[Jlind86]

Hi!
I was not sure where to post.. rescue/training or here, so I hope this is okay. I have been working at my rescue for two years now. About 10 months ago, we got a call about pups ( around 2 months) living under an abandoned house. After a week of trying to get them, we finally set up traps. Slowly but surely we were able to get them all.

These babies were terrified of people. It has been a slow process, but I am able to leash 4 out of the 5 and go out for walks. I was only able to get one of the girls to walk after about 2 months. The rest started walking about a month ago. So....now there is one. I still cannot even pet her. She will come next to me when I bring her friend Dev in to see her, but thats it. I am worried about pushing her and making something that should be a positive experience ( a walk!! ) into something negative.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to encourage her out? I understand patience is key (I am okay with this) I just really want her to have a more fulfilling life. Adopting her seems so far out since we cant even touch her.

--She will take treats from my hand. She also listens if I talk to her and ask her to come see me. (Just not too close!)-- I also understand she would probably come along further at a foster home--


On the plus side, this is a picture from last Friday. This is one of the girls meeting one of our other rescues. She did fantastic! I know its possible to get the last pup where she needs to be, just hoping maybe someone else has been through this and made it to the otherside

 

[parus]

I'm a little confused on the timeline - how old are they estimated to be, and how long have you had them?

For what it's worth, I adopted an approx. 1 year old dog that had previously only had minimal contact with humans. It took her about two years before her behavior was what I'd call "normal" for a pet dog, but she ended up being a great housedog and a great travel buddy for me. She lived to be 17 even though she was a pretty big dog. She had a temperamental trait that helped a lot with bringing her around - being almost stupidly fearless - but dogs in general are genetically programmed to bond with humans, which is in your favor when working with these sorts of cases. One of the biggest helps with my girl was having a second dog that was people-friendly and dog-friendly. He set a good model for her of how nice is it to have people friends and how to interact with humans. Mostly though I just gave her time, a low-key environment, and predictable routines.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

If you got the pups at about 8 weeks old they should have been separated. The longer they are together, the more likely they will simply continue to bond to each other and not to you.

Separated and handled, fed and worked with separately YOU become the source of all things good. Food, exercise, play and so forth. The longer they are left together the harder it will be to get them to partner with humans instead of each other.

Essentially you are dealing with Littermate syndrome but at a higher level as for the first two months they had not human contact.

 

[Jlind86]

I'm a little confused on the timeline - how old are they estimated to be, and how long have you had them?

For what it's worth, I adopted an approx. 1 year old dog that had previously only had minimal contact with humans. It took her about two years before her behavior was what I'd call "normal" for a pet dog, but she ended up being a great housedog and a great travel buddy for me. She lived to be 17 even though she was a pretty big dog. She had a temperamental trait that helped a lot with bringing her around - being almost stupidly fearless - but dogs in general are genetically programmed to bond with humans, which is in your favor when working with these sorts of cases. One of the biggest helps with my girl was having a second dog that was people-friendly and dog-friendly. He set a good model for her of how nice is it to have people friends and how to interact with humans. Mostly though I just gave her time, a low-key environment, and predictable routines.

Hi, sorry for any confusion! It is estimated they are around 11 months to a year now. They have been with us for almost 10 months now.

I agree with bringing around other dogs so she can observe. She is definitely more curious and less scared with the other dog hanging out with us.
Really I guess time and patience.
Every milestone we pass along the way is a blessing.

 

[Jlind86]

If you got the pups at about 8 weeks old they should have been separated. The longer they are together, the more likely they will simply continue to bond to each other and not to you.

Separated and handled, fed and worked with separately YOU become the source of all things good. Food, exercise, play and so forth. The longer they are left together the harder it will be to get them to partner with humans instead of each other.

Essentially you are dealing with Littermate syndrome but at a higher level as for the first two months they had not human contact.

This!! I think a few of us have voiced this the last months. I agree with you. They are paired up with a sibling. I know some of the reason we paired at first was kennel space. I hope we are able to separate them soon or find a foster. Thank you.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

This!! I think a few of us have voiced this the last months. I agree with you. They are paired up with a sibling. I know some of the reason we paired at first was kennel space. I hope we are able to separate them soon or find a foster. Thank you.

It may be too late. They are a year old now and not been separated.