We just bought home a rescue dog yesterday. We know that he is a very submissive and nervous dog. He mostly lays in his bed in the kitchen and won't get up at all, and won't take any treats. Obviously it is all very new to him and the trust for us is not there yet. However we wanted to know if it is better to leave him alone for the time being? Instead of constantly letting him see us and stroking him. Will the lack of interaction make him more wary of us when we do approach him or is it better for him? We are first time dog owners. Any advice would be greatly received
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Very nervous dog
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Leave him to come to you. Take it on his terms and in his timescale. You may not know his background and he might be wary of people for a reason. Don't make eye contact as dogs can find that threatening. Don't stroke him until he initiates it and always make sure he has a safe place to retreat to where he knows he will be undisturbed. If you have kids, make sure that understand this too. Now, on to what you CAN do! As you go past him, drop (not toss) super tasty treats like chicken. When he approaches you, tell him what a clever boy he is. There is a technique around physical contact with dogs; once he trusts you enough to stroke him, do it for a few seconds then stop and see if he asks for more.
He is probably very overwhelmed with everything just now so give him time and respect his anxiety now and it will pay dividends later.
And please let us know how he gets on.
He is probably very overwhelmed with everything just now so give him time and respect his anxiety now and it will pay dividends later.
And please let us know how he gets on.
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Fantastic advice from Joanne F.
There is no more that I can suggest or add!!
There is no more that I can suggest or add!!
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Good advice from Joanne F.
You might like to try an Adaptil plug in diffuser in the room he rests in. It mimics the hormones excreted from a mother when she is feeding her puppies. This can help make a dog feel more secure.
Sometimes rescue dogs take one step forward and two steps back. This is normal
He may have some unpleasant memories that keep resurfacing.
You will gradually, if you take notice, begin to build a picture of his past life. We, for instance, built a picture of one of our rescues that was along the lines of this - she was owned by a nice woman who may have been married to a man who came home in uniform, possibly drunk, and in some way frightened this dog. Her name was Cindy and she was calm and relaxed around women but hated men in uniform and anyone with alcohol on their breath. She also hated shouting as we found out when my brothers shouted "Goal"! at the TV
What kind of dog is he?
You might like to try an Adaptil plug in diffuser in the room he rests in. It mimics the hormones excreted from a mother when she is feeding her puppies. This can help make a dog feel more secure.
Sometimes rescue dogs take one step forward and two steps back. This is normal
He may have some unpleasant memories that keep resurfacing.You will gradually, if you take notice, begin to build a picture of his past life. We, for instance, built a picture of one of our rescues that was along the lines of this - she was owned by a nice woman who may have been married to a man who came home in uniform, possibly drunk, and in some way frightened this dog. Her name was Cindy and she was calm and relaxed around women but hated men in uniform and anyone with alcohol on their breath. She also hated shouting as we found out when my brothers shouted "Goal"! at the TV
What kind of dog is he?
Thank you for your responses. It's just worrying because he doesn't want to get up at all, for walks or food or even treats. He is so timid bless him. I believe the foster carer said he is a miniature pincher x. I know it will take time and patience. Guess being new dog owners makes it a little bit more daunting. But we love him already and are prepared to put the work in.
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Well done you.
When tempting him to eat treats, try to find something really, really tasty. Some dogs love cheese, others chicken or ham. try to arrange it so that he has to stretch out of his bed, slightly, to get the treat when you drop it. This gives him a reward for being brave enough to move off his bed. At first you could feed him all his meals by dropping the food near him as you pass by.The act of eating is an act of bravery in itself. A dog's appetite will shut down when they are anxious. This is a survival mechanism. No good having a full stomach when you might have to run for your life soon.
There is a food just been brought to the market that supports dogs with anxiety problems. It is called Breakthrough and works on the feel good hormones in the brain. It is very expensive. One of the top behaviourists in the country, Val Strong, devised the diet after about 25 years work. She used to be a medical scientist. I have found it has helped my rescue dog a lot with his general anxieties and I am able to work with his specific anxieties more easily now that he is on it.
When tempting him to eat treats, try to find something really, really tasty. Some dogs love cheese, others chicken or ham. try to arrange it so that he has to stretch out of his bed, slightly, to get the treat when you drop it. This gives him a reward for being brave enough to move off his bed. At first you could feed him all his meals by dropping the food near him as you pass by.The act of eating is an act of bravery in itself. A dog's appetite will shut down when they are anxious. This is a survival mechanism. No good having a full stomach when you might have to run for your life soon.
