Nervous Malinois pup - settling in nerves or a deeper problem? - Page 1

Hi All,

This week, my girlfriend and I adopted a 6/7 month old malinois pup. He's not 100% pure, his mom was and his dad was a German shep/ mal cross. 

Since we got him he's been behaving well for the most part but he's also started being very nervous when outside or around new people. When he's been outside if he hears another dog barking, or see's my neighbors' dog he's terrified. Tail between the legs and visibly trembling terrified. 

Today our cleaner was here and he's been very scared all day. He's barking and growling at her, yet when she gets close he'll allow her to pet him and he will lick and smell her... his tail is also wagging. While she was vacuuming he hid under my desk and just trembled for a solid hour, occasionally only coming up to whine or put his head on my lap. 

Everything I've read suggests that nervous behavior from a mal pup could mean dangerous behavior as an adult. 

I'm hoping that he still adjusting to his new environment though, his previous owner told us they brought him to beach frequently and they also had another dog. This suggests he's been social from a young age. 

Does anybody have an experience or advice they could share with me? 

Thanks in advance,
James

James, I have owned the breed for 34 years and while explaining this in detail would take forever, I will tell you that Malinois are famous for nerve problems. When it comes to that though, I always err on the side of caution and I will tell you that were this me that owned that dog, I would give it back or get it out of my house. Good luck to you.

thanks for the reply.

Is there anything though you could tell me that will help? 

This is only his 3rd day with us in his new home, so I'm really hoping this is just him adjusting to his new surroundings and us. 

 

You should take things much, much slower than you are. He should not ever get to the point that he is shaking. Pay attention to signs of apprehension and fear like lip licking, yawning, panting, turning away, etc. and go slow. He doesn't need to be in the room or even in the house when someone is vacuuming. Since he is obviously afraid of that, give him a break from it until you are ready to work on that issue. Why does the housekeeper need to pet him? They should just ignore each other. Find a good trainer in your area.

http://info.drsophiayin.com/free-poster-on-body-language-in-dogs/

I've been a foster home for a very long time and am familiar with what new dogs go through and this is not normal. Your pup is a mess and I, personally, would give him back. That said, chances are this is a nerve defect in the dog, but with a lot of work, most dogs can improve and can be managed. Note I did not say fixed. Are you ready to put in the time and energy required to help him? He will need very clear limits with good and bad consequences, training, massive amounts of socialization, and exercise, all while making sure you don't either push him over the edge or allow him to get in a situation he's not ready for, and he lashes out.

Working with these dogs can be done but it requires commitment.

It sounds exactly like a mal pup one of the agility people i know ended up with. Flighty, spooky and just down right odd little dog. Her behavior never improved altho she could somewhat function in agility because it was fun.
But if the judge moved wrong or if there were too many people ring side she's flip out and jump the ring gating. And high tail it back to her crate.
She had to be put down because she kept attacking the ladies other dog an older shepherd. Which is kept in a separate dog run. Flame would scale the kennel to get in and fight the other dog. Even with fencing on top she managed to escape.
I agree with the others, if you don't see improvement in a few day, either seek professional help to manage your damaged dog or sent it back.
 

Thanks to you all for the feedback, advice and information. 

@mollyandjack - you're right. I didnt even consider taking him out of the house when it was happening. He was growling and barking at her but I thought the best way to handle it would be for them to get acquainted - which he seemed fine with initially. A friend of mine who has mal came by yesterday and the dog took to him immediately. I had him out for a walk earlier while she was cleaning and he was fine, tail up and wagging quickly after the dog next door barked at him... so I think there's some resilience in him. I appreciate the advice and will take it on board and find a trainer. 

@greyhoundgirl I hate to think of him as being a mess. I'm going to talk to trainer as soon as I can about him and get some professional help. I obviously dont know enough to work with him myself.

@Hired Dog - I appreciate what you're saying. I'm going to give him a week or so and see how he adapts. 

