[Yvette]

I have had Tux one week today! Very sweet/gentle/ loving 8 month old Puppy. He has a few quirks that I need some advice on. First, I do need to let you know, He is not treat or toy motiavated. I have tried both so far.
He does like to be told he is a good boy in a high pitched baby voice though.
Now, I was told that he was abused. I am not sure this is the case & as soon as I can, he will be nuetered (I don't need puppies).
The first thing that I have noticed with him, is his leash. I am not sure he was introduced to it properly. When I put it on him, he will freeze & not move. I even tried a harness. When I walk him with my Pug, he is fine & will walk until he feels the slightest tug. Then he freezes & won't move. He also cries like he is being tortured. I do not tug on the keash ahrd like I would do
with my German shepherd. But, a little tug on the leash with my finger til the leash is a little tight then I release it. My voice & praise doesn't seem to do much then either.
An incident happened yesterday that I have never had before too. I've been doing alot of running around this week & hadn't slept well. So yesterday afternoon I decided to take a nap. Glitzie the Pug enjoys snuggling with me
& takes a nap with me too. Now, I didn't mind Tux napping with us. He had a big day meeting a friend of mine & her dog(trying to bring him everywhere to socialize him). So, we were all lying down in bed & my 14 yr. old daughter came in to tell me I had a call. She turned on the light & spoke loudyly enough both dogs woke up. She then wanted to help me out of bed. She placed the pug on the floor no problem. Then she went to get Tux. She first said hello to him & then went to pick him up. He went to bite her! She did not get bit, but it did make us jump.
How do I correct this? I never had a dog do this.
My dogs don't come on to my bed much. It's almost like a small treat for them. They have there crates that they sleep in. Tux doesn't like it much ( don't think he had one before). But, I do leave a radio on for comfort.
The crates are in my den.

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by Yvette

Now, I was told that he was abused. I am not sure this is the case & as soon as I can, he will be nuetered (I don't need puppies).

I not going to be much help with this particular dog but I do have a few words of wisdom I would like to share.

When a shelter or rescue orginazation tell you in vague terms that a dog has been abused, what they are trying to tell you is that this is a problem dog. If he didn't have problems there would be no need to mention abuse.

The dog needs to be neutered but thats not going to help his problems.

The first thing that I have noticed with him, is his leash. I am not sure he was introduced to it properly. When I put it on him, he will freeze & not move. I even tried a harness.

No one can tell if this is an abuse problem or just an idiopathic problem but it's going to be difficult to fix. Some people enjoy working with dogs with problems and if you are one of those, you will enjoy this dog to no end. If not, you and the dog and your family are going to be miserable.

She first said hello to him & then went to pick him up. He went to bite her!

This is another problem that is going to be difficult to fix. Since it's a small dog and your daughter is a teenager, its not as serious as it could be but still it will be a big PITA.

How do I correct this?

The easiest and fastest way to "correct" it is to not put the dog in a posisiton where he has the opportunity to bite but thats only a temporary fix. You are going to have to be real careful with this dog around other people particularly children.

You have only had the dog a week and probably haven't had time to see all of his problems yet. It's probably not an option at this point but I would seriously consider taking the dog back. Otherwise you are going to have months and probably years of aggravation. Be aware that there is a very good chance that if you take him back he will be PTS. If you keep him, you will definately need professional help.

Anytime you are adopting a dog and are told he was abused, be very careful unless you are willing to put forth many many hours over months and months and spend many dollars to MAYBE help him recover.

Many of my comments in this post were not directed at the OP but just general information for everyone.

[Yvette]

Just an FYI. I got him off of Craigslist. The lady who had him didn't raelly have a clue. Her 8 yr. old was tormenting the puppy to the point he was growling at her. She also has a very busy household & know one else wanted to do any training with him. Our household is very quiet(not busy) & my daughter is willing to have the patience to go along with retraining his behavoirs too. That was the main reason she was looking for a home for him. She also told me how he was on the leash & when she brought him over,
he was not leash & ran through my nieghborborhood. This poor puppy was groomed & was naked for a while. Never had a nail trimming or the hair plucked out from his ears canals. I did take him in because we don't mind working on stuff like this. He is very sweet. Just never experienced the cry or bite before and caught me off guard. I have the patience. I just do not know what to do or where to start?

The culprit:
http://files.dogster.com/pix/dogs/76...1226790080.jpg
Tux

[RawFedDogs]

Originally Posted by Yvette

I just do not know what to do or where to start?

I would put a leash on him and just let him drag it around while supervised. I would do this several times a day for a week just to get him used to having a leash on him. After a week, pick up your end of the leash and walk with him trying to keep the leash loose. If it accidentally gets tight and the pup freezes, just let it be loose and stand there with him until he decides to move again. Let him wander where he wants to with you obediently following behind. Gradually he should get used to very short periods of tightness from the leash. This will be a very gradual process to get to the point of a normal. Never raise your voice or fuss at him when he's on leash.

If your daughter is careful, possibly the attempt to bite her was a one time thing. She might could play with him in a calm manner as much as possible, all the time being very aware of what he is capable of.

Hopefully someone else will have some more suggestions. The secret is keeping everything as calm as possible when he is doing things he is not comfortable with.

Once he freezes and you wait with him until he starts to walk again, give him a treat and calm praise when he begins walking.

[Yvette]

So far he's accepting the leash & harness. When the tugging occurs, it is very gentle. I just lighty pull up & he is realizing that he is not getting hurt & when he does walk I praise the heck out of him!