help!! rescue dog in terrible shape

jjgleason · 04-03-2006

hi. friday i adopted a 2 year old male beagle from a shelter organization. evidently he came from a situation where there were over 100 beagles in either a hoarding and/or used for breeding hunting dogs. i'm contacting the rescue to try and get more details. anyway, he is terrified of everything. cringes when you go to touch him, hides himself as far into a corner as he can. startles at sudden noises. does not respond as a normal dog does to voice or touch or anything. we have a small inside dog and he seems to be okay with him, he's okay with cats. we have 2 large outside dogs. yesterday, he growled a little at the larger of the two, but his hair wasn't up or anything like that. he keeps his tail tucked almost all the time. occasionally it came up a little while walking on leash, which he will do with a little tugging and prompting. going in and out the door seemed alien and frightening to him. i've only been able to get him to eat and drink a little bit. i have a crate for him, which he seems comfortable in and have been keeping him with me nearly all the time when i'm home. the one time i have seen him go to the bathroom was in the playroom, so he's not housebroken, which i expected, but i haven't seen him go since then. i have never seen anything like this. if he was a person, they'd give him electroshock therapy. when i picked him up, his eyes were really red and bloodshot. my husband says its because he hasn't been able to get any real rest, and i have seen a reduction in the redness when he awakes in the morning. he did wag his tail just a little when my 4 year old grandson petted him, and he walked on the leash with my 2 year old granddaughter like he was in a dog show (except for the tail being tucked). if anyone out there has any experience to share with me, it would surely be appreciated. i think this poor creature has had a lot of trauma-you can see it in his eyes, although physically he looks to be in good shape. thanks in advance! elliott's new mom

Benny'sOwner · 05-15-2006

I just joined, and it's been over one month. How's he doing now?

jjgleason · 05-15-2006

thanks for the response! he is doing somewhat better. still shies away from physical contact. i can pet him if i hold him still with his leash and reach behind his neck. he's really scared of my husband still. he is eating pretty well and likes to be outside. he is beginning to make some overtures at making friends with our other dogs, which seems like a good sign to me. i can let him free in the house when i'm home and he's fine, although runs for cover if he hears anyone coming near, even me--not quite so panicked if its me. the only treat i've found that he likes are regular old dog biscuits. if i give him one, he will take and romp with it. today i tried to leave his crate door open and just leave him in the bedroom with the door closed, as it usually is, and he didn't like that one bit. howled, pawed and pawed the door, dragged laundry, clothes, etc around, which he never does. so i put him back in crate and he settled down. guess best to stick to a real consistent routine and continue the love and care, hoping he'll become more accepting?

chocolatecat · 05-17-2006

Hiya,

I'm a newbie here and this is my first post!

Has a vet checked your dogs eyes? I got a collie/spaniel cross from the kennels and was told her red eyes were just a breed normality. I took her to the vet 4 WEEKS later to find out she has severe conjunctivitis-so its worth checking.

As to the fear thing, I'd say create a strict routine and stick to it. I made the mistake of treating my dog with kid gloves because of her history-and i had a week of snarling,biting dog as a reward.Try and keep calm yourself as any anxiety you feel will go down the lead and your dog will pick up on it.

The best thing i've done is to join an obedience class, its maybe something you could consider? For £2 a week my dog is socialised-lol sort of (i think we're actually corrupting the class with her bad behaviour)-but more importantly we can phone the guy who runs it anytime and he gives advice.

You sound like a great dog owner. I remind myself,daily.....hourly.....every second, with my rescue dog that i've only had her for 4 weeks and shes has 1 years bad experience to overcome

Good luck

cc x

jjgleason · 05-17-2006

thanks for the response and welcome! yes, the vet is who told me that elliott's eyes were ok. i think you're right on target as to the strict routine--i tried to leave him with the crate door open and bedroom door closed the other morning and he freaked out--clawing the door, howling, etc. once back in the crate, he was fine.

will give some consideration to obedience classes; time and distance are a consideration for me. and thanks for the reminder that it really hasn't been that long. best of luck with your pup!

badbarnkitty · 05-22-2006

hi, im new, too, but i think most of your dogs behavior comes directly from where he came from. all of those behaviors are not uncommon to dogs that spend their lives in huge hunting/breeding kennels. if you think about it, he is a relatively young dog that from birth has lived in a huge, confined pack of dogs. most of the hunting kennels ive encountered are not very dog loving people, so there is little to no supervision or protection from humans. if he is not a dominant personality, he probably got picked on and pushed around very severely. also, a kennel full of beagles is one of the loudest places you can imagine! if the owner of the kennel wasnt abusive, just neglectful, basically the dog has just lived is entire life in a loud, scary place that he could not escape and probably had to defend his food as well. sometimes, they even tie certain dogs to a stake within the kennel, which is a horribel thing because it confines the dog and makes them even more defensive because they are restricted. it sounds like he is coming around, though, and i wish you the best. beagles are really great dogs, so i think you guys will be very happy as he progresses.

Taz · 08-27-2006

Pleased to hear there is some progress, he will need a lot of tlc, he is in a situation totally alien to him, in time with a lot of patience he will learn to trust you...Good for you giving him a chance of a normal life...

granma_ota · 09-10-2006

I know it's been quite a while, but I'm new here and just saw this. I have dealt with this. I don't know how far you have gotten by now, but here's a few tips.

Instead of petting him on the top of his head, put yourself on the floor at his level and scratch his chest. It is less threatening that way.

Lay on the floor if you can and let him come to you. A less dominant dog will prostrate themselves in front of a dominant dog. Laying on the floor shows you are no threat to him. If you can't lay, sit with your legs open. It's still a non-aggressive position.

Play footsies with him. Place your toes or fingers over the left paw and, when he moves that one, do the right one. The slow pace is calming and, again, being below their site level is non-threatening. It, also, teaches them they can play with you.

Get him soft stuffed animals. For some reason, they seem to calm skittish dogs down.

Be careful of smiling too much at him. In the dog's world, the showing of teeth or the wrinkling of the face signals aggressiveness.

Use slow, smooth moves in dealing with him. When you can get him to lay next to you, stroke his entire body from head to rear. Bitches's use this on their pups to calm and show gentle dominance.

Most of all, be very, very patient. It took Cubby 2 years to get over his skittishness.

granma_ota · 09-10-2006

I know it's been quite a while, but I'm new here and just saw this. I have dealt with this. I don't know how far you have gotten by now, but here's a few tips.

Instead of petting him on the top of his head, put yourself on the floor at his level and scratch his chest. It is less threatening that way.

Lay on the floor if you can and let him come to you. A less dominant dog will prostrate themselves in front of a dominant dog. Laying on the floor shows you are no threat to him. If you can't lay, sit with your legs open. It's still a non-aggressive position.

Play footsies with him. Place your toes or fingers over the left paw and, when he moves that one, do the right one. The slow pace is calming and, again, being below their site level is non-threatening. It, also, teaches them they can play with you.

Get him soft stuffed animals. For some reason, they seem to calm skittish dogs down.

Be careful of smiling too much at him. In the dog's world, the showing of teeth or the wrinkling of the face signals aggressiveness.

Use slow, smooth moves in dealing with him. When you can get him to lay next to you, stroke his entire body from head to rear. Bitches's use this on their pups to calm and show gentle dominance.

Most of all, be very, very patient. It took Cubby 2 years to get over his skittishness.