Do you think my puppy was abused?

Question

I found a beagle/chihuaha mix puppy in a mall parking lot & I decided to keep him. Well he is sooo scared of men. Whenever a man even walks in my house he jumps on my lap and barks and growls & if the guy moves too fast he will try and run to bite him. He seems to be ok with me, but if I move to quickly he squints his eyes or cowers like he is going to be hit. What can I do for him?? He is such a sweetie, and Im glad I have him.

Answer 1

It sounds like he was either abused or neglected while owned by a man.

If you have adult men that can help you out - have them come over to the house, but when the first arrive, have the dog in another room. This way, when the dog comes in, the man will already be sitting down. Have the man quiety talk to the dog, and offer him a favorite treat or toy. No loud noises, no sudden moves, nothing that would be perceived as a threat.

The dog will possibly shy away from the man, and that's okay. Make sure you do not try to coax the dog or force the dog toward the man, and by the same token, don't try to reassure the dog that "it's okay". This is a common error, as people try to comfort the dog. However, what they are actually doing is telling the dog it's okay to be scared.

If the dog will not approach the man, have the man toss the treat or toy close to the dog, but not so close that there is a chance that it will actually hit the dog. After a couple of tosses, quit - you don't want to try too much at first.

At least an hour or so later, or the next time the same man is over, try again just having the man hold the treat in his hand and see how much the dog will approach. If they don't, then again toss the treat, however, make it closer to the man so the dog has to walk towards him to get it.

All the while, make sure the man does not make any sudden moves or loud noises, as this will cause the dog to revert backwards.

Keep this up until the dog trusts the man enough to actually take the treat from him.

As he trusts one man, then introduce additional men into the dog's life, one at a time.

Gradually the dog will see men as a "cookie connection" and learn to trust them. He may never actually trust a man, depending on what happened in his past, but he can learn to accept them.

Answer 2

Sure sounds like he was abused. Possibly by a man. A lot of dogs do prefer women. I have heard this is because women have a higher voice. But this does sound like more than just that.
My dog (also a small dog) was badly abused. He did the exact same thing you describe with the eyes. He would shake and show his teeth when anyone came near. It took a long time and patience to get him more relaxed. A couple things that especially helped with mine were: obedience class. This is where he got used to seeing a lot of other people and dogs. I take him every where possible with me and in stores that will let him. I give everybody who is willing a small treat to give to him. Also I fed him his meals by hand for a while so he got to especially trust me. Another funny thing that made a difference is when I got him his own bed to lay on. I think he then knew he was here to stay. It is now one year later and he actually likes people.
Hope this all helps.

Answer 3

Stuff like this makes me so indignant. If this 12 yr historical is abusing a dog, probabilities are her mom and dad are idiots and do not care. No child of mine could be allowed to preserve the doggy the primary time I noticed any style of abuse. They absolutely aren't even paying awareness. If it had been me, I could simply take the puppy clear of her after which name the professionals. Let the chips fall wherein they will. I could desire to peer the fool mom and dad of this little long term serial killer safeguard their baby's movements. I as soon as stepped in while I witnessed a neighbor's child beating a Chihuahua that used to be tied to a tree with a stick. His little one sister used to be looking him do it, and mainly finding out. I marched over, knocked at the door, and advised the mummy if I ever noticed that once more, I could simply take the puppy clear of them. To my dismay, the puppy disappeared a couple of weeks later. I am nonetheless haunted via what they mainly did with the deficient animal. Next time I is not going to deliver an fool guardian a moment threat.

Answer 4

People always seem to want to give a dog a made up past and try to guess their previous life by their actions but I can tell you that dogs are born this way many times. Temperaments are inherited just as much as they are caused by people. I have see dogs who have had nothing but the best treatment in the world who act this way. This dog could have been abused, but just as likely might just come from a poor breeding of ill tempered dogs. Bad temperaments can be fear or aggression or both or any other odd behavior.
Pups born with bad temperaments can easily be afraid of males more so then women. Taller, bigger, deeper voices... It really just doesn't mean anything unless you know the dogs past personally.

Answer 5

Yes he was abused.

Take the pup to different places (petsmart/home depot/training classes) and ask any male that is around to give him a treat so he knows that all men aren't bad.

You need to help him build up his confidence. He has to learn that all men aren't going to hurt him.

This will take a LOT of time. But have patience with him, show some compassion and he will be fine.

Take the time to call some training centers in your area that can help you work thru this and give you some advice.

You did a great thing by saving this pup:)

Answer 6

Oh dear.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out he's been abused.

He needs to learn that men are not a danger unless he does something he shouldn't. Maybe a few sedatives and help from a male friend giving him a lot of petting (as long as he's good). Perhaps your vet can recommend an animal behaviorist, if you don't feel comfortable with trying this yourself.

Good luck!

Answer 7

I once had a dog who actually did hate males. She was abused when she was a puppy. Females, she was great with. I think your puppy was abused and it will take patience, understanding and a lot of love and he'll learn to trust a little more over time. Good luck with your puppy and bless you for having such a kind heart.

Answer 8

It sounds like he was abused. You will have to work with him very patiently until he learns that he won't be hurt. Then you can begin to slowly introduce him to your male friends and relatives. It may take some time, but you probably can rehab him. If there's a good dog trainer in your town, you might invest in the cost of a couple of sessions to help develop a specific strategy for overcoming his fear.

Answer 9

Probably a man once hurt him real bad and abused him, so now he has a fear of men. He'll get used to men he sees often if they're nice to him. I think an animal behaviorist might be able to work this out of him with some patience.

Answer 10

It sounds like it, yes.

If you have a boyfriend, brother, friend, ect that can come over, have them hold the dog in their lap. They should stroke the dog and quietly talk to it. This might help his fear of men.

Just try not to make loud noises when you talk to him for awhile until he gets fully used to the situation and learns you will not hurt him.