# Leash/Collar Help



## Bigfoot15 (2 mo ago)

Hello everyone. I currently am fostering a 1.5 year old Basenji. I've had him for about a month now and he is doing great as far as crate training, potty training, and general commands. He is very food motivated. He even plays great with my other 2 dogs. The only problem concerning his reactions to a leash or collar. I have been taking the leash with me everywhere I go, he sees it on a regular basis, he even plays with it on his own or when I hide snacks in it. Whenever my hand goes near the leash he immediately backs up and runs away (granted he is skittish even when being generally approached by humans). I have tried endless treat enticing, meal feeding, etc. to get the leash near him or get his head through a giant leash loop, but he is incredibly smart and refuses to let the material touch him when I am in any way associated with it. At one point I tossed a slip lead around him just to see what he would do on a leash and it was chaos and barking until he backed up as far as he could go and froze. I need some expert help here. He is a great dog; he just needs this part of his brain retrained. Caveat - I am unsure of his background (abuse, ferrel, etc.) Looking forward to your ideas! Thank you!


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

You say it's when you try to put the leash on him, is it happening with the collar too?

Have you tried a harness? 

I had a corgi mix who went into literal rages when I tried to attach the leash to her collar. The collar stayed on her 24/7. I would hold the leash up in the air and let her attack it. When she finally stopped attacking it, she'd let me attach it to her collar. But then any time there was leash tension, she'd freak out.

So, I used a halti with her. It worked. First letting her attack the leash, then attaching it to a halti so there was never any tension around her neck. It allowed her to get past her trauma (prior owners dragged her around by the collar to punish her for things like not eating, etc.).

So don't be afraid to think outside the box. Try to figure out what part of the process he has issues with and try to find ways to change that.

Also talk to your vet about meds. They can help ease the emotional responses so you can help him learn that he is safe now and won't be abused.

Don't force him and don't use choke chains, etc.


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## Bigfoot15 (2 mo ago)

Toedtoes said:


> You say it's when you try to put the leash on him, is it happening with the collar too?
> 
> Have you tried a harness?
> 
> ...


Hi there. Thanks for responding. I have tried getting a harness near him, but still no luck. It has had the same effect. He had a collar on him at first and managed to take it off, so we are back to square one. I do like the idea of getting a harness on him, it might make a world of difference. Thank you for your insight!


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

If getting the collar or harness on him is that difficult, I would ask your vet about medication. It may not need a long term med like prosac, but something you can give him 20 minutes before a walk to ease his stress level. My vet recommended zylkene for that. I've used it with my dog fearful Cat-dog and it does help her.


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## Bigfoot15 (2 mo ago)

Ok. I will look into that. Thank you!


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## Uncle Foster (Mar 27, 2012)

One of the problems when we foster is that we have no real knowledge of the dog's back story.
Where they have been, the people that had them, their fears, hangups, phobias...
I have nothing to add to your specific situation.
I can tell you that with some dogs and some problems what it really takes is time.
With time they learn that they are loved. They settle in.
I know, often, fosters do not spend that much time.

I will relate the story of Susy. Susy and her litter of 9 puppies were our first mom and litter foster.
Susy was a very young new mom when we met her and the 10 of them came to live at our house
The poor dear, you could plainly see each of her ribs.
When she arrived, and after a few weeks with her pups we would go for short walks. First time we got around the corner and up a few doors, two guys drove up, stopped the car and got out. The dog immediately went into a panic. I mistakenly thought she was afraid of these two guys. I was wrong. Susy was afraid of everything in life. Even my wife and I.

The story featured a happy ending, but it took more than a year and much work by many dedicated people, both professional and volunteer.

Uncle Foster


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## Bigfoot15 (2 mo ago)

Uncle Foster said:


> One of the problems when we foster is that we have no real knowledge of the dog's back story.
> Where they have been, the people that had them, their fears, hangups, phobias...
> I have nothing to add to your specific situation.
> I can tell you that with some dogs and some problems what it really takes is time.
> ...


Thank you for sharing your story. It takes a team and a world of patience!


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