When working on “touching” fearful or shy dogs, the first thing a person needs to know that “touch” is different for dogs and can have different meanings than we humans think.
For example when a dog put his paw on another dog with some pressure, the other dog will see this as a threat. If it is light, without pressure, the other dog will view it as an invitation to play. So when you pet a dog’s head with some pressure to the pat, the dog may think you are being threatening. Also, consider that dogs do not touch each other when they first meet. If you watch two dogs meet for the very first time, you will see a lot of sniffing, tail movements and body posturing but they rarely actually touch until they completely accept each other. So when you reach out to touch a dog that is a stranger to you, that dog may not understand that process. Some fearful and shy dogs have been socialized with other dogs and not much with people. These dogs will be thinking in canine terms as they are not familiar with human ways. To a dog, there are certain reasons for touch. They are to get attention, to bond, for mating, to show submission or dominance, to play and to get comfort. Keep that in mind as you work with your dog.
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"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
We've all heard this and it can be true for ladies too! And....absolutely for dogs! Especially fearful or shy dogs! When a fearful or shy dog arrives here at the rescue, my very first goal with that dog is to get it to take a treat from me. Getting a dog to take a treat is the first step of many to come. You can build on a dog taking treats and it will help the dog understand the concept of a reward for doing what is asked. Many fearful or shy dogs will not take a treat from your hand. Some will not even eat a treat in your presence. You will have to start from where ever that dog is at the moment. The dog decides the process. Here are the steps starting at the very beginning: (Feel free to skip steps if your dog is past that point.)
Do not get discouraged. To get a fearful or shy dog to eat out of your hand can take as little as a day and as much as months. It depends on how frightened the dog is and also depends on if someone has ever "tricked" the dog by offering it a treat. Be patient. This is one of the most important steps. It establishes a beginning trust and it shows the dog that you are providing for it. Don't move to the next step until you have successfully achieved a step. So how do your prepare your home for bringing in a fearful or shy dog?
Don't. Don't prepare for a fearful dog any more than you would for any other dog. The world cannot adjust to the dog. The dog will need to adjust to the world...your world. Don't begin treating your dog as a victim. It will only confirm to your dog that there really is something big and bad and awful out there and make them turn even more inward. That is not your goal. What should your goal be? It should be to help your dog become as much like a normal dog as possible It should be that dog gets to behave and act like a dog, be loved like a dog and able to give love back. You should expect that your dog be happy. The process of working with a fearful dog begins and ends with establishing trust. A fearful dog needs and wants to believe in someone. You are that someone. You should start establishing the relationship and trust from the moment your dog walks in your door. Some Do's and Don't's... DO talk to your dog in a normal tone of voice. DO talk to your dog even when it appears they are not listening. They are. DO break everything down into steps small enough that your dog can feel successful. DO spend time in the same area your dog is in. DO give your dog as much love and attention as your dog can handle. DON'T yell at your dog. DON'T raise your hand to your dog. DON"T try to force your dog to do what it is not ready for. DON'T allow your fearful dog to just curl up in a ball and shut out the world. Give your dog a place that they can go to when the fear is not manageable for them. However, make it a spot that you can block off when you are working with your dog on something specific. A kennel with a soft blanket is perfect. But don't allow them to just stay in the kennel and never come out to see the light of day. Getting the dog out of the kennel can be trying at times. The dog may even growl at you for invading their space. You can attach a leash and gently pull the dog far enough out that you can pick them up. Sometimes that will not work and you may even have to slowly turn the kennel over so the dog is forced to come out. When you have the dog out of the kennel, put the kennel out of the dog's sight for a short time so they are not tempted to rush back in. Try to give the dog as much time as it takes for him to reach a calm state of mind before you let him have his kennel back and retreat. You want him to see that the world is safe, even out of the kennel. You want them to want to come out of the kennel on their own. Take the dog out of the kennel throughout the day