HELP PLEASE!! Romey needs HELP

[IheartROME]

[B]As you may know me and Rome currently moved to Concord CA and before i brought him down I asked an Ex Friend to watch him for 2months when I went to go get him he was in a cage full of excuse my language piss and s**t! Now I'm pissed off because he's my furry son right! My baby is not a barker but ever since I picked him bk up I'll walk outside and he panics he has really bad anxiety cannot be left alone and im to scared to trust anyone with him after that incident. I have not been able to start work because his anxiety so: were pretty much flat broke can anyone please help me find a DR. Cheap but good for us or something im so lost and stressed out i just want him to be ok but money dont grow off trees i need to find another job fast thanksYT your the best!B]

[yorkietalkjilly]

First of all take a deep breath and know that lots of dogs get treated bad at times and develop some behavior problems from it. Feeling sorry for them, unlike with people, doesn't help - they sense your concern and get worried and more neurotic than that caused by the thing that hurt them. So brace up and determine to help your dog and get your new job and don't obsess or anything about his issues - they are fixable with a bit of work. He's not permanently damaged or anything unless you sit over him and worry over him. That could really damage him.

Teach your dog to stay home while you are gone a little bit at a time. Fix the crate comfortably with food, water and bedding at one end, potty pads at the other and some toys for playing. Use a pen if you prefer. If you want, put a cover over one end of the crate to create a little denlike area or get a covered cocoon bed for pen confinement so he can sleep in his den if he wants when you are away.

Get your purse, keys out and put a coat on as you do when leaving and sit down in the room with your dog confined to the crate/pen. If he barks/whines, turn away from him. Do not reward this behavior with attention. After a bit, put the keys/purse and coat away and remove the dog from the crate. Do not greet him or make a fuss when he comes out of the confinement for now. Repeat after a couple of hours - get out purse, keys, coat and confine the dog, wait. Turn away and ignore protests. After a bit, put away your accessories and remove the dog from the crate unceremoniously. After a couple house - repeat the whole process.

After a couple days of this, take purse, keys, coat, walk out the door, wait a few second and come right back in. Put your accessories away and let the dog out of the crate but no big greeting for now. Keep everything calm, relaxed, go about your business. In two-three hours, get your things and walk out the door, wait a few seconds and come right back in, put accessories away, let the dog out and don't greet but just go about your biz. In 3-4 hours or so, repeat the going out the door, waiting a bit longer this time and coming back in and doing the same things listed above. Keep doing this until you can open the car door, get in the car and wait a bit before coming back in. (Your dog will be able to hear you get in the car, shut the door from inside. He needs to hear this.) Come back in the house, put things away, let him out and go about biz. After a few hours, do it all over again. In a couple of days, start the car, let it run, turn off, come in house, put things away, let dog out, go about biz with no greeting.

After a while of doing this, drive around the block and return, put things away, etc. Soon you can stay away an hour or so, then longer & longer. By this time, you door will become slowly desensitized to your getting ready to leave, putting him in his crate, leaving, driving away but won't be left long at all at first and he will slowly accept the fact of your leaving him though he's been anxious without you. You will have slowly - at his pace as a nervous, uncertain dog, showed him that getting ready to leave and leaving is not so bad and eventually, he will just lie down in his crate/pen and rest while waiting for your to come home. One time or another, he will relax enough to go to sleep. As dogs sleep most of the day, he will take the time you are gone to mostly sleep and eventually, once his neuroses have calmed down, after letting him out of the crate/pen, you can begin to greet him normally, loving and kissing and having that normal dog greeting of wild fun and gadding about in the room from all their excitement and pentup energy.

Also, training a dog in basic obedience gives them work to do and a scared or nervous dog thrives on getting its thoughts off its fears and on learning the lessons of obedience. It is amazing how this starts to calm them and modify their general behavior. They begin to automatically do what you tell them to do. They become more self-assured and happy, proud of their accomplishments. Through positive reward training, they look to you as their leader and realize that you are going to take care of them and they needn't fear so much anymore.

Keep up the training - it is vital for a nervous, neurotic dog to stay in a training program with you. Just buy a good book or two by noted dog trainers and read up on training theory and the why's and wherefore's on training and it will encourage you when your dog doesn't seem to be making progress some times. Remember to always train in very short sessions, staying very positive and reassuring, never punishing wrongs and only rewarding/praising when he gets it right. Train several times a day if you can, twice in the evenings for 5 minutes on workdays, more often on weekend but only for 5 - 10 minutes at first.

These are some ways to help your baby made neurotic and nervous by bad treatment. Through patient training and desensitization to crating/confining him when you must be gone, you will slowly bring him around to a more centered, calm and happy-again dog that can enjoy life. Just remember, feeling sorry for him will only worry him so let the past go as far as he's concerned and concentrate on working hard now to making him the best-behaved, happiest and most contented dog he can be - and you'll be thrilled with the happy dog you've helped create. And he will enjoy all the positive interaction you two will have.

[bamawife]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

First of all take a deep breath and know that lots of dogs get treated bad at times and develop some behavior problems from it. Feeling sorry for them, unlike with people, doesn't help - they sense your concern and get worried and more neurotic than that caused by the thing that hurt them. So brace up and determine to help your dog and get your new job and don't obsess or anything about his issues - they are fixable with a bit of work. He's not permanently damaged or anything unless you sit over him and worry over him. That could really damage him.

Teach your dog to stay home while you are gone a little bit at a time. Fix the crate comfortably with food, water and bedding at one end, potty pads at the other and some toys for playing. Use a pen if you prefer. If you want, put a cover over one end of the crate to create a little denlike area or get a covered cocoon bed for pen confinement so he can sleep in his den if he wants when you are away.

