Rescue dogs - learning about the previous life

[iceberg]

the one they had before you got them. awhile back i was talking about getting a dog and yes, i did. she's part german sheppard and part...um...yea. but she's just a sweetheart but very timid. always has been. i can give her a treat and while she's getting better at grabbing it, she usually starts off lightly as if scared to bite into it to take hold of it. but we're getting there.

i've been feeding her science hill puppy food for bigger dogs. at 8 months she's around 45 lbs and still growing. i got her some canned food for treats and found out like all dogs i'm sure she LOVES it moreso than the dry. i keep it for treats however and stick with dry for the most part, watering it down if she leaves it sitting to see if that helps.

last night she was just being a good dog all around so i decided it was time for another night of canned food and took it out of the pantry and showed it to her with the "LOOK AT YOUR DINNER!!!"

she froze. she backed up some and just stared at the can and not in a licking of the lips can't wait to dive in way. i moved a bit closer to her and she backed up even more and crouched down. still unsure if she was playing or not cause this was so new, i tried playing it off and chased her for a few steps and she just bolted to her crate. i put the can away and got out some other canned things like air freshener (need those with a dog in the house) and so forth and she'd sniff those but not have a total negative reaction. but any canned food made her freeze in fear. getting it closer to her just made her run away.

all i can figure is someone must have abused her in the first 4 months of her life because that's when i got her and i never even showed her a can for the next 4 months. so just one of those things in a rescue dog i'm learning is having to adjust to them in as much as me.

in the end i simply sat on the floor with a can opener and her bowl to take the food out of the can in front of her and chop it up in her bowl and leave the empty can on the floor for a bit so she could check it on her own terms.

wonder what else i'll learn about her as we grow.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't know if there has to be past trauma to cause that kind of thing or if it is just a weird thing with some dogs.

Any type of Buzz noise and our female dog gets scared and we have had her since she was a young pup from the shelter.

Can be watching a show and a loud buzz comes on like a prison door opening scene...she takes off. Game show with the buzzer noise, she takes off.

She used to be afraid of the washer and dryer running (something about the noise of it) but got over that one.

The last couple of years a couple of different television shows would make her leave the room. If Big Brother would come one...she would just hear the music or the woman's voice that hosts it and she would get up and leave.

Now she is doing that for a number of shows but only in the evening which is weird. In the morning and during the day I can watch TV and she has no problem laying in the living room. Now sometime after 6 or so random noises make her get up and go to another room.

I don't know if her hearing is messed up or not. I forgot that at one time she was getting scared and busting into the bedroom at night, which she only used to do if she REALLY had to go out at night, she started doing this multiple times at night all of a sudden and it was hell getting her to go back into the house. I later found out that it was a new air sanitizer/freshner and every hour it would spray out the product....this simple whoosh sound all the way on the other side of the house would make the dog freak out.

So I don't think it means it is stuff that has traumatized a pet.
It might just be something new.
It might just be some odd ball quirk with some animals.
And it could be something else

 

[TheBigEasy]

Reading your post OP made me so freaking mad. Why!?!? Why do low lives have to take out their anger on an innocent, lovable & trainable animal. If one day, I'm a witness to such behavior toward an animal, I will turn this 6'5"/245# frame into a beater of a dog beater. God bless you for saving this pup and giving her all the love she deserves. These people are sick, cruel and cowards.

 

[iceberg]

well as bp said, hard to know what happened.

bp - there is no noise. i simply opened the pantry and took a can of food out and showed her. that made her freeze and look honestly scared. the closer i got to her with just a can, no noise, nothing, the more scared she got and took off. now granted she's inside and can't go far but this dog has been very tentative since the day i got her. i would give her a treat and she would gently take it and if i didn't hold it for a bit it would drop out of her mouth.

also - 5 minutes before this she was with me in my home office where i have a small air compressor. yes i've turned that on to see what she does and she jumped up and got curious and when i put the nozzle in front of her when the air was still faint, she licked it. not the nozzle, but the air coming out of it. was cracking me up. almost as much as a small portable vacuum cleaner i turned on she went to lick and gave me an automatic "rasberry" type response as it gently pulled on her tongue.

so no noise, just a can of dog food. a can of refried beans. tomato sauce. didn't matter, canned food made her honestly scared. so i don't know about "abuse" no - but i do know she's scared to death of it and no idea why. i can only be patient with her and slowly teach her they're ok and let her do what she needs to do.

i need to post some pics when i get home. she's so damn cute!

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Yeah...might just be new to her and she is just naturally skittish...Our female has been skittish as well.

The male dog we have does not care about that kind of thing at all. He is not afraid of any animals (has killed cats, a robin, rabbits and a squirrel that has got in yard).
You can not watch a movie or show with a bunch of animals as he squalls like he wants to go after it on the TV (when he was a pup he did jump up and hit the TV) Lions, Alligators, Bears on tv...makes no difference... but he is terrified of one terrible animal...the most dangerous of all animals. A House fly. Yep. A normal house fly and he is terrified if one gets in the house. Will not sit still, runs around scared and he will not lay down and sleep and until we find it, kill it and show it to him that it is dead. We think he got bit by a deer or horse fly one time and now thinks they are all the same. Just will drive you crazy if one is in the house.

