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  1. #1
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    Greetings from a cheese head :p

    My wife and I just got an 8 month old female chocolate lab (2 weeks ago) after seeing an add in the paper. The previous owners said it was kept in a fenced yard and allowed to sleep on the couch at night. They mentioned that they had problems with her chewing on things, but really didn't say much else. When we met them at gas station to pick her up she was very timid....to the point that she tried to crawl under the car. I had to carry her to my truck, and had a very hard time leading her into the house on a leash. Once in the house she immediatly jumped on the couch and laid there panting and shaking for most of the day. My wife called the previous owners to ask a few questions, but they wouldn't say much other than to inform us that she has not had any of her shots. Whenever she would see us grab the broom to sweep she would run to the next room. She is getting much better now and is learning to trust us. What a loving ball of joy she is Tomorrow we go for shots... hope all goes well. There is a period of 2 1/2 hours that she is left alone before my wife gets home from work. I have put her in a large kennel that sits in the living room when I leave, but I can tell that she does not like it. When my wife gets home she says that to dogs chin is bleeding, and we think she is trying to get out of her kennel. She hasn't chewed on anything yet, other than carrying a slipper from the bedroom to the living room before getting caught. I would prefer to leave her loose in the house if I thought she would behave.
    Any suggestions?

    Thanks
    Ron

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Jollymolly's Avatar
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    It sounds like she was abused by her previous owners. If this is the cas it is going to take a lot of work.If you are trying to crate her you should start feeding her in the crate with the door open. Throw treats in there let her know that this is a good place to be. try puting interactive toys like filled Kongs with goodies to keep her busy. But let her go in for something good. dont close her in take it slow. Maybe try excersise her for a whie before you need to leave and have to put her in.It sound like she is very stressed out.

    Good luck and welcom to the board.

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  4. #3
    Senior Dog BaconsMom's Avatar
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    Welcome from a neighbor to the West! Thank you for saving her from what sound like not great owners. As she is still getting adjusted to your home, keep things positive. Praise for good behavior, lots of love, and play.
    Julie & Jake, Bacon's Humans

    Instagram: @mrbaconthelab


    Born: 9/02/13

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  5. #4
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    Sounds like she is much better situation now. I would consul with a qualified trainer who has dealt with abused dogs to help you with her. From the sounds of it, she was abused and not socialized at all. With a lot of patience and care, the trust will come, and she will get through this. Thank you so much for taking her in.

  6. #5
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    How long have you had her now? A couple of days? Me, I'd give her at least a week to settle in. I wonder if she is just completely unsocialized and was not exposed to new sounds, places, sights and possibly not abused at all. Ignored and neglected but not actually hit? Except maybe for the broom but it could just be a new scary thing to her. Give her a chance to adjust. A behaviourist to observe and comment is still a good idea but that person needs to see the dog after she's had a chance to settle in.

    I think it will be a time before you can trust her loose in the house. Most of us here, if I may speak for others, found it took till puppy was about a year. It might not be the age, it might be the time it took, who knows, or both probably, but I think it's a good idea to be looking really long term at this. What about a safe room? Then she maybe would not cut herself on the crate but if she's lonely, frightened or both she can hurt herself on other things too and do tremendous damage to your house. Could a neighbour pop in? Caution on that, if she seems so frightened already a person she doesn't see often coming in might be a bad idea.

    Good for you for taking her. We meet a neighbour who took a chocolate girl under similar conditions. She'd been kept in a garage. Ella came around pretty quickly and is now a happy, slightly overly treated, bouncy, jumps on me, hits me with a stick to throw, thoroughly poor mannered but lovely happy girl.

    Good luck, give her some time. Don't expect too much at first, build the bond slowly and gently.

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  8. #6
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    In the way you describe - this is definitely a dog that has been abused. You will need a lot of patience, a lot of time, a lot of training, and a lot of food and crate games to bring her confidence up. She is timid because her confidence has been taken away. She shakes because she is nervous and has no confidence. As your new owner you will need to do everything you can to boost her confidence. Another important thing to remember is that as a pack leader - you need to display calm and confident behavior. She will pick up on that. Her confidence will rise if she knows that she can trust you, and that you will protect her. However, what you also need to remember is that you can't feel sorry for her and pity her. These emotions will only show weakness and she will pick up on those emotions. Another important thing that I see a lot of people do is pet and praise their dogs when they are afraid. This is also not something I suggest because you are reinforcing the fear. Just ignore her. Walk away, carry on with yourself. You don't want to praise and pet her while she is cowering or afraid because this also shows weakness and reinforces it.


