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My wife and I are being nice to our neighbors. They have always fed and taken care of our dog and cat when we go away for vacation, so we are returning the favor.
However, one if their dogs is extremely difficult to deal with. She is elderly and obviously has some trust issues and was possibly abused before they adopted her. She is very scared and when we approach her, she gets into a corner and growls and will snap if you try to approach her. I usually wear thick leather work gloves when dealing with her because I never know what she will do, but since they only cover my hands and wrist, I don't try to handle her because she could still grab my arm if she wanted to. I however, am the only one willing to deal with her - my wife will not. Over the years, I have learned to deal with several difficult dogs and have been pretty successful. I am patient and if I have time, I will sit on the floor about 5 feet away from her for the better part of an hour, but she still does not appreciate me trying to approach her any further.
Trying to get ready for work, I don't always have time to sit and be patient with her and I have been able to herd her outside by strategically opening doors to herd her through the house until she gets outside. However, I don't know if it's a good idea to try to handle her when she is in this state, otherwise, I would just reach down and grab her. If she can get away from me, she will run away and whine and whimper. Her tail is straight down and curled between her legs, which tells me she is frightened as opposed to just being plain aggressive and dominant. She is frightened for her life and is doing what she knows to do to defend herself.
Is there anything I can do (or not do) to prevent further psychological damage to her, and prevent physical injury to myself in the process?
She is a terrier/dachshund mix, slightly larger than a fat dachshund (about 10 lbs or so), so she could inflict an injury if I were to just reach down and touch her.
Any ideas?
However, one if their dogs is extremely difficult to deal with. She is elderly and obviously has some trust issues and was possibly abused before they adopted her. She is very scared and when we approach her, she gets into a corner and growls and will snap if you try to approach her. I usually wear thick leather work gloves when dealing with her because I never know what she will do, but since they only cover my hands and wrist, I don't try to handle her because she could still grab my arm if she wanted to. I however, am the only one willing to deal with her - my wife will not. Over the years, I have learned to deal with several difficult dogs and have been pretty successful. I am patient and if I have time, I will sit on the floor about 5 feet away from her for the better part of an hour, but she still does not appreciate me trying to approach her any further.
Trying to get ready for work, I don't always have time to sit and be patient with her and I have been able to herd her outside by strategically opening doors to herd her through the house until she gets outside. However, I don't know if it's a good idea to try to handle her when she is in this state, otherwise, I would just reach down and grab her. If she can get away from me, she will run away and whine and whimper. Her tail is straight down and curled between her legs, which tells me she is frightened as opposed to just being plain aggressive and dominant. She is frightened for her life and is doing what she knows to do to defend herself.
Is there anything I can do (or not do) to prevent further psychological damage to her, and prevent physical injury to myself in the process?
She is a terrier/dachshund mix, slightly larger than a fat dachshund (about 10 lbs or so), so she could inflict an injury if I were to just reach down and touch her.
Any ideas?
The way to a dog's heart is always through his mouth!
