Help!! rescued a mini aussie SCARED

[dogsarebetter]

My mother just rescued a mini aussie. She is extremely skinny with some skin lesions. she has had vet care.
But the thing is, she has been in a pen for 4 years (her whole life) she probably has never seen other humans or dogs. She is completely freaking out. She is setting in the corner shaking and if you come near her she will growl.

She has not been fed in sometime now. Her original owner had a stroke and has not even been out to see the dog in weeks.

What do we do? How do we handle a dog like this?

 

[Lilavati]

First thing, calm down yourself. If you are scared, the dog will pick up on it.

Two, under no circumstances try and force yourself on her, let her come to you, and when she does, do not pet her on the head, try the chest or shoulder.

Three, do you have any hot dogs? Treats? Tasty food? Kibble? I'd start tossing some food in her direction for a while in small ammounts.

That's how I would handle this situation . . . there may be people with more extensive experience who can help

 

[xpaeanx]

All the scared animals that I have fostered in the past, I've always given them a few days where I wouldn't try to really mess with them so that they get comfortable with the new surroundings. If she's in a pen now, you can sit by the pen and maybe read or something, so that your not annoying her and she gets used to your presence. I would also hand feed mine. Food seems to be the way to all animals stomaches! lol. After that it's just time and patience. your going to have to go very slow, and spend a lot of time around her.

 

[SmexyPibble]

Sadie was like this and she is still like this with complete strangers.
The dog WILL come to you on her own, just be patient, calm, and throw some treats in her direction as said above.

 

[Beanie]

This is for puppymill dogs, but it has some helpful info:
http://www.ilmorescue.org/adopting_the_puppymill_survivor.htm

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/fearful-dog.pdf


Take it veeery very slow... and don't be surprised if there are setbacks. The poor little thing!

 

[dogsarebetter]

Thanks guys. I am working with mom to make sure she does what is best. Mom loves dogs, but she isnt as dog wise as we are. We decided to name her Rumor. She has been in her new crate hiding with the door open all day. We put a blanket over it to give her more privacy. She has not ate, drank, or used the bathroom yet. I guess its because she is so stressed out. I hope she pulls through and turns out to be a good companion for mom. She is soo pretty. She is a blue merle and has one blue eye, and one eye that is just a black dot. OMG, she is tiny. Like 14inches at the shoulder. I think she is adorable! I hope she will be able to go on long walks with us and play with Ruckus and Chance like a normal dog. She will probably come out of this a be pretty normal wont she? Looking at her now I would be shocked to think that I would ever see her tail wag.

 

[Lilavati]

We want pics!


And she should come through. Dogs are pretty tough creatures, and love makes a big difference.

Just keep water and tasty food available through the night, and expect some potty accidents. And keep some really tasty treats on you . . . dogs crave company, and they'll warm up sooner or later.

 

[Romy]

Thanks guys. I am working with mom to make sure she does what is best. Mom loves dogs, but she isnt as dog wise as we are. We decided to name her Rumor. She has been in her new crate hiding with the door open all day. We put a blanket over it to give her more privacy. She has not ate, drank, or used the bathroom yet. I guess its because she is so stressed out. I hope she pulls through and turns out to be a good companion for mom. She is soo pretty. She is a blue merle and has one blue eye, and one eye that is just a black dot. OMG, she is tiny. Like 14inches at the shoulder. I think she is adorable! I hope she will be able to go on long walks with us and play with Ruckus and Chance like a normal dog. She will probably come out of this a be pretty normal wont she? Looking at her now I would be shocked to think that I would ever see her tail wag.

She should come through all right. We've seen older puppies (around 7 months old) caught feral in the desert roaming in packs, and most of those took about 2 months tops to tame down into loving human oriented companions. It will take lots of love, patience, and hot dogs, but she'll come around.

 

[Mariana]

You could try to give her Bach Flowers. Maybe start with the rescue remedy...just put some 30 drops in her drinking water, and they should really help her.