Changes in Hurley's Behavior

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley is officially 6 months today.  My husband was in the hospital starting May14th followed by rehab.  During the day, while I was at the hospital, I left Hurley at our son's house so he could play with their 3 dogs.  One of which is a doodle.  And there is the added bonus of their having a pool. He loves going over there and especially loves the opportunity to get in the water.

Since the change in his daily routine there has been a change in his behavior.  He seems to have taken a few steps backwards in his socialization.  He is suddenly shy around people, backing away and hides behind me whenever anyone comes up to pet him.  He wags his tail and acts like he is eager to meet and be petted but when anyone reaches to pet him he shies away.

I take him to rehab twice a day so he can visit with Craig.   The 3 if us sit outside enjoying the sun and time together.  When Craig reaches to pet Hurley, he backs away from Craig.  He wants on my lap if I am sitting down or he hides under the bench.

Is this because of the changes in our routine and Craig's not being home?  It isn't like he is going to a strange house.  He cannot stay out of the pool and he plays the whole time he is at our son's house.  

At night he sleeps on the bed with me which is nothing new as he slept on the bed with Craig and me most of the time.  

He isn't getting his morning and nightly walks with Craig and I do not have enough time right now to take him for walks but he sure plays hard at our son's house and he loves being around the twins.

Any thoughts on what he might be going through? Or is this a 6 month old stage? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hesitate to say this, but is there any possibility at all that anyone at your son's house, a child or visitor, perhaps, who might not be handling Hurley as gently as you do? Maybe someone who means well, but is roughousing with him in a way that frightens him? Or just kids reaching out at him, grabbing him, etc, in a way that makes him uncomfortable?

The reason I ask is this paragraph:

"He is suddenly shy around people, backing away and hides behind me whenever anyone comes up to pet him.  He wags his tail and acts like he is eager to meet and be petted but when anyone reaches to pet him he shies away."

And this one: "When Craig reaches to pet Hurley, he backs away from Craig.  He wants on my lap if I am sitting down or he hides under the bench."

When we see that in rescue dogs, it is often because of being handled roughly by a man, often quite innocently, or from children who are too rough, or may overwhelm a dog trying to show affection by squeezing, pulling, grabbing, reaching out at the dog's face or head, lots of running & shrieking etc. We recently had a case where the family's teenagers had friends over daily who were teasing the dog.

It may just be that Hurley is disoriented by the changes in the household and his daily routine and is feeling a but insecure. I am sure you are worried and stressed, and he may be picking up on that as well. Dogs often feel insecure when they don't know what to expect from one day to the next.  Would it be possible for you to find a neighbor or someone who could take him for his daily walks, or at least walk him a few times a week? That might help. Or it may be a puppy stage, it's been 22 years since I had a 6 mo. old puppy in the house, so maybe some of the others who are more knowledgable about puppy stages will know.

I hope your DH's recovery goes well and he comes home soon.

[BG and Gavin]

Boy you have a lot on your plate.  I hope you DH is recovering as expected.  It must be a terrible strain on you.  It is great that Hurley has daycare with his buddies at you son's house.  I think that there is no substitute for walking together to forge the bond and trust between dog and human that will promote confidence and reinforce to the dog that you are in charge and he can be secure.  I know you don't have time for this right now, but hopefully you will in the not too distant future.  I would not pick him up when he is cowering as you may inadvertantly be rewarding the shy behaviour.  When you are visiting with your husband, maybe both try completely ignoring Hurley until he approaches appropriately (not hiding) and then give him a treat or pet him as a reward.  Good luck and best wishes to your husband.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

From what I've read, Hurley is in between two developmental stages:

The first is the Flight Instinct period, which lasts from 4 to 8 months of age. During this period, the puppy may be show fear or timidity even in familiar surroundings.

The second is the Second Fear Imprint period, which lasts from 6 to 14 months of age. During this period, the puppy's responses to stressful situations may develop into lifelong fears. For example, if a puppy is left outside during a thunderstorm at this stage, he or she may develop a lifelong fear of thunderstorms. The people whose writings I've read on this subject recommend that you not try to soothe the puppy when he or she shows a fear response--don't say "it's okay," because that reinforces that the fear response is acceptable and appropriate. Instead, ignore the response as much as you can and just proceed as if the puppy were not fearful.

Because it's possible Hurley is in this imprint period, you want to make sure that people are not treating him inappropriately, because his response to that stressor can develop into a lifelong habit.

As others have pointed out, training sessions and positive experiences can help to ally his fears and to ride out this imprint period.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I'm not a dog behaviour expert but it would seem to me that perhaps something has happened that you are not aware of that has caused Hurley to become fearful of people?  The change in routine I don't think would cause head shyness.  How old are the twins?  Perhaps you could ask specifically how he is being reprimanded if he is misbehaving at your sons house, or if there is rough play going (human to dog, not dog-dog play).   Since he is so young I'm sure there are some occasions when he needs time out or reprimanding in some way.   I am sorry to ask such questions as it may create some thoughts that may not have occurred to you up until now and I have no wish to put doubts into your mind as to his care when you are not there but obviously something has caused this change in behavior and you need to find out what it is in order to help him overcome and reverse his unease around men.

I wish your DH well with his recovery, you have a lot going on right now hoping for the very best with all you have on your plate.

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

I am not trying to pry- I am just curious - Is your Husband in a Wheel Chair when you visit him?

If so maybe Hurley doesn't like the chair?

