Expert: Suzanne Harris BSc CPDT - 10/31/2008

Question
I adopted a 3 1/2 month old Great Pyrenees mix.  I've had him for 2 months.  We don't know what the "mix" is but his looks and behavior are 99% Pyr!  He did not have human contact until he was 6 -8 weeks old.  The was not placed into a shelter, but rather a foster home in a kennel.  His brother was adopted several weeks before I adopted mine and he is doing fine.  My dog is extremely fearful, especially of loud noises and outlines of some objects he sees when it's dark.  He is nervous around other dogs but is slowly warming up to dogs of his size or smaller (he weighs 55lbs).  He is spooked by sudden movements and the day care staff is concerned about his cowering and nervousness.  I take him to the dog park once a week and day care once a week.  We walk daily and take different routes each time.  We also attend dog friendly fund raisers and family carnivals once a month.  He has not made much progress.  He is normally a calm and affectionate puppy, even though he looks too large to be a puppy.  About once a week he acts strangely with behaviors that include not wanting to be touched or petted, showing his teeth when looking at me, and vocalizing but not a growl or bark.  I'm not sure how to explain the sounds.  When he gets in the lake he seemingly loves it but runs around hysterically like he's manic.  It's as if the water on his skin causes some sort of weird sensation.  He won't let me give him a bath at home.  On a regular basis he now smacks his lips, drools and froths more than he previously did, fly bites, and chews on his feet.  During the past 3 days he's been drinking a lot more water than he had previously.  At times I had to force him to drink water.  He walks great with a head collar and seems aloof to other dogs when we are walking or at a monthly event.  He is better about letting people pet him and he loves kids.  He only barks to alert me when someone is near the door.  He's never shown aggressiveness but the few times he's acted strangely in the house I've been afraid he was going to attack me but he never lunged.  Obviously I haven't owned a dog for a very long time and these behaviors may be normal.  But if they aren't, I need to know how to address them.  I'm working very hard on exposing him to different people, places, noises, etc.  He eats a healthy kibble and also takes an amino acid supplement every day.  I was hoping that would help his skiddish behavior.  He has had all of his shots takes monthly heartguard.  The only health problems he's had are tapeworms (recently) and he was flea infested when I adopted him.  I had the vet check for seizures this week and the tests showed nothing unusual.  Am I overreacting or is there something I should be concerned about?  Thank you!!!

Answer
Dear Ronda,

Very generally, he sounds pretty normal.  The manic behavior after swimming/getting wet can be common, especially in pups.  Showing his teeth at you is hard to determine -- I'd have to see the circumstance to see if the behavior truly is unpredictable or possible cued by something you're not aware of, such as a sound outside your house, or something you wear occasionally, etc.  Smacking, drooling, frothing are a little odd and I'd guess they are related to elevated stress at a certain time, also possibly due to something you haven't figured out yet.  The flybiting and feet chewing should be checked with the vet periodically as you are already doing.

I feel so sorry for this poor traumatized dog, but obviously he has found a very caring owner in you.  You are doing everything right, particularly with the daycare and getting him out to dog parks and other out of the house activities.  This seemingly slow acclimation to the "normal world" leads me to wonder however if you are coddling or otherwise reinforcing his fear reactions.  In other words, are you trying to make him feel better when he's afraid?  Do your best to ignore all fear/shyness and reinforce/praise and even treat all curiosity and even slight shows of confidence.

Go to http://www.apdt.com to find a good behaviorist in your area who can really zero in on issues and use positive methods to modify what's needed.

Good luck and thanks for writing!
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysusa.com