Advice: Rescued Staffie afraid of everything.

Seaneh

Hey guys, just looking for some general advice.

We have a staffie at home, and she's the nicest, happiest dog in the world and extremely loved, I posted about her a while back because she was turning into a blimp, she's lost a few kg already since and we are increasing her walk distance every few days as she gets more able for them in the heat.


Anyway, because we've had her for so long and she's part of the Family, my sister recently rescued another female staffie, this poor girl is afraid of everything, she cowers all the time, is afraid of other dogs (even the tiny JRT that also lives in my sister's palce who tries to play with her, she's so on edge, even when sitting on the couch, her ears never go down.


Anyone have any advice on how to rehabilitate a young (I think she might be just shy or a year old) female staffie who's had a hard life?

The sister just want's go make her happy and healthy and give her a good home.

Thanks in advance,

Seán.

DamagedTrax

i was in the same situation last year with dolly. the only thing to do is to try get her confidence back up to where a staffie should be.

constant interaction with people and other friendly dogs. and dont make a fuss over anything. everything that happens when she's around should be treated like it's a normal occurance until she's a little less jumpy. if you react to things she'll pick up on it and run scared. if she see's no reaction from you to something she's unsure of then she'll be a little more confident about it and maybe even investigate for herself.

the biggest obstacle is getting her to trust you. once she trusts you and believes that you will provide food and shelter you'll see a big difference and then you can start a little obedience training which brings her on more.

dog massages are also a great way to bring the confidence back and bond with the dog. my bitch will sit quietly for hours if she's getting massaged or brushed.

she will get there eventually, she is a staffie afterall

seamus

To a certain extent a lot of the process involves just giving her time.

The first thing she needs is for the dog to trust her new owners and feel confident around them. Once that happens the dog will feel more confident around new or scary situations provided that her owners are there. At the moment she doesn't feel confident enough to be sure of anything. So she needs time and care to build confidence in her home situation before you can tackle bigger things.

I would strongly recommend her speaking to a local trainer on the best way to build the bond in these situations. No matter how well experienced she may be with dogs in general, rescue dogs often need slightly special handling to fit them into a new family.

One thing I would say that although she may seem timid and terrified, still exercise caution around her. A dog who's sufficiently scared and stressed enough will lash out as a last resort if it can't get away. So if someone comes bounding over to her being loud and trying to cuddle her, the dog could panic and lash out, out of pure terror. Slowly and steadily her confidence needs to be built up.

CL32

If your sister can get her to settle down beside her on the couch and spend the whole night gently rubbing her she will very quickly build up a bond of trust over a few nights.

Even resting your hand on her and 'petting' her with your thumb will do. The aim is for the poor thing to fall asleep beside you while you are interacting with her. Massaging the tips of a dogs ears is meant to be quite conforting too. If you massage inside her ears very gently, it mimics her mother 'cleaning' her and will help to build up a bond.

Resist the urge to go in for a hug for the time being. A face towering over her and heading for the neck will be very stressful for her. Try putting little dabs of peanut butter in the palm of your hand and let her lick it off - any little pleasurable interactions will quickly build up her confidence.

They are so in tune with facial expressions and tone of voice its unreal. Try to be overly happy around her for the next while and she'll pick up on it for sure.

They are incredible dogs. She'll bounce back in no time and is very lucky to have your sister. Best of look with her and needless to say flood the place with pics of both of them.

Vince32

DT said everything I would have, it's all about re-building the confidence and trust again, she is in a new place, scary and unfamiliar, with new people she doesn't know or trust, but I read somewhere that stroking your dog, will put your scent on the dog and essentially claim ownership of it, and she will like that, being accepted into the new pack / family. So massages and petting will really help her flourish.

When you interact with her, come down to her eye level too, no one wants anybody towering over them, see if she will accept a treat or some food from your hand as well, that helps a lot with timid dogs, but don't try to force anything, it will all come right with patience and kindness, even if she chews up your autograph collection or whatever, just be kind and take it nice a slow, in a few weeks you'll have her confidant and eager to please you. Until then forgive all her little mistakes and let her feel safe and secure in your home.

Vince

tk123

seamus wrote: »

I would strongly recommend her speaking to a local trainer on the best way to build the bond in these situations.

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One thing I would say that although she may seem timid and terrified, still exercise caution around her. A dog who's sufficiently scared and stressed enough will lash out as a last resort if it can't get away. So if someone comes bounding over to her being loud and trying to cuddle her, the dog could panic and lash out, out of pure terror. Slowly and steadily her confidence needs to be built up.

+1 on both of these points. My guy can be fear aggressive from being handled roughly as a pup (by a vet :mad:) so is wary of other vets or people he thinks might go near his legs or lift him up. We did LOTS of training and it really helps build a bond and trust. Also agility is brilliant for building confidence. It's early days but with time and patience you'll learn how to read the dog, what'll possibly trigger a reaction and how to prevent it happening.

Dirk Gently

It will only come with time. I've 2 rescues myself with abusive backgrounds, one took months to feel secure, the other only took a few weeks largely because she had the first dog with her 24/7 to settle her in. Both still have the odd reaction to a sweeping brush falling or something like that but are mostly happy and confident now. Just keep her safe, out of trouble and let her do everything in her own time.

She will eventually learn to trust her new owner once some time goes by and she knows she's safe and well feed. Treats , toys a warm bed of her own and belly rubs all help along the way. As above, resist the urge to comfort the dog every time she cowers, just act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Don't let her associate cowering with getting rewarded with hugs and rubs.

2qk4u

Some good advice given already, spend as much time as you can with her, when I was teaching my Staffie the ropes I spent a lot of time on the floor with her, sitting and lying beside her, giving her lots of gentle attention, rubs and cuddles too. Play is very important with a young dog.
My dog now trusts me enough to pick her up, she let me pick a thorn out of the pad on her foot where other dogs would just pull away, she trusts me enough to give her a bath or shower and trusts me in the vets too.
Try dog social classes and talk to a trainer.

Very important = Staffies love people !!