There is a food just been brought to the market that supports dogs with anxiety problems. It is called Breakthrough and works on the feel good hormones in the brain. It is very expensive. One of the top behaviourists in the country, Val Strong, devised the diet after about 25 years work. She used to be a medical scientist. I have found it has helped my rescue dog a lot with his general anxieties and I am able to work with his specific anxieties more easily now that he is on it.
Thanks gypsysmum, he ate all his food last night, under the cover of darkness! Lol, but I'm glad he ate something. Just have to worry about him going to the toilet now! I'll be trying the treat thing today, be nice to finally have him out his basket, in his own time I might look into getting some of that breakthrough. Anything that can help is worth trying.
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Just a thought, if he has a toilet accident in the house be careful not to react. You don't want him to be anxious about your reaction to toileting too. Is the rescue offering any advice or support?
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Good point from Joanne F. In fact if he does anything wrong at the moment just ignore him. Dogs do not do naughty things on purpose they just make mistakes. If he was properly housetrained once then he will get there eventually in your house too.
Do post back if you notice regular behaviour problems so that people on here can help you nip them in the bud.
As you haven't had a dog before I will just add that they are like toddlers all their lives. That is their level of understanding of right and wrong. Just smile and reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour.
Do post back if you notice regular behaviour problems so that people on here can help you nip them in the bud.
As you haven't had a dog before I will just add that they are like toddlers all their lives. That is their level of understanding of right and wrong. Just smile and reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour.
He did have an accident today, but I just cleared it up without saying anything. I took him out in the garden for about an hour but no joy, he's still very nervous. The foster carer told me that I need to pick him up and hug him and stay with him outside and be reassuring and talk to him a lot. But I don't know if picking him up would add to the stress? I did try and he wet himself.
Oh and I tried the treat thing. But he's still not taking.
Oh and I tried the treat thing. But he's still not taking.
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I think you have your answer if he wet himself, poor boy. But staying nearby and being really encouraging when he toilets outdoors may help - not super excited like we normally advise with puppy training, but ceratainly praise him. Do you know his background?
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No, unfortunately the foster carer couldn't give any information on this. He came from Cyprus. And originally went into a shelter when he got to England, he was bullied a lot by the other dogs and so he was moved to the foster carer. But as for his life in Cyprus I'm afraid we don't have info
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Poor boy. Its likely to take a LOT of time for him to trust you, I think all you can do is take it slowly as we have said already. He sounds quite shut down, like he has retreated into himself. Have really good rewards - fish, chicken, frankfurter sausage, liver and hopefully he will quickly learn that you are the source of lovely things and start to trust you. It may be that he tolerated being picked up by the foster carer because he had learned to trust him or her; knowing how long that took might help you assess what is ahead of you. Are you still in contact with the foster or the shelter?
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Eating will be a measure of just how stressed this little dog is. A very anxious dog cannot eat because the digestive tract shuts down. This is a survival mechanism that diverts blood to the "flight" option rather than the digestive system.
If I were you I would treat him like a wild creature. It may be that he lived wild in Cyprus? If you brought a wild rabbit or fox into the house then you would be very quiet and patient and move slowly etc. You would not approach until the animals showed signs of relaxing. You would not hug it.
Are you able to engage a professional Pet Behaviour Therapist? If your dog is insured some insurance companies will pay for it (after deducting the excess). Choose one from either COAPE or APBC so that you know they are using up to date effective techniques. They will give you support throughout your journey with this little dog. Many people are so relieved when they understand what the dog is thinking and can react accordingly. The behaviourist will also include any other family members in their assessment so that you are all singing from the same song sheet.
If I were you I would treat him like a wild creature. It may be that he lived wild in Cyprus? If you brought a wild rabbit or fox into the house then you would be very quiet and patient and move slowly etc. You would not approach until the animals showed signs of relaxing. You would not hug it.
Are you able to engage a professional Pet Behaviour Therapist? If your dog is insured some insurance companies will pay for it (after deducting the excess). Choose one from either COAPE or APBC so that you know they are using up to date effective techniques. They will give you support throughout your journey with this little dog. Many people are so relieved when they understand what the dog is thinking and can react accordingly. The behaviourist will also include any other family members in their assessment so that you are all singing from the same song sheet.
Unfortunately we had an incident yesterday while I was at work, my mum went to take him for a walk and he absolutely hates the sound of the front door (which is very loud), mum wasn't ready properly and he wriggled out of his harness and bolted. It was my dad (who he's already so scared of) who had to get him back. Poor boy. He was just shaking in the corner when I got home. So I took him on a nice long walk. He is perfectly fine when he walks with me, he stays by my side, doesn't cower when I stroke him. It's only when we get in the house. I'm just so scared he'll just associate the house with feeling scared. But he also never goes to the toilet when we are out. And still won't take treats.
