Abusive puppy?

Question

We had my dog for about 1 month now. We got him from a resque center. But when he was a puppy he was abused by a man. The people we got him from said that it only takes about 2 weeks to get use to my dad. It's been a whole month, and he's not use to my dad! Does this sound right? He's he just scared because he moved from 3 different houses? Is this normal? Please HELP!

Answer 1

Yes this is normal!!

No telling what this poor dog has been through??
He may never get close to your dad and you can't blame him!!! He is scared of at least one man!!!
Your dad is going to have to have lots of patience with this dog!!! Please tell him so!!!

Do not let your dad force himself on this dog!! It will only make things worse. If your dad is kind and will show this dog lots of love and attention he will come around.

I had this same problem with a dog I found living under some bushes. He had been mistreated by his owner as well!!
It took my husband and I a while but we did get very close to this dog!!
We would just sit down and let the dog come up to us. We would have food in our hands and sit and wait for the dog to come to us!!.
He finally would come up to us and take the food out of our hands. We did not attempt to pet the dog even when he did take the food from us. Not for a long time.
After months later this dog would come running to us and would want to sit on our laps.
You have to be down on the same level with the dog!! Do not bend down over the dog. This makes any dog scared at times.
Just give this dog time and remember if it is still a puppy or not he has lots to learning to do and he will come around!!

Good for you taking in a abused puppy!!!

Good Luck!!

P.S. Be very careful when you have to discipline your puppy. Try not to yell at him. He will be very very sensitive and will get his feelings hurt easily.

I hope you are letting the dog live in the house!! If so he will come around faster. Let the dog sleep in your room this might help. Make sure he has somewhere he can go to feel safe. A kennel or a crate in the house. Make sure he has a bed in it so he can sleep . Lots of love and attention!!!

Good Luck!!

Answer 2

if he has been abused, then he may never trust men. I've seen dogs react for the rest of their lives. A new house can be stressful, and 3 certainly could be. It may take a couple weeks alone just to get his confidence in the new surroundings.

If you make sure that your dad is a constant positive thing he may come to be comfortable in his presence. That you dad gives him food, calm praise, and tasty treats as possible. And when the pup needs something say a bathroom, or a walk, your dad also pitches in. You will all have to make adjustments because imprints from young ages don't really disappear.

Our office rescued a 3-4 month old pup, and my vet adopted her. He's a big tall man, and has never hurt this dog in his life. Brings her to and from work every day, yet after 9 years she still walks up to him with her head down, and tail between her legs.

Answer 3

It takes a normal dog 22 days to adjust to a new home and owner and start feeling comfortable with the routine. In this case, it sounds like the dog has had too many changes with a previous owner who may have also had some issues that affected its behavior. This is a dog that cannot be rushed up on, talked loudly to, rough played with--because all of those behaviors could only re-inforce its fear. A dog that is genuinely afraid for its safety will bite without warning when he feels overwhelmed. Here are some things to consider to help the situation:

1. Contact the rescue center for the name of a good training school for difficult dogs. You may be surprised that the rescue center is willing to work with you for no charge and help you with the problem. After all, they placed him and want to see the placement work out.
2. Dogs that fear men often fear their louder voices and somewhat abrupt manners. If the dog is more comfortable with you right now, nurture that relationship and let the dog see that you and your dad work enjoy one another's company watching television, sharing popcorn--some of which also goes to the dog.
3. Dogs that are fearful often have problems making eye contact, so don't force it. In fact, it is best to not make direct eye contact for quite awhile until the dog seems to feel more comfortable.
4. Alcohal and drug use on the part of the previous owner may well have altered that owner's behavior in the presence of the dog and scared it. If your household has someone who also uses these substances, it will likely cause the dog to resume a fear reaction.
5. Take the dog for daily 20 minute leash walks at a time when your neighborhood in rather quiet. If that is impossible, try a bike path or a nearby parks. Walks become a strong bonding experience for dogs and owners. It is kind of like taking time to just let the kinks of the day work their way out--but they need to become a daily routine that the dog will look forward to doing.

