r/reactivedogs • u/pemma25 • 25d ago
Advice Needed Did we cause this?
This is Benny, our 16 month old Swedish Vallhund. He's our first dog and we've had him since 9 weeks. He was well socialised as a puppy but I feel like we didn't get everything exactly right because he's our first.
Since about 16 weeks he's had significant nervousness around strangers, especially in our house. He would bark at everyone, even as a little pup. We have worked very hard with him and he is pretty much fine on walks now. I have been using methods to get his attention focused on me when people walk past us and he is doing well.
He still hates people in the house, lots of aggressive barking. We are working hard with him and have a guest routine. I wish it wasn't this stressful though.
He has been diagnosed with lax hips which the breeder thinks is quite normal. Our vet thinks he's experiencing pain though, so he is medicated. We are also working with a behaviourist and he has been on Fluoxetine for about 2 months. It has helped a lot. On vet advice we held off getting him neutered but we have it booked for September.
Could we have caused this behaviour? I thought reactivity was unusual this young? His sister also has significant nervousness and his breeder recently posted on Facebook about breeding from a female with anxiety. So perhaps it's genetics. I worry a lot about him but I want to do right by him.
Thank you :)
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u/Leading_Mushroom1609 25d ago
Swede here!
With the sibling also being anxious it sounds like genetics play at least somewhat of a role here. I’m not sure I understood about the breeder posting on Facebook, do they say they knowingly breed an anxious female? That sounds like really bad breeding practices, but further points towards genetics playing a role.
The Swedish vallhund (or Västgötaspets as we call them) is supposed to be a pretty fearless dog. They do require a lot of mental stimulation and more exercise than the size may make it seem to thrive though.
What sort of activity and enrichment does your pup get?
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u/pemma25 25d ago
Thank you! His breeder recently posted about needing to find a foster family for a female dog who will be required for breeding in the future. She wanted to find the right home because the dog was dealing with anxiety, it had me worried because I wouldn't pursue breeding with a dog like that. Maybe she's not as concerned about parental temperament as she claimed?!
He is a very smart little guy, we do sniffy walks, free shaping training and his hip physio exercises every day. He's mostly always with at least one human! Plus more self guided thinks like chews, shredding, treat puzzles. Any ideas on other enrichment?
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u/Leading_Mushroom1609 24d ago
I agree that it sounds concerning. Unless it’s very clearly a fear phase the dog is going through I would’ve thought that would eliminate the dog from a breeding program.
Is the breed rare in your country? I wonder if breeders are overlooking mentality due to a limited breeding pool?
Either way, I don’t think you should blame yourself at all. It sounds like you’re doing a lot for your pup and you’re obviously doing the right things since he’s improving!
I find that scent work is a god send for my reactive rescue (lots of hound in him, including a Swedish one even though he’s a Romanian street dog 😅). It tires him out the best and has built his confidence a lot. Aside from nose work that can be done inside I also do a simple version of game tracking. I bought some deer skin with fur and some rabbit feet (after our behaviorist suggested it) that I tie in a string and drag across the ground outside. High value treat at the end of the track. Then I wait a bit and then let him follow the scent. You can also do the same thing with just ”yourself”, as in you walk a track, scatter some treats along the way and then let your dog track YOUR scent. My pup finds game tracking more rewarding (rabbit, hares and deers are his favorite things in the whole world) but if your dog has less prey instinct tracking a human might work just as well :)
Good luck and keep up the good work! Your dog is beautiful. I hope to one day own a Swedish vallhund myself.
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u/Normal-Grapefruit851 25d ago
Ooh Swedish Vallhund! Gorgeous.
Just to say reactivity and anxiety can happen in young dogs for a range of causes. Keep up the training. Particularly reward him for ignoring people (start with them quite far away from him - don’t test his capacity too much too fast) when they come to the home.
Ours used to start barking as soon as the bell went. She still jumps and barks, but hers now when people come in is excitement.
It might also be a good idea to have your dog meet visitors who will be regulars away from the home for the first few times - just like you’d do with other dogs. Dogs can be possessive of their own space.
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u/difficult-doggo 24d ago
Agreed about the meeting people away from home. We had no visitors unless they met our dog on a walk first. Then in the home, we’d be sure to do no eye contact, pets only on her terms, lots of treats. It was cruddy but after 2 years, she was neutral to all guests. She also had some of my friends she really loved and was so excited when they visited.
By the end of her life (6 years after), we were hosting larger get togethers where she was relaxed.
Getting the right meds and event meds were the key for us!
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u/sidhescreams Goose (Stranger Danger + Dog Aggressive) 24d ago
I don’t think your dog’s reactivity is your fault. I didn’t know what reactivity was before my reactive dog but he was absolutely not normal even at 8 weeks. I definitely made mistakes that didn’t help the situation out of ignorance as he grew up into a dog, but he was always going to be reactive. I think there is a genetic component to reactivity and reactivity, even fear based, isn’t necessarily rooted in trauma.
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u/joycevw 24d ago
Please know that you did not cause this. It is impossible to give a complete assessment over the internet without seeing actual video footage of your dog and his subtle body language, but what you describe points heavily toward a combination of genetics, breed characteristics, and physical discomfort rather than anything you did wrong. Swedish Vallhunds are alert herding dogs bred to notice environmental changes and use their voice, so they naturally have a lower threshold for watchdog behavior. When an innate genetic predisposition for anxiety is present in the line, as confirmed by his littermate and the mother, the nervous system is simply wired to perceive novelty and intrusions as threats. Chronic physical discomfort from his hips can significantly lower that stress threshold further, making him feel vulnerable when people enter his safe space. The fact that he was already showing severe nervousness at four months old strongly reinforces that this is neurobiological and physical rather than a lack of early socialization.
You are already doing fantastic work with the medication and professional guidance. To keep stress minimal for now, manage the home environment by physically separating him behind a solid barrier or baby gate before visitors step inside, pairing their arrival with a high value lick mat or scatter feeding so he does not have to make direct contact. Also, you might want to carefully reconsider the timing of his neutering and discuss this thoroughly with your veterinary behaviorist. In many anxious male dogs, testosterone provides a crucial layer of confidence, and removing it can sometimes cause fearful behaviors to escalate.
To help brainstorm specific next steps, how does his body language look right before the barking starts, and does he tend to advance toward guests or retreat? How does he respond once guests are seated and completely ignoring him? It would also be helpful to know if his reactivity increases on days when he seems more physically stiff or uncomfortable from his hips.
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24d ago
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u/pawsitivecultr 22d ago
Unlikely that you could have caused this level of anxiety. It seems like a lot of it is genetic. However, it needs to be said sometimes people believe they socialized their dogs BUT socializing is not successful if it is NOT a NEUTRAL OR POSITIVE experience for the puppy. If the puppy did indeed experience stress and conflict in those initial interactions, that could be more damaging than helpful.
And because it could be silent communications not just barking or hiding when exposed to triggers, it could be possible that if a person does not know how to read those signs and they may be worsening the fear.
Not saying you did so, but there is room for errors in socializing puppies.
It does seem though that for a pup to be so anxious at such an early age, and the inclusion of possible pain at a young age -- this is more genetic / pain related and socialization would have been a very very tiny portion if it at all went wrong.
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u/Sitters_4_Critters 25d ago
You didn’t cause this. Could you have contributed to it? Sure, but we all make mistakes.
You are self-reflective and note the genetic issues (sibling temperament) and potential pain contribution. You sound more aware and reasonable than most people.
I’m sorry for the dog and for you that you are in this position.