It has taken me months to finally come to the conclusion that I have a problem. And one that could turn into a pretty big issue if my family doesn’t address it. You would think a therapist would be pretty able to face a problem head on and address it. At least that is the pressure I put on myself anyway.
My problem is about 60 lbs, furry and leaves pools of drool on our hardwood floor. She is an anxious dog. And big anxious dogs can be trouble. When she was little I took her to an off leash park and she ran full speed back to the car as soon as I unhooked her tether.
We have done what we can to socialize her. She goes to a local kennel about once a week to play with other dogs. She has gotten better with most dogs. She still doesn’t like all of them. She is a big chicken despite the fact that she could eat most other dogs for lunch if she wanted. We took her to training. She sits very well, can roll over and likes to flip treat off her nose into her mouth. She loves our kids and anyone else she considers her people. For the most part she is outgrowing her puppy years. She doesn’t chew walls anymore. The occasional shoe still gets sacrificed.
But when she gets excited, overstimulated or runs into a random male that she doesn’t know or approve of, she lunges, tries to nip and it can be a bit scary if you are on the other end of it. I keep thinking if I love Bailey enough or if she just gets a bit older she will grow out of it. I want to be patient and see. It is easier to ignore the problem than do something about it. I am ashamed that I don’t have one clue how to help her through this. I can only imagine how this would feel if it were my child struggling.
A few days ago I was re-reading some of my old blog posts and this one on anxiety jumped out at me. I am getting anxious about my dog’s anxiety and it is taking over. Further proof of the contagion of anxiety. The other weekend we were at our cabin and I couldn’t take her off the leash on a 100 acre parcel of land for fear she would bite other family members that she didn’t know so well. (She lunged and nipped at one earlier in the day to my huge embarrassment). I spent the day strapped to her or walking in fields alone with her to avoid the others. This is not at all what I want to do on summer holidays. I want her to be able to run free at the cabin and enjoy herself.
Well I guess it is time to take my own advice and do something to take control. I admit it. I have a problem. Today I made some phone calls to some trainers. It will take time and patience but asking for help is the first step.