Any suggestions on how to win the trust of an abused dog?

Question

Someone dropped the dog off at our house, and he is soo skiddish, but already has become quite protective of us. I just wish he would let us close enough to pet him and love on him. He wont even come close if we are offering food, so we have to just leave it where he can get it and leave or he wont eat.

Answer 1

It requires time and patience, there is no magic bullet, I adopt special need dogs referred to as spooks it take months or even years it depends on the dog, my current girl took 2 years before she would let me walk up to her without bolting, even 3 1/2 years after I got her if she is feeling particularily nervous or is is upset about something else I cannot walk up to her, she was not an abused dog, for her it is an inherited condition that happened to pop up in her, both sides of her pedigree she has known spooks, a couple of her littermates are shy though not true spooks and the others normal outgoing dogs the litter was raised and stayed together until 14 months old when they were old enough to race, my girl stayed behind on the puppy farm in West VIrginia until an opening came available at an adoption group in Florida that could handle her placement and ensure she gets a good home, at the time she went there I was losing old girl also a spook to cancer and decided I wanted to make home for another and arranged to have her hauled up to Canada, I am familiar with the owner/breede rhe is a good person and a strong supporter of adoption who takes excellent care of his dogs, so I know she was not abused at any point and was socialized early on, I met her brother and he is a normal happy dog

Here is some sites with tips to help with fearful dogs

http://web.utk.edu/~jjohns56/shawnapages/shytips.htm
http://72.30.186.56/search/cache?p=shy+dogs&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&meta=vl%3D&fl=1&vl=&fr=FP-tab-web-t340&u=www.sfspca.org/behavior/dog_library/shy_dogs_firstdays.pdf&w=shy+dogs+dog&d=AiGr2-rnO6zV&icp=1&.intl=ca

A lot of tips here are okay but the obedience training should be held off at least until the dog has gain a bit of trust in you, it has to feel it has some safety
http://www.geocities.com/heavenly_creatures2002/Dealingwithshydogs.html

Answer 2

I have rescued many sibes that are very skiddish at first, but they've always wagged their tails no matter how much it seemed they didn't want to get close to you. What I do is block off part of the house; then I'll go in that room and slink down the wall until I'm sitting on the floor. I talk and talk to the dog and sing to it, etc., whatever I think will make it feel loved, and if not loved then maybe make the dog laugh with my songs. Sometimes it takes a few days, sometimes it takes longer. But the person that said not to leave while the dog eats is right put something in the bowls the dog can't resist - homemade dog food if you have to and only feed the dog when you're in the room. The girl I have now was a tough one; she's still not as trusting of people as my others have been after being introduced into a caring environment. She had a really rough time though and looks rough and it took her two days to even come close enough for me to hook a leash on her to take her outside. She never made a mess in the house though - I wonder which type of her scars came from going inside the house because when she's sick and thinks she won't make it outside she cries and cries, even though in our house none of the dogs are ever scolded if they can't make it outside when sick. Give the dog time and love, my girl is a good dog even though she looks a little rough around the edges.

Answer 3

Be patient, it'll take time. Make sure you give him space. Don't approach him, let him approach you. Make sure he has his food and water in a wide, open space with multiple exits, if at all possible. He knows you're the ones feeding him, he can smell you, so if he associates food with safety, the feeling will transfer to you. He'll probably wait until you're out of the area to eat, but for him, knowing that he has options will set him a little more at ease. If he's protective of you, that's a really good sign. He just has to learn that he can trust you not to hurt him. The more time that passes without incident, the more comfortable he'll be with you.

When he approaches you, let him dictate. If you have children, keep them away from him. They mean well, but he won't like it if someone makes loud noises or abrupt movements and children don't always understand that their concept of 'quiet' and 'gentle' is different from an adult's. Even the most timid dog might bite if he feels threatened. Make sure he can see your hands. When you pet him, move slowly and carefully, stick to the trajectory that he saw. Don't pick him up or try to pet him in a place that makes him tense up. For example, if you pet his cheek and he shakes you off, don't pursue it. DON'T try to pet his stomach. Dogs consider that a weak point, and if they've been abused, they'll be wary about letting anyone near their stomach. It's just instinct. Even now, my dog has to be in a really particular mood before he'll let us pet his stomach and it's been ten years.

