Very nervous dog

[Stormsone]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

If hes enjoying his walks with you, build on this. I'm guessing here like Gypsysmum2 that hes a street dog so naturally more at home outdoors. Take a break mid walk and eat a sandwich with a smelly filling (smell is much more important than taste to your dog) ignore the dog but allow a little food to fall to the floor, don't react, but out of the corner of your eye watch his reaction. Hopefully he'll respond but if not go through the same exercise regularly. If he does continue to ignore him until he takes the food confidently, then start to gently praise him with good boy in a slightly higher tone than you usually use. Then slowly introduce food by hand.

Once you've built this outdoor relationship up he should start to feel your presence in the house as a reassurance greater than the anxiety of this strange new home.

It all takes lots of time.

I really wouldn't hug him. For many dogs its seen as dominance and don't over love him. introduce ball games and general play whilst walking, again with the aim of playing with him in the house. this will help the dog associate the house with good things.

If you release two dogs in the park they won't hug or love eachother, they suss eachother out and if well socialised will play endlessly. Thats the way to build trust with a dog. Play!!

Try not to expect too much too soon. The foster carer means well I'm sure, but hugging and loving him might actually be part of his anxiety, it might feel like being trapped to him.

Aim to get trust through play, walks and runs before too much love.

Excellent advice in the above posts. :thumbsup:

 

[Ka564]

He's a miniature Pinscher cross. But not sure what he's crossed with. And he's one year old. I'm definitely going to get some Breakthrough. Little Monty needs some happy hormones. He's doing ok. He absolutely loves his walks, tail wagging and even jumping on me. And he even takes a cautious walk out of his bed once in a while. All very encouraging. And he is even taking treats from my dad. Which is a big step for him. Taking it one day at a time. It's only been a week. I just want to say thank you so much for both of ur support. It has really really helped me. As a first time dog owner, it sometimes feels like I'm out of my depth. But ur encouragement and information has been wonderful. Will keep u updated.

 

[gypsysmum2]

So pleased he is making progress. Well Done!

I have had my Romanian rescue for nearly two years. He still shows signs of fear when approached in certain places in the house. These are mainly areas where he feels "trapped" against a wall or in an armchair. This could be caused by lack of early socialisation, with lots of different people, or it could be caused by bad memories resurfacing of times when he felt fear at the approach of people. Being trapped by being inside a building and/or against a wall etc may bring up old memories and cause him to relive his fear. It may never go away completely though that does not stop us from working with him.

My boy has a time slot between roughly 6am and 8am when he is particularly fearful of approach by people. Also, to a lesser extent, at about 10 pm onwards. If I get up at 3 am he is happy! Still trying to work out why this might be? He was homed by the rescued centre with a family before he came to me. It may be something to do with their handling of him during those time slots?

It is rare, though not unheard of, to have a rescue dog so shut down that he won't eat in the presence of humans. Does Monty eat if you go out and leave him during the day? Would he eat if you fed him in the garden?

I wonder if he has never lived as an only dog? If he roamed with the other dogs in Cyprus and then lived in foster with other dogs he may be finding it difficult to adjust to life without them? Just thinking out loud here. I am not suggesting you get another dog! I am sure he will come round in time.

A book that might help you, if you can find it, is "Understanding the Rescue Dog" by Carol Price.

 

[Ka564]

Monty is doing well, although he still doesn't eat unless it's night and we are all asleep. But at least he is eating. I am quite concerned about his lack of water though. As even if we come back from a long walk, up to three times a day, he still doesn't go anyway near his water, but when he's laying in his basket he is constantly licking his lips. If I bring the water bowl near him, he won't take any. But I find that he will lick it from my hand. How can I get him to drink from the bowl, I don't mind letting him take it from my hand, but he will only do that laying down.

 

[JoanneF]

I wonder if he didn't have a bowl to drink from when he was in Cyprus and perhaps doesn't realise what it is for? Also if he is wearing a collar and that touches the bowl making a noise, that might put him off too. I remember as a child reading about orphan lambs being taught to transition from bottle feeding milk to taking milk from a pail so a similar technique might work - I would get a basin and fill with water. Cup some in your hand and let him drink from your hand (by the way, that sounds like good progress on trusting you) while gradually lowering your hand into the basin until he learns to drink from that. I suggest a basin simply because it will be easier than a bowl for you to manoeuvre your hand into. Later you can experiment with different bowl shapes - if his vision is compromised by having his head in a deep bowl he may feel nervous. He may also just not want as much water as you expect - having come from a hot dry climate with limited access to water, he may have adapted his drinking habits. That's not to say you shouldn't encourage him, hydration is important.

 

[gypsysmum2]

The vet nurses at your local practice might have some helpful suggestions. They have poorly dogs that they have to tempt to drink al the time. He might like it warmed (he takes it from your hand) or he might like it with a tiny bit of milk in it?

Do you know how to "tent" his skin at the back of his neck? Don't attempt it in the house where he is anxious but out on a walk he might be ok with it? You take a loose piece of skin, at the back of the neck, between your fingers and lift it up into a tent shape. Let go of it and it should fall quite quickly back into place. If it sticks together and slides back into place quite slowly then he may be dehydrated. Being the breed he is it may be that he needs very little water.

Lip licking is a sign of anxiety. Anxiety, as explained before, prevents dogs from ingesting food and drink because their fight/flight will be compromised.

What kind of food is he on. If wet, then there is a lot of water in it (80%!).

Will he drink when outside? Not ideal but he could have a bowl outside to get him used to drinking from them? What happened at the foster carer's? It might be that they did not notice how little he drank but they may have had a different system.

Is he stiff in his back and not happy to stretch down to a bowl? Try lifting the bowl on to a stand so that he doesn't have to stretch down to it.

Try collecting some rainwater to see if that tempts him?

Experiment with containers made from glass or china or plastic. Big and open might be best. Do not turn it into a big deal though. He is already anxious and hovering over him with lots of offers of water will make him worse. Just make small changes each day. It is very hard because the change might be something that is going to work but he is just not thirst when you first try it.

 

[Ka564]

I'm happy to report that Monty is now drinking freely whenever he wants. Turns out he likes a metal bowl as that is what the foster carer used to use. I took him to the vet for a check up, just to make sure he wasn't dehydrated and he was given the all clear. He' coming along well, coming up to 3 weeks and I can already let him off lead in the park! I love watching him run around with his tail up. You can definitely see he is a happy dog in the park. He is also starting to wonder around the house a bit more which is great. Still a little wary of mum and dad but slowly getting there day by day.

 

[JoanneF]

That's great news. Actually given the timescale it sounds like you are making really good progress. Thank you for the update, it's great to hear he is doing so well!

 

[gypsysmum2]

Yes, thank you for the update. So pleased he is beginning to relax.

 

[gypsysmum2]

How are things?

 

[Ka564]

Sorry for the very late reply. Christmas and new year have been so hectic. I'm very please to say the Monty is doing so well. He's really coming out of his shell and is quickly becoming a very cheeky character. I can't believe he's the same dog from when we first got him and it really doesn't seem that long on the time scale. He still has a bit of wariness, but I think that's just how he is, as soon as he knows you're there to play with him or show him some love, the tail gets wagging and he wants to get involved. I'd really just like to say thank you to everyone for all your advice, it's really helped so much and we are both very grateful

 

[gypsysmum2]

Fantastic news! Thank you so much for updating us

As for the advice, you are most welcome