Help for a friend...any suggestions on changing fearful behavior in rescue dog?

[brookitar]

My friend's family adopted a dog earlier this year from the shelter. They didn't realize the extent of the abuse it suffered before they adopted and are having problems taking him anywhere. Basically if the collar around his neck is pulled or even a harness is put on him he starts wailing extremely loud. They aren't sure about how to go about training him not to do this because they don't want to traumatize the poor dog even more. When this happens it is completely non aggressive and he is very scared.

 

Basically this poor dog's problems are making them feel uncomfortable taking him in public. When I speak to them they don't seem willing to seek a trainer...so I was wondering if anyone of you had any suggestions who have experience in training fearful dogs?

[diane allen]

Earlier this year - as in 2015?

If so, the best advice is: don't put the dog in a position where it is fearful. Give him time to adjust to his new situation.

 

When he is more comfortable, they might start by putting a LOOSE slip lead over his head before he does something he wants to do (go outside, get fed, etc.). No tension. They might even let him drag it around (in the house, or while playing - carefully!). Treats, more treats for whatever progress they can make. Dogs don't do stuff because they love us. They do it because they get rewards - food, praise, pets. That varies with every dog.

 

They need to get him in a position where he IS comfortable first. Then gradually, very very gradually, increase whatever it is that distresses him. He should learn that his people will protect him - keep him below that threshold of fear.

 

And your statement (or theirs?): "completely nonaggressive and he is very scared." Scared can easily translate to what looks like aggression - called fear biting. If pushed, a scared dog can bite. "Out of the blue?" Nope, very predictable.

 

And I would ask if the shelter from which he was adopted (1) knew of this problem and didn't disclose it; and (2) if they have any resources that can help.

 

Good luck to them (and you, since obviously you are their "go to" gal!).

[urge to herd]

Read down a few topics - rescue dog having trouble adjusting, and shy dog . . .

 

Those 2 threads offer lots of great advice, start with that. You might suggest your friends visit the board to read it. They can't post, but they can read all the suggestions.

 

good luck!

 

Ruth and SuperGibbs

[dsmbc]

Lots of great resources for fearful dogs. Search the thread mentioned above. Counter conditioning and building value for everything. A good trainer, one that understands counter conditioning, would really help them a lot.

 

One quick and easy resource for getting use to the harness - search youtube for kikopup - how to get your dog use to their harness. Kikopup has lots of fun little training videos and this one is particularly good related to helping a dog like their harness. You can also imagine how to use the same ideas to help the dog like being walked on a leash.

 

One thing, fear reactions don't always mean the dog was abused. Dogs often tend to be wary of new or strange things and some dogs just tend to be more nervous or fearful than others. It will just take more time for them to help the dog along.

 

If the dog is really having a hard time with a collar and leash or harness, they may also want to get the dog checked out to make sure nothing is physically wrong.

[brookitar]

Earlier this year - as in 2015?

If so, the best advice is: don't put the dog in a position where it is fearful. Give him time to adjust to his new situation.

 

When he is more comfortable, they might start by putting a LOOSE slip lead over his head before he does something he wants to do (go outside, get fed, etc.). No tension. They might even let him drag it around (in the house, or while playing - carefully!). Treats, more treats for whatever progress they can make. Dogs don't do stuff because they love us. They do it because they get rewards - food, praise, pets. That varies with every dog.

 

They need to get him in a position where he IS comfortable first. Then gradually, very very gradually, increase whatever it is that distresses him. He should learn that his people will protect him - keep him below that threshold of fear.

 

And your statement (or theirs?): "completely nonaggressive and he is very scared." Scared can easily translate to what looks like aggression - called fear biting. If pushed, a scared dog can bite. "Out of the blue?" Nope, very predictable.

 

And I would ask if the shelter from which he was adopted (1) knew of this problem and didn't disclose it; and (2) if they have any resources that can help.

 

Good luck to them (and you, since obviously you are their "go to" gal!).

 

I'm sorry I was referring to 2014 sometime in the summer so they have had him for awhile and he still has the same issues. They have however somehow put a collar on him its just the tugging sensation that triggers fear. That's a really good idea I forget they make the leashes that you can adjust around the neck area.

