Struggling with a rescue dog

[Queen Victoria]

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Hi everyone,
I’ve had 2 yr old Lottie for nearly 2 weeks. She’s a rescue pointer from Cyprus. I have had rescue dogs before but not from abroad. She is very sweet and calm. However she doesn’t interact with us at all. We have to lift her out of her bed to go outside, out for a walk etc. We are being very patient with her but getting disillusioned as we’re not getting any reaction from her at all. Can anyone help please?

 

[Finsky]

2 weeks is VERY short time to expect much change if any at all. There is no knowing what your dog has experienced back at Cypros or lack of it and I suspect you dog will have to learn entirely different language as well to able to start even figuring out what some of the noises you make might mean.
Even it is boring thing to do, I would suggest that you wait and try to interact in her terms. Other than the most important daily things...let her keep to herself, once she has confirmed that her new surroundings and new company is here to stay and worth of trying to start investigate and know more..that's when you will be able to push it more.
Keep your daily routine and life normal to yourselves, but keep talking to her. Repeat certain words so she will eventually become to recognize them and associate them with their actions...easy ones like din-din, walkies, garden and if she is comfortable with occasional loving touch, give her odd petting words too...love, beautiful etc. She might not seem to 'interact' with you but all the time the life around her stimulate her brain and she is soaking it all up....in her pace.
It will be slow progress but you will get there....give few months and you won't believe the change in her. It might take from several months to a year before her true nature start showing. She ain't wild creature but certainly if she haven't been brought up into close human interaction, you might have to treat her like she is puppy who still have to grow her brain to understand the human world around her...and all that can be scary stuff, at the moment she might feel like she rather stay in the bed.

 

[JudyN]

My friend has had a couple of rescue dogs like this. She pretty much ignored them, didn't make eye contact, would leave food down so the dog could sneak out of her open crate at night to take it... Let her choose when she's ready to interact.

Ideally, don't lift her because she is vulnerable in that position and may have some shocking experiences of being badly handled in the past. It doesn't even matter if she doesn't get walks for now - it's a big scary world out there. Toileting is more of a necessity, of course, but if you can manage it by leaving a door to the garden open, or laying a trail of treats to get her out there, then that's a possibility.

 

[JoanneF]

if you can manage it by leaving a door to the garden open, or laying a trail of treats to get her out there, then that's a possibility

And if you are doing this, make sure there is nothing scary (like people) between her and the door so she has a safe line to and from it to her safe bed.

 

[Queen Victoria]

Hi again,
Really useful advice thank you. She will run in and out of the garden now. She isn’t food orientated which makes treats difficult. My biggest challenge is when we’re out for a walk. I have to carry her to the car and then out of the boot but she then appears to really enjoy the walk sniffing and tail held high. She then suddenly stops, usually on the way back, and absolutely refuses to move. I have stood patiently waiting for her to move for up to 15 mins to no avail. My only option is to carry her back to the car. She is heavy and I am in my 60’s. Otherwise I would still be there now! Any ideas, advice really welcome! Thank you.

 

[JudyN]

Is it possible to walk her straight from your house rather than using the car for the time being? It doesn't matter if it's just roads - there will be plenty of interesting smells for her, regardless - though she might also not be ready for traffic, etc.

 

[Queen Victoria]

I can walk her from the house but I think she’d be frightened of the traffic.

 

[JudyN]

Yep, it's a tricky one. I'm not an expert but if it were me I think I'd forget about walks, giving her things to do in the garden instead - if she doesn't want to interact with you, chuck a handful of small kibble around the place to give her something stimulating to do. Once you feel she's beginning to relate to you, maybe have her on lead (so she can't run out), open the front door, and sit together watching the world go by. When a car goes past, give her a treat. When a lorry goes past, a bigger treat... Progress to throwing a treat a foot beyond the door so she has to step outside to get it. Baby, baby steps.

 

[Ari_RR]

She isn’t food orientated which makes treats difficult.

Ah, but this is also a function of treats! Try Boeuf Bourguignon or something REALLY good.

 

[Queen Victoria]

Difficult to carry around with you tho’

 

[JudyN]

Difficult to carry around with you tho’

At one point I carried round bits of raw stewing steak to use as treats. It wasn't nice but it's possible... Some dogs can't resist Primula cheese spread (maybe with ham) in a tube, which is much les messy - you can let her lick the end of the tube as you squeeze, and the licking in itself can be calming.

 

[Queen Victoria]

Great idea, thank you!

 

[JoanneF]

In my treat bag, I have an empty yoghurt pot which is useful for carrying more messy treats.

 

[Dibbythedog]

Well done for adopting this dog. She sounds very shutdown . Im sure she will come round in time.I would follow the advice already given and maybe stop walking her until she is more confident.

 

[Queen Victoria]

Thank you for your help. Another question; at the moment I have 2 beds for Lottie. 1 in the lounge, and 1 in a laundry room for her at night. As she won’t go through door ways we have to carry her to her bed at night. Are we right for her to have a day and night bed or is this confusing for her?

 

[JudyN]

Two beds is fine. My dog has a bed in our bedroom, another in the front room, another in my study, another in the garden... In the summer we might put one in the conservatory as well as he seems to think the sofa out there is his!