Cody had puppy class today.. it was HORRIBLE.

[Guest Anonymous]

Ok in the first class he did great through the whole thing, until playtime.. He was sitting on the floor playing with Lee Anne ( the trainer )all the other dogs were off doing their own thing.. and Lee Anne gave Cody a treat, and Potter the black lab tired to come and Cody WENT AFTER HIM he tried to go for the muzzle ( Lee anne said the muzzlegrab is taught so his previous owners must have done this to get his attention ) but potter moved and Cody got his Lip... :o :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :oops: NO blood or anything, I started bawling my eyes out right there ( after i grabbed Cody of course ) Lee Anne said if Cody wanted to hurt Potter he would have becuase of the way he had him. Potters owner said no worries dont worry they are just playing and COdy is showing dominace over the other dogs to let him know he's the alpha. i still felt bad about it and put his leash on and he had to sit next to me while Lee Anne talked to me trying to calm me down. :-?
She said it's not aggressive behavior ( like dr heckle and mrs hyde thing which the other trainer said it looked like becuase he was fine as soon as i pulled him away, like nothing happend ) so she convinved me to go to the class at 4:30 there were dogs that had problems in that class ( a beautiful black shepherd that had been abbused ) so we went to that class and he did horrible int hat class also. A dong Zena came over him while he was laying down he he went for her, and then tried to go after dogs if they came up beside him . his only freind was a little Italian Grey hound , Mario.. we noticed that if Cody meets the dogs nose to nose that he's fine, but if they come up on his side he goes after them.
So lee anne thinks he is blind or has no perfial ( sp?) vision. so first thing Monday morning i am calling to get an appointment for his eyes. She also said to call the vet and see about anti-depresent meds, becuase htey help to take the edge off and it might help him relax. I dont know..
Lee Anne is super great, and said that on Saturdays at 4pm to come in and she and I will take cody around and meet all the dogs int he store nose to nose, letting the people know what we are doing ect.. until we can get him ok and back in class. We will also go up to see her 3 times during the week.. I'm so upset over this and have been crying all day. I bought Potter's mom a card to mail to her saying i'm so sorry...

Cody never had any problems like this until we started class.. i'm so lost and dont know what is going on here.. I'm just so worried about him!!!!
What do you guys think??

Let me know !!

Cody and a very stressed and upset Naomi :cry:

[Guest Anonymous]

Everyone knows about Cody being deaf and int he 2nd class they said he has some issues that are arising and everyone can not have treats at play time etc.. we are taking him out of the class and Lee Anne is working with me one on one with cody..... we are goign to get a temp. muzzle she said it's like velcor so they can't open their mouth .. and see how that works.. i hope i can trust him around other dogs! becuase he's NEVER acted like this before at all! :cry:

[Aroura]

How old is Cody? I don't really know what to say because I don't know his history and can't see exactly whats happening with my own eyes, but if by any chance its not his eyes (and I think we all hope his eyes are fine!) there are a few things you might want to look at.
For starters, I'm not a professional (and I'm sure Lee Anne knows what she's talking about, I'm only saying this from my experiences) but I would not take him out of his class. If problems are beggining now is probably the worst time to remove him from social situations (this is still assuming its not his eyes). He needs to meet and greet as many dogs as possible BUT you need to learn how to read his body language and stop him BEFORE he goes for the other dog. I've learnt to do this with Lily and she hasn't struck another dog at training in months because of it. The socialisation is important though because he will never get used to being around other dogs if you take him away now. I thought Lily was a lost cause, the most I ever hoped for is for her to ignore other dogs, but I'm so happy to say she greets most dogs with a wagging tail these days and will even get into play with them :D
The other thing, you mentioned meds... what are you feeding him? I noticed a dramatic change in Lilys temprement after switching her to raw - that is NO kibble and no grains. I'm not sure if it would make a difference if it was his eyesight, but surely its gotta be worth a shot if your only other option is daily doses of meds to play with his mind.
Dont feel bad, we all have problems with our dogs from time to time and we all hope for you that its just a passing thing. Keep us updated on wheather its his eyes because if it is thats a whole new kettle of fish, but if its not alot of us here have had (or still do have) problem dogs and will be able to give you suggestions.
Just a story of hope for you reguarding deaf dogs, one of the ladys at training has a few deaf dogs, one of them is a gorgeous Aussie. She goes in trials for agility with her dogs and has won titles over those with hearing time and time again. Her dogs are very focused on her, and I don't think you can really beat the bond that a deaf dog can have with its owner :wink:

[imported_Cassie]