 

They have told me its non aggressive...I told them they should be careful but I don't think they take me seriously. I went over last week and saw the behavior for myself. I do feel if they tugged on his collar for a more prolonged period of time he would have snapped at them. As far as they have told me they have not tried any means of positive reinforcement. Its heart breaking to see a damaged dog like this one he is so friendly otherwise and played very well with my border collie.

 

That's what I was surprised about...they told me the shelter did not disclose any kind of behavioral issue. Even after they realized the extent of the behavior they still wanted to keep him and give him a better chance of life which I admire! The last dog they had that was put down at an old age was very aggressive towards strangers (having attacked people before) so they have a tolerance for behavior but I'm not sure if they have ever tried correcting it.

 

Thanks for the helpful advice! I'll have to send her a link to the forums to read up on.

[brookitar]

Lots of great resources for fearful dogs. Search the thread mentioned above. Counter conditioning and building value for everything. A good trainer, one that understands counter conditioning, would really help them a lot.

 

One quick and easy resource for getting use to the harness - search youtube for kikopup - how to get your dog use to their harness. Kikopup has lots of fun little training videos and this one is particularly good related to helping a dog like their harness. You can also imagine how to use the same ideas to help the dog like being walked on a leash.

 

One thing, fear reactions don't always mean the dog was abused. Dogs often tend to be wary of new or strange things and some dogs just tend to be more nervous or fearful than others. It will just take more time for them to help the dog along.

 

If the dog is really having a hard time with a collar and leash or harness, they may also want to get the dog checked out to make sure nothing is physically wrong.

 

Yes that's what I suggested to them but they don't want to seek a professional trainer (which I firmly believe they should have done with their previous dog). I'm assuming because of the cost or impatience to train. :/

 

Love training videos these have helped me the most with my dog. I'll share this one with them and hopefully they will use it. I have offering to help them with the dog if they don't want to try training it.

 

That's true I guess I jump to abuse because I grew up with a dog from a rescue that had very obvious signs of abuse. Flinching at the raise of a hand and yelping if her back side was touched. Eventually it all went away once she was with us for a year.

 

They mentioned to me they took the dog to the vet already (forgot to add that).

[Shetlander]

Yes, please read the topics mentioned that are on this page still. Also, you can do a search for shy dog, fearful, etc. Over the years there have been a number of threads on the subject. It sounds like your friends have a very fearful dog. It could have been abused or it could be genetic or neglect or trauma over upheaval in its life or some mix of those factors. Right now the dog is not ready to go out in public. It is important to go at a pace where the dog is not overwhelmed. Pushing the dog too fast is the worst thing you can do. I would break things down. Getting used to a leash. Staying in the yard. Going around the block when very few people are out and about, slowly building to activities people take for granted like taking the dog to the park.

 

Maybe the dog will come around quickly as it settles in to its new home. Or maybe the dog will make slow progress, as in months or even years of steady work. I had a severely shy dog and through a lot of patience, persistence, building confidence, and trying different activities (he loved agility), he was able to enjoy life but become a very cool dog. In fact, he became my all time favorite dog. But he was never "normal" and there were still bad days here and there.

 

Watching a shy dog come out of his shell is incredibly gratifying but it does tend to take time and patience and sensitivity to the dog's needs. Sorry I do not have a quick answer. I do think it is excellent that the dog isn't displaying any aggression with his fear. That can complicate things.

[Shetlander]

>>They have told me its non aggressive...I told them they should be careful but I don't think they take me seriously. I went over last week and saw the behavior for myself. I do feel if they tugged on his collar for a more prolonged period of time he would have snapped at them. As far as they have told me they have not tried any means of positive reinforcement. Its heart breaking to see a damaged dog like this one he is so friendly otherwise and played very well with my border collie. <<

 

If they have had him for several months and he hasn't shown any aggression, he may not be aggressive. My super shy guy was like that. He might panic and struggle but he never tried to bite anyone, or even growl. One time a friend let him out for me when I had to work late. When they came back in the house, he ran into his crate and wouldn't come out. My friend thought he needed to be back in the kitchen, so she reached in the crate and dragged him out. I was horrified when she told me this and said never to do that to any dog, that she was very lucky my guy was so submissive and gentle.

