Rescue dog is scared -hides all day

[ocean2026]

Two days ago we got a 1 yr old Italian Greyhound- Whippet mix from SPCA San Patricio TX. The dog doesn't bite, hasn't barked but left on her own she will hide. I have two children who are experienced and gentle with dogs but none of us are experts. We walk the dog on a leash and read all about pack leader and even that a new rescue dog shouldn't be showered with affection, but eventually this could be very depressing.

What can we do? and How long should we expect it to take?


As a side issue- SPCA lady told his this was a fun playful doggie - loved to play fetch and just a bit nervous at the store because of the animals and noise. We can't be talking about the same animal. She rarely has eaten but probably ate a few bites if we were all gone - I suspect that SPCA told us all this to get rid of the dog. We are hanging in there -we've rescued baby possums and other problematic animals but this time we were hoping for a real pet - maybe it just takes time.

 

[corgipower]

It can take a few months to really see what the dog's personality is.

Don't worry about "pack leader" stuff. It's seriously overrated anyway and often wrong.

Give her time, give her positive reinforcement any time she makes movement in your direction. If she won't take treats, you can praise her. Avoid things that increase her nervousness for now - that could include things like eye contact, reaching over the top of her, standing, fast movements.

Ignore her when she's hiding. She needs time to figure out what's going on in her world.

 

[girlbuffalo1]

My dog Honey was a puppy mill rescue and she lived the first year of her life in a cage--it took about 4-5 months before I think she felt more comfortable--but she will still bolt if something drops on the floor or if a bag crinkles--she also scurries when I call her and will only respond to me saying "good girl" in a cutsey voice over and over again--she also turns around for me to pick her up. This doesn't make her a 'bad' dog though--I love her for all her little insecurities as I know she is always there for me and I will always be there for her.

 

[Maxy24]

I am not experienced with shy dogs so I cannot help you too much with that. What I will say is please ignore anything that talks about leading a pack, making the dog submissive, being dominant over your dog, being the alpha or putting the dog in it's place. This is all made up training theory that is not based in science, it does not pay attention to the basic rules of learning. Please ignore Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer). Clicker training can be of great help, just teaching simple, easy to do commands with positive reinforcement can be a great confidence booster, the dog feels safe if he's able to experiment with his behavior and be rewarded for it, he needs to know that he will not be punished for trying new things, it'll be good for him to get things right.

Another thing to try is agility or even homemade obstacle courses. It will do the same thing, the dog will try and walk on, through or over new things and will be rewarded for taking this chance. Take it slow, let the dog do things in his own time, never force him to try anything and always start with the lowest difficulty level (teach him to go over a jump by laying it on the ground and just letting him walk over or even just approach it and check it out for a treat. All this experimenting and being rewarded for trying new things will be a huge confidence booster.

 

[Cessena]

Does she have a crate? Was she crate trained?

That seems like it would be a good safe place for her to be, especially an airline style crate or one with a blanket? If she already has one, have you tried that Dog Appeasement Pheremone and spray it inside to maybe help her feel relaxed?

I would do that, try to make it a comfy place, and otherwise leave it alone. Maybe engage in quiet non scary activities in the same room, read a book aloud to your kids, do quiet things that wouldn't seem too frightening to a small dog, but ignore her.

I know dogs are not cats, but I always keep my cats confined to one room for their first couple days with me, it gives them an area that they know is safe and limits the amount of scary stuff they are exposed to. I find that they continue to use that room sometimes when they are frightened because they feel safe there. (Less convenient for me when it is the bathroom.....)

Anyway, that might be one way you can make her feel safe, by giving her a space of her own where you feed her and are around engaging in nice activities, but where you can't "see" her.

I'm sure she'll come around, I think every animal has their own quirks and issues, just because she didn't start off perfect doesn't mean she couldn't be the best dog in the world for you and your family.