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The doghouse

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Original poster

Help - rescue dog problems

202 replies

Catzeyess · 15/07/2015 07:41

We have recently rehomed a gorgeous mongrel dog and he is really hard work. We feel a bit duped by the rescue as they told us he was a sweet boy who's only issue was pulling a bit on the lead and had no special requirements (we made it clear we were novice dog owners and didn't want a dog with too many issues).

Once we had taken him on it transpired he was a Romanian stray who has most definitely never been in a home. He is jumpy and terrified of everything, not used to being in a house and normal home noises are stressing him out. He likes being stroked and is gentle and friendly to everyone he meets but whines if left to sit on his own for a bit. He is not housetrained. He knows absolutely no commands at all. He doesn't understand toys and is not interested in food (tried to bury it) and so we are struggling to teach him anything apart from come.

Help! What do we do! We are close to just sending him back but don't want to let him down. Has anyone else had a dog like this and did they turn into a good family pet with a bit of training! What do we do!

OP posts:
WizardOfToss · 31/07/2015 20:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ancientbuchanan · 01/08/2015 23:31

Be lovely, lovely to your DH. Lots of good boy pats and affection, calm atmosphere. He will need it too. Can you think of treats to give him? Men and dogs can be quite similar... And as you say, much harder for him. But he has achieved a huge amount. Look crack at your first post and you will see how far your DH has made the dog vine after awful experiences with men. Massive well done to you both...

ancientbuchanan · 01/08/2015 23:33

CracK equals back, vine equals come !

Original poster
Catzeyess · 02/08/2015 16:04

So yesterday we had a bit of a bad day he was really whining in the evening and wouldn't come in the living room or kitchen (really randomly as he had previously been fine in there) and he was really restless. In the end DH worked out he was thirsty but too scared to go in the kitchen to drink. Once he had a drink he went to sleep on his bed as normal.

But then today we had a huge milestone!!

It is a gorgeous sunny day so me and DH decided to take him for a long walk to the woods. We have been walking him on the long lead and his recall had been coming along nicely (we have been working on it loads) so in a moment of madness inspiration we decided to let him off lead. And he was totally fine, met dogs and humans and was totally fine. He followed us, bounded up to us when called and generally had a great time. And then the icing on the cake was we took him back to the car expecting to have to coax him in the car as normal and started wandering around sniffing, then DH called him to put on the lead and his just ran to the car and jumps in the boot of his own accord!! Me and DH just stood there speechless. When we got home he jumped out the car and ran to the front door tail wagging looking up at us. He is now fast asleep bless him.

OP posts:
WizardOfToss · 02/08/2015 19:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pigsDOfly · 03/08/2015 19:35

Oh Catz that wonderful. You must feel on top of the world.

I've always felt that dogs know when they've been given a second chance at life after an awful start, and they really show it.

You and DH should be so proud of yourselves. Sounds like he's going to be a really lovely member of the family.

LetThereBeCupcakes · 04/08/2015 07:56

That's great catz (about the recall / getting in the car, not him being scared to get a drink).

Your posts are bringing back so many memories of when we were at this phase with DDog 2.

honeyroar · 04/08/2015 15:06

It's lovely to hear your updates. I'm really pleased for you. Our Romanian rescue just arrived on Saturday. She's got loads to learn, but is doing really well.

Original poster
Catzeyess · 04/08/2015 22:48

Oh dear - my mum came over this evening (a person DDog has met a few times and has previously been absolutely fine with) and he started growling and following her around. He tried to nip her too, DH wasn't here so I put him on a lead and had to drag him into another room while my mum let herself out. My mum said she was really scared by him.

I specifically said to the rescue I'm not prepared to deal with fear aggression Sad

OP posts:
Booboostwo · 05/08/2015 07:04

What did the behaviourist say about such situations? I am loath to give any advise over the Internet as it may not suit the individual dog but the standard response to this kind of situation is to have one person distracting the dog with exercises and treats (sit or down, click and treat, repeat again and again) while another person opens the door, then the dog is placed in his safe place. This could be a blanket if the dog will stay there, or a crate or behind a baby gate if the dog is not safe enough to have loose around people. I would not allow this dog to interact unsupervised with guests at this stage or follow them around at all.

Thefacttheyact1234 · 05/08/2015 08:00

I've just read through all your posts op. You sound great. Good luck whatever you decide. Not many novices would have come as far as you have. Thanks

LetThereBeCupcakes · 05/08/2015 08:26

Did the Behaviourist speak to you about Fear profiles? This is when you build up a picture of all of the things that make a dog anxious. The idea is that quite often there are a number of things that make a dog anxious, but only a bit, so you don't really notice, unless more than one of those things happen at once. So, for example, if your dog was a bit nervous of the dark and a bit nervous of men, you might find the dog is fine with a man during the day, and fine with a woman at night, but a man in the dark would push him over the edge.

I think you need to start noting down all incidents in as much detail as possible. Right down to things like the weather, unusual smells etc.

Our girl had all sorts of triggers, but it was only one 2 or more happened at once that she would react in a way we could see.

Original poster
Catzeyess · 05/08/2015 09:00

The behaviourist basically said try and keep him under threshold and get people to give him treats when he is calmer.

I think what triggered this particular behaviour is that we have a delivery arrive while my mum was here and a man at the door plus my mum in the living room tipped him over the edge.

Unfortunately my mum doesn't really listen to me (she thinks she knows best - not just about the dog but that's another story!) so although I was calling at her to ignore him and that I would deal with him while I was at the door dealing with the delivery (He was doing avaoidance growling and our usual strategy is to get him to go to his bed) but my mum was having none of it and tried to grab his collar so she basically raised his stress levels. He then went from avoidance to confrontation with her.

