rescue dog

ashblag

Guys took in 1.5year old JRT sat. He is so so so nervous. Havent heard a peep out of him since bringing him home..so sad to see.

He was basically fed by his old owner thats all. No contact infact he cowers when we try pet him, he stands at the back door too scared to come in,had to lift him into bed last night.

He's great with the puppy though real gentle.

When I talk to him his tale wags and I know he want to trust.

Any tips to help his anxiety?

Jennypops

Hi,

Firstly congrats on the new addition, fair play to you!

I had the same with my little rescue pup last year. He had no concept of being talked to (I did wonder if he had a hearing problem cos he just didnt have the normal reaction to be talked too) he didnt understand what toys were and was very unsure. Same as your guy really, probably no real interaction or love given. I just took it very slow, keep things nice and calm in the house, and let him just come to me. Keep some little treats in your pocket, or even some of his kibble and just randomly give him a bit if he comes to you. Perhaps pop a little on the floor beside you, make no fuss etc. He will learn to trust you but its probably all very unsure for him right now cos he doesnt know whether or not he is coming or going or what you are really like!! Bit of time and learning that you wont leave him and he can trust you to take care of him- wont take long for him to settle in. And then you can look forward to undying loyalty and love. Best feeling ever!

kinvara64

Have a 3 year old yorkie since he was 6 months, he was horribly treated, even the rescue centre worker wouldnt tell us his story. Toby had all the same traits as yours, but time and affection are the best cure . He still has little moments when he gets spooked ,he still doesn't like being on his own , but runs our house. But he has transformed from a hunched up little scared pup to a proud little terrier with attitude !!! who now has his puss on my laptop as i type. But rest assured your time and love will be rewarded ten fold . Good luck and well done.

TooManyDogs

One of the best things you can do for him is to completely ignore him for a while. If he's completely free to approach you when he gets up his courage without anyone putting pressure on him then you'll see his trust grow quickly. I can imagine you're excited about having a new dog and want to pet him and cuddle him but at the moment it'll only make him more withdrawn. Whenever you have visitors tell them to competely ignore him, not even to look at him. If he does approach them then ask them to hold out a hand for him to sniff and if he's happy then give a rub but all without eye contact. That way it'll all be on his time.

Like Jennypops said, keep treats on you and if he does approach you can give him a treat. Try to avoid eye contact initially, even if he does come up and let you rub him. Eye contact can be very confrontational in the dog world. Let him make all the first moves. If you find him not wanting to be picked up to be brought into another room then you could leave his lead clipped onto his collar and when you need to move him then gently pick up his lead and bring him wherever you need, again it doesn't put as much pressure on him as being picked up does.

One of my dogs was exactly the same, we have her 9 years now and while she can still be timid she's doing fantastic. Only yesterday she won 3 rosettes in an agility show! Patience is your friend, it won't be long before he's a mischievous little boy!

ashblag

thanks for replies.
poor little guy,just had him at the vet for a once over,he's almost sure he was hit in the past he's missing a tooth from lower jaw.

he gave him worming/flea treatment and cleaned his teeth, for free!!! just said he's happy he got a home!

He is just so so gentle with the puppy and other dogs. i've taken all ye're advice on board.

I'm just letting him be for a little while and see if he'll find his feet.


thank you

Jennypops

He will find his feet, just gonna take him a bit of time to build up trust. It must be so difficult for dogs that have been abused, so taking it slow and letting him come to you, no fuss etc is the way to go. You are obviously mad about him already and I bet he will be snuggled up on your lap very soon!
Keep us posted on his progress

ashblag

Update, so the little guy is starting to come in on his own accord and is now exploring the house. He jumped up on my lap yesterday for a little while and let me pet him.

He has been bearing his teeth to the puppy though. Now he hasn't went for him or anything just bears his teeth and growls. My puppy is very lively and he is patient with him and puts up with a lot i.e:nipping ect.

He is also very protective when he has a chew treat that the pup doesn't get at it.

Should I be worried or is he just telling the pup to back off?

My pup has a routine of coming up on my lap before bed time and having a cuddle, The rescue dog jumps up on the couch when he sees this, is this jealousy?
Should the couch be off limits to them both?

He plays great with the puppy,licks and grooms and they sleep now in the same bed. I dont know if it's just jealousy when i'm around.

TooManyDogs

That's fantastic news that he's settling in. Keep up the good work.

As regards the puppy, I wouldn't worry too much. You say he's patient with most of the puppies behaviour? That's excellent, but he's not expected to be a saint and let the pup torment the heart out of him. Also the puppy has to learn where his limits are and he needs other dogs to teach him that. The pup needs to learn when it's ok to play with another dog and when it's not and he has to back off, your rescue dog is teaching him that by baring his teeth. That's perfectly normal and is ok. If you feel your rescue dog is going overboard with the correction then you can correct him by a sharp 'ah' or 'no' and remove the pup until the pup is calm again, then let the pup back to the other dog.

When you say he's protective of his chew treat, is it only with the pup or with you too? If it's only with the pup then I wouldnt worry about it, again that's completely normal as long as he's not going overboard by attacking the pup for being in the same area as the treat. He is allowed to glare or lift a lip if the pup gets too close to the treat.

The jumping into your lap for a cuddle when he sees the pup doing it is most likely a combination of 'oh that's a great idea, me too!' and 'no,no,no you prefer me don't you?'. Again depending on how it's done it's unlikely anything to worry about. If he's being aggressive to the pup in order to push him away it's a problem but if it's simply 2 dogs trying to get pets at the same time then it's a good thing you have 2 hands! Letting dogs on the sofa is a personal opinion. Mine aren't allowed up except for when I invite them up, but then I do have 6! As long as your dogs will hop off the sofa immediately when told, and don't act possessive of it if anyone else goes to sit on it then again I wouldn't worry about anything except dog hair!

LucyBliss

Pups can really annoy the hell out of older dogs. I remember years ago when we got a German Shepherd pup and she would jump and bounce around the older dog, who was a mixed breed bundle of fur, and generally pull at his ears until he told her to get lost either by walking away or giving her a bit of a growly noise. One day she annoyed him so much that he took her by one of her back legs and dragged her along the kitchen to her bed, which was a big blanket at the time, left her there and walked back to his sleeping spot. She'd been clawing at the ground, squealing while he was dragging her but she wasn't hurt. She eased up on the bouncing around him and they were great companions for years after. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it to be honest.

TooManyDogs

LucyBliss, I'm in bits laughing at the idea of your older dog sending the baby to her room for being bold!

ashblag

Today was a good day:D waggy tails all around when I came home from work.

Think the couch situation is sort of under control, rescue dog sits with me and puppy with my partner,and they're only allowed up when the two of them can be up together. Some difference in the dog after just a few days.

And I suppose he's right to tell the puppy off he's a little tinker when he gets going! I think he's teaching him some bite inhibition which the pup had no idea about before, i have the hands to prove this :rolleyes:

thanks so much, I'll keep ye posted on progress, must try get a pic of him up

ashblag

here you go!