Abused dog? I am taking care of an abused dog :( and he flinches at everything, and is scared to death of?

Question

of everything. I can't even laugh or speak loudly over the tv because he flinches.......i feel so bad, how can i comfort him?

i do the best i can, i've learn to speak lower, and be more accomodating to him...... will he ever be not afraid?

he even gets scared when my boxer or bullmastiff bark!

he cries if we don't show him affection, so we are constantly showing him affection. please help!!!

From what I know he was beat with a hanger! And the wife called the cops on the husband, and now the wife doesn't have the dog, because......she is still there being abused herself. bad situation.

Answer 1

Could be one of 2 things.

1) Dog was abused.
2) Dog has weak nerves.

To take the pressure off the dog, simply ignore it, this is wht an Alpha does. There is a great book called Dog Listener by Jan Fennell, I think it would be a worthwhile read for you.

Stop showering the dog with affection, all you are doing is validating how it feels SCARED>

Answer 2

We just adopted an dog that was abused. Time heals a lot of the wounds. Just praise him a lot, give him treats just for being "a good boy" and if you must discipline him do it gently. He'll eventually get the hint and learn he's safe there. We just put our dog on an all natural anti-anxiety medication we got at the pet store. It doesn't change him but he's a lot more relaxed and not so jumpy when we give it to him. We choose the pills but you can get anxiety drops as well. And they were only like $10. The reason we chose to get him this medication was because after 6 weeks here he's still unable to focus much of the time due to his anxiety. So that's when we work with him the hardest is about an hour after the medication. He just focuses better. But if someone knocks on the door or there is a strange noise outside he still freaks so it doesn't stop that kind of behavior but we are able to get him unfocused from that faster is all.

Answer 3

Well done for rescuing this poor dog. I HATE people who abuse animals with a passion. Keep lavishing love on your dog. Give him plenty of kisses and cuddles and continue to talk calmy to him. In time he will begin to trust you and realise that not all humans are there to hurt him. It will take a very long time but it will be very rewarding, this dog deserves so much love and affection and you seem like the perfect person to do it. I don't understand how anyone can harm an animal. My dog and cats are my babies and that's the way it should be. Well done and thank you for saving this little boy from more harm. Has this person been reported?

Answer 4

The best way to help remove this paranioa is to let the dog know you mean no harm, have him by you as much as you can, pet him, let him have treats, and most of all to play with him, if you watch when you introduce another dog to your family of dogs, they will be alittle skiddish of each other, but eventually after being around, them for a while, you will see, the tension has dropped and they begin to play, playing games like tug of war or fetch something to create fun, is of the most importance for the dog to bond, abused dogs have i taken in alot i will take in about 30 dogs in a year,
And most of them are very very twiggedy and will freak out and cowar to the ground just by if you raise your hand just to pet them,
A dog can sense feeling from people,they know when your angry, happy, excited, sad, ECT, you must show with feelings of that you are excepting him, also a feeling of love and loyalty, playing games and being persistant in having something to do with, petting him ,letting him lay by you or in your lap, is the best possible way for him to stop being afraid,

but the downfall of abused dogs is, as you said that he gets scared just at a dog bark, is he was beat for anything and almost everything, sometimes this will and can leave him with a truamatic syndrome that sometimes can and cant be fixed,

its also possibley there is a lot of aniety in him, you could speak to the vet for some meds that will calm him,

hope this helps some

Answer 5

We had a dog similar. We went to this house where a young boy lived with his mum and they were giving away their dog, an Australian Tarrier. I don't know why, or what caused the boy to do this, but he abused to dog in so many ways. He beat it so bones broke etc. The dog had nearly no fur and skin taken off. We took the dog right away, knowing this boy would probably kill her. I nearly cried it was so cruel.
When we got her home, she was affraid of everything, including us. It took nearly two years, but she finally started to enjoy life with us, knowing we were not the same.
All I can say is it will take a lot of time and loving. It sounds like this little dog has had a lucky break with you, and I'm sure it will trust you in no time. As for it trusting other things, when it trusts you, it will start to trust other things.
Good job!! :)

Answer 6

First, let me say thank you to you for taking in this abused dog. You are a good soul. You do not say how this dog was abused, so it's hard to know what type of abuse we are looking at here.

Your new friend is clearly desperate for attention. He is terrified of loud sounds (barking or voices) so that tells us he was in a horrible situation where he was likely yelled at and punished. He may have been around other dogs who frightened him or barked incessantly, thus the flinching when your other dog barks.

Take him outside for walks. If he is afraid of a leash, put a lightweight leash on him and let him drag it around the house for a while so he learns not to be afraid of it. Then take him outside for a walk with your other dogs. If he refuses to walk with your dogs, take him out separately, but eventually walk them together. He needs to learn how to be a "puppy" again and learn all of the socializing that a dog from a good home naturally learns.

Be careful around little children (as they tend to get excited and scream) and do not take him to a dog park (he may really come unhinged at this point).

Ultimately, patience and kindness will win him over. Thank you, again, for opening up your home and heart to the little guy.

Answer 7

How long have you had him? There may not be anything that you can do other than give him time. You can give him treats and pet him alot to keep him calm and take him places just him to build up his confidence. Unfortunately there is no quick fix to it. Someone can abuse a dog for 6 months and it can take twice that to undo the damage. Plus adjusting to a new place can be stressful anyway so a scared dog is even harder. Just work with him and give him time, make sure he knows that there's nothign to be scared of and hopefully he improves. Good Luck

Answer 8

be patient with him. it's going to take a while for him to fully get over his fears. Teach him something simple, like paw. There's no way he can get it wrong, and he only gets praise when he does it.
Also, if he's interested, play catch him outside with 1 on 1 attention (the other dogs not around). With only him being able to get the ball will help him to build his confidence.
Also, the fact that you have 2 other dogs with expidite the process, because he will be able to see that they are perfectly comfortable in your home.
Good luck. He'll grow up to be a wonderful dog, and will be more grateful for what you have done than you will ever know.

Answer 9

You didn't say how long you've had him, but I admire you for doing this!!! He needs a lot of attention and love. Spend as much time with him as you can, and I'm sure in time he will be just fine. Give him treats, dog biscuits, dog snacks, ect. Dogs are very trusting, and when that trust is broken, it may take some time to build it back up again, but I know he's worth it. Don't worry, with time he'll be great! God Bless you!!!

Answer 10

My guess is just keep being stable Mable around the new guy. Kudos for being there for him....it will take time. Try to keep you normal tones if you can, he has to adjust to you.....once he knows he's safe he'll come round. A strict tight routine will help, food and exercise at precise times etc. If folks come over and it might be too much yet have him lay down in a quiet room away, he will have to come out and face things to get the attention he needs. If he does fine, just be normal.......if he creeps out and is scared just ignore him.....until he gets to you, then praise etc. I wouldn't coddle too much, he won't change.

Just give him love, time and quiet if he needs it.
Good luck, I know u can do it...........:)

And do NOT let hm go back to either previous owner.