To be fair I could have predicted if he was going to get stressed with someone else it would be my mum because she just will not listen to me and DH when we say ignore him and tries to touch and talk to him all the time - so far he has tolerated it but he is definitely not comfortable with it. I've tried to explain dog body language and that he is uncomfortable but she thinks I'm being over protective of him. Well now she has seen the escalated behaviour she is finally starting to take me seriously (she said it came out of nowhere - but he gave lots of clear warning he was uncomfortable before growling she just ignored them) but it's very annoying because he has now rehearsed it for a second time so and so we really need to make sure he does not get above threshold with strangers again.

We were doing so well with strangers - he was staying under threshold. Everyone else just listens to DH and I and ignores him though, occasionally tossing him treats.

I suppose the one thing is this dog gives us loads of warning he is uncomfortable.

So frustrating

OP posts:
Booboostwo · 05/08/2015 09:12

I see that makes a lot of sense. I appreciate your DM meant well but she did the wrong thing.

You are doing brilliantly with understanding this dog though! I don't mean to sound condescending but not many novice dog owners would have learnt so much so quickly.

What is your gut feeling about his future? Can you cope or is it too much? I don't think there is any blame in saying he is too much work. He sounds like a very challenging dog who has been pretty much dumped on you.

Original poster
Catzeyess · 05/08/2015 09:28

Honestly I literally had no idea about dogs before we got him. I have never owned one, only ever interacted with (as I understand it now) well socialised dogs and honestly have learnt so much in three weeks. Mainly through watching you tube videos, observing him asking you guys and generally really trying to be a good responsible owner.

It's hard though, because we have come so far I feel really strongly that I want to give him the best possible chance as I have a high suspicion if he goes back he will get pts Sad but he is 100% not what we signed up for.

My ray of hope is that we have caught this behaviour early and we may be able to manage it and counter condition him into a more relaxed dog who is more what we are looking for. The jury is still out about whether we keep him though

OP posts:
LetThereBeCupcakes · 05/08/2015 10:00

Sounds like the behaviourist was brilliant. "under threshold" is pretty much what I was trying to say.

OP you're doing so well. But you seem to be surrounded by numpties (sorry - no offence!)

SirVixofVixHall · 05/08/2015 14:28

I don't think any dog is ever "100% what we signed up for" and it isn't reasonable to expect that, even if you have a dog from a puppy. A dog is a sentient being like a child, and just like a child, you can do things that will improve behaviour or make it worse, but you have to accept the basic personality and temperment. I love my dog, who I got as a little pup, she is great, but she gets frantic with fear at the vet and will then get nippy. She destroys all sorts of things, and her recall is still a bit hit and miss. She is really young so hopefully the recall will improve, and our vet is working with us to help lower her anxieties when she needs attention (she's had some painful experiences ). but she is always going to sneak off with things to rip to shreds (she's a terrier) and she will always be a slightly stressy dog as that is her basic nature. Your dog sounds as though he has a lovely temperment, but naturally he gets fearful and may also be quite protective, if he has some GS dog in him then that will be there in his nature anyway. These things will improve with time, and I think relaxing about it and seeing that it takes time will help the dog too, as they strongly pick up on our feelings- if your DH is feeling annoyed with the dog, or you are disagreeing with your Mum on how to treat him, then he will sense all this and be on his guard and anxious. He won't be a relaxed dog overnight, and he may never be a very relaxed dog all the time, but he will learn over time how to behave.
I met a dog the other day from Romania, and thought of you- she had been horribly treated, but she is now so calm that she works as an assistant dog, visiting the elderly and people with dementia. She looked a bit like your dog, and she has taken work, but she is now the most wonderful pet.

honeyroar · 05/08/2015 14:51

I agree, no dog is ever what you expect, and most need to learn how to behave from the owner. Whether it's a well bred puppy, a UK rescue or a foreign one.

Are you on Facebook? Try finding a a Romanian rescue group if you are. My dog came from 1dogatatime rescue and there are lots of posts from people that have had dogs, showing how they've settled and become great dogs. There is also support and sympathy if you need help. Something like that may help.

Booboostwo · 05/08/2015 15:22

I completely agree that dogs are not robots and they often throw us curve balls but a fear aggressive dog that is close to biting is quite a big curve ball. This dog will require most of OP's attention for quite a long time to come. Trust me, I am not one to rehome animals (just come out the other side with a disabled kitten that took 10 months to litter train) but dealing with aggression is a big ask.

Original poster
Catzeyess · 06/08/2015 17:01

Poor boy had 7 teeth out, they were in pretty bad shape so I think he must have been in quite a bit of pain poor thing.

He was good as gold in the vets and very excited to see us and get home.

OP posts:
basildonbond · 06/08/2015 17:04

He must have been so uncomfortable - I hope he's having lots of soft yummy things to eat and plenty of tlc!

Original poster
Catzeyess · 06/08/2015 17:06

Chicken and rice for dinner (on vets instructions) and lots of cuddles

OP posts:
ExitPursuedByABear · 06/08/2015 17:09

Gosh 7 teeth! I can't remember how old he is. Are they his baby teeth?

Original poster
Catzeyess · 06/08/2015 17:13

He is 6, no they are all adult teeth - two front canines are gone on one side three of the little teeth at the front and two back teeth

OP posts:
ExitPursuedByABear · 06/08/2015 17:14

Poor soul. Will he be ok chewing stuff?