Just part of their individual quirks and personalities...which makes us love them even more.

 

[iceberg]

hopefully that's it. she's just so timid at it is to see her get scared at a can of food? just took me by surprise. like you say though, just learning the dog and learning how to be a dog owner.

as for fly's, she tried to "myagi" the one i had in the house the other day.

 

[Rockport]

the one they had before you got them. awhile back i was talking about getting a dog and yes, i did. she's part german sheppard and part...um...yea. but she's just a sweetheart but very timid. always has been. i can give her a treat and while she's getting better at grabbing it, she usually starts off lightly as if scared to bite into it to take hold of it. but we're getting there.

i've been feeding her science hill puppy food for bigger dogs. at 8 months she's around 45 lbs and still growing. i got her some canned food for treats and found out like all dogs i'm sure she LOVES it moreso than the dry. i keep it for treats however and stick with dry for the most part, watering it down if she leaves it sitting to see if that helps.

last night she was just being a good dog all around so i decided it was time for another night of canned food and took it out of the pantry and showed it to her with the "LOOK AT YOUR DINNER!!!"

she froze. she backed up some and just stared at the can and not in a licking of the lips can't wait to dive in way. i moved a bit closer to her and she backed up even more and crouched down. still unsure if she was playing or not cause this was so new, i tried playing it off and chased her for a few steps and she just bolted to her crate. i put the can away and got out some other canned things like air freshener (need those with a dog in the house) and so forth and she'd sniff those but not have a total negative reaction. but any canned food made her freeze in fear. getting it closer to her just made her run away.

all i can figure is someone must have abused her in the first 4 months of her life because that's when i got her and i never even showed her a can for the next 4 months. so just one of those things in a rescue dog i'm learning is having to adjust to them in as much as me.

in the end i simply sat on the floor with a can opener and her bowl to take the food out of the can in front of her and chop it up in her bowl and leave the empty can on the floor for a bit so she could check it on her own terms.

wonder what else i'll learn about her as we grow.

Kudos for getting a rescue. She will turn out to be the best dog possible once the bonding takes hold. I wish more folks would go the route you did. Again, kudos.

 

[iceberg]

Kudos for getting a rescue. She will turn out to be the best dog possible once the bonding takes hold. I wish more folks would go the route you did. Again, kudos.

she's been flat amazing. i've had to learn some things sure about having a dog and she's had to get used to me also but i do believe we've long since bonded. another friend of mine said the way she was acting in the first week or so i had her said she was already bonded and remarked how quick that happened.

 

[TheBigEasy]

she's been flat amazing. i've had to learn some things sure about having a dog and she's had to get used to me also but i do believe we've long since bonded. another friend of mine said the way she was acting in the first week or so i had her said she was already bonded and remarked how quick that happened.

I rescued my Lab as she was sleeping in a barn in the middle of winter. She was less than 3 months old. Dogs are extremely smart. From day 1, she knew that I was the one that 'saved' her and she has repaid me EVERYDAY over the past 9 years. You saved her my man and now have earned her trust and loyalty. Enjoy her as time goes by way too fast.

 

[CowboyStar88]

I have 2 rescues myself both small dogs (ex-wife) but one was fostered and she has no fear. My other one was rescued directly from the previous owner at 4 months old. I hate these mother you know what! This poor dog is absolutely terrified of the remote control. He also has issues with other does eating out of different bowls he goes into full protective mode over it. Also he shakes a lot even when I talk to him in a very calming voice and telling him how much of a good boy he is. Miles is very super close to me as he follows me every and will sit and wait for me unlike the other dogs. I have been dealing with it for 4 years now. I swear if I ever see these low lives again...

I was on my way back from lake havasu boat in tow at 11 pm when my ex-wife saw a posting from a mutual friend about this little guy going to a kill shelter the next morning because they were going out of town. I told the ex you call them now and tell them we will be in Palmdale in 2 hours to meet us at the ride share. So 15 mins out we called them the wife got in the car drove him over and we fell for him right there no questions asked we took him home. He is such a great dog and it angers me how easily it was for them to say hey we will take him to the kill shelter.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

One thought. I saw a training technique used to teach dogs, (especially young ones/puppies) to stop a behavior like chewing was to fill a can w/ coins or washers, tape it up and shake it vigorously to stop the behavior while telling them "NO!" Basically it startles the dog and redirects their attention, but I could easily see it be an adverse association that could trigger the reaction you're pup is displaying.

