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Originally Posted by Barkingdog
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No offense, but alot of the information on that site is simply wrong. It's in the way they are raised. I've owned 2 purebred Minpins in the last 6 years, and nothing written about them is correct.
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/rev...pinschers.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by Valeartiste
Thank you for replying Rhynes.
Im sorry if I made it seem that I want people to appease to her, which isn’t exactly what I was trying to say. I wanted more cooperation, so that she wouldn’t be as stressed in these situations. I understand that it is insecurity, a fear of the unknown noise. My point was that I would ideally like for her to be slowly introduced to the extent of the noise that happens in a social setting. Not avoid the noise altogether, but just not have it all at once.
She was introduced to each person, and she was fine after that. She was completely comfortable with the children and adults stepping around her, and she was even comfortable enough to sleep. But once there was an eruption of laughter (as a result of Christmas activities) she would spark up and start barking. Like I said, it didn’t appear to me (although I’m not a professional so I can’t be sure) that she was reacting to the people but more to the noise itself. She was on a leash during this time, after I noticed her signs of stress for the first time. However, despite my slackness with the leash, she was still tense and each outburst made her even more anxious. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision to take her away to a quieter part of the house, but it seemed to be the only rational choice.
Ideally, I would have liked for the louder people to pet her during the noise and see if that would calm her, but like I said they weren’t very interested in helping me. So to conclude, I want to know if there is an alternate way to soothe her and help her through her stress without support from others.
And a final note, I was told by a member of my family to leave her off the leash and let her roam, but after trying that she still reacted in the same way :/.
Once again, thank you for the advice.
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If people are petting her when she's worked up or anxious, that's negative reinforcement - not positive. Offer affection only when she's calm and relaxed, that's the state you want to reward. You mention loose leash, tighten up the leash a bit so she can feel you - but you need to remain calm and relaxed - she needs a leader.
So, if she's anxious, leash her and take her for a good walk. Don't think of it as removing the dog from the situation, get her out for exercise. Desensitizing is what you're looking to do when it comes to noise reaction. Whenever you know you'll be in a noisy environment, exercise the dog before you go.
Take the dog into noisy places, let the dog stress out - but in the end, see if you can find people that will give her treats and show affection. End every negative on a positive note - that's what positive reinforcement is supposed to be.
What's her daily routine like? How much exercise does she get? How much mental stimulation does she get? How much interaction does she get with people and dogs? My last 2 minpins were reactive for the first couple of weeks, then they ran the dog park like they owned it.