I have a terrier mix that was rescued from a puppy mill after spending 6 years of her life there. She was couped in a tiny cage and seems to have a huge fear of older males. She only trusts older women and even then, it's a shaky trust. She pees every time she gets scared, is afraid of everything, won't play with anyone or any type of toys we've given her, and won't warm up to the family, despite being with us for a year. We've tried giving her lots of love, making sure she's sitting in the same room with us (she used to hide under a desk in the office), and giving her treats for good behavior. The only time she acts like a normal dog, even puppy-like, is when she's outside at night. She runs around and plays all by herself. It's hard to get her to come inside! If only we could get her to be that way the rest of the day..
We're at our wits' end here.. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Answers:
Wow ... seven years in a puppy mill is a lot of work to undo. Be patient. I would recommend you seek the assistance of a QUALITY dog trainer in your area. Ask for credentials and references.
Give your doggie her own crate ... after being in a small cage for so long, she probably feels overwhelmed out in the big open spaces. Leave the door open, or take it off if it's the airline type, and give her the ability to retreat to it when she needs to feel secure. She needs to be able to come and go as she pleases. Offer her lots of treats and praises when she plays or shows you any affection at all. The tiniest positive response from her needs a swift positive reinforcement.
To help her with her fear of men and other strangers, ask your visitors to sit on the floor and talk quietly to your dog and offer her treats. Don't force her to go to them, but praise her if she does approach them. They should not reach out for her or lean over her. Just let them sit with a treat in their hand, palm up, that she can take from them.
Since she seems quite happy outside at night, go sit in her play area. Let her play, just watching, and let her get used to you being in her play area. Offer her treats. Work on this daily and see if you can get her to play with a toy in that situation. If that works, do it daily and when she is really comfy playing with a toy, bring that toy inside for her to play with. Be sure you tell her what a good girl she is while she plays. But be low key about it so you don't frighten her.
It will take a LONG time to undo what the puppy mill did. You may never entirely undo this. If you can get her to come around and enjoy your companionship, that will be a huge step for her. Keep in mind that she is not only behaving like this because of the lack of proper contact and socialization in her previous environment, but that she may be a product of bad breeding if she was born there or at another puppy mill, so her fears may be even harder to overcome. Just be patient and soft spoken with her.
Good luck. And good for you for helping her! Puppy mills are truly horrid places.
God bless you, that is a wonderful thing you did for that poor baby. I would recommend getting an in home trainer to work with her, they honestly can do wonders. Also, if you don't take her for walks, start! That is the best thing you can do for a dog mentally and physically. Obviously, she likes being outside so maybe this will help her out. I would honestly look for a trainer in your area though, that is where you will have the most success. Here is a recommendation. www.barkbusters.com (they don't just bust barks!) Good luck and again, thank you for doing such a wonderful thing!
I completely understand your frustration. I can only suggest TIME. Maybe one on one time, maybe while everyone else has things outsidew the home to go do, you can stay with your dog and just sit on the floor together and let the dog come to you..let the dog see you are not a threat.. good luck and I commend you and your family for trying so hard... I bet things turn around soon
Since she from the mill I can almost garuntee she in inbred which means she wil have some physical probalems and lots of mental problems. Its just a waiting game, don't introduce her to a ton of mew people and try and spend lots of one on one time with her. Good Luck!
Is she your only dog? Perhaps you should get another healthy dog. Puppy mill dogs generally don't learn how to socailize. Generally they are sold way to young so that they are still tiny and cute. I would consult a trainer first, but, ask him/her about the getting another healthy dog, so that your dog kind of learns from the new edition to the family.
Her lack of good care and proper socialization when young has really hurt her. It may take a long time and some things may never sort out. But there is no doubt she is doing better. Keep trying and be patient. My friend worked with a German Shorthair Pointer with similar problems and it took a long time but she did get there.
How does she do with other dogs around? I know one person who did a greyhound rescue who had these same issues. Their other dog taught them about what toys were, how to play, generally how to be a dog. Also, the German Shorthair Pointer had a golden retriever "sister" that showed her the ropes. Perhaps adopting a well-adjusted happy older dog might help her.
Well my family right now has a cocker spaniel that came out of a puppy mill. He was very skittish and wouldn't go up to anyone at all. It takes a long time for dogs to get used to people even after a year of being out of the mill. Give her more time. One thing that my family did to bring Buddey out of his shell is not just using treats for good behavior, but other things as well. Try being submissive to her, show her that you are safe and you are not going to hurt her by laying on your back on the floor. Coax her up to you with treats and make slow movements around her. If you make fast unexpected movements she will run away and you'll have to start all over again. Also try getting a friend or someone that you know to bring a dog her size into your backyard introduce the two of them before letting them both off leash though! The other dog will show her that it is okay to be around a human and not all of them are horrible bad people. Having another dog around makes a puppy-mill dog come out of their shell a lot quicker than just having the poor dog on it's own all the time. Trust me she'll come around and start loving you the way you'd like soon and she knows very well that you and your family love her dearly. Just don't EVER give up on her. That is the worst thing you could do to her. This would make it even harder for her to want to trust anyone else.
You are wonderful for saving her. I'm going Sunday to get some of 23 shelties from a puppymill shutdown. It never ends. My biggest recommendation is to join a group on Yahoo that deals with rescues. Those who do a lot of it are good sources of ideas. Good luck with her.
you have tried for a year now? I know that it is hard..and to be realistic? it may be too late...being in a tiny cage is all she has ever known and all of these new things are probably just to foreign for her...and an awful lot to 'make" a dog understand...
If you don't have a small cage for her...perhaps getting one...do not put her in the cage...but have the cage in a spot that is off to the side of your main living area...leave the cage open..AT all times...do not feed or water her there...but give her the choice of coming in and out...when she is out praise her...and give her her most favorite treat...something that she doesn't get all the time...ONLY when she willingly comes out and enjoys the family or plays...
You may have introduced her to things a little too quickly...and now you need to "re-do"...
She is what she is...and your choice is really only to accept that and love her anyways...It was great of you to offer her a "home"...but what you are wanting may never come to be...
I have fostered several dogs that were from puppymills...and sadly..sometimes, after months of trying...there is no hope of what we would consider a "normal" life...
Don't it just break your heart when people do bad things to a dog? There seems to be a lot of psychological damage done to your little one....may well take several more years to overcome 6 years of a bad place. Just keep loving her lots n lots. Do you have a small travel cage for her? She may miss whatever security she had in her cage..if you can, put it in a spot right next to your favourite chair..maybe under an end table...remove the door and put a comfy pillow in it. It MAY help, give her her own space..but close to hear your voices. It's curious she livens up at night eh? That may be your key..have you tried walking her on leash at night? Maybe learning how to share her joyous times will bring her closer to you. Other than that....lotsa love....and no punishments for her fearful leaks..poor lil thing. Good luck....and good for you folks for taking her in
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