and then let them go back in. When the dog is able to come out of the kennel on its own progress has definitely been made! Some of the dogs that come to Second Chance are really scared and some are so shy that they become afraid too. These dogs come from all walks of life....strays who have been on the road too long, owner surrendered dogs that have been alone too much, breeding dogs who have spent much of their time with other dogs, and dogs who are transferred from other shelters or rescues. Some snap right out of it and it takes others more time. My mom is going to write some stuff about how to cope with a fearful or shy dog, so here's my mom: Thank you Miss Roo! I guess first would be to identify if your dog is a fearful or shy dog. It's really not hard to tell. Generally, they won't come to you of their own free will, won't meet you eye to eye, run when you try to pet them, freeze when you pick them up, won't eat in front of you, growl when you try to touch them, urinate when you approach, even, in severe cases, a dog will defecate or try to climb up the walls when the fear is very out of control. Many people make the assumption that a dog who is shy or fearful has been abused. That is not always true. It can be a problem with genetics or even that the dog has been socialized with other dogs more than with people. We have also heard that a dog such as this cannot change. Also, untrue. Almost all of the dogs we have had at the rescue make significant changes in their fearful or shy behavior very quickly. So don't give up on your fearful or shy dog. We will be giving you pointers on how to help your dog out and things you can do to build their self esteem. Fearful and shy dogs can be a challenge but once you help them break through that wall, they are some of the most loving and devoted dogs ever! They know that you have taken a "journey" with them and they are thankful! ~ Miss Roo and her mom, Denise Ever wonder how animal shelters and rescue got started? Me too! So I did some checking into it. First was the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals started in 1824 in Britain. The idea didn't get to the United States until about 1866. And it wasn't about dogs at first....it was about horses! Henry Bergh loved animals and he felt that the carriage horses in New York City were not being treated right so he formed the Association of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals now commonly known ASPCA. Henry was laughed at back then. Did you know where the phrase "dog pound" orginated? Found that out too! Stray cattle were once gathered and imPOUNDed until their owners picked them up. Later became Dog Pound. In the 1700's animal shelters were known as "municipal animal shelters". Stray animals were picked up and killed as they posed a public health threat. The concern was completely the safety of the people. In 1869 the Women's Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals became the first official United States shelter. The shelter was located in Pennsylvania. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s that private animal shelters began with a focus on actually saving dogs and trying to rehome them. These first shelters were all shelters that regularly had to euthanize dogs. There was usually a specific amount of time a shelter had to get the dog rehomed or the dog was killed.. No Kill Shelters began and became very popular with a focus on not putting an animal sleep for reasons of more space in the shelter. Since then more groups have formed such as rescues and sanctuaries. At one time there were no requirements to get a dog from a shelter. The Progressive Animal Welfare Society began to truly market the dogs and began screening the people who wanted a dog. That has now moved to very long applications, home inspections, checks on criminal activity, required fences, required yards and many other requirements. Some feel that these requirements keep dogs from being adopted as the requirements are too difficult for some to meet. There are those who believe that the requirements may have been an effort to keep the dog safe and the people thought that the more requirements the more the adopter would be likely to properly care for the animal. Others believe that restrictions on adopting were placed to allow the shelters to hoard animals. And still others believe that the restrictions are to allow only the wealthier people to adopt dogs as they are more likely to be potential donors in the future. The controversy continues to build between the different groups and the way things are done in shelters and rescues. People believe their way is the only way. My opinion? As long as dogs' lives are being saved, I don't really care how they do it. It's still a good thing! I know I'm happy to have been rehomed and am now a happy lady! ~~~~Miss Roo Just went to town with my mom. We wanted to grab a couple tacos and some potato oles (I will only eat those if they are dipped in cheese sauce). We took the convertible with the top down. Really cool on a hot day! BUT here is my opinion and my warning....
