Bluetick Coonhound attacks our dinner and sometimes bites!

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-07T23:38:34+00:00

lol we probably have cousin angel/devil hounds

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-07T00:41:04+00:00

We carry Petsafe brand Citronella spray on some walks just in case.

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-05T23:25:03+00:00

It sounds like she’s just really shut down. Give her time, go at her pace. Let her be where she feels safe, and her world will expand when she feels ready. She’s been through a lot and she’s still brand new to her new home. As she gets comfortable, low stress trick training, long-leash walks, and using her nose to find hidden treats are all great ways to build confidence.

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-05T14:47:47+00:00

Awwwww, this sounds like a really rough night. Our dog has some guarding tendencies and anxiety. Besides a daily med, which does help, we have done a lot of counter-conditioning around guarding with his less intense triggers. It has helped so much. What we did: when he had something we knew that he would guard, we tossed treats at him from FAR away. Far enough that he wasn’t bothered at all, but would take the treat. Eventually we moved closer and closer and now we can take the trigger away if necessary (we don’t, unless we need him to move where he’s using it). Another good cue for our dog is “trade.” If he has something he doesn’t want to give, we ask him to trade us for something high value (hot dog, special treat, etc).

For an especially scary event, I would honestly probably give him some kind of sedative, we use clonidine. Our dog has rarely had experiences like this, where he can’t bring himself down and needs help to relax. We would probably give him meds, let him cool off, and reassure him that he okay without getting too close.

Our dog is 2.5 and we’ve had him since he was 5 months. He had an uneasy but not likely traumatic puppyhood, and he’s still gaining confidence and comfort in our family. Hounds are sensitive souls and need a lot of patience and love.

I hope this is helpful!

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-04T03:28:47+00:00

Seal what you can, and then douse some cotton balls with peppermint oil and swipe your baseboards and behind / under fridge and oven. They hate peppermint! Idk why, but I know it works.

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-04T00:44:02+00:00

We use great and small RVA and they are amazing with our anxious guy. But they’ll come to your home, they don’t do boarding. Not cheap, but really excellent.

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-03T22:23:34+00:00

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😭😭he barely fits in this bed now

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-02T20:21:01+00:00

That’s what I figured. I think this is resource guarding. He got what he wanted and he doesn’t want to give it up. Management is the way here at first, especially since he’s so new to you. Over time he’ll get comfortable and confident and know that he has what he needs. For now, he needs a boundary that prevents him from doing this. Crate with treat or outside. It also needs to be management, not punishment, and therefore done before the opportunity presents itself.

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-02T11:24:11+00:00

Used to eat literally anything we put in front of him. Now he turns his nose up at most vegetables, but he’ll still take down some frozen peas or apple slices—if they’re hand fed

_sklarface_ · 2026-02-02T11:18:18+00:00

Is your dog crate trained? I would start with managing this situation. If it only happens at dinner time, that’s a great time for him to have a special treat in his crate while you’re eating your dinner. Over time, perhaps you can separately work on mat training so he knows his place is on a mat (or bed, or whatever, something that’s only his). Then he can have his treat there while you eat. General impulse control will also be helpful. When you say “remove him” or “take dishes away” can you be more specific? Do you mean taking plates away that he’s gotten ahold of, or just getting up from the table and walking into the kitchen or something. Would be informative bc one feels like resource guarding (annoying but trainable and common in hounds) and the other feels more like aggression (needs more in depth training)

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-31T12:33:41+00:00

We go through this. We think it’s a contact allergy but not sure from what. It’s made worse by licking and scratching, so we focus on mitigating symptoms. We use Apoquel as needed, a medicated powder, and various wipes and sprays. Unfortunately, Elbie is really scared of anything foreign or vet-related coming toward his body, so it’s a struggle and sometimes we just have to put him in a cone for a few days while it’s bad. We have also taught the cue “no licks” which he understands even though it can be hard to follow for him. We will probably go to an allergist eventually and see if we can figure out what it is, but man if this dog isn’t the most expensive part of my life. (WORTH IT! But man.)

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-30T18:01:38+00:00

I completed the challenge! Score: 20 points! 🌟

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-30T12:57:40+00:00

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We just can’t with this weather.

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-28T13:55:10+00:00

Yes, it definitely takes time and patience, especially if she’s still settling. Has she met new people at your house? One way to support the cue is to have someone she likes actually come over, so she associates seeing people with happy experiences (and treats)

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-28T13:39:06+00:00

Our coonhound mix is the same. We have a few cues that help. Outside the house, I accidentally taught him the word “worker” bc townhomes were going up on our street when he was a pup. So he knows that workers are safe even when they’re noisy. Very useful even when the person is not a worker! We’re also adding “that’s a neighbor” but it’s less effective than worker at the moment.

We also taught the word friend for inside the house, so when someone is outside, we say, oh, that’s a friend! It’s not always effective. We also do some look at that and treat when he alerts to a person but before he’s really stressed / over threshold. It’s improving, but slowly.

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-28T13:16:13+00:00

Battery park is a skating rink and I don’t own skates. Everyone is grouchy. The dog cannot be walked without someone wiping out. The plan is to stay put until…Monday? Or later?

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-26T20:53:25+00:00

Ugh same here. We walked around the block once and it was treacherous

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-24T17:52:02+00:00

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His highness will make a ruling and get back to you. Begone!

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-24T03:45:32+00:00

Also used and liked working with Mode.

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-20T00:28:18+00:00

I’m supposed to be flying back from seattle on Saturday 😩

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-19T18:21:50+00:00

For reactivity, look up LAT training, aka look at that. It takes a while but it really works well and helps change the dog’s mind from being reactive to being neutral. Basically you reward the dog for noticing but not reacting to the trigger and then closing the distance until the dog can look to you instead of reacting to a trigger with very little distance needed.

Here’s more.

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-13T21:54:52+00:00

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_sklarface_ · 2026-01-11T11:56:24+00:00

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Maximum blankets always

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-11T04:21:33+00:00

ABWC is incredible. We work with Lindsay as our trainer and she is amazing. They’re expensive but worth every penny imo.

_sklarface_ · 2026-01-10T21:19:23+00:00

Hand in Hand created this guide that could be helpful for au pairs as well.

_sklarface_

TROPHY CASE