If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Training a possibly abused dog
Back in November we adopted an 8 month old female mixed breed. According to
the people at the shelter (a local vets office) she and her littermates had been dropped as puppies at the end of a road. They were taken in by a woman in a home there and were placed in a fenced area behind the home and the only interaction was bringing them food. At some point the puppies were either adopted out or sent to shelters. Our dog was taken in by this local vet and lived in the kennel for several months before we came along. The dog was VERY uncomfortable with people and would not allow you to get close without running away. She would never put herself in a position to be cornered, always leaving herself an escape route. She is a very sweet dog that loves attention and to be petted but only if she comes to you or when she's in her crate. After a lot of work we have gotten her to the point where she trusts us to walk up to her and pet her, play with her, or walk by her. She still has moments where it seems like somebody flips a switch and she reverts to her original behavior but those times are getting farther and farther apart. My wife and I have had a number of abused animals before and understand that it takes plenty of patience and time to turn things around. My problem with our latest addition is that I can't get her to respond to training. With other abused dogs we have trained, even though they were scared, they always had a desire to please and we found something they would respond to. This dog doesn't seem to care whether she's pleasing us and doesn't respond to anything either positive or negative. She will walk well on a leash and responds to commands like heel and stay while on the leash so she is trainable. Getting her on the leash though is a challenge and more often than not we need to hook her up in her crate. Once she's hooked she comes right along with us. We live on a golf course and I walk her along the fairways. She loves to run and stays with me but will only come near when called and will not allow herself to be leashed again. Even though she's not on a leash she walks back to the house with me and comes right in. If anything scares her outside she immediately comes to me and stays right along side. Well that's my story so does anybody have a recommendation for training our new addition? She's a really nice dog and she's got a home for life either way but I would love to find a way to get her to respond to training. Is this dog just going to take more patience than the rest? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Training a possibly abused dog | Rich Badaracco | Dog behavior | 16 | May 2nd 04 04:59 PM |
Training a possibly abused dog | Rich Badaracco | Dog behavior | 0 | May 2nd 04 03:31 PM |
Training a possibly abused dog | Rich Badaracco | Dog behavior | 0 | May 2nd 04 03:31 PM |
When Someone Offers Dangerous Advice | Marshall Dermer | Dog behavior | 988 | December 18th 03 02:58 AM |