Just give it some time and reinforcement.

Answer 4

Be patient, it will take time. Make sure to keep the following things in mind... Dont look into the dogs eyes.. it will make him feel threatened and less likely to approach, direct eye contact is a sign of aggression in dogs. Dont talk directly to him, go outside and hang around ignoring him, maybe talking to yourself or humming a tune etc.. Dont try to pet him, until he approaches you.. The absolute best way to get a timid skittish dog to trust and accept you is actually by ignoring the dog utterly. It makes you non-threatening and arouses the dogs curiosity as to what you are doing, and they feel more comfortable checking things out if it seems like you dont notice they are there. I wouls suggest you go outside a few times a day and do things on your own but near the dog while ignoring him, maybe get some toys and play with them on your own, if the dog sees you doing these things he will evntually get used to you and you will gain more trust. When you feed him, put the food down and walk away to a distance that he is comfortable enough to eat at.. sit down and do your own thing while he eats and ignore him, sit closer every time you feed him and keep ignoring him. It really does make a difference I guarantee if you start pretending like you dont even see the dog he will start to approach much closer and will become more trusting... just dont try and pet him until he asks... he might come sniff you or lay at your side or whatever but keep acting like you dont notice until you can see he really is comfortable enough. It would help if you worked up to feeding him out of your hand before trying to pet him once again ignoring him is the best way to encourage him... When I say ignore I mean dont look at, talk directly too or touch the dog.

Answer 5

Well, something about you is scaring the poor thing, and so try not to talk in a loud voice or make loud noises, as this is probably what the puppy heard before it was mistreated. Just be very quiet and do not be skittish around it. Maybe pick it up while it is sleeping and hold it. If it wakes up while you are doing this, just hold it no matter what. No matter how loud it yelps, it must learn that you are the boss. If it does not wake up while doing this, just lay it next to you and read a book. It will, eventually wake up. If it does, do not let it know that you see it. Let it know that you can be close it it without hurting it.

Answer 6

he is very mistrustful of people. i think he has been hurt by someone and it is going to be a while before he trusts you. we got an older dog for my husky after his mate grew very ill and we had to put her down.the new shepard mix was abused. his ears and tail had been frozen and he was skin and bones he cannot stay out in the cold for long without lifting all his feet. we introduced him by sitting on the floor a few feet away from him and talked softly about how good he was then we had treats in our hands and let him approach us after doing this everyday for a week he came willingly,took the treats and we praised and petted him. he is a big suck now and a bed hog. he is still protective of his chews but he has become part of the family. take time and with a lot of love and good food and trust he will come around. best of luck.

Answer 7

A dog does not have to be abused in order to be timid!!!!!!!

99.99% of supposedly abused dogs have in fact never heard so much as a cross word.
Dogs are extremely resilient and an abused dog with a proper temperament will bounce back almost immediately with practically no lasting ill effects.

With a dog like you are describing, you want to be very careful and go slow. Fear biting can become a real problem if it is allowed (or caused).

Answer 8

Just continue to do what you are doing. Do not approach the dog, let him approach you. You can try offering treats to get him interested in you. I would get kind of close to him, turn your back and start talking to another person. Let him approach you if he's interested. If he does approach, continue to talk to the other person, ignoring the dog. Let him sniff you without you looking at him or touching him. Put some treats in your hand and slowly open your hand so he can smell them. Always keep your back to him and don't look at him yet. If he takes a treat, try touching him. If he doesn't, or won't let you touch him, don't be discouraged. Keep trying, day after day, don't neglect him, but don't get in his face trying to pet him. He will slowly gain trust in you and let you touch him and pet him. Stick with this method, he doesn't see you as a threat if you have your back to him.

Answer 9

Just give him time, be patient. Eventually he'll come around and let you get closer. Don't make any fast moves towards him though. You should check on getting him a Rabies shot as well. I've had a dog like this, and after a couple months he warmed up to us. Good Luck!

Answer 10

About your dog if you want him to let you pet him, you have to do this . is give him something of your that you wear all the time. This will give him something to do for a little time and give it a week, and he will start coming to you but one person at a time. because you do not want to get him confused. It's is the only way it can be done just give it a try.