Ex tri stud reactive to Blenheims - how do i deal?

[trace 4 billy]

Hi there, our beautiful Billy tri has just turned 4. We have had him 6wks. He is great with humans & little children. But clearly he has a reactivity issue with Blenheims in particular. He came from a regional lady who shows and breeds. She re-homed Billy at the same time as a Blenheim female. It is my suspicion that the female might have fought him off. What can i do?..

 

[Karlin]

Hi and welcome. It seems extremely unlikely a dog would have an issue with dogs of a particular colour, especially as they don't see the same way we do. Dogs can only see two colours and cannot perceive red at all, it would just be variations on a greyish colour similar to how a tricolour or ruby or black and tan would look to them (that's why trainers suggest not using red fetch toys for dogs!). It's probably coincidence -- based on how well he was socialised generally (a stud dog should NOT be a problem dog and aggressive, especially not a cavalier!) and therefore whether these are males and seen as a threat, or females he is aggressive with as potential mates. Or, more likely, that he's simply a reactive dog due to the way in which he was kept and managed by the breeder -- especially if (as happens depressingly often with breeders) he was basically, a stud dog in her programme, used for breeding, never shown (a show cavalier could NOT act this was around other dogs or would be disqualified) and not really part of the family. It would be a bit of a red flag if she didn't warn you about this issue, as she must have seen this behaviour herself and might even be why she rehomed this particular dog because he was difficult to manage . How well do you know her? Sadly a lot of breeders, including show breeders and even extremely well known show breeders, are less than honest about how they breed and the dogs they home.

Neutering would likely help (most responsible breeders would have neutered an ex stud before homing), as would help from a behaviourist as living with a reactive dog can be challenging. But it can be addressed and improved! I'd be looking for someone with a CPDT or APDT qualification (their websites have search functions to find local trainers/behaviourists) -- a lot of so-called self-styled dog trainers would use discredited techniques involving 'demoting' the dog and making the human the 'alpha' and so on, which generally simply increases problems and can make dogs a serious bite risk.

I've had reactive dogs that eventually settled fine in our mixed dog household but always had to be managed on walks -- never allowed off lead around unknown dogs, for example, and avoiding close encounters with other dogs. This takes extra work that not everyone wishes to take on, so might be something to consider as it will be a lifetime management task, most likely.

Ideally, you might already have a good relationship with this breeder, and she is open and honest, and unaware of this issue, and you can ask for some help with this dog and find out if he was always reactive. If you don't have that relationship and the breeder makes you uncomfortable, I'd say you are probably sensing something's not quite right about her and that, probably, she deliberately got rid of a dog she found difficult herself.

A good breeder will always be a source of advice, support and friendship for the lifetime of a dog (and beyond). One who is herself 'reactive' so to speak... not so much. Maybe she's a really supportive breeder and helpful in which case by all means ask her for some insight and help -- I'm just giving possible reasons why you are seeing this issue.

 

[trace 4 billy]

Hi and welcome. It seems extremely unlikely a dog would have an issue with dogs of a particular colour, especially as they don't see the same way we do. Dogs can only see two colours and cannot perceive red at all, it would just be variations on a greyish colour similar to how a tricolour or ruby or black and tan would look to them (that's why trainers suggest not using red fetch toys for dogs!). It's probably coincidence -- based on how well he was socialised generally (a stud dog should NOT be a problem dog and aggressive, especially not a cavalier!) and therefore whether these are males and seen as a threat, or females he is aggressive with as potential mates. Or, more likely, that he's simply a reactive dog due to the way in which he was kept and managed by the breeder -- especially if (as happens depressingly often with breeders) he was basically, a stud dog in her programme, used for breeding, never shown (a show cavalier could NOT act this was around other dogs or would be disqualified) and not really part of the family. It would be a bit of a red flag if she didn't warn you about this issue, as she must have seen this behaviour herself and might even be why she rehomed this particular dog because he was difficult to manage . How well do you know her? Sadly a lot of breeders, including show breeders and even extremely well known show breeders, are less than honest about how they breed and the dogs they home.

Neutering would likely help (most responsible breeders would have neutered an ex stud before homing), as would help from a behaviourist as living with a reactive dog can be challenging. But it can be addressed and improved! I'd be looking for someone with a CPDT or APDT qualification (their websites have search functions to find local trainers/behaviourists) -- a lot of so-called self-styled dog trainers would use discredited techniques involving 'demoting' the dog and making the human the 'alpha' and so on, which generally simply increases problems and can make dogs a serious bite risk.

I've had reactive dogs that eventually settled fine in our mixed dog household but always had to be managed on walks -- never allowed off lead around unknown dogs, for example, and avoiding close encounters with other dogs. This takes extra work that not everyone wishes to take on, so might be something to consider as it will be a lifetime management task, most likely.

Ideally, you might already have a good relationship with this breeder, and she is open and honest, and unaware of this issue, and you can ask for some help with this dog and find out if he was always reactive. If you don't have that relationship and the breeder makes you uncomfortable, I'd say you are probably sensing something's not quite right about her and that, probably, she deliberately got rid of a dog she found difficult herself.

A good breeder will always be a source of advice, support and friendship for the lifetime of a dog (and beyond). One who is herself 'reactive' so to speak... not so much. Maybe she's a really supportive breeder and helpful in which case by all means ask her for some insight and help -- I'm just giving possible reasons why you are seeing this issue.

Thanks so much Karlin for your input. I do think the owner told us some half-truths for sure, and continues to do so while maintaining contact. We were naive in not reading enough into hints of fighting and not spending money at the vets, or into pic showing him terribly ungroomed prior to our meeting. In hindsight she is a background breeder. My family members were desperate to fill a void left by the loss of two dogs in close succession and then my Dad. Billy has some lovely behaviours otherwise, & we will love & care for him always. In other news,he came with horrendous yeast in his ears & a fungal infection between his toes, which has cleared up well, but as he licks his paws ++ at night, we have to qtn underlying allergies that are a mystery also. We love you Billy! Xxxxxx

 

[Karlin]

Oh goodness, poor little fellow. I'm glad he has the chance at a very changed life with you! I wonder whether the foot licking is a kind of learned and comforting behaviour now, esp if he had suffered for some time with yeast infections at the breeder's. That said many of my cavaliers have been foot lickers without any clear cause. Sometimes something like a cleaning product used on floors might trigger itchiness/irritation, too, or a chemically treated lawn etc.

Also, a dog can take quite a while to come out of his shell when in a new home, and a dog kept a bit isolated or kennelled might understandably have a few extra issues like anxiety etc. I'd guess he will gradually calm and settle. I ran a rescue for years and cavaliers were always very resilient. If you haven't yet, I'd certainly start a routine with hollow stuffable toys, like giving him his meals packed into a Kong toy or similar, and you can offer a hollow toy with a small but tantalising smear of meat pate or peanut butter inside or a dog treat wedged inside. Giving dogs a task like extricating their meal settles them and shifts their focus and is mentally challenging. Licking behaviour is also very self-calming to dogs (again maybe this is in part why Billy licks his feet?). Smearing wet food onto a licky mat is another way to feed or let him self-calm during the day. Of course you need to watch calories and make sure what he's getting is subtracted from meals and so on. I have trainer friends who recommend feeding all meals from Kongs (or similar) for all dogs. You can preprepare and freeze them too and that makes them last extra long, say for a car journey or if left alone at home for an afternoon. Lots of good suggestions online about what to stuff them with!

 

[trace 4 billy]

Thankyou so very much Karlin from Billy & i for your response and suggestions. We will get there, with lots of love along the way! XX