    The way you mentioned your new pup running to the couch and panting - this sounds as though the pup associates this as a safe place. You don't want this. You can put a leash on and gently but firmly and persistently remove them. Again – you don’t want to praise scared behaviour. Just remain calm. It’s as though this pup has not even begun socialization. It’s important for a pup to be socialized with things like as Karen Pryor says: “sounds, surfaces, and species”. Start slowly, and work from there.

    Work on exercise and play. Get out the door, bring food, and play in the back yard. Simple things like short recall treat and praise every time she comes to you. You want to reinforce that coming to you is the best choice. Once you make progress doing this, try to teach the walk. Keep her in the heel positon, and if she gets ahead of you pull her back or use your body to block her. Praise and treat the good behavior. Exercise and simply walking will help build a bond.

    The crate is another issue. You can’t just put her in the crate if you don’t desensitize it. Dogs learn to like the crate because they assume it as a den. Labs are den animals and therefore, crates can be associated as their safe place. The best way to do this is to bring the crate out into the rooms you are in. Put toys in it. Feed meals in it. Praise like crazy every time she goes in on her own…Like you just won the lottery level of excitement. At night, bring the crate in your room with you. She will learn to be calm if you are in the room with her and she knows you aren’t isolating her somewhere else.

    This one will sound silly but, if you are out and about, on a walk or something, write things down that scare or change the mood of your pup. It’s going to be nearly impossible to address them all then and there. If you have them written down, it’s easy to find time and work on fixing them.

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  10. #7
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Hello and Welcome! Thank you for saving this sweet pup.

    Agree with the above posts. Give her some time, tons of love and praise when appropriate. Your example of the broom, I have a suggestion. Put the broom out, in a corner or whatever that is not in the middle of a room. Just leave it there, give her time to get used to it just being there. As time goes by, you could place a treat about 3 feet from it and slowly put treats closer. The key is going slow. It may be something she never loves, but should not be so terrified of it. Our Archie is terrified of a fly swatter; he was probably hit with one in the past. Used the same technique with him and while is no fan of it, at least he doesn't drop to the floor shaking anymore.

    Same thing with the crate. Work slowly. Leaving her loose in the house is not a good idea right now. Don't know if you are familiar with stuffing a Kong. I mix plain yogurt with blueberries, or you can use her kibble, and put it in the Kong. I suggest a large size. Plug the big hole with peanut butter. Put in a baggie and into the freezer over night. Give this to her when she has to stay in the crate.

    She needs her confidence built. Once she has a chance to settle down, basic obedience class. Be sure to get a positive reinforcement class. If it's a little rocky at first, maybe a class or two, one on one, with a trainer. Ramp up the exercise. Act confident yourself; your feelings do travel down the leash. Poor girl has had a rough start but it can be turned around. Labs are so forgiving and love to please their family.

    Train with love and patience. End all sessions on a positive note even if it means she looked at you when you called her name.

    BTY, what is her name? Looking forward to pictures.

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  12. #8
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jollymolly View Post
    It sounds like she was abused by her previous owners.
    That was my first thought too. How sad. But how awesome of you to get this poor dog and improve her life. I have no advice since I haven't dealt with a timid dog. Good luck and good for you for saving her.
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  13. #9
    Senior Dog beth101509's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    How long have you had her now? .
    OP stated they have had her for 2 weeks now.
    “Don't allow your happiness to be interrupted by overly judgmental people. The problem is not you, because even if you do good all the time, they would still find a way to judge you wrongly.”
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  15. #10
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    welcome

    honestly that doesn't sound like an abused dog, but a totally unsocialized one. Poor thing. She probably never left the yard/house and if she spent most of the day outside, likely wasn't used to household sounds and things like the broom.

    Be patient and calm, lots of gentle praise and give her time. I would recommend having a trianer come over to give you some tips as she may be a bit too overwehlmed for a class just yet.

    Takes things slow, baby steps. Best of luck.

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