 

The book I recommended in the Shy Dog thread from a couple days ago is Click to Calm by Emma Parsons. It is marketed to aggressive dogs but the techniques work just as well with fearful dogs and it is an excellent clicker training primer. I used the word "yes" instead of a clicker and found the techniques very effective with another, less fearful dog who alarmed barked on walks. I wish I had tried clicker training with my shy guy. I think he would have loved it and it may have helped him progress a bit faster.

[Maxi]

I had a rescue bitch who even if her collar was just touched would start wailing/screaming

 

So it was about building trust with her and letting her realise that I was a safe person to be around.

 

At first, I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor, side-on and a few feet away from her ,not looking at her and letting her decide whether to come up to me.

 

Once she realised that I was OK and she was more comfortable with me, I spent a long time working on her recall and also encouraging her to follow me and then walk by my side around my house/small garden. All of this was done off leash . Most of the time I also didn't use touch as a sign of affection, unless she initiated it. .. It was very much her decision.

 

I also worked on letting her allow me to calmly but quickly clip on a lead onto her collar. Initially, I would let this trail after her ie I didn't pick it up.. From there, I went to picking it up, while sitting beside her, and then walking with her across the room.. Only short sessions with lots of rewards and plenty of gaps in between..and always with a loose leash.

 

When we went for a walk outside, it was at her pace, if she stopped, I stopped. If she was uncertain, I would crouch down, side-on to her, not looking at her, and not really touching her (she hated being touched), but just reassuring her with a soft voice that things were Ok.and I would just wait until she was ready to move on.

 

At the time I lived at the edge of an old miining town and there was an old overgrown, disused slag heap about 200yards from my house with a wild rabbit warren in it. She was a collie-whippet cross, so when she discovered rabbits, it was like she'd found heaven. So in my case, it didn't take long for her to learn that getting the lead on and walkng a short distance outside meant she got the opportunity to do something she really loved (she wasn't very food or toy motivated, so finding this high value reward made things a lot easier for me).

 

Once she was happy going on the lead there, I took longer detours to get to the rabbit warren

.

At the end of the day, There isn't a quick fix. it's about trust and patience.

 

I wish your friend good luck..

[waffles]

I knew a Boston terrier that did the same thing. He was also never abused, purchased from a breeder at 8weeks and the family was loving and very dog savvy. Sometimes when people label the dog as abused they get stuck in the thought that this is the way the dog is and there is nothing to help him. Or we need to feel sorry for him and not "push" him. It sounds more like a dog that has never been walked on a leash to me or every time he screamed he got his way.

 

The Boston terrier I knew, would flail his whole body while making the most awful screeching screaming noise whenever his leash was picked up and just a bit of tension applied. All we did was slowly work with him on pressure and release with the leash. Pick up the leash while he is just standing there, apply a touch of pressure (as in two fingers on the leash and just make it slightly taught) and release before he screamed, repeat. In less than an hour he was walking around a few feet before freaking out and his freaking out was less intense and shorter lived. By the end of the week he was going for a normal walk with their other dog.

 

For this dog, it appeared that he just didn't want to do what he was asked to do. If pressure was applied and he wanted to go another way, he would scream. If you followed his direction and put a touch of pressure on the leash, no screaming. It seemed to help his progress when the family instilled other boundaries with impulse control (no rushing doors, going in crate when asked, waiting for food, doing a place command when the doorbell rang etc).

 

I hope showing your friend some videos like kikopup's will help them realized that the dog doesn't have to live like this. Both them and the dog can have a happier life if they just tried. It's nice that you are enough to try to help.

[Beach BCs]

I have a shy dog. I adopted her about two years ago. When I brought her home she would pee if you looked at her too hard. Over the past two years I have worked very hard to help her become more comfortable. Slowly exposing her to the world. There are still a great many situations she is not ok with. She has improved a great deal but she is still very shy. I just think that's who she is. She's a stick of dynamite (in the best way possible) with people and places she knows well. When I am out in public with her and my other dogs (the Walmart greeters) and people try to pet her, I joke that she isn't taking applications for new friends right now.

