Hi everyone,
I'm a first-time poster so wasn't sure if this should go in the Training or Rescue forum, but this seemed to be the better fit! This may be a bit long, so I apologize for the length up-front...
I rescued a wonderful dog from a rescue society in Washington DC about ten months ago. Buffy was about 1.5 years old when I got her; she is very sweet but has some abuse in her past and is terrified of EVERYTHING (I'm talking from pots and pans to beeping noises to fluffy feather dusters...) She also has severe separation anxiety, to the point where I've reluctantly had to put her on anxiety medication out of fear she would hurt herself (to date, she has torn her way through three metal crates -- still not sure how she accomplished that -- and jumped out of a second story window). Since getting her, I've moved to San Diego and now work from home, so the separation issue is slowly getting better. I've had rescue dogs before so know to be patient and take it more slowly with training than if I had raised her from a puppy, but none of my other dogs have been so scared of just life in general.
My biggest problem in terms of training is getting her to Come. She knows the command but a lot of times is too afraid to obey. If something has spooked her (whether it's something in my hand, a noise she heard earlier, whatever), she just shuts down -- slinks off into a corner and rolls over onto her back or literally runs away from me and hides. If she knows I have a treat for her, then she's all about it, but the problem there is that my roommate's dog, while they get along perfectly in other respects, is food-aggressive, so I can't just carry treats around in my pocket like I otherwise would.
I'm totally fine being patient and giving her as much time as she needs to learn the more "fun" commands (shake, bring, leave it, etc.) but this one freaks me out because it's a matter of her safety -- if we're at the dog park or she gets away from me on a walk somehow, and is too afraid to come when I call her, I'm worried she could get hurt.
Any suggestions?? Thanks!
I'm a first-time poster so wasn't sure if this should go in the Training or Rescue forum, but this seemed to be the better fit! This may be a bit long, so I apologize for the length up-front...
I rescued a wonderful dog from a rescue society in Washington DC about ten months ago. Buffy was about 1.5 years old when I got her; she is very sweet but has some abuse in her past and is terrified of EVERYTHING (I'm talking from pots and pans to beeping noises to fluffy feather dusters...) She also has severe separation anxiety, to the point where I've reluctantly had to put her on anxiety medication out of fear she would hurt herself (to date, she has torn her way through three metal crates -- still not sure how she accomplished that -- and jumped out of a second story window). Since getting her, I've moved to San Diego and now work from home, so the separation issue is slowly getting better. I've had rescue dogs before so know to be patient and take it more slowly with training than if I had raised her from a puppy, but none of my other dogs have been so scared of just life in general.
My biggest problem in terms of training is getting her to Come. She knows the command but a lot of times is too afraid to obey. If something has spooked her (whether it's something in my hand, a noise she heard earlier, whatever), she just shuts down -- slinks off into a corner and rolls over onto her back or literally runs away from me and hides. If she knows I have a treat for her, then she's all about it, but the problem there is that my roommate's dog, while they get along perfectly in other respects, is food-aggressive, so I can't just carry treats around in my pocket like I otherwise would.
I'm totally fine being patient and giving her as much time as she needs to learn the more "fun" commands (shake, bring, leave it, etc.) but this one freaks me out because it's a matter of her safety -- if we're at the dog park or she gets away from me on a walk somehow, and is too afraid to come when I call her, I'm worried she could get hurt.
Any suggestions?? Thanks!