1 of my 2 dachshund brothers both raised in the same environment at the same time, is DEATHLY afraid of the trash and recycling trucks that come down the ally. He cowers like crazy or bolts to the door when he hears them in the neighborhood and knows that when the trashcans are rolled down the driveway, even if they're done the night before, the next day the rumbling monsters are coming. I can barely get him out of his pen to go out those early mornings because he knows the general time frame they come. Once he hears them early morning, he knows they won't be back until late afternoon. He'll spend the whole day outside, but once the afternoon comes...back inside he goes.

His brother couldn't careless about them!

The cause of the problem happened because when they were puppies I'd take them out on training walks separately at times. One of the days I'd left him in the backyard while I took his brother down the ally right past the trucks. Since he was w/ me, the rumbling didn't phase him. It was really just something else to be curious about.

The brother that got left behind since he couldn't see the truck and was alone, associated it w/ something scary. Even now that both dogs are 5+ and I may be outside with them when the trucks come, the trucks are no bueno and he bolts for the door.

Nothing else scares either dog. They've been well socialized. No other large trucks, loud engines, lawn equipment, dogs or strangers bothers them. It's quirky what can trigger a behavior in an animal, but sometimes you just have to acquiesce and let them know their safe and loved.

 

[iceberg]

I have 2 rescues myself both small dogs (ex-wife) but one was fostered and she has no fear. My other one was rescued directly from the previous owner at 4 months old. I hate these mother you know what! This poor dog is absolutely terrified of the remote control. He also has issues with other does eating out of different bowls he goes into full protective mode over it. Also he shakes a lot even when I talk to him in a very calming voice and telling him how much of a good boy he is. Miles is very super close to me as he follows me every and will sit and wait for me unlike the other dogs. I have been dealing with it for 4 years now. I swear if I ever see these low lives again...

I was on my way back from lake havasu boat in tow at 11 pm when my ex-wife saw a posting from a mutual friend about this little guy going to a kill shelter the next morning because they were going out of town. I told the ex you call them now and tell them we will be in Palmdale in 2 hours to meet us at the ride share. So 15 mins out we called them the wife got in the car drove him over and we fell for him right there no questions asked we took him home. He is such a great dog and it angers me how easily it was for them to say hey we will take him to the kill shelter.

i'm putting a doggy door in today via a new storm door for the backyard. she liked it when i just left the door open for her to go in and out and i liked it because she could entertain herself as well. so, great idea.

yesterday i found my phone, a shredded box of raisens she didn't eat just took outside and other things suddenly showing up in the back yard. when i found the phone i was like WHAT THE HELL? cause it was on this tarp roof of an outside "house" i've made for her to get some shade during those kinda days. i knew i didn't put it there but thought i must have - it was there and no one else is around. over a year ago when i was drinking all the time i could see it but now i thought it was just age.

then the guy who also was putting new fence posts in said he found it and some liquid nails on the ground and that's just where he put the phone and threw the liquid nails away.

bad dog.

so i need to get used to keeping an eye on things like that and patiently telling her "NO" when i see her reach for it and offering something else.

i have found spending $20 on a chew toy is a waste of time. she'll just grab a plastic bottle out of the trash or one that fell on the floor and take it out back. most of her toys are now out there.

silly dogs.

but she does seem better around canned food. it's almost anything that side shown to her directly she'll back away. bigger things she'll come sniff. like bp said, could just be a quirk as i learn how to talk to dogs.

 

[iceberg]

One thought. I saw a training technique used to teach dogs, (especially young ones/puppies) to stop a behavior like chewing was to fill a can w/ coins or washers, tape it up and shake it vigorously to stop the behavior while telling them "NO!" Basically it startles the dog and redirects their attention, but I could easily see it be an adverse association that could trigger the reaction you're pup is displaying.

1 of my 2 dachshund brothers both raised in the same environment at the same time, is DEATHLY afraid of the trash and recycling trucks that come down the ally. He cowers like crazy or bolts to the door when he hears them in the neighborhood and knows that when the trashcans are rolled down the driveway, even if they're done the night before, the next day the rumbling monsters are coming. I can barely get him out of his pen to go out those early mornings because he knows the general time frame they come. Once he hears them early morning, he knows they won't be back until late afternoon. He'll spend the whole day outside, but once the afternoon comes...back inside he goes.

His brother couldn't careless about them!

The cause of the problem happened because when they were puppies I'd take them out on training walks separately at times. One of the days I'd left him in the backyard while I took his brother down the ally right past the trucks. Since he was w/ me, the rumbling didn't phase him. It was really just something else to be curious about.

The brother that got left behind since he couldn't see the truck and was alone, associated it w/ something scary. Even now that both dogs are 5+ and I may be outside with them when the trucks come, the trucks are no bueno and he bolts for the door.

Nothing else scares either dog. They've been well socialized. No other large trucks, loud engines, lawn equipment, dogs or strangers bothers them. It's quirky what can trigger a behavior in an animal, but sometimes you just have to acquiesce and let them know their safe and loved.

and that's when i just sat on the floor, opened up the can in front of her and had her watch me put it in the bowl for her to eat. helped a little but it will just take time.

got plenty of that.