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Problem With Ptsd In Dogs? Any Advice?

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Socha

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This might seem a little odd and off-topic to some of you but here is the thing: My dog is a rescued stray and I can see symptoms in him that are very similar to mine.
He doesn't let strangers pet or touch him, is avoidant and is not the most confident dog ever known and that's fine with me, he doesn't need to be. He trusts me and the only problem we seem to not make any progress is with putting on his harness. It got a lot better since he moved in with me but most of the time when I take his harness he tucks his tail and hides under the coffee table. In the beginning there was even submissive urinating :(. I think it's because he was catched with one of those dog catcher poles when he was in the shelter and he doesn't feel comfortable with a collar. Probably also as a result of that. So that's not an option.

It breaks my heart every day and I would never force him so all I can do is sit on the ground, wait for him to calm down and let me put it on. It takes 2-10 minutes every time. He's very brave putting his head through the harness for his favorite treats even though his little heart is pounding. I did clicker training with him and it seemed to help him a lot reducing his anxiety and trusting me more with the harness but we didn't make any more progress for a long time now. As soon as I closed the harness, he shakes and everything is ok again.

He made so much progress since he's with me. He's full of joy and became a laid-back and overall a really cool dog who trusts me enough to follow me anywhere and can even relax and sleep when I take him with me to classes or to restaurants which was impossible for him in the beginning.

Does anyone have any experience with something like that? Any advice or maybe even any academic papers on PTSD in pets? Anything of any help would be appreciated :happy:
 
That's not that easy and not an option for several reasons. Mainly because of the problems we are dealing with ourselves being told this "let go of the past" and "what doesn't kill you" kind of crap. There's even less empathy and understanding for something like that in dogs. At least in my area.
 
Does anyone have any experience with something like that?

Yes, i used to train dogs and have volunteer in shelters, worked w/ a rescue, helped to take out puppymills etc (probably hyper vegenelent in it due to being forced to hurt animals :( )

Dogs due suffer from anxiety and have this sort of behavior when abused, but ive never seen a dog actually display PTSD, they dont have the upper level thinking as humans do.

The trick is the gain the dog's trust and VERY SLOWLY social him. Each behavior has a different tactic but dogs that are very timid, scared, or even have fear aggression; if you very slowly gain their trust and they learn that humans equals good things (treats, love etc) then they eventually come around (also depends on the breed).

I can give you specific training/trust building exersises if you'd like. But you do need to work w/ the dog a lot, dont push them too much, and have patience. :)
 
Sorry to hear that your furbaby is so scared. But very grateful to hear he is with you and making progress. Maybe looking on Google to find any information would help. My rescue has a lot of anxiety about being left. So I understand how heartbreaking it can be. But you sound like the love you are giving him is helping a lot. Guess, like humans, it takes time.
 
Clicker training or otherwise positive-only behavior modification will get you far. Also, two words: exposure therapy. Slow, steady exposure to problem areas where you carefully set your dog up for success is a great way to get them comfortable with things they have anxiety about.

For fantastic positive training methods, check out Kikopup on YouTube. Zak George is also awesome but not as in-depth. Tab Shamsi is also good but probably doesn't have enough material and doesn't seem to be active anymore.

There's a book that comes highly recommended on my dog training forum called Training Unleashed that may be a good resource for training games that are great positive training methods, like the Look at That! game.

My first dog was a rescue at 2.5 years old, and it took her a full two years to really be comfortable with almost everything she used to seem--uh, well--triggered by. ;)
 
Music can help. iCalm for dogs.
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Since 2008, thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers worldwide have recommended the simplified, slow, beautiful classical compositions of Through a Dog's Ear. dot com.

Helps for my best friend stray. Her early history has trauma of gun shots, fireworks are a meltdown. iCalm does help. Can download some samples and play for your pal.
 
Clicker training or otherwise positive-only behavior modification will get you far.

I love clicker training! I have my cats clicker trained! People dont realize you can train a cat.

I train some w/ treats, some w/ good energy. Animals read your energy; like my dog's time out is "go to bed" which is my bed & my parents were saying he wasnt listening to them & barking when they would tell him to go to bed; he's a pitbull. I asked, what were you feeling? I figured out that they were scared he was gonna bite them (somerhing he would never do but dogs are like little kids, they know that they can push the limit, they will). I told them, stop being scared. They did, it worked.

You need to have a positive attitude and train positive behavior, reward for positive rather than punish the negitive.

Also, not sure if you said this, make sure to have your dog fixed (not just to stop unnecssary breeding) but also there is a lot of hormone agression that happens and its just simply healthier.

He doesn't let strangers pet or touch him, is avoidant and is not the most confident dog ever known and that's fine with me,

Have strangers bring treats. He may have been hit. Show him hands & people equals good. Start slow, treat on ground walk away, then closer, then out of the hand and see if they can get a finger on his muscle to stroke him or on his chest, then just build that.

Also, theres some products you can buy in a pet store to calm anxiety. Some or plug ins in electical outlet, some are oils, i used the plug in type around the house when i was introducing my 2 cats and "sent swamping" but they make them for dogs. I dont like medications though there are some. I would try that to calm him some, ease the anxiety. Its like smelling lavendar for people, relaxing.

Also socialize, socialize, socialize. Bring people over and just tell them to ignore him, not even starting the treat thing. I have a cat that was thrown against walls before i rescued her. She never let anyone but me touched her but now that more people are around and in and out, just coming up to people now and really warming up to them. Its the same for a dog. Cant get him ok w/ people if people are never around. Its why my cat took 12 yrs to warm up to people like this, i self isolate.
 
Not sure if this would help with the harness issue or not. You could try having the harness around you and your dog when you are doing other things. Just have it there without trying to put it on him. Have it so it is touching you and maybe touching him while you do other things.
If you are lying and petting him have it close. Wear it/attach it to yourself somehow? See how much of that he can take and get used to. Maybe it could become a familiar object. Exposure without having to go through the whole process of putting it on as well.
Good luck, your patience will pay off.
 
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