Working With A Shy Traumatized Hound

[Guest tysmom]

I've owned Buck for about three years now. He started out as a foster with us because he was adoptable

His shyness was so bad they couldn't Get him out of the crate to even have him be seen by people.

 

The story that I was given was that he was a farm favorite of a trainer and he was left on the farm way past

where he would of been because he knew he would hard to adopt. Then the trainer left and along with him

Buck. He was 5 when I got him and he will soon be 8.

 

This boy is the sweetest, most gentlest dog I ever had the pleasure to meet. But three years later

although he had made remarkable progress from where he was he is still afraid of his own shadow and at bit OCD i might add.

He seems to have to do things the same way all the time..such as going around the kitchen table before he will go outside.

 

I sort of have been resigned to what he is now he probably will be..he has a few habits I cant break no matter what I try.

 

The one most problematic.. unless he knows food is coming when I call him for anything... he goes the other way..like its programed in to him.

 

It took him two years to even be the slightest food motivated. Now depending on what it is he will come for it.

 

His list of quirks are endless.

 

I think I stopped expecting to much as he settled in just fine.

 

The other day when i fell in the yard 2 weeks after surgery trying to chase him inside I know there is more I have to do

but I don"t know how at this point.

 

How can i teach him to come when I call him. He is not reliable . He comes when he wants to, no matter what i've done.

 

Sorry its so long, there is much more I could say, but this is the thing I need the most help with.

 

You really have to think out of the box with this guy. He is really challenged emotionally.

deb

[Guest IrskasMom]

Deb , I applaud you for adopting this shy Boy. If you think for one Minute my Boy comes when he is asked or called .....wrong . Only on his Terms. To the most time he will respond but I have to be right there and enforce it. I don't have any Advice just Hugs

Edited February 6, 2011 by IrskasMom

[Guest tysmom]

it should say he was NOT adoptable. couldnt see how to edit after i posted

 

maybe its a boy thing.LOL all my females always come when called..

[Guest Swifthounds]

So sorry to hear about your fall.

 

Does he have a favorite treat? Something he can't resist? Trojan just likes to stay outside in the yard and wander, with no regard to the weather or the fact that he's 14. He's also a bit hearing impaired in his old age, but he loves the dried liver treats. Once he figured out coming in got him the tasty treat, he decided he'd come inside to get it, even if there were still things to smell in the yard.

[Guest 7ct5]

This may sound strange... but have you thought of renaming him?

 

It sounds like he has bad associations when being called. ... or even no associations with coming & his name. I've heard of people renaming their dogs for a year or so to work on behavioural issues and have a fresh start.

 

Have you tried clicker training him? There are lots of good books out there they may be of help.

 

Best of luck!! : )

[Guest Swifthounds]

Another thought is training him to come when you whistle or blow a whistle (not an Acme Thunderer, but something softer). I trained my dogs to recall when I wanted them to return in an open field where my voice wouldn't carry well unless I yelled. Back then I had a shy, sensitive, cognitively limited hound, Danny (the only dog I've ever had take a year to become consistent with the sit) who would pick up on any tension in my voice and not be able to focus on the request.

[Guest PhillyPups]

Deb,

 

Can you work on him with a smaller part of the yard, say be using temporary fencing to make it small then work with the treats and treat him everytime he comes in? Let him only use the small area for business and sniffing around. Gradually increase the area as he becomes consistent with coming to you. It may take a while Deb, but we know you have the patience for him. You have shown that already.

 

Good luck and fast healing to you.

Edited February 6, 2011 by PhillyPups

[Guest lizmego]

We also have a shy boy. He started out as a foster too. We could never get him to go to meet-n-greets and such or other events without him shaking like a leaf! We adopted Dell when he was 5 and he's now 12.5. It took a lot of time, but he's just like any other dog here at home now. DH and I just gave him tons of love and talked to him about everything. When we took him on walks, and I beleive that this was a huge learning process for him that helped him tremendously. He just needed to learn about the world and not be scared of it anymore. Dell isn't food motivated either, and we never were able to get him to be food motivated no matter what we tried (raw beef liver, freeze-dried liver etc), he's much better now and will take freeze-dried liver treats from our holistic vet, but it took awhile.

 

Do you have other greyhounds in your home? I don't recall us having the same problems of getting him to come inside once he went outside to potty, probably because he was more afraid of what was outside than inside.

 

I also actually think he got so much better when he lost his hearing. Its like he had too many senses that overloaded and stimulated him. Since he can't hear that loud truck coming down the street, so walks are even more enjoyable now too.

 

Above all, I think Dell found his way into my life to teach me patience. It takes so much time to gain a shy dog's trust, but once you've gained it and you can see them blossom, its the most rewarding experience ever.

[GeorgeofNE]

I realize before I even suggest it that this idea might not be of interest 'cause clearly you have a yard, and one of the great things about that is that you don't NEED to go out with the dog, but...

 

Every time you call a dog and he doesn't respond and nothing happens, you enforce the idea that the command to come can safely be ignored.

 

If, on a daily basis, this dog only comes in when he is ready, the only way IMHO to start working on this is to stop letting him out loose. I'd take him out on a leash. Start training recall all over, as if he were a puppy. That's normally done with a leash attached 'cause every time you say "come" and the pup doesn't, he's being trained--just not the way you intended!