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

You are all simply amazing.  I am very grateful for your comments, suggestions and help.  DH had full knee replacement and comes home tomorrow.  Because he has Parkinson's he was expected to be kept in rehab a little longer than usual.  He progressed so much faster than they expected, which is probably due to his being in great shape. We both are avid exercisers including strength training.   He was using a walker each time I took Hurley to see him.  I could tell that DH was hurt because Hurley was so hesitant around DH and not to thrilled with the walker.   However, I am happy to report that tonight, when I took Hurley by, the reception he gave DH was more open and friendly.  

The twins are actually very respectful of Hurley.  Their parents are not tolerant of mistreating or playing to roughly with any of the dogs, including Hurley. Their 3 dogs are basically trained to the Ceasar method.  So there are differences in the way Hurley has been trained by his trainer, which to one of the points mentioned, could be causing Hurley some confusion.

I was pampering Hurley's shyness and thanks to the suggestions and comments, I am no longer doing that. I actually was letting a 30+ pound doodle get in my lap.  And to another point made I needed the comfort as much as Hurley seemed to.

My dog sitting duties are over but Hurley will be going to the kids/kidlettes' house off and on for the next week or so when we cannot be home.  As if there wasn't enough going on, I discovered a leak in the kitchen under the sink that went the path of least resistance (unfortunately) which was to go into the wall and behind the cabinets instead of seeping onto the kitchen floor which I would have noticed a lot quicker.  In cleaning the floor I saw a damp spot on the wall backing up to the kitchen sink.  Panic mode tool over first.  The plumber was here in less than an hour and the emergency restoration team came by this evening to check out what needed to be done to repair the damage. Well, it turns out it is going to involve some in-depth clean up and repair which will probably last, if we are lucky, at a minimum a week.  Poor Hurley is going to have a unique socialization situation with workmen coming and going.

Hurley has been more 'protective' lately which probably goes to the fight or flight phase he may be in based on all the comments. 

We will be extremely careful, during this 'imprint' period, to not put him in any more negative or threatening situations than necessary.

We will only both be gone this week for DH's doctor appointment so Hurley should not need to be at the kids/kidlettes' home for than twice.  

We plan to start is off leach training with his trainer as soon as DH is back to walking comfortably. Hurley's trainer was out of town this week/weekend.

And I am going to take Hurley for a walk tonight.  Just have been getting home late due to the back and forth to the hospital, then rehab and dog sitting. 

Once again, thank you so very much for all you comments and suggestions. Definitely means a lot.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My first thought was what Karen & Jackdoodle said.  Then I realized that my Sasha backs up at times when I go to pet her and in no way has Sasha ever been mistreated.  I did lots of reading and changed my way of reaching out to her.  I do not go overhead I go from under to pet her.  I think Sasha just does not like something coming from the top to pet her.  Once I changed how I approach to pet her she is fine.  Sasha is also a skidish girl by nature and this my have something to do with it as well. 

 

Have people approach Hurley and pet him under his chin rather that pet his head and see if that helps, it worked with Sasha and I.  Good luck

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sasha is not alone. The majority of dogs don't like hands coming at their heads from above.

I never really thought about it before I got Jackdoodle, but he came to me at 14 months old extremely undersocialized, and with myriad fear issues, with which I had had no experience with previous dogs. So I had to do a lot of reading and worked with a behaviorist for a short time. Everything I was told and everything I read said the same thing...no petting the top of the head, no reaching out at the dog from above, especially kids. Most of the other dogs in JD's "adopted dogs socialization" class were the same way. Petting the dog's sides and chest, or under the chin as you mentioned, were the recommended methods, and we could see the differences in the dogs responses.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Sophie does the same. She doesn't like the overhead reach at all, even from me. I pet her from the side or under the chin.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I got Hurley out for a walk this morning which he enjoyed.  I have been moving furniture, etc. so the workmen can get to work 'destroying' the kitchen and part of the living area.  Guess the drying out will take three days and then the repair....  Hurley watched me move stuff and yet when he would next come in the room he would bark at the item in its temporary place.  So I take him up to the item so he can see it is nothing to be concerned about. That seems to be working well.  

I had not thought about the hand to head petting as possibly being an issue.  I never approach any animal hand to head. Always have my hand down in a non-threatening manner.   But the times Hurley has backed up have been when people have approached to pet him on the head.  I can change that easily.  

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Just wondering how Hurley is doing?

I hope he is doing better and that things calm down for your household soon!

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Good morning Ricki and Tarabear,

I love those goggles on Tarabear.  I know I am going to need to get some for Hurley when he is old enough to start running with me.   How long did it take for Tarabear to adjust to them?

Life is good!  Yes, things have calmed down a bit. Thank you for asking. Water damage is repaired.  Hurley and I survived his first official grooming.  He looks great!  With the hair out of his eyes he is not as skittish.  He only remains cautiously friendly.  

My husband's knee physical therapy is going well.  His surgeon said he is in the top 1% with his recovery.  His cardio exercise and strength training really paid off.  We look forward to when he can start hiking and cycling again.  

I don't recall who posted the query about admitting what lengths we have all gone to for our doodle.  That isn't quite how the question was posted but I do have to confess that we met with a landscaper/gardner to make changes in our yard so Hurley would have a nice shaded area to relax in and a more acceptable potty area.  The changes will be great and we will enjoy them as much as I am sure Hurley will. a

My 96 year old mother and my brother are here for a few days.  Hurley took a few hours to warm up to my mom and now he cannot stop wanting to lick her and be close to her, but he is not quite there with my brother.   He wags his rear in that furiously friendly manner but comes and hides behind me when my brother gets close to him.  I am using the 'how exciting' method to get Hurley to want to warm up to him and my brother has had dogs so he knows how to approach Hurley correctly.  They will become friends soon I am sure. 

I hope the two of you have a great day!!!