I don't want to give up on him. Even though he's only been here 3 days, I think overall he's settled in well. He's affectionate towards us both and has been enjoying his walks (for the most part) and playing. I work from home so I can spend plenty of time with him and gets lots walks during the day. 

I'll post an update in a few days.

Thanks again all.
               

Hi jimmy. A couple of years ago I rescued an  month old Malinois pup, and when we got her home (found her in the road with a broken leg- first 3 days as my dog was at the vet for surgery), it was quite apparent she'd been beaten and confined. It took me a full year to build her self confidence- that is, just her being herself at home. Once I was there, we began to work on confidence I began working on confidence with the unfamiliar. One issue was that if we drove to someplace unfamiliar, she would shake and drool and eventually throw up in my car. We began with short trips to something fun- the riverwalk where people let their dogs run early in the morning' then to the dogpark in midtown. Finally last Saturday, we went all the way to the other side of town to the dogpark with acres and acres of rolling hills and tall grass and four ponds with beaches- Oh, and the company picnic with Barbeque!!!!! She did just fine. Now, granted I was dealing with the aftermath of abuse with a dog that seems in most ways to be very solid, but I'd say a little at a time, ease just a bit out of his comfort zone, and a little further as he gains confidence.

Nerves CAN be genetic, BUT there are chemical and physical reasons a dog will manifest signs of nervous behavior that are not it's inherent temperament!  I always look at those before assuming the dog's a basket case. What's this dog's background, medically? Where did he come from? What's known about him?  What's his vaccine history? Neutered? If so, when? Far more information is needed to either condemn nor approve this dog for the long haul. 

Example of missing info leading to totally different conclusions: I had a friend call me for advice on a year old pup he bred who the owner was complaining about as far as nervous, OCD, hyper, anxious and aggressive behavior. Owner claimed to have given all the info and we spent a while on the phone trying to figure out WTH was wrong w/this dog, as this breeding should not have produced that and the dog was getting worse and not better in the same home she'd been in her whole life. Only medical thing we had to go on was that she had a bladder infection. They'd tried everything from pheromone collars to now medication and still she'd run herself ragged, pacing at high speeds all around their house, constantly. She didn't take "change" well according to them. Again, we're racking our brains and I ask him if she's near her heat cycle and if she'd had it yet, as a lot of what he was saying sounded hormonal in nature, just taken to extremes. Well, guess what? He checks back and no, of course she's not in heat, she was spayed "a long time ago." WTF???? She is barely a YEAR OLD!! Spayed a "long time ago" is not a good thing for a one year old, very very high drive dog! She will never be normal. How could she? She's maturing without all the ingredients for successful maturation. Couple that with an obviously ignorant handler (former K9 handler, mind you) and you have problems. Apparently this isn't her first bladder issue, either. Bladder infections be very painful and are known to be a common side effect from early spaying.

Here are a few excerpts that may apply to your dog, and primarily why I was asking if he's neutered or not, and if so, when. 
Behavioral and Physical Effects of Spaying and Neutering Domestic Dogs
http://www.caninesports.com/SNBehaviorBoneDataSnapShot.pdf

Interesting points:

"Aggression scores in male dogs neutered at different ages compared with intact male dogs. There was a significantly higher aggression score in neutered dogs as compared to intact dogs regardless of the age at which the dogs were neutered."

"Aggression scores in female dogs spayed at different ages compared with intact female dogs. There was a highly significant increase in aggression score of dogs spayed at 12 months or earlier as compared to intact dogs."

"Fear and anxiety scores in male dogs neutered at different ages compared with intact male dogs. There was a significant increase in fear and anxiety scores in neutered dogs as compared to intact dogs regardless of the age at which the dogs were neutered."

"In addition, we measured eight individual bone lengths plus the height of 202 agility competition
dogs to determine whether gonadectomy affected bone lengths. Preliminary analysis revealed
significant differences in bone growth between the intact and neutered groups."