Afraid of my pet

jjjade

ok i got attached by a lurcher one day, i was wearing a padded jacket so he actually didnt break any skin, but overall it was a terrifing experience.

my mam has three dogs, a staff, westie and a scottie. the staff, she is an old timer who only wants the loves and her temperment is so loveable.

the westie again is a crank lol she barks at anything and trys to be the leader, but at the end of it all, all she wants is a cuddle and loves and she is sorted.

the scottie is very random, she is 2-3 years old and all she wants to do is play and be bold. the thing is i find myself sometimes a bit freaked out with her. for example she loves visitors, which i am to my mams house now, i was talking in the kitchen and she is sniffing at my trousaurs, must of smelt my friends dog of it. she did nothing but sniff, i walked away and she was following me around the kitchen to investigate this smell on my trousaurs. i got a bit freaked out and left the kitchen. i just felt intense. my 2 year old nephew plays with her so she is a safe friendly dog. i was playing with her the other day and haveing a great time and she barked, i nearly wet myself.

the thing is the westie is a barker and i just tell her to be quiet but with the scottie i am fearing her, when i shouldnt as she is a loveable thing.

can any1 give advise on what to do

before you tell me im being silly, trust me i feel really stupid over this

lorebringer

It sounds like the problems is on your end, and the dogs are just being dogs. The trick is to act confident around them even if inside you are bricking it. The more they are exposed to you, the more they will get used to you and vice versa. Many people have a fear of or are nervous around dogs so you really are not alone and there is no need to feel stupid.

If one of the dogs does something that you don't like within reason (eg. barking) just calmly and firmly tell it to stop. If you get freaked out, just pretend to be calm and walk away. The more you act calm in the situations that you dislike, the more calm you will act (if you get me... the more you practice, the better you get). Gentle playing is good exposure for both you are the dogs and if it gets too much for you, stopping the game and walking away is fine. Sniffing is just one of those things dogs do, it's not at all threatening and if you remain calm the dog will stop eventually. The main thing you need to remember is that if you panic and freak out the dogs will react to it so if you remain as calm as possible, and not pay them any attention, they should just leave you alone.

ppink

No need to feel stupid! i think we have probably all felt like this at one time or other, especially those of us who have been attacked previously.

Do you think you "know" the Scottie less than the other dogs. Could you take her out by herself and play with her a bit and let her get to know you. Even if it is you, your Mam and Scottie?
The sniffing is normal. I get accosted by our dogs when I come back smelling of "other" dogs! i would be literally walking around with 2 dogs noses stuck to me. I do send them away though as it can be a little annoying if i am busy:)

jjjade

hey guys thank you for the advise.

i know this is going to sound strange but the scottie i absolutly adour her. when i come for a visit she is all over me with love, but with three dogs its kinda hard to give all attention, i usually bring her out to the hall and give her all the cuddles by herself and she loves it and then thinks im playing and i do find my arm in her mouth which is funny i dont mind cause its her personality she alway did that.

the sniffing again if the westie did it i wouldnt care its just her i freak. 80% i am in love with her and give her attention, she is a hard dog to make out as she is independent and random with what she does unlike the other two. there is a bond there, but i dont like feeling the 20% nervousness when she acts random eg barking, sniffing.

i no it sounds strange

anniehoo

jjjade wrote: »

i no it sounds strange

No it doesnt sound strange at all. There is a real, albeit a small fear there.Lets call it an "uncertainty"! The good thing is your rational side is trying to make sense of it which is great. You couldve very well ignored all dogs or let the fear build up to uncontrollable levels after the lurcher bit you. So well done for realising this and trying to change it.

If it was me id spend as much time as possible with her on my own,going for walks,grooming her etc, trying to understand what makes her tick.The more you understand her little ways the more your brain will switch into neutral when shes around as you wont need to be wondering why shes doing something,you will just know automatically. Think of it as "brain training"