Monty
Poppy attacked a Whippet for ‘no reason’. Out of the blue.
It usually takes a crisis of some sort to make us face up to a gradually worsening problem.
Poppy
Monty the Vizsla is four, and Poppy is two years old.
Other dogs when out
Over the past few months Poppy has become increasingly touchy with other dogs when out. The owners admit that this is a vicious circle as they themselves become more tense. It’s a hard cycle to break without outside objective help.
What has brought it to a head is that out on a walk a few days ago Poppy went for the Whippet. She attacked it seemingly for no reason at all.
The on-lead dog was approaching with a lady and gentleman. Poppy was called and put on lead and she took no notice of them as they passed. However, when let off lead of short while later, she doubled back and bit the poor dog on the back leg.
The attacked the Whippet
There was screaming from the dog and distress from the owners.
Poppy’s owners were gutted.
In Poppy’s case we could think of several factors, and we would be able to find more if we could get inside Poppy’s head. Here are some things to consider: The lady owner who normally walks her was away. Poppy’s scared of going through the back gate. She may have been excited by the Whippet owner’s children. Possibly she had previously been barking at the gate at home and getting into a state. Grandfather had arrived which may have excited her, one child was hanging back playing with Monty and a large stick when the Whippet passed which may have made her anxious.
She really is a dream at home as is Monty apart, that is, from when callers suddenly appear through the gate or let themselves in the house. She has become paranoid about the noise of the gate latch to the extent that she is reluctant to go through it at the start of a walk. She has nipped a caller’s legs several times now. This too is getting worse.
Adjustments
The initial adjustments to be made are to do with non-family members being able to simply walk in. No door or gate should be left unlocked and the dogs should be somewhere else for now when people first enter. She’s happy and friendly once they are in.
She needs to be on a long line for now when out, so that she still has a certain amount of freedom.
The visitors also need some instructions – and that can be hard.
The lady has already done some clicker training with Poppy and she’s a bright little dog. The two children participate in feeding, play and training.
So I believe the whippet incident was really just the culmination of several things. There are various issues that need addressing including walking on a loose lead. When added together, things will gradually fall into place. Their success will depend up the amount of time and effort they put in to Poppy.