Answer 4

oh, the poor thing. He is scared and insecure, so he needs lots of stability, which you are more than likely providing. At this point, i would enlist the aid of a female professional trainer/ behaviorist. Here is a link to find a good one.
Ask for credentials and explain the problem in detail. Your dad will more than likely have to be very willing and very involved. Eventually you will begin to socialize him to other men. It is a slow process, but it will take time. The Rescue people meant well, but they may not have known how deep the scars really are.
If possible, have your dad be the one to feed him. If you have to, have your dad put the food down across the room while you comfort the dog. If the dog is crate trained, put the dog in the crate, have your dad talk very kind and nice and mellow to the dog while he puts the food down, and walks away... then you let the dog out. Eventually, your dad will let the dog out as well.
But i would get a professional.

Answer 5

I dont think he is scared from the moving of three houses, I have a dog, that i got from someone who was the third home this dog lived in, in less then 8 months, i was his fourth home and he fit in very well. I believe he was passed becuase of what breed he is, I dont know his history at all. But i do know he fit in good. But then again after being abused, there is no way to tell if the abuse stopped at one home to the next either.. unelss of course you were told otherwise.
The problem is stemming from the abuse he recieved when he was a puppy. He has deep trust issues with males. It will take time for him to get used to being in his new home, and the routine. Like some one said, get your father involved in his daily routins. dont force the dog, on to your dad, let the dog do it naturaully, and adding him into the routine will help that happen. Let him fill his dish in the morning, and change/fill the waterdish. When its time for training, let him get involved, with the commands, hand signals (if you use them, i do its a good idea incase they ever go deaf.) and treat giving, for his obeying. Have your dad get involved in playing, throwing the ball/rope/toy and calling him to give it back. Of course you and other's in the household, shouldnt stop, doing these things on your own, but you should make him more involved.

Answer 6

There was NO way she should have given you that estimate, one can never ever tell, some come out of abuse well and others take time. Just keep at it, be patient, sometimes the same figure as the one who abused him represents all his fears. Your dad must be careful near him until he settles, one of our dogs who had been abused by a local, attacked out helper the first time he saw her, she ran screaming.
Just keep at it, gently and softly - your dad HAS to be involved more, have your dad feed him, play with him, and not ever give up, the dog will realise that it isn't your dad he was scared of, the penny will drop. Patience is the key.

Answer 7

It's normal!

Your dad's going to have to be patient, unfortunately. My dog's background before I got him is unknown. He sometimes flinches when he sees tall people or people carrying sticks, though he has never been hit in any way during his time with me. He still remembers, and occasionally gets scared.

So, your dad might need to spend some time sitting on the floor to make himself less threatening in appearance. He should avoid direct eye contact with the dog, which dogs can interpret as a sign of aggression. If the dog won't go near your dad, you'll need to desensitize him. This means teaching your dog gradually that Dad is OK. Get a bunch of little treats. Move towards your dad (or have him move towards you) just until your dog starts to get nervous - then give your dog a treat and immediately move away to give your dog a break. Repeat this and you'll find that you can start to get closer to Dad without your dog getting nervous. Soon, you'll be able to have your dad start giving the dog his treats.

It does take dogs some time to adjust to any new situation, but I'm confident that if you are willing to work with your dog, he'll be a great pet for you.

Answer 8

They shouldn't have told you it would only take 2 weeks. They have absolutely no way of knowing how long it will take - all dogs are individuals and it would also depend on how much your dad resembles the abuser and the degree of abuse.

You need to give him time. He has to learn to trust all over again. I don't know how scared he is of your dad. Can your dad take him for a walk? Play ball with him? Feed him treats? Brush him? Just sit by him and talk to him? All of that will help him re-build his trust. This isn't something you can force. Your dad needs to be patient and let this dog come to him when he's ready.

Answer 9

It takes quite a while before an abused puppy will let anyone approach it,if a man abused this pup as you stated,hes going to be extemely cautious about men,he may ever bare his teeth in self defense so little by little go about trying to win him over by perhaps offering the puppy a treat from a short distance,if the pup doesnt respond ,just drop the treat and try it again and again until the dog gets to know you better and is aware that you mean no harm to him.when he gets to the point of allowing you to get close enough,extend your hand to him and let him sniff it and examine you. once he knows that youre not going to hurt him he ll be eating out of your hand. good luck,he sounds really cute,remember,a dog will do anything for his master.

Answer 10

You dad needs to bond with the dog.

He should put the least on the dog and take him out for a 10-15 minute WALK every day, or as often as possible.

Things should improve in no time.