Not tolerating other people handling her?

Laurelin

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#1
I'm not sure how to phrase this. A couple times this week I've had to hand Mia over to someone else and I've discovered she does not like that at all. Once I had to go out of sight and the other time just across the room. When I left the first time, she was being held by a friend and she started crying for me and trying to escape. The second time I left her with my aunt and a similar thing happened. She strained and strained on her leash, tried to pull out of her collar and yelped like my aunt was killing her.

I guess it's important to note that she had just met these people for the first time that day. She is not as outgoing as Summer as far as strange people go. She'll go up to people for pets but then she'll leave after a few seconds. (Summer on the other hand would eagerly walk off with someone she met 5 seconds ago) She is fine with me leaving her alone at home so it's not like SA really.

Thoughts?
 

babymomma

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#2
I personally think its a "normal" thing. Keely does the same thing if I hand her off to somebody that isnt family.

Put yourself in her shoes (Okay, Paw pads) I wouldnt feel safe with a stranger as My caregiver/Mother/Whole LIFE handed me to somebody and walked off.
 

Laurelin

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#3
I personally think its a "normal" thing. Keely does the same thing if I hand her off to somebody that isnt family.

Put yourself in her shoes (Okay, Paw pads) I wouldnt feel safe with a stranger as My caregiver/Mother/Whole LIFE handed me to somebody and walked off.
That is true. I'm so used to Summer though, and Summer is an attention wh*re that thinks everyone is her bestest friend. I leave her with someone and she's like... See ya, Mom! LOL
 

lizzybeth727

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#4
I think it's nice for dogs to know that they are safe when you leave them like that, though. A little mild concern is IMO ok, but you don't want them to be in PAIN when you leave.

I will say, though, that Luna doesn't like strangers coming and picking her up. She likes strangers to pet her and give her attention, and maybe after she spends a few minutes with them she's ok with being picked up. But a lot of people want to just come in and scoop her up.... and then of course they think I'm the rude one when I ask them not to pick her up.:rolleyes:
 

Beanie

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#5
Auggie is like Summer, he doesn't care. I actually am more upset when I hand him over to somebody else than he is, LOL. He's always VERY happy to see me when I come back, he's just excited to be with somebody else.

I would start trying to get her used to the idea that it's okay to have you hand the lead to somebody else and walk away... just start with baby steps. Give somebody else the leash and just stand there talking while they told her lead. Then start taking a step back, then a few more. Eventually I would think as long as she knows YOU are okay leaving her and that SHE is okay being left behind, she'll be able to tolerate it better.

It's VERY handy to be able to hand the leash to somebody else to hold your dog for you, so I would definitely try to get her more comfortable with it. Of course you aren't likely to leave your dog with a total stranger but it might be a stranger to the dog... though at trials I have been asked to hold a dog for a total stranger before. Usually the dogs really don't care, though some of them like to watch their owner like a hawk as they go walk a course or whatever it is they need to run off to do.
 

Laurelin

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#6
Yeah I'd like for her to be okay with being held by another person... at least not freaking out and trying to escape like she was. The one time I went across the room for about 10 minutes to do some work at our booth and the other time I had to go duck into the bathroom (dogs aren't allowed). I guess it was just too much too fast with me being completely out of sight and her in the hands of a stranger (to her).
 

showluver

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#7
Most all mine are that way...ok hubby's Pugs could care less who has them as long as they are petting them or have food, lol.
The Min pins are all very social things as long as I am standing there with them, i walk away and they get worried, pull and talk at me as if to say, come back mommy. But they have no issue with the specific people holding them simply dont approve of me walking away.
 

mrose_s

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#8
Buster's kinda inbetween. If he knows I am happy to hand him over then he's okay with it but he's not going to wander off with anyone, which I really like.
 

Lolas Dad

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#9
Yeah I'd like for her to be okay with being held by another person... at least not freaking out and trying to escape like she was. The one time I went across the room for about 10 minutes to do some work at our booth and the other time I had to go duck into the bathroom (dogs aren't allowed). I guess it was just too much too fast with me being completely out of sight and her in the hands of a stranger (to her).
If you want her to get over that I would do it more often and slowly increase the time your away from her. This way it would be a normal thing for her. A little curiosity is ok but to be crying and such is not good.

One aspect of the CGC test is that you have to walk away from your dog out of view and remain there for 3 minutes. At that time your dog is left with the person giving the CGC test. If they start crying and whining then the dog fails the entire CGC test. That may not be what your going for with Mia but think of it this way, let's say you got injured somehow walking your dog and an ambulance had to be called. Someone would need to take Mia with them and if their is no one with you it might be a police officer. So this is something I would work on if I were you.

When I first adopted Lola I left her with someone at a dog event because I had to go to the bathroom. Lola did act up a bit but it was not bad. When Lola took the CGC test a year later and I had to leave the room for that part of the test. After returning I asked the person that was giving the test how she was and she said Lola did not even notice you were gone.
 

Gena

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#10
Pedro does this too. With him, I think, it is more OMG I want to GO too. He doesn't really care that he is with a stranger, but he's ticked he isn't going on whatever adventure I am. Heck, he does it when Bill leaves him with *me. My first (fired) trainer corrected him fairly harshly and still no difference. A bit of help has come with click/treat for non-spaz behavior, but he still does it. Somehow he passed this part of his CGC though, just not the sitting nicely for greeting people/dogs. Goofy boy.
 

sammgirl

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#11
Huh. I think alot of dogs are like that. I know that shepherds are very one-person-centric and don't like to be in the company of strangers with out the benefit of having "mom" or "dad" there.

Mia just sounds like she's very bonded to you. If you want to loosen that a bit, I'd do doggy day care once or twice a week. :)
 

corgipower

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#12
If it's something you want to work on, I would set up random people that she both knows and likes and that she doesn't know and have them hold her leash and give her treats with you at varying distances in sight - start out fairly close and gradually move further away, eventually being able to go out of sight. Also gradually increasing the duration. It's really no different than "stay" training, just someone is holding onto her leash.

You can even work more on stays without someone holding her and work up to doing out of sight stays in general.

My dogs don't particularly like it if someone else holds them and I disappear, which IMO is fairly normal, but I can put them on a down, hand the leash over and leave and they are simply doing a down stay. It doesn't matter at that point that someone is holding the leash.
 

Doberluv

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#14
If it's something you want to work on, I would set up random people that she both knows and likes and that she doesn't know and have them hold her leash and give her treats with you at varying distances in sight - start out fairly close and gradually move further away, eventually being able to go out of sight. Also gradually increasing the duration. It's really no different than "stay" training, just someone is holding onto her leash.

You can even work more on stays without someone holding her and work up to doing out of sight stays in general.

My dogs don't particularly like it if someone else holds them and I disappear, which IMO is fairly normal, but I can put them on a down, hand the leash over and leave and they are simply doing a down stay. It doesn't matter at that point that someone is holding the leash.
I second this. Good advice. It is important for her to at least tolerate being in someone else's care.
 

Laurelin

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#15
Yeah I'll definitely be working on getting ehr more comfortable with other people. Thanks for the advice! :D
 

Dekka

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#16
I am working on that with Kat right now. She used to be fine for a few moments and then loose it and snarl and try to bite the hands of the person holding her. I just kept doing it and giving them treats to feed her (and telling them to saw 'ow' if she tries to mouth them as she responds very well to 'ow') Its been about a month and she is much much better now. She doesn't like it if I go too far away but she doesn't go ape **** anymore.

Dekka is quiet about it but she hates being left with anyone if I leave and will squirm and flail.
 

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