Online Medical Classes - Help with newly adopted abused dog!?

Help with newly adopted abused dog!?

I recently was looking for a small dog. I found an ad for a free 1 year old chorkie online and it was in the same small town as me so I figured I would go look. What I found appears to be a Schnauzer/yorkie mi (about15-20lbs) who is so fearful that there is no doubt the boy has been abused. He bonded to me instantly and I took him home. He fears everyone else. My parents and siblings who live next door, my friends.. He is terrified someone is going to hurt him. Now I've only had him a few days and I love him and he has a home here forever but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on a few things... 1. His fear- can I help him overcome it? I know he will probably always be scared of people (other then me for some odd reason) but can I slowly get him to be okay with family and friend somehow? 2. Marking - While he is potty trained (no major accidents and will wait at door to be let out). I caught him trying to make just once in the house and i wanna brake this before it starts full force, but I don't want to scare him :( 3. Chewing - When i am not home or I am asleep he will chew on papers and some small plastic things. He has a few toys but can anyone give me any other ideas or know of some really good toys? Thats about it.. otherwise Murphy is the perfect dog! True I was looking for something 6lbs and under, but I came out the best taking him home =) BTW he gets along with my dane perfectly. No problem there. Yes we do have proof he was abused. The fact that he husband grabed to other dogs that had gotten out and litterally threw them from the front porch though the door (a good 20 feet) into the house. And when asking the people around them it was confirmed that the are seen hitting and yelling at the dogs constantly. I have already contacted animal control and the police. So yes I DO know he was abused.

Public Comments

Fear doesn't mean he was abused. I've adopted several dogs, and only one has been abused. But all were fearful at first. Give them a week, and they're fine. Act like the dog isn't fearful. For potty training..it's common for potty trained adopted dogs to regress some, so take him out to potty every hour or so until he's potty trained again. That only takes a few days to a week...usually. For the chewing..crate him when you can't supervise him. Edit: We know the first one was abused because he belonged to our neighbor who'd leave him out in sub zero temps at night, used to beat him, etc. The pathetic small penis loser finally blessed the town and left, and we got Jake. We had called the cops on him before regarding Jake, but nothing was done for some reason. I think he was sneaky with the cops and said crap like he was only outside for five minutes or something stupid like that. Edit: No, you don't give a dog a treat when he's being fearful of people. That's rewarding the behavior. You completely ignore the dog when he's doing that. Edit: Ok, well, pretend he wasn't abused. That's how you get a dog to overcome it. So many on here think that just because their dog was fearful at first, that the dog was abused, when in fact, all dogs are fearful at first when moving to a new home under new ownership.
my cousin got a abused dog. the dog will want to be with you, all the time and not trust others. to trust others get a few friends to sit on the floor in a room with him, it may take time but do this for an hour or two every day. then have him lay down and hold him down, then have friends come slowly and pet him for a hour, soo he will learn to trust in the house, next take him on walks in crowded places, and stop and sit with him, and pet him, soo he will learn that people arent sooo scarey
1. do you have proof he was abused? No? then stuff your assumption. Weak temperament and/or lack of socialization does not mean he was abused. It means he's from poor breeding and had a crappy owner who didn't work with him 2. If he's marking he's not potty trained. a properly housebroken dog does NOT mark in the house. Forget worrying about scaring him. Correct his behavior. Leash him to your hip or put a belly band on him. When you're not home crate him. Start fresh with the house training. 3. Crate him when not home or sleeping, any good durable chew will do.