 

Walks are tough for her. She's nervous of people. I walk her on a very comfortable harness and long line. She roams and sniffs safely, mostly keeping it loose. I occasionally call her to me, treating or playing with her (she's more toy motivated than food motivated). And if I need to stop to talk to someone, she can keep some distance. She usually ends up next to or right behind me. My neighbors understand to ignore her.

 

This has been a journey for the two of us; one measured by inches, not feet.

[Root Beer]

Although not exactly the same situation, when we first adopted Tessa, she was terrified, and any touch on her collar sent her running.

 

I did a lot of training exercises with her where I allowed her to offer super simple behaviors for treats. So, I would toss a treat, wait for her to turn back to me even slightly, and then toss one in another direction, wait for her to turn back to me slightly, toss one in another direction. I tossed treats near things that she was skittish of - first at a good distance and later closer, so she could choose to put herself in closer proximity to those things. I never pushed her further than she was willing to go - if I put the treat too close, I just tossed another one closer to her, and moved the original. Gradually we progressed to tossing treats into a soft crate so she could go in to get them and immediately come out.

 

All of these things started to help her build trust, and I was able to start reaching a hand toward her, and then I would toss a treat in the other direction. Eventually she let me gently take her collar. Eventually I could leash her and she was OK. And later she was OK if there was any tension on the leash, although she is still pretty meticulous about keeping it loose, even to this day.

 

It was a slow process, but these days people usually think she is perfectly normal, or perhaps just a little shy.

 

I would HIGHLY recommend clicker training for any fearful dog (although a very soft clicker might need to be used at first - I started Tessa with a tongue click and gradually progressed to an actual clicker) to give the dog the chance to learn that it is safe to try things. That, in turn, can build trust that will help with basic manners kinds of things.

[gcv-border]

Excellent suggestions above (so I won't add in any more), but one issue that I think has not been directly addressed is the owners' desire to take their dog in public. IMHO, they should not expect to bring him into a public place UNTIL he is very comfortable with the leash and/or harness and walks calmly in familiar territory. This may take a month or more than a year depending on his personality and their training ability (and if they are willing to take training advice). And even then, 'slow' and 'gradual' are the key words to remember.

[moosikins]

Obviously this isn't the result that most shelters or rescues are looking for, but perhaps if they're not equipped or willing to deal with this dog in the appropriate manner, they should consider returning the dog for another chance at a happy life?

 

The shelter I volunteer at always tells people that the dog (or cat, small animal, etc.) is welcome back at any time should a serious issue arise. The payment isn't returned and it's considered a donation at that point, but the animals are always taken back, the noted problems are worked on by a behaviorist or the animal is placed with a family who is willing and has the resources to work on the problem(s). This is, of course, after resources and specialists are offered to resolve the situation in the home first.

[Maxi]

^^thie^^. (ETA I meant gcv- borders post..must have been writing at the same time as moosikins was posting hers)

 

The only thing I would add is that as you can probably tell from folk's different stories that although the behaviours for each dog may sound superficially similar, the underlying cause can be different and this can vary from previous severe abuse..., to very shy personalities/genetics...., to 'having learnt to behave this way, so that he can get his own way (I'm paraphrasing here)... Or a combination of these things.

 

It does help to be able to 'read, a dog well enough to be able to determine what the underlying issue is.. This can help the owner/trainer decide on the best course of action.

 

As others have said,.it takes patience, understanding and time.

[TDFOSTER]

I agree with everything that has been said and I will add one more thing just because Jade has taught me that not just one thing and sometimes it takes a combination..that you have to figure out and you have to work at. In order to get her comfortable with a leash, when I finally got her OK with a collar, was to put the leash on her 24/7. I didn't pick it up...I didn't act like I knew it was there. It took her stepping on it and tugging it to learn it was not going to hurt her. This took us some time but now, she doesn't run from the leash and I can put it on her and she will walk semi-nicely...my fault..not done enough loose leash training yet. Wish them luck. Keep us updated on how the pup does.

Teri