 

What I'd do is just following him around, let him have as much freedom as the leash allows, and then work on "come" and ever so gently reel him in using the leash, then treat and praise lavishly when he reaches you.

 

You can also work on this in the house using the same method.

[Guest tysmom]

 

This boy has more nick names then he knows what to do with. Essentially he is renamed to Boo almost all the time. when I'm not busy calling him farm boy..lol

 

 

 

 

This one of the reason I fell. Totally not the dogs fault of course...it was snowing a blizzard and he wants to play out . the other dogs all come in after several minutes of calling I go out to herd him in.

Usually I have to point and say "in" Most times he barks and romps like he wants to play and I have to move forward and be assertive .

This day its like 5 degrees outside, snowing like a blizzard and he has no coat on and has been out already 20 minutes i go charging outside to

get him and fell after about 5 minutes of moving at him in a hole and couldn't get off the ground..after knee surgery.

 

In his defense, the little devil came to my side after im on the ground waiting for my husband to rescue me. good thing I had my cell in my pocket.

[Guest tysmom]

Sorry about the miss quote issue I try to edit it and it say I dont have permission to edit..LOL why not? that's odd

 

We also have a shy boy. He started out as a foster too. We could never get him to go to meet-n-greets and such or other events without him shaking like a leaf! We adopted Dell when he was 5 and he's now 12.5. It took a lot of time, but he's just like any other dog here at home now. DH and I just gave him tons of love and talked to him about everything. When we took him on walks, and I beleive that this was a huge learning process for him that helped him tremendously. He just needed to learn about the world and not be scared of it anymore. Dell isn't food motivated either, and we never were able to get him to be food motivated no matter what we tried (raw beef liver, freeze-dried liver etc), he's much better now and will take freeze-dried liver treats from our holistic vet, but it took awhile.

 

Do you have other greyhounds in your home? I don't recall us having the same problems of getting him to come inside once he went outside to potty, probably because he was more afraid of what was outside than inside.

 

I also actually think he got so much better when he lost his hearing. Its like he had too many senses that overloaded and stimulated him. Since he can't hear that loud truck coming down the street, so walks are even more enjoyable now too.

 

Above all, I think Dell found his way into my life to teach me patience. It takes so much time to gain a shy dog's trust, but once you've gained it and you can see them blossom, its the most rewarding experience ever.

 

Yes we have another hound and they get along like brother and sister. Patience yep...for the most part i have them with Buck. That day was a momentary lack of good sense on my part and frustration.

[Batmom]

I know this will be repeating things others have said, but:

 

- I work on recall first with a leash. Until that's reliable (or unless I accidently find the dog coming toward me from about 18 inches away), I don't call the dog.

 

- Once we've got the recall down on leash, I'll start off leash. We practice in the house, in the yard, any time the dog is moving toward me from a short distance or just standing in front of me, "Whoozits, come! ... Good dog!" and treat.

 

- With off leash, I never ever ever call a dog-in-training unless I am well prepared to go and get the dog if s/he decides not to come.

 

- If I have to go get the dog, I just calmly approach, clip leash on, and we practice on leash a couple times right then and there.

 

- I never call the dog to come to get the dog into the house, go in his/her crate, get out of the garbage, etc. Those are different commands.

 

- When the dog comes, it's always a party. Even if the dog was on leash and/or 3 inches away at the time I called. Even if I called the dog because s/he was digging a huge hole, eating poop, or something else unsavory and I didn't know how else to get him to stop. "Come!" + dog approaches = party, 100%, every time. 'Course, for a shy dog, "party" might be low-key ....

 

- For shy/spooky dogs, it can work better to face away from the dog and call him/her over your shoulder, perhaps even while walking briskly away. Eventually you can probably just direct your eyes elsewhere, but in the beginning, exaggeration ("I'm not looking at you, couldn't look at you if I tried") is best.

 

Hugs and good luck with your pup. My angel Zema was shy and spooky. She never 100% lost those attributes, but she continued to develop safe zones / safe circumstances throughout her life.

Edited February 6, 2011 by Batmom

[Guest tysmom]

[quoteDell isn't food motivated either, and we never were able to get him to be food motivated no matter what we tried (raw beef liver, freeze-dried liver etc), he's much better now and will take freeze-dried liver treats from our holistic vet, but it took awhile.

 

]

 

Liz I have been soo baffled about his eating habits over the years. To this day the only way he will take a milk bone is if you put it on the floor in front of him. He wouldnt take a MB out of my hand if he were starving to death..

 

when we first got him he wouldnt eat anything out of my hand. NO MEAT of any kind would entice him. He always ran the other way. Over the years Ive used chicken liver to help him relax. Three years later he now eats food out of my hand but it took nearly three years to do it.

 

But not mike bones. and we have tried every thing. Ive tried all sorts of methods top try to desensitze him and forget it. Now he just goes to his bed and waits for it to be delivered..lol

 

apparently my quoting skills need some work..lol

I was trying to quote ....(Dell isn't food motivated either, and we never were able to get him to be food motivated no matter what we tried (raw beef liver, freeze-dried liver etc), he's much better now and will take freeze-dried liver treats from our holistic vet, but it took awhile. )