for his fear of ppl = every time a person walks by him give him a treat same for when a person comes at the door so he will think a person equals if u cant buy treats then just praise him making= when he pees outside give him a treat buy wait tilkl he is done
well if he is still a puppy it is a great time to start training his fear- what you can try is hold him and bringing around you family and while he is in your arms let one family member follow you around the whole night (allowing them to pet and praise your dog, but only one family member each night) if he becomes scared let him know that its okay and comfort him do that every night with a different family member each night and he might become more comfortable marking- let him know that it was bad (only right after he does it if its been a long time after he wont understand) tell him no and take him outside right after that.....stay with him there (without petting him or talking to him) for about 5 min and go back inside chewing- most dogs chew, what i did for my puppy who chewed on EVERYTHING is we started to put a little hot sauce on her nose when we caught her doing it (if you are asleep and wake up to everything chewed up, but he is not doing it right that second just simply tell him no, pick up the piece he chewed, show it to him, and let him know its not okay) but if you catch him chewing things you can either do what we did or, do the same as the first, let him know that's bad (if you have a kennel for him make that the 'timeout' send him to his kennel after marking in the house, or chewing things up, let him out in a bout 10 min) usually rescue dogs are great dogs, they just need love and affection, im sure Murphy is the perfect dog and will get better, practice makes perfect i hope this helps : ) good luck!
1. His fear - He bonded to you because he figured out that you weren't mean. If you slowly introduce him to one person at a time, he will start getting used to it. Have the person be quiet, come in and sit down, and give him treats. After he gets used to one person, then start him with that person and a stranger (to him, of course.) He will eventually learn that people aren't bad. Remember that since he has bonded with you, you are his alpha. If you are stressed about the situation, he will be too because he sees you as the lead example. Likewise, if you are calm, he will want to act like you and be calm. 2. Marking - Get him neutered. Otherwise, it's just a natural thing for him to do and he will continue to do so. Also, if your dane is male and not neutered, he will start too. The only reason your dane has not marked is because he is the only dog there and his scent is already on everything. 3. Chewing - You are going to have to catch him in the act, give him a strong NO and crate him. Remember that if you don't catch him while he is doing it, you cannot punish him. He won't understand that you are getting angry at him for what he did, he will think you are yelling at him for what he is doing right that second. For example, he destroys your entire living room while you are at work. You come home to see the mess and he is acting like a perfect dog. No matter how much you explain to him or point at the mess, he thinks you are getting angry at him for being a perfect dog, because that's what he was doing when you yelled at him. A quick note, you need to remember that there is a difference between bonding and dominating. He might not be bonded to you at all, he might just think he is higher above you in the pack. You need to remind him that you are the leader every once in a while. Make him sit before you open the door before he goes outside (or before you do anything for him), don't let him lead during walks and punish him for doing something wrong. Chances are he won't get scared of you, he will actually bond to you more because now you see the world his way. Now you understand his order of things. It's like trying to make a friend with someone who speaks a different language, if you start speaking the same language, they are going to like you a lot more!
Hi... Coming in a bit late on this one, but putting in my 2¢ worth regardless... Here's what works for me...and I have had a lot of fearful, shy....mentally brittle dogs pass through my doors in the last 25 years. The hardest part about commenting on a Q like this is that it's like trying to condense a lifetime of knowledge (and personal instinct) into 3 paragraphs...and there's no way to hit everything important. So... don't do anything you feel unsure of... or don't get yourself bit. Contact a behaviorist if you are totally stumped. Having said that... this is my general pattern. I spay and neuter every animal that comes here... period. I feed a new dog in his crate for a long time. I don't want any unforeseen scuffles breaking out. MARKING~ When a new dog comes here.. I immediately assume they have never been taught one thing (most haven't). I go through EVERY step of house breaking (using a crate) just as if they were a 10 wk old puppy. I start at ground zero with no expectations and carry on like that until I see what the dog really knows. I don't turn my back on them... or let them get into a situation that is out of my reach for awhile. I let the dog tell me / show me what they know. I go into "potty & crate training mode" right