Maybe it is worth getting a pet behaviour therapist. As new owners, we definitely need some guidance. The foster carer is lovely, but she seems to be telling me the opposite of what you ladies are telling me. I did ask her if she thought Monty would be a good dog for first time owners and she said yes. She wants us to keep talking to him all happy and hug him a lot.
Maybe it is worth getting a pet behaviour therapist. As new owners, we definitely need some guidance. The foster carer is lovely, but she seems to be telling me the opposite of what you ladies are telling me. I did ask her if she thought Monty would be a good dog for first time owners and she said yes. She wants us to keep talking to him all happy and hug him a lot.
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You have been paired with a really challenging dog, and if i may be frank, I'm not sure that pairing such a disturbed dog with a first time owner was wise on the part of the rescue centre. This is absolutely no criticism of you but i agree that some professional help would be invaluable. The centre may have a behaviourist that they can refer you to at their expense or they may contribute. Your insurance may cover this too. But above all, please use one accredited by COAPE or the APBC. The last thing your dog needs now is dominance techniques.
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Yes, I agree with Joanne, some help from a professional might be a good investment for the future.
Talking happy and cuddles are fine if the dog is comfortable with them. If he doesn't like close contact then it will cause him more anxiety and hold up his learning. Anxious dogs cannot learn. The brain goes into survival (fight/flight) when anxiety kicks in and this prevents any learning taking place.
It may be that this dog has never lived indoors. I have visited Malta, which is similar in culture to Cyprus, and the dogs there live on the flat rooftops never going inside the houses. They are not handled much, and when they are it is mostly the women who feed them etc. Men can be scary if you have never been used to them.
Houses are terrifying things if you are a dog and have never been inside one. They also feel like a trap to a dog used to roaming or living outside.
The taking of treats might be a memory flash back thing. Perhaps someone used treats to lure and then grab him? When you say he won't take them do you mean he won't eat the ones you drop nearby or won't take them from the hand?
Talking happy and cuddles are fine if the dog is comfortable with them. If he doesn't like close contact then it will cause him more anxiety and hold up his learning. Anxious dogs cannot learn. The brain goes into survival (fight/flight) when anxiety kicks in and this prevents any learning taking place.
It may be that this dog has never lived indoors. I have visited Malta, which is similar in culture to Cyprus, and the dogs there live on the flat rooftops never going inside the houses. They are not handled much, and when they are it is mostly the women who feed them etc. Men can be scary if you have never been used to them.
Houses are terrifying things if you are a dog and have never been inside one. They also feel like a trap to a dog used to roaming or living outside.
The taking of treats might be a memory flash back thing. Perhaps someone used treats to lure and then grab him? When you say he won't take them do you mean he won't eat the ones you drop nearby or won't take them from the hand?
Yes I definitely think we need some professional help. To understand him better can only be a good thing going forward, as its new territory for us and we just don't want to end up making him unhappy. He won't take treats from the hand or even ones we drop near him. The only time he eats and drinks his water is at night when everyone is asleep. Obviously it's not good for him to go a full day without water at least. So the sooner we can get a professional in the better.
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Please keep us updated. At least the poor little guy has found someone committed to doing the right thing for him now. Do you know how old he is and what sort of breed or crossbreed he is?
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I wonder if you little dog might be more comfortable in a less busy area of the house? Is there somewhere you could put a crate that is out of the way? You could try covering the crate to make it more den like to see if he likes it. No need to shut the door just use it as a hidey hole for him. I know you want him to interact more, not less, but he will not make progress until he relaxes. If his bed is a soft one it can go in the crate. If you use a wire crate you could make bumpers to soften the sides (I use chair pads tied to the bars).
There is a complete dog food on the market called Breakthrough. It is made for dog with behaviour problems. It raises the levels of serotonin which is a happy hormone. My dog has improved a lot from being fed it. It is very expensive but, like most quality foods, you don't have to feed much.
These are all supportive things to try while you track down a COAPE or APBC behaviourist.
There is a complete dog food on the market called Breakthrough. It is made for dog with behaviour problems. It raises the levels of serotonin which is a happy hormone. My dog has improved a lot from being fed it. It is very expensive but, like most quality foods, you don't have to feed much.
These are all supportive things to try while you track down a COAPE or APBC behaviourist.
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