sudden bite another dog because she was bit. Did you feel that way? I don’t want to project my anxiousness onto her!!

 

[job28]

@brehar Yeah, it's definitely something that's always going to be in the back of my mind now! I do feel much better having seen that nothing about her attitude on leash walks has changed. We haven't been able to do dog parks again yet since she's still healing, and I know it's going to make me more anxious than leash walking. But like you said, super important not to project anxiousness onto the dog, so I think we're just going to take it slow and try not to dive right into situations that make either of us uncomfortable!

 

[brehar]

@job28 I think that’s a good idea!! Happy to hear your pup is doing well though!

 

[sabri]

@job28 Oh she is so cute! Such a nice shade of red and her fur texture looks lovely. She's rocking the healing scars like a champ, too, totally punk rock

 

[job28]

@sabri It's awesome because I have a scar in the same place from a bike accident now we're twinning!

 

[aries_113]

@job28 That’s great!! My trainer told me I was too trusting of other dogs. Then in training the following week, a dog got off his harness. It was only the 2nd week and we hadn’t had any socializing. This dog has not stopped barking and will not listen to any commands. I got a bad feeling about him from day 1 so I immediately went down to my puppy and had my arms around him ready to pick him up if I needed. Some other woman commented on how he was fine and just wanted to play. Maybe so, but our puppies so quickly become our everything and we can never be too careful around strange dogs. Especially when they aren’t on a leash and their owner hasn’t tried to catch up with them.

 

[mauricio512]

@job28 My neighbors dog just attacked mine. It was crazy. Her dog charged across the street as we were loading up to go to the park. My dog is thankfully 100 lbs and put my neighbors boxer in its place pretty quickly and didn’t give it time to escalate. Her two puppies that we kept were in the car freaking out the whole time, thankfully I shut the door before they could get involved.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@job28 How did you know she was hurt enough to take to the vet? Im not sure if my pup was bitten because it happened so fast. He just squeeled and rolled away.

 

[job28]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I wasn't there, but my fiance said she was screaming and ran right for him after it happened. She was pretty bloodied so we knew she at least needed to get cleaned up to avoid infection. Also started swelling immediately. As they were waiting at the vet, she got to a point where she wouldn't let anyone touch her because she was in such extreme pain.

If there's no blood and your pup is acting itself, I wouldn't be too worried!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@job28 Ah ok cool, yeah no blood. Im glad she wasn't traumatized!

 

[auna]

@job28 Any tips? My Boston was alone in a small kennel her entire first year, until I rescued her. She had never seen another dog, hardly saw people. She’s always been skittish around new dogs, but eventually (after meeting multiple times) warms up and isn’t aggressive. Last year, a neighbors dog attacked her and I couldn’t get to her fast enough. She needed very minor medical care. However, I feel like we’re right back to square 1 for both of us. She’s skittish and scared, and I don’t trust any dog I see. I’ve tried dog parks but it’s way to overwhelming. She does great at my folks place with her dog. But as soon as we see a new dog, her first instinct is self defense not, oh hi friend! Wanna play?

 

[job28]

@auna I'm so sorry all of that happened to both of you, poor girl! She's been given every reason to be afraid Not sure how qualified I am to give advice, but here's my thoughts:

How does she do with dogs at a distance? Is she reactive to or scared of dogs that you walk past on leash walks? If she's reasonably comfortable with that, you might try to find controlled environments in which you can introduce her to new dogs, like group classes or playgroups that are supervised by trainers who can give you more insight. The place we took Chewy for puppy classes (it's called the Zoom Room, in case there's a location near you) actually has a shy dog workshop targeted specifically at dogs who are nervous meeting new people/dogs, so you could look for something like that.

If classes or trainers aren't an option, I think it's all about baby steps and positive reinforcement. Dog parks probably aren't a good option, since it sounds like neither of you are going to be comfortable there. I'd start with getting comfortable just meeting dogs 1:1, and lots of treats for any interactions she does have with another dog! Do you maybe have any trusted friends with well-socialized dogs that she hasn't met yet?