I agree with the people above ^^^ I rescued a dog that survived the Sochi Olympics last year and flew to Canada to be in her forever home with me the beginning of this year. She was found at a parking lot around 3 or 4 months with her and her two sisters and a volunteer brought them into the shelter. There are TONS of strays in Russia and not very many shelters there unfortunately. God knows what my dog, Mila, has been through. No one really knows what went on during her puppyhood but I believe she may have been abused at a very young age. Living on the streets ALONE with just her 2 sisters for months and no parents around really frightened her so it made sense that she would not trust certain people. She was the most fearful dog I have ever met when she came here. She was very sensitive to loud noises, scared of strangers, other dogs, everything and anything, you name it. Walking her was traumatic because she kept looking back as if someone was out to get her and kept weaving in between my legs to hide. Luckily enough I took a week off from work to be with her AND I work at a boarding facility so I was able to bring her to work with me to get her socialized. It took about 2-3 months for her to be confident because I worked with her nonstop. Now she’s the most goofiest, sweetest, energetic, smartest German/Belgian shepherd mix and I absolutely love her to bits.
Never EVER force your dog into something that she doesn’t want. Before you start any type of training, BUILD a strong bond with your dog first so they know who to trust. Show her that you are here to protect her, feed her, and love her. See if she’s food motivated! Use high reward treats when outside! I like to have a variety of treats when I’m training my dog. I use the regular chewy treats or biscuits when inside and I use high reward meaty treats when I’m outside. Take things extra slow and move at HER pace. She will let you know when she feels comfortable and when you are taking things too fast. If you take things too fast, move back a step. Things will get frustrating along the way and that’s ok. It can happen. Just breathe, try again later or the next day. It’s a lot for you and the dog to take in! Try again, but never give up.
To practice just walking on leash, let her be familiar with the collar and leash. If she tries to escape her collar, get a collar that fits her properly or a harness. Leash= walks! Show her that walks are a great thing! Walks means potty time, exploring new places etc. Try to take her out where it’s nice and quiet and not full of cars and kids because it will overwhelm her. Take nice short walks and when she’s calm, reward her! I practiced walking with Mila nearly everyday when she first came here. As she gained more and more confidence, I slowly increased the distance of our walks and I always had a pocket full of yummy treats. Eventually she was able to walk past strangers, cars, and even on a bridge!
Two of the main key concepts I described above are: counterconditioning and desensitizing.
CC: changing the association from scary to positive.
Desensitize: gradually increasing the intensity of the scary thing by bringing it closer or exposing for longer. They both go hand in hand.
I am HIGHLY against using any Cesar Milan methods on a fearful dog. This will make situations even worse on a FEARFUL dog. If you use aversives on a scared dog they will likely crawl back into their shell and you will have to start over with the training. Positive reinforcement is the way to go for a fearful dog. You want to make their scary experiences into a positive one.
Yes, this will take lots of time and patience but it is SO worth it in the end and it’s an incredible feeling when you finally get to see her come out of her shell! Hard work pays off! Good luck!
germansingergirl
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
titsay
tangentwithtanner
romaincrisis
andulkaphoto
origamiaround
kianamaiart