BE CAREFUL WITH DOGS WEIGHING LESS THAN 3 POUNDS IN A CONVERTIBLE! The wind almost blew me clear outta that car! Whoa! What a rush that was! If I was a kitty I would have sworn I lost one of those nine lives. Mom held me tight though and I made it home - all in one piece! Oh yeah and I ate 1/2 a taco and some potato oles dripping in cheese yum! Pretty good for a three pounder. I'm tellin ya, I can put the food away! ~~Miss Roo I heard a commercial on television that said "We have to be their (dog's) voice because they have no voice." I was INSULTED. I do too have a voice! Mom and I argue a bit on this one as she says "but humans don't always understand, Miss Roo." But mom, that's their problem. If they are speaking for us, they should take the time to understand what we are saying! My voice is my bark which can signal a variety of things. My voice is always a lot about body language. We dogs "hear" through body language more so than humans do. Look at my photo here. Look at my tail. What do you think that tail might be saying to you? It's pretty high up and wagging very slowly. I am speaking to you even then. What am I saying? I am telling you that I am confident as I go outside but I am also alert as I check out a new spot. I am going out the door watching for whatever might be out there. That's saying a lot, isn't it? I'm saying even more! My ears straight up say I'm alert and paying attention. My body language with my head down and weight on my back legs says if there's something bad out there, I don't want to fight with it. I will just run back inside! So did you hear everything I said? Remember that you are also "talking" to your dog with your body. Be sure you tell your dog what you really want to say. Stay tuned! We'll have more about body language as it's important that we undertand each other. I have much to say and I want my mom to know what I mean! ~~ Miss Roo Okay, I'm going to jump up on my kennel box (I don't have a soapbox, actually I don't have a kennel either) and bark to you about equality.
I hear that humans are trying to get equality for dogs. They want dogs to have all the rights of humans and be equal to humans. That's a bit scary for me. I watch the news sometimes with mom and I hear all kinds of things. I pay attention. I see on the news that even humans don't have equality with each other. I mean, think about it. Are humans really equal? If they are why does the rich movie star who dies get all over the news stations but if you died it would never hit the news? Or what about the really wealthy humans and then the very poor humans? Are they equal? I guess I don't understand human's view of what equal is. I don't WANT to have equality. I think equality carries responsibility and I am not ready for all that responsibility. I am a dog, a little dog at that. I can't take care of myself. Yes, there are humans out there that don't want dogs to be "owned" by humans! They think all dogs should be free. That sounds wonderful to them but not to me. I would not survive the freedom that they make sound so wonderful. I need humans! I think humans created us and tamed us to be pets so why shouldn't they continue to take care of us? I just don't understand this equality thing. It's a human thing and I want no part of it. In the dog pack world, we do not consider ourselves equal to one another. Perhaps that is why I just can't understand humans preaching equality for dogs. We are not even equal within our own packs. Why would you ever think we could be equal to humans? In dog packs there is generally an alpha (the boss, the strongest), a beta (like you human's vice president) and the omega (weakest and least cared for). And then there is the rest of us which are generally followers. As you can see, we don't practice equality. Some of us are just not able to be leaders. We don't want equality. I enjoy being "owned". I don't want to be equal to my mom. She loves me and I am happy with that! I saw my mom dishing up ice cream into a bowl and thought "an ice cream night! Hooray! I love ice cream!" Mom took it to the living room and my mouth was watering for my bites of ice cream. I looked up at mom with the sweetest, most loving look possible and mom said "No, Miss Roo. This is chocolate and you can't have chocolate."
What?!!!! But it's ice cream! One of my favorite foods! Who cares about chocolate? I just want ice cream. Come on, mom! But she said, "Miss Roo, I can't let you have any of this. It's just not safe for you!" "But mom! YOU are eating it!" So mom explained: Chocolate has methylxanthines in it. This is caffeine and theobromine. Dogs cannot break down and excrete those substances the way humans can. It poisons a dog's system. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, muscles to tense up, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, seizure and even death! Mom looks at me and lovingly says "I love you Miss Roo and one or two bites of chocolate just isn't worth. I love you to much for that!" Maybe love is better than chocolate! Well, now I understand. No chocolate but lots of love! ~~Miss Roo
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May 2017
AuthorDenise Clark |