off the bat and that starts off their life with me in an instant routine. Routine is the way to go with training. Your house is new...and most rescue dogs need to be RE- house-trained in a new house. So...house train him. He may be house trained on some level...but house train him again. I use bait to crate train a dog... it's just the easiest way to teach them that the crate is a very good place. FEAR: The day you brought him home was the beginning of the rest of his NEW life. You have proof that he's been abused (which is sad), but he now lives with you and his life is better. Let him see (by just carrying on with your day to day routine) that he has nothing to be afraid of ...and there's no one to fear in your house. Sympathizing with him only condones his insecurities and feeds the wrong behaviors This may seem cold hearted, but the more matter of fact you go about his rehabilitation the faster he'll respond. I NEVER E-V-E-R speak in those super high squeaky voice tones to a dog...nor to I EVER buy into them freaking out. If they try to retreat under a bed, or behind a couch...they then live on a leash (that's in my hand or tied to my belt loop) when loose in the house for awhile. It's a huge time commitment, but it works. I control their ability of fright and flight. If they try to potty in the house... I can correct that mid-stream if necessary. Your corrections will be light until the dog learns to trust you. If you act like everything is "routine" ...he will be learning a routine (instead of conjuring up things to worry about). If you act like everything is upsetting to him...everything WILL be upsetting to him. So just ...CARRY ON with life. If you can't watch him...crate him. After awhile have other family members feed him. Work on his recall with bait rewards. Find a food treat he loves...and once hes coming reliably to his name set up games where a different family member calls him... and IF/WHEN he goes to that family member...he gets the tiny treat. Don't have the family member hunt him down.. the dog needs to be more self assured and learn to come to the family when called. Enroll him in a basic obedience class as soon as you see him improving in your home. Keeping him learning and moving forward in his thinking... not stalling out. How long? Well...... until you see him relaxing into the "flavor" of the house. Hanging out with your g-dane is a good thing. As he relaxes into your home... then he gets more house privileges. I would make sure you have one on one time in the yard with him without the dane present. He needs to learn to trust you... CHEWING - Don't give him the opportunity to chew things behind your back. If you catch him chewing something wrong...just take it out of his mouth.. tell him NO! and hand him something acceptable (toy...whatever). Sorry...when you're snoozing he should be in a crate. This dog is in a WHOLE new phase of life. Eventually he can be out in the house but for now... it's alllllllllll just too new. If you take a shower ...crate him. Crate him for different lengths of time so he doesn't get spoiled to only being crated for 30 min. If you have to run to the store...crate him. When you get home don't immediately start talking to him with a high pitched "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii baby.. .I'm here... wanna go out??? HUH? HUH? ARE YOU GOOD BOY?????" I don't say a word to my dogs when I walk in the house. Heck...they know it's me. I get settled in...and THEN I uncrate them. I don't want them to ever THINK that they need to be tended the instant I walk in the door. ALSO...never let him out if he's throwing a fit. Be firm... tell him to shush... and go on with your business. About 10 min after he settles down ...then let him out if he's still awake and looking out the door. My dogs sit prior to being fed, or leashed. They have to back off and sit when I open the front door. By making him do something prior to getting fed it just keeps him thinking and learning that there is no free ride. He's expected to do something to get something. This is just the tip of the iceberg of breaking in a new dog. I tell everyone that rescue dogs are usually a Pandora's Box of quirks, insecurities and fears. Often times I'm changing the game plan in a 5 second thought based on a response I see in the dog. It can take years to get a dog pulled out of a bad place mentally. A lot depends on how much time YOU'RE willing to invest in the dog. But if you start out feeling sorry for him.. it will alllllllllllll go downhill from there. It takes about a year to get a solid foundation on a dog. I'm not a meanie...once I see my dogs are fully aware of the house rules...we have tons of fun. I let my dogs party hard in the house...lol About the only time I stop them is when they start VAULTING the furniture. If I declare the "game is over" and it's time to settle down...they know the game is over. If this dog is so bad that he fully "shuts down" when pushed then your only alternative as a novice dog handler is to seek professional help. I know you want him to be a normal healthy dog.. and you can do this if you don't spoil him...and treat him like a child. Above all...... make him live up to YOUR expectations.. don't allow him to make you live up (or down) to his. Good Luck...and make it fun...not misery. . .