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We rescued a sweet little toy poodle or poodle/Maltese mix. He's a sweet little guy. However, he seems timid. He shakes if there's a loud noise. If we are sitting down, he will crawl under our hand so that he gets petted. I don't think he's ever walked on a leash. He always wants to sit on our lap or be carried. When you come to him from a standing position, he immediately goes to the ground on all fours.
I just gave him a bah, and he was calm as could be. Of course I was talking to him, and petting him as I did it.
He's quiet. He doesn't bark. He isn't aggressive. He isn't destructive.
He acted like this in his prior home. He was bullied by another dog. Prior to the last home, he was shuttled from one home to the next.
We all have the patience to help him adjust. My wife and mother are home all day. We have another rescue but he's so carefree. He isn't aggressive or jealous.
Will it just take time before he adjusts? How long does that take? Would those "calming vests" help his anxiety?
We rescued 3 of our 4 dogs.
each one came with their own story, quirks, fears.
It took time with each one as they learned to trust us and we learned to trust them as well.
It will be worth the wait, to be patient, kind, and understanding with these rescues.
Believe me, they will pay you back 1000 times over with their love and devotion.
Don't spend your money on the vests.
Just wait and be perceptive.
1. Give him time to bond to you and get used to the idea that this is his forever home.
2. As much as possible treat him as if everything was normal. Set a routine and rules for him, start him on a simple nilif and obedience training program using marker training ( http://leerburg.com/pdf/markers-clickers.pdf ).
3 (This is the hardest part) Don't coddle him!
Once he's more bonded to you and has some basic training look into agility classes. Not only are they a lot of fun, they are subperb confidence boosters.
I would not reinforce demanding behavior but I would certainly comfort a dog that is seeking reassurance. If you're good at recognizing the difference, you'll only be helping the dog become more content and confident as opposed to teaching him how to manipulate you. So don't hesitate to comfort your dog. It is a myth that doing so will reinforce fear:
You could certainly try a Thundershirt or Anxiety Wrap for him. I know Thundershirt is fantastic about their money back guarantee. Make sure it is nice and snug and understand why and how the product works in order to achieve the best fit and results.
It's awesome that this little guy has someone home with him all the time. He's had so much abandonment and upheaval in his past, stability is what he needs now.
You should work on desensitizing him to noises via classical conditioning. Note all of the sounds that currently cause him to tremble, then produce similar sounds at a reduced volume and pair the sound with a reward. (Remember the reward is determined by what the dog finds rewarding, not what the human thinks the dog should find rewarding.) Gradually increase the volume of the sound as you continue to pair the sound with his favorite reward. Right now, loud sudden noises = scary for him. We want to totally change that association to be: loud sudden noises = not so bad and maybe even welcome because they often predict a reward.
First of all...bless you for adopting this little boy! You are doing a wonderful thing and I believe in time it will be so rewarding.
Awww, he sounds a bit like my current foster dog. My little Pom-Chi mix came to me afraid of almost everything. His favorite place to be is my lap *he is happily laying there right now* and the first time we had a storm his little body shook so much it was vibrating throughout. We have been having daily storms here and I usually will put him on my lap while on the computer or sit quietly with him next to me as I want him to feel safe. I don't pet him at the time but at the beginning, often will place my hand on his back to help transfer strong peaceful energy and let him know it is safe. He still quivers during a storm but not as strongly as he did a month ago.
As for a timeline, he will probably gradually improve as he feels safe. It must have been scarey for him to be shuttled from home to home and he needs time to learn that he is in a safe place where he is loved. I notice with my fosters that it takes a few weeks to a month for them to "let their hair down" and start showing their personalities.
When I first got this foster, if a man even walked down the sidewalk across the street he would turn and run back to the house so I started sitting outside with him for an hour or two every day just to watch people go by. Now when we are in the front yard kids ride by on their bicycles and he just stands there watching. He will often look at me and I just ignore the kids and he realizes it's okay.
Your pup will look to you for how to handle/interpret situations. You are the strong leader and he will not have to worry so much but give him time. He will surprise you. It is so worth it in the end!!
Last edited by shadowne; 06-22-2014 at 12:39 PM..
Reason: spelling
k9coach....I LOVE Suzanne Clothier. She so kindly worked with one of my rescue pups at an APDT conference in 2003.
Every trainer should be watching her.
k9coach....I LOVE Suzanne Clothier. She so kindly worked with one of my rescue pups at an APDT conference in 2003.
Every trainer should be watching her.
I read all of Suzanne's stuff when I had Jazz. Jazz was fearful and had fear aggression issues with dogs. I would have loved to have been able to actually worked with Suzanne .
There is a dog that comes to the dog park that is the same mix as yours and he LOVES to be held so he has learned that if he walks up to someone and lifts his back leg up like it hurts people will feel sorry for him and once they start talking to him he ups the game by wagging his tail and giving his saddest face " yeah your right I am in pain and a nice cuddle will help" Sure enough most people pick him up and then he is in doggey heaven He is too stinking cute.
Thank you for rescuing! I have three rescues, 2 GSP's and a Weim.
Give it time! It took 6 MONTHS for my formerly abused Weim to go outside alone to potty. He was completely frantic whenever we left him alone. We are still working on his separation anxiety issues more than 2 years later. We are also lucky that someone is home most of the time. Finally got the Weim to the point where he is fine while we are gone but as soon as he hears us come home, he starts screaming like he is being beaten.
Your little guy is confused. He has had too many homes in a short time. He wants someone to love him and NOT go away. The other thing that will help is training. A dog with a job to do is always happier than one who doesn't. And it gives them self worth, pride, and confidence.
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He is too stinking cute
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