Need some help

DeeRums · 09-02-2008, 12:13 AM

So i need a few pointers heres my situation..

I just adopted a dog from my local humane society he is almost a year old and ive had him for maybe 2 months now. He has a history of being abused and so therefore he is deathly afraid of men. I dont really know how to get him over his fear ive tried having any guy that comes in the house give him a treat but hes not interested in the treat if there is a guy around he just stares at the guy he doesnt get aggressive with guys either he will growl for a minute but if they get close he cowers and then pees if anyone has any ideas i would greatly appreciate it!

Also is it true that pets can associate a name with their past? Like my dog whom i adopted is named Cletus and he already answers to it so to avoid any confusion i have just been calling him Cletus..someone told me it might be therapeutic to him if i change his name and no longer call him Cletus because he can associate it with his past.

TooneyDogs · 09-02-2008, 01:15 AM

The guys need to sit quietly, not make direct eye contact, not bend over him and not try to pet him. Cletus has to make the 1st move and he'll do that when he sees the guy is not a threat. The guys can throw treats in his direction but, that's all in the early stages of building trust and confidence.
And, yes, the humane societies recommend changing the dogs name.

poodleholic · 09-02-2008, 02:28 AM

What Tooney said. And yes, change his name. I saw a HUGE change in Beau (my rescue) when I changed his name.

klip · 09-02-2008, 12:46 PM

This is not something I've had personal experience with, but I have read the following.

You can use clicker training to overcome this fear. First you need to train the dog to "target" an object (it could be your hand) - that is, touch it when its held out. With clicker training, the dog figures out what behaviour is needed, and makes the decision to touch for themselves.

Once the dog is very solid on targetting on you, or an object you are holding, try it with a stranger. Very slowly giving the dog lots of time, keeping things very calm. Because the dog is focusing on the familiar target object, they dont perceive the situation in the same way - its not "meet the scary man" its "touch the familiar object".

Not sure how much help that is, because you need to be doing clicker training, but that is a great thing to do in any case, with a nervous dog.

rosemaryninja · 09-02-2008, 01:00 PM

As with any phobia, there is a certain distance within which a dog becomes uncomfortable with the subject of his phobia. You need to figure out what that "comfort distance" is for your dog. Maybe he's comfortable with men being 6 feet away. Maybe he's only comfortable with them being 10 feet away. Whatever it is, you need to keep men at that kind of distance if you want the desensitisation process to start. When he is aware of their presence, but not quivering in fear, is when you want to distract him and start lavishing him with treats and praise.

If he's ignoring food, toys and praise because he's so afraid, it means the men are either too close or you've distracted him too late.

Men shouldn't directly approach him or interact with him if he's not comfortable with them. This will only cause the dog to shut down and freeze up. They can toss treats to him from a distance, but they should not do anything that makes him uncomfortable.

Dogstar · 09-02-2008, 03:24 PM

All of these behaviors suggested above can be useful. However, explaining them in detail is a LOT of work. May I recommend some books for you?

1. Click to Calm - Emma Parsons
This book is specifically about aggressive dogs, but the techniques will work very well with fearful dogs as well (fear aggression is very directly addressed in this book, and your dog is a potential candidate for being forced into a bite if a man doesn't listen to hsi 'back off, I'm scared, don't pet me' signals.)

2. Cautious Canine - patricia Mcconnell
This book is pretty short, but some of the techniques would be very useful for you, especially with the management of his problem while you're re-training him.

3. Control Unleashed - Leslie McDervitt
While it's written as a guide for agility foundation work, there's a LOT of stuff in here you can use (Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol among them) to work with your dog.

Lastly, I'd recommend picking up a copy of "For The Love of A Dog" by Patricia McConnell - it's about emotion in dogs but what I think might be really useful for you is the section about fear and some of the body language associated with it. It's a good read anyway. It's not a training guide, but I think the ability to read Cletus's stress level with more precision would be a great help for you.

Changing his name may or may not have any effect. If you don't like his name, change it. :P He won't care, and teaching a dog their name can be a GREAT first behavior to teach with a clicker. :P

I'd also be cautious about assuming he'd been abused. Do you KNOW he was? Frankly, neglect and lack of socialization are just SO much more common, and can present similar to identical symptoms in dogs.

DeeRums · 09-02-2008, 11:59 PM

yes i know he was in fact abused he was rescued from GA the humane society told me he had been abused and he actually has a few scars on him one almost looks like a fork mark the others maybe cigarette burns? not sure

the guys that come in the house dont approach him nor do they try to pet him. he sits at a distance and stares then growls and runs away...not sure what to do

Criosphynx · 09-03-2008, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeRums

yes i know he was in fact abused he was rescued from GA the humane society told me he had been abused and he actually has a few scars on him one almost looks like a fork mark the others maybe cigarette burns? not sure

the guys that come in the house dont approach him nor do they try to pet him. he sits at a distance and stares then growls and runs away...not sure what to do

But how close are they? The same room at this point may be too close... This is a slow but simple process to overcome, everyone gave great advice.

You cannot rush this it all has to be on the dogs terms.

Also, you need to let go of the fact he was abused, it does not matter now.

Treat him like a fearful dog that needs work, not an abused dog that needs pity, saying it and thinking about it doesn't help him recover.

TooneyDogs · 09-03-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeRums

he sits at a distance and stares then growls and runs away...not sure what to do

As was said earlier....just have them toss treats...it makes no difference if he
's acting scared or cowering in a corner. You're trying to change his attitude about guys....good things are coming from these guys (treats). This will be slow and it may be days or weeks before he gets up the nerve to move closer to them. But, that will be a breakthrough moment and then you're ready for the next step.

DeeRums · 09-03-2008, 11:11 AM

i do not harp on the fact he was abused someone asked me if i knew in fact he was so i was answering them

i do not pity him, i treat him like any other dog ive ever had

i just want him to get over this fear so he can lead a happy normal life i know it will take time and im willing to wait i just didnt think anything was working i've had him for close to 2 months now and he still doesnt approach guys

Criosphynx · 09-03-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeRums

i do not harp on the fact he was abused someone asked me if i knew in fact he was so i was answering them

i do not pity him, i treat him like any other dog ive ever had

i just want him to get over this fear so he can lead a happy normal life i know it will take time and im willing to wait i just didnt think anything was working i've had him for close to 2 months now and he still doesnt approach guys

I didn't say you were Harping... I said "saying it and thinking it", which you are doing, does not help, it keeps the negativity fresh in your mind.

Yes... two months is barely the tip of the iceburg here. In that two months, you say the dog still barks, growls, and doesn't except food. That means The dog is being pushed past his threshold, so yes, you will make ZERO progress.

It might take two months just to start and thats IF the dog takes food/tolerates them.
Depends on how fearful the dog is .

The more you push the dog to far right now to be around men the longer the resocialization will take.

DaveOOp · 09-03-2008, 11:56 AM

have you ever heard about SitStayFetc training?

Criosphynx · 09-03-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveOOp

have you ever heard about SitStayFetc training?

This dog need a behaviorist...not a trick trainer.

That said...i think thats what you need to do....contact a behaviorist.

Bodhi · 09-04-2008, 05:12 PM

Also google "submissive urination" I found some great tips on how to approach a fearful & insecure dog.

My husband has to work on this one. He scolded our pup twice for peeing in the house & now he pees when ever he sees him!

I found some very good tips on how to approach the fearful dog, and how to pet & talk (& even ignore) the dog to warm him up to men. Could be helpful...

Good luck, poor baby. Cletus is a bad name anyhow.