I would strongly recommend you pick up the book "The other end of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell. Inadvertly we can cause problems with our dogs interacting with other by our body language and how we react to different situations. I have gone through simular problems with my Rottweiler...she was VERY dog aggressive when I first got her and could not be trusted around any dog other than a Newfoundland dog. I really thought it was strange, I have always owned Newf's and thought that perhaps she was more secure with Newf's than other breeds as they do not have threatening body language...I could put her in with any Newfoundland dog...most of my friends have Newf's (they are breeders) I could put my dog out with even the most dominant Newf bitch and not have any problems...then again, I was not worried in the least about putting my Rottie out with the Newf's...but, I was always a nervous wreak when it came to introducing my Rottie to any other dog breed, when I first started obedience with her she was a holy terror and was lunging and screeching at all the other dogs, I was always a nervous wreck before going to obedience and I believe now that she was picking up how anxious I was and she was getting mixed signals from me. She would even try to attack dogs which would go into a play bow in front of her, she would get a treat during obedience and she would put it on the ground and try to guard it from the other dogs in the class...she was a real jerk...so I thought at that time.
Now that I have calmed myself down and act normally and I don't tense up when I introduce my Rottie I have found a major difference in her behaviour and attitude...not to say that my Rottie still doesnt have some "issues" when meeting new dogs...but, I am surprised at how much of an impact I had on her by my own body language. I also want to stress that your dog is not going to love all other dogs...just like there are some people I don't like! :lol:
Where Cody is deaf, she may be relying more so on your body language and your fear when she is in these new situations. Perhaps try to calm your self down before going to obedience deep breathing excercises...pick up a basket muzzle (this helps alot of people relax as there dog cannot harm another dog) and just go and have fun. Another thing is all dogs have their own "personal space" some dogs are much more protective of their personal space than others...
As of now, my Rottie has many new doggy friends...I never ever thought I would see her out playing with any thing other than a Newfoundland...

This may not be your answer to your problems...follow the advice given to you by your instructor and pick up the book "The other end of the leash" you can also do an internet search on calming signals by Turid Rugaas...my computer is too slow to get the proper sites for you. :wink:

Good luck to you and Cody, make sure you are not getting too stressed, don't try to calm your dog down if she is growling at another dog...by talking gentely to your dog while it is doing an unacceptable behavior you are actually encouraging the behavior...I see it alot...a fearful dog is growling at other people or dogs and the owner sits down and pats the dog and starts gently saying "easy boy, its ok...that monster is not going to hurt you" in the dogs mind (dogs do not understand human language word by word :lol: ) the owner is actually saying "here boy, I will protect you from those big bad dogs....and its alright to growl at them...if they get any closer then by all means bite it!" :lol: :lol: (of course this is a little exaggerated) :lol:

[courtnek]

Poor DAL.....

I gotta agree with Cassie - your dog can sense stress, probably even more so because of the deafness. Nature provides all animals with "extra"
abilities in some sensing areas when one of them fails. For instance, blind people can usually hear better than sighted people...the body is trying to make up for the loss of one sense by strengthening another...So it's very possible Cody is sensing your stress, and reacting to it. And we all know how stressed you've been lately too....

Ane Lee Anne is right about the muzzle thing. People teach that to their
dogs, usually inadvertently, by grabbing their muzzles to make them pay
attention. Kinda like demanding "look at me when I talk to you"...which is not a good thing to do to a dog that's upset. Forcing it to look at you
when it wants to be submissive is going to frighten it, and it may bite, but people dont understand the way dogs think....so maybe Cody's previous owners used to do the muzzle grab for attention. The positive sign is that he did not attempt to hurt Potter....even after grabbing the lip he didnt
bite or injure him. That's a warning grab, not an attack...and Cody was
protecting his food....

Freebee used to grab Alex by the ear when she wanted to warn him off..
but she never bit. Maybe Cody just needs a little more time to get used to his new surroundings and the other doggies in it...

hang in there DAL!!

:)

[courtnek]

Didnt you tell me that deaf Aussies often have eye problems too? I would definitely get Cody's eyes checked. Maybe it is a peripheral vision issue.
Hang in there girl!! Cody will be fine...he just needs some time to adjust...

:D

[abker17]

Everyone has great suggestions! :D I'm sorry that I can't offer any help DAL, but I do want to tell u to hang in there! Things will work, u'll see.......... :D

[midori115]

I certainly don't have answers, but my pup Oscar, who is very well socialized and plays in an off leash park nearly every day, started to lunge at other dogs walking on the street. It was awful and I was very upset. But the folks here gave me some advice, and it made a world of difference when I made sure to pay attention to the signals I was giving. Now that I make sure to stay calmer, Oscar stays much calmer.

And don't be upset by this - it's not your fault and sounds like you're doing a great job working with Cody! I'm sure you can get him through this :wink: