Troubled rescue dog
Discussion
After the passing of our (my wifes actually) dog a few months ago, she was determined to get another dog.
I came back from a business trip and "surprise !!" Kylo had arrived on the scene.
Seems he came from a charity in Greece (Lesbos actually) who have a link with a charity here in NL.
He is 10 months old and we know that he was found on the street and taken in by the charity.
He had a sister that was hit by a car and killed. We're the second owner since he came to NL and we've had him about a month.
The vet said he is physically healthy, but mentally a "very troubled dog".
He is fortunately not aggressive in any way. But is afraid of everything. The slightest noise, bicycles, cars, birds, people although more men than women.
He's scared of his food - but once he realises eats with gusto.
He plays well with other dogs he meets out on walks.
The strangest thing is everyday is like groundhog day.
You make progress with him during the day. Evenings he cuddles up next to you and seems relaxed.
But the next morning is just like everything has been forgotten and he hides and cowers under chairs and tables from my wife and I.
We're taking it slowly and obviously being patient and not forcing him. But does anyone have any experience with this ?
Is he likely to come around eventually or will he always be a scared dog ?
Thanks in advance
I came back from a business trip and "surprise !!" Kylo had arrived on the scene.
Seems he came from a charity in Greece (Lesbos actually) who have a link with a charity here in NL.
He is 10 months old and we know that he was found on the street and taken in by the charity.
He had a sister that was hit by a car and killed. We're the second owner since he came to NL and we've had him about a month.
The vet said he is physically healthy, but mentally a "very troubled dog".
He is fortunately not aggressive in any way. But is afraid of everything. The slightest noise, bicycles, cars, birds, people although more men than women.
He's scared of his food - but once he realises eats with gusto.
He plays well with other dogs he meets out on walks.
The strangest thing is everyday is like groundhog day.
You make progress with him during the day. Evenings he cuddles up next to you and seems relaxed.
But the next morning is just like everything has been forgotten and he hides and cowers under chairs and tables from my wife and I.
We're taking it slowly and obviously being patient and not forcing him. But does anyone have any experience with this ?
Is he likely to come around eventually or will he always be a scared dog ?
Thanks in advance
Each dog is different.
Our first rescue was a border collie
She was scared of her own shadow and it wasn’t until about four years later when we bought a retriever, that she really progressed.
We realised at that point that she didn’t know what play was
We went to lots of training classes and carried out all the reward based training.
It takes a long time, and a lot of patience, but is incredibly rewarding
She lived to 16 and is much missed
I will add, that some dogs are just born nervous.
RIP lovely Pippin
Our first rescue was a border collie
She was scared of her own shadow and it wasn’t until about four years later when we bought a retriever, that she really progressed.
We realised at that point that she didn’t know what play was
We went to lots of training classes and carried out all the reward based training.
It takes a long time, and a lot of patience, but is incredibly rewarding
She lived to 16 and is much missed
I will add, that some dogs are just born nervous.
RIP lovely Pippin
He will come round, but odds are it will be slow. He will trust you guys fairly quickly, but the sudden noises, etc, will still freak him out a bit for a long time. It's no fun being a street dog, and they have a hard time of it.
He'll be fine, and don't worry about it too much. The more he gets used to everything, the calmer he will become, it may just take time.
He'll be fine, and don't worry about it too much. The more he gets used to everything, the calmer he will become, it may just take time.
One of our rescues is afraid of doors, gates etc.. It took ages to get her to walk through one without bolting - and getting her to come back into the house because there was a seemingly scary door to get through, she would leap through at speed (not ideal with a 9 stone dog).... She is more relaxed now, still will bolt through at times...
Just one of the things with rescues, they take a bit of time to settle in etc but things will improve, just stick with it.
Just one of the things with rescues, they take a bit of time to settle in etc but things will improve, just stick with it.
As others have said, the key is patience and taking things at his pace.
It may not be something you want to do, but as Gary mentions, nervous dogs often take confidence from other dogs. We have had nervous dogs but have always had other dogs they can learn from. Our most recently adopted rescue dog was an ex puppy farm brood b
h, who was the most nervous dog I have ever known. She still has some hang-ups 5 years later which I don't think she'll ever lose completely, but she is MUCH better than she used to be. The rescue we got her from insists that pretty much all their ex puppy farm dogs go to people who already have at least one dog in the home, because they watch and learn from them, and (hopefully) see that humans can be trusted.
Their advice sheets on ex breeding and frightened dogs is here and may be worth a read:
https://www.manytearsrescue.org/adoption_advice.ph...
Good luck. I can assure you from our experience with Rosie that tiny steps can feel so rewarding. The first time we took her for a walk off our land and she experienced what other dogs take for granted brought me to tears.
ETA - another potential issue is that Kylo is a street dog. As I understand it (in much the same way as with puppy farm dogs) they often interact better with other dogs than with people, as that's their only experience as far as 'a pack' goes.
Does the charity/rescue you got him from offer any form of back-up or behavioural advice? They really should.
What you have on your side is time - Kylo is very young and it's still early days. Hang on in there!
It may not be something you want to do, but as Gary mentions, nervous dogs often take confidence from other dogs. We have had nervous dogs but have always had other dogs they can learn from. Our most recently adopted rescue dog was an ex puppy farm brood b
h, who was the most nervous dog I have ever known. She still has some hang-ups 5 years later which I don't think she'll ever lose completely, but she is MUCH better than she used to be. The rescue we got her from insists that pretty much all their ex puppy farm dogs go to people who already have at least one dog in the home, because they watch and learn from them, and (hopefully) see that humans can be trusted.Their advice sheets on ex breeding and frightened dogs is here and may be worth a read:
https://www.manytearsrescue.org/adoption_advice.ph...
Good luck. I can assure you from our experience with Rosie that tiny steps can feel so rewarding. The first time we took her for a walk off our land and she experienced what other dogs take for granted brought me to tears.
ETA - another potential issue is that Kylo is a street dog. As I understand it (in much the same way as with puppy farm dogs) they often interact better with other dogs than with people, as that's their only experience as far as 'a pack' goes.
Does the charity/rescue you got him from offer any form of back-up or behavioural advice? They really should.
What you have on your side is time - Kylo is very young and it's still early days. Hang on in there!
Edited by moorx on Wednesday 23 November 18:45
When did you get him?
The advice we were given by a behaviourist was that a dog takes at least a year to settle in to a new home.
Changing behaviours takes time. We got our boy 4 years ago, he was troubled too and it’s still a work in progress.
Expect many steps back as well as steps forward, it takes a lot of repetition to get them to think differently.
The advice we were given by a behaviourist was that a dog takes at least a year to settle in to a new home.
Changing behaviours takes time. We got our boy 4 years ago, he was troubled too and it’s still a work in progress.
Expect many steps back as well as steps forward, it takes a lot of repetition to get them to think differently.
Take your time. Don't expect quick results.
Our rescue took about 6 months to even stay in the same room as us. He is still scared of doors, wind and random objects 4 years later, won't eat if we are watching. He now loves attention, loves walks and is generally a happy pooch, but will never be the same as a dog you have had from a pup.
Would I change him, nope. You have to adapt to their needs
Our rescue took about 6 months to even stay in the same room as us. He is still scared of doors, wind and random objects 4 years later, won't eat if we are watching. He now loves attention, loves walks and is generally a happy pooch, but will never be the same as a dog you have had from a pup.
Would I change him, nope. You have to adapt to their needs
Muzzer79 said:
When did you get him?
The advice we were given by a behaviourist was that a dog takes at least a year to settle in to a new home.
Wow; my rescue cat, which had been stuck in rescue for many months and almost branded un-rehomeable - settled into Simpo Hall in less than a day!The advice we were given by a behaviourist was that a dog takes at least a year to settle in to a new home.
PS Nice photo Muppet007!
Wow - thanks again !!
Good to know that Kylo is "normal".
We got him a month ago.
Muppet007 - yeah the "looking at him" or making eye contact is odd.
If you walk past him and not make eye contact - he seems better than when you look at him straight on.
The eating is as you say.
My wife is very patient with him and if it was purely down to love given to a pet - Kylo will settle well
It's just so difficult when each day is like the first. But good to know from others that taking small baby steps and each win for what they are - there is light at the end of the tunnel
Good to know that Kylo is "normal".
We got him a month ago.
Muppet007 - yeah the "looking at him" or making eye contact is odd.
If you walk past him and not make eye contact - he seems better than when you look at him straight on.
The eating is as you say.
My wife is very patient with him and if it was purely down to love given to a pet - Kylo will settle well
It's just so difficult when each day is like the first. But good to know from others that taking small baby steps and each win for what they are - there is light at the end of the tunnel
Kes Arevo said:
He will come round, but odds are it will be slow. He will trust you guys fairly quickly, but the sudden noises, etc, will still freak him out a bit for a long time. It's no fun being a street dog, and they have a hard time of it.
He'll be fine, and don't worry about it too much. The more he gets used to everything, the calmer he will become, it may just take time.
May I suggest also seeing a professional dog trainer or psychology expert.He'll be fine, and don't worry about it too much. The more he gets used to everything, the calmer he will become, it may just take time.
Evoluzione said:
Why are we taking in so many dogs from abroad? Do we not have enough of our own?
Serious question!
UK charities are a pain in the ass to try and get a dog from. So many hoops to jump through such as having a an enclosed garden with a 6 foot fence etc. It did not matter we already had 2 very athletic dogs, lived in a house with no neighbours and surrounded by farm land (crops, not livestock). They would not use their own judgment. Its like the computer says no. Serious question!
The womble came form a Romanian rescue charity, they did inspect the house and used their own judgment. My wife had also been watching him for a while and felt really sorry for the poor thing, but given the chance she would take them all in.
We do have another rescue that came from the UK but that's a totally different story. The couple who had him could not spend enough time with him (not even a walk in the morning). Collies do not well in that environment so they made the right choice and but him up for adoption.
Mad as a box of frogs but would not have him any other way.
Beany:
One thing that I found really helped our new nervous rescue was avoiding "reassuring him" or letting him avoid things he was scared of. He just needs to see that we carry on normal, we don't react or. "praise" his fear and that nothing bad happens when you go near scary things.
One example - he was absolutely terrified of a neighbour's tractor parked outside our house. I just casually walked him up to it on the lead and stood there for 10 minutes or so chatting to the neighbour. He was clearly pretty uncomfortable but not overwhelmed. The next day I walked right up to the tractor again. After 3 or 4 days he didn't care about it in the slightest and will now happily eat snacks off the wheel.
Same with wheely bins and a flappy tarpaulin. Terrified at first but repeated exposure and no reaction at all from us and he quickly gets over it. I've now got to the point of actively look for things on walks that i think might be scary and get him to stand near or jump up on them. Lots of praise obviously when he does something brave.
Completely different dog after only 4 months - his big sister obviously helps show him the ropes too!
One example - he was absolutely terrified of a neighbour's tractor parked outside our house. I just casually walked him up to it on the lead and stood there for 10 minutes or so chatting to the neighbour. He was clearly pretty uncomfortable but not overwhelmed. The next day I walked right up to the tractor again. After 3 or 4 days he didn't care about it in the slightest and will now happily eat snacks off the wheel.
Same with wheely bins and a flappy tarpaulin. Terrified at first but repeated exposure and no reaction at all from us and he quickly gets over it. I've now got to the point of actively look for things on walks that i think might be scary and get him to stand near or jump up on them. Lots of praise obviously when he does something brave.
Completely different dog after only 4 months - his big sister obviously helps show him the ropes too!
Jasandjules said:
Evoluzione said:
Why are we taking in so many dogs from abroad? Do we not have enough of our own?
Serious question!
We got one from the "pound" as such (council run)...... But I can understand why people want to save one from abroadSerious question!
On a similar note and an annoyance of how charities are businesses and more interested in making money than saving animals.
We got a flyer through the post from the RSPCA, it was a begging letter for money and nothing more. It had a story of how poor Ben had been abused and was now on the mend.
Send us money.
Sponsor Ben. Etc.
Not one part of the letter was dedicated to or encouraging us to take a dog.
Not
one
bit.
It was all about making money.
I've read on here how difficult it is to take on a dog too, we have a perfect place and a slowly decaying, but much loved cat so may be on the look out in the next few months, but this did not inspire me.
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