Ceilidh is horrendously dog aggressive. Oops... reactive. She is what Patricia calls a "silent runner". She doesn't go crazy, bark and screech at the top pf her lungs when she see another dog, but she freezes and glares, her body very stiff and tense. This came on gradually. When she was a young dog, this problem didn't exist. But slowly, with the help partially of the irresponsible neighbors and their ill-mannered dogs, she has gotten worse. And I will be the first to admit guilt in all of this. As Ceilidh is epileptic, we were definitely more indulgent with her as she grew up, mainly because we never knew what could put her into a seizure. Every seizure burns brain cells. We try to keep them to as low a number as possible. But in doing so, we turned Cei into a BRAT.
Case in point... She grew up with my sister's Golden Retriever Archer. They played together as youngsters, but now, she'll attack him given the opportunity. Why? I have no idea. She seems to get along with other Border Collies. Is she prejudice? She runs and plays with my friend's neutered boys Sputnik and Darwin without a hassle, but both boys know how to deal with her. As do her housemates... She and the boys are the best of friends. She likes Gem for the most part, as long as Gem isn't being an obnoxious puppy. But other breeds bring out the worst in her. She stalks my cousin's old female Lab if she is out in the yard next to ours. That old girl is smart enough to not get too close to the fence. We try to not let that happen.
I have spent most of Ceilidh's life managing her and her behavior. Apparently, I have done a very good job as most people had no idea just how reactive she really is. But it is a constant, very tiring job at times. I can no longer walk her in the neighborhood because she goes ballistic when other dogs bark. I'm not asking for miracles... I just want to be able to enjoy her more. Enter Patricia...
Ceilidh loved Patricia from the minute she met her. All wags, smiles and kisses, she also enjoyed the crowd and being the center of attention. But when the stimulus dog was brought into the room and she saw it, she froze, stiffened and glared at the dog. Poor, sweet Gracie the Greyhound... Ceilidh wanted her for dinner. Ceilidh has a "Look" command, as in watch me, but it seems to only work with movement we noticed. There will be no easy "fix" for Ceilidh. Patricia thinks that some of this is definitely prey driven. Some of it could be caused by her medication. Some of it may be inherent... It really doesn't matter what the reason or reasons may be... I have many months of work ahead of me.
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