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OK. So I have taken in a BC, last minute because the local no kill shelter was full. They emailed me asking us to take her and her pups in. I'm not sure if she is full blooded BC or not. A woman who runs a BC rescue contacted me saying she believes that Zelda(momma dog) is a short coat BC.

 

Anywho. She was abused at her former home, and purposely bred. Then when the former owner realized he could not handle the large litter, he called the shelter. they said he'd have to wait for them to make room. Instead he dropped Zelda and her 9 pups off on some elderly woman. It then became life or death for the shelter to find someone to take them. Thats where my family came into play.

 

She is terribly shy, and jumps at the slightest noise, or movement. She runs from men. And would rather hide under my bed. She wont go outside, and the shelter owners believe she was more then likely left in a cage, like most amateur breeders would do. She has got to the point where she wakes me up every morning, and bounces around like a jack rabbit when she sees me. Those are very good signs, I know.

 

But what can I do about her other issues. How can I get her outside? What are the best ways to overcome that fear? I give her chopped up pieces of chicken when I'm trying to lure her into the living room. Is this a good idea? Please help. I have fostered many dogs, but none have ever been like this..

 

Thank you very much

 

LF

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Welcome, and thank you for helping this poor girl out!

 

This section is for asking questions pertaining to stockdog training. Your post would be better off in the General section, where more people could reply.

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Thanks for taking her in!

 

For the won't go outside part, leash her and just walk outside with her. Gently but purposefully - with kind of a "this is what we're doing" attitude. Have a handful of chicken and ignore the fear and calmly reward any willingness to go with you.

 

When you get outside (assuming you've got a fairly calm place to sit and relax with her), just sit there for a while with her and let her take it all in and figure it out. Ignore the fear, calmly encourage/reward any sort of curiosity or calmness from her.

 

My late BC wouldn't leave the house on her own for the first couple weeks that I had her - she much preferred sitting in a crate in the corner, but I did something similar to what I outlined above and pretty soon she was going out pretty well. It also helped when she figured out that a ball was the greatest thing ever and that we played with a ball outside.

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I have worked with "shy" dogs at family dog class - in fact, when there was a particularly retiring dog, that would be my job as an assistant, to help work with that one dog and his/her handler.

 

We did what Mara suggested - when you *have* to go outside or somewhere, just be matter-of-fact to minimize the stress, put on the leash, and go. Reward the behavior you want with treats, praise, petting, toys, or whatever might work for this particular dog.

 

And we used her idea about just going out there and sitting, giving the dog the chance to be quiet, undisturbed, unpressured by any additional expectations, and get reassurance, treats, pets, etc., whenever the dog relaxes, looks around, gives a sniff, or otherwise demonstrates any behavior that shows that she is calming down and overcoming her apprehensions, even just a little bit.

 

And then you just progress one little baby step at a time - make it to the porch or deck and work with that a few days; make it a little further and work with that a few days; and so on. You would be amazed at how some of the (usually) small or young dogs I worked with came quite out of their shells over the course of a six-week class.

 

I guess it is a combination of two things - she *has* to do certain things (like going outside) but you can reduce the stress by being non-emotional, quietly encouraging (too much encouragement can come across as pressure to a fearful or apprehensive dog), and very matter-of-fact. And you can allow her the time to see that things are not scary like she thinks they are, and let her proceed with those adjustments at her own pace, with your very gentle encouragement.

 

I think I'm trying to say that it's up to you to blend the "you have to" with the "at your own pace" to help her progress.

 

Very best wishes, and kudos for helping this poor girl out of her bad situation!

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Oh, and one very important resource here - D'Elle's topic about Kelso. It's long but it deals with her journey with a rescue dog from a very bad situation. It's instructive and it's heart-warming, and you will see just how far a dog like this can come with patience and understanding.

 

Here is her story about Kelso.

 

And another from that same rescue situation is here about John and Taff-Half-Ear.

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Here is her story about Kelso.

 

And another from that same rescue situation is here about John and Taff-Half-Ear.

I'm reading this now after seeing off another timid foster boy, Rudy, who went to his new home this afternoon. The wonderful thing about the really shy and timid ones is watching their personality grow and experience them coming out of their shell and learning to be a dog. Taff half-ear was with me around 6 months. In that time, he went from not having any idea how to interact with people, to being a happy dog who would squeal with joy going to the park and snuggle up to me* and lick my hand, to show thanks, as we drove home again.

 

Time and patience are your two most important resources. When Constance found that Kelso wouldn't go out, she carried him. Bit by bit, he learned to go further and further from his comfort zone. Rudy startled at any sudden movement; every interaction required me to move slowly and deliberately until I won his confidence.

 

 

 

Note*: There's nothing like a soggy wet dog, smelling like something dredged out of the lake, snuggling up to you while you're driving!

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Fletcherfoster, my experience is that the shy and frightened dogs are often the most rewarding dogs with whom to work, which is why I volunteer to take them in. If you read my thread about Kelso you may get some ideas to try with your foster. Also, if I can help with something specific, feel free to PM me.

 

As was said above, patience is really important. I find that it is best not to have a timed goal or to be too ambitious for the dog. The number one priority is to let the dog feel SAFE. Whatever it takes to develop that sense of safety, do it, because without that the dog will not make progress. Do not ever be in a hurry. Although Kelso would go out the back door on his own once he could walk, it took me months to get him out the front door. I refused to drag him; he had to be willing to go out on his own. And, yes, I carried him when I really needed to get him somewhere he was unwilling to go (and, at first, when he could not even walk and did not have enough will to live to get up off the floor). Although he still has a long road ahead of him in terms of accepting other people besides myself, he has become a completely different creature. It is worth how ever long it takes to build that trust slowly and surely. Just don't push the dog; take the time it needs.

Best of luck, and let me know if I can help.

D'Elle

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