Get your purse, keys out and put a coat on as you do when leaving and sit down in the room with your dog confined to the crate/pen. If he barks/whines, turn away from him. Do not reward this behavior with attention. After a bit, put the keys/purse and coat away and remove the dog from the crate. Do not greet him or make a fuss when he comes out of the confinement for now. Repeat after a couple of hours - get out purse, keys, coat and confine the dog, wait. Turn away and ignore protests. After a bit, put away your accessories and remove the dog from the crate unceremoniously. After a couple house - repeat the whole process.

After a couple days of this, take purse, keys, coat, walk out the door, wait a few second and come right back in. Put your accessories away and let the dog out of the crate but no big greeting for now. Keep everything calm, relaxed, go about your business. In two-three hours, get your things and walk out the door, wait a few seconds and come right back in, put accessories away, let the dog out and don't greet but just go about your biz. In 3-4 hours or so, repeat the going out the door, waiting a bit longer this time and coming back in and doing the same things listed above. Keep doing this until you can open the car door, get in the car and wait a bit before coming back in. (Your dog will be able to hear you get in the car, shut the door from inside. He needs to hear this.) Come back in the house, put things away, let him out and go about biz. After a few hours, do it all over again. In a couple of days, start the car, let it run, turn off, come in house, put things away, let dog out, go about biz with no greeting.

After a while of doing this, drive around the block and return, put things away, etc. Soon you can stay away an hour or so, then longer & longer. By this time, you door will become slowly desensitized to your getting ready to leave, putting him in his crate, leaving, driving away but won't be left long at all at first and he will slowly accept the fact of your leaving him though he's been anxious without you. You will have slowly - at his pace as a nervous, uncertain dog, showed him that getting ready to leave and leaving is not so bad and eventually, he will just lie down in his crate/pen and rest while waiting for your to come home. One time or another, he will relax enough to go to sleep. As dogs sleep most of the day, he will take the time you are gone to mostly sleep and eventually, once his neuroses have calmed down, after letting him out of the crate/pen, you can begin to greet him normally, loving and kissing and having that normal dog greeting of wild fun and gadding about in the room from all their excitement and pentup energy.

Also, training a dog in basic obedience gives them work to do and a scared or nervous dog thrives on getting its thoughts off its fears and on learning the lessons of obedience. It is amazing how this starts to calm them and modify their general behavior. They begin to automatically do what you tell them to do. They become more self-assured and happy, proud of their accomplishments. Through positive reward training, they look to you as their leader and realize that you are going to take care of them and they needn't fear so much anymore.

Keep up the training - it is vital for a nervous, neurotic dog to stay in a training program with you. Just buy a good book or two by noted dog trainers and read up on training theory and the why's and wherefore's on training and it will encourage you when your dog doesn't seem to be making progress some times. Remember to always train in very short sessions, staying very positive and reassuring, never punishing wrongs and only rewarding/praising when he gets it right. Train several times a day if you can, twice in the evenings for 5 minutes on workdays, more often on weekend but only for 5 - 10 minutes at first.

These are some ways to help your baby made neurotic and nervous by bad treatment. Through patient training and desensitization to crating/confining him when you must be gone, you will slowly bring him around to a more centered, calm and happy-again dog that can enjoy life. Just remember, feeling sorry for him will only worry him so let the past go as far as he's concerned and concentrate on working hard now to making him the best-behaved, happiest and most contented dog he can be - and you'll be thrilled with the happy dog you've helped create. And he will enjoy all the positive interaction you two will have.

GREAT advice!!!!!

[IheartROME]

Omg that totally put things in perspective Thank you so much I was so worried about him I haven't thought of techniques like that 2 help him lol im so relieved im going to def start this today and follow through also go2 the pet store and find some books to read in my spare time to help me master this! I could not have thanked you more it means alot to know people feel the same way i feel about my dog because all I want is for him to be ok and living happy and peaceful. Once again thanks I feel a little foolish overreacting but u def gave me a better perspective on the situayion. Hugs&Kisses from Rome as well!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by IheartROME

Omg that totally put things in perspective Thank you so much I was so worried about him I haven't thought of techniques like that 2 help him lol im so relieved im going to def start this today and follow through also go2 the pet store and find some books to read in my spare time to help me master this! I could not have thanked you more it means alot to know people feel the same way i feel about my dog because all I want is for him to be ok and living happy and peaceful. Once again thanks I feel a little foolish overreacting but u def gave me a better perspective on the situayion. Hugs&Kisses from Rome as well!

You are more than welcome. I know these things works as I've used them on really wild and scared, nervous dogs and it really helps them to get them centered on working with mommy to learn things. Gets their minds refocused on doing positive exercises and working for your smile, your praise. And that treat!

The library probably has some good training books, too, but I like to have my own books so I can read, reread and re-reread parts over and over!

Tibbe had spent 9 mos. in a cage outside in Texas all his life when I got him, never socialized and hardly ever let out of the cage so he was kennel-crazy and wild as a hare, riddled with fears of literally everything, especially noises he'd never experienced before. He was just a mess - tried to bite, fought me, screamed and howled all the time he wasn't barking, was fearful of staying alone in the house or going in the car and had never had any pottytraining at all. Slowly over time, he's overcome 99% of his fears and no longer runs, hides when he hears something he isn't familiar with, is calm though bouncy by nature, socialized, happy, very obedient, totally clean in the house(except he had 2 or 3 accidents when ill) and it was all through training as I described to you. He was a terrible door darter and I so feared him dashing off, getting lots. So I trained him never to leave his yard. I have had him since 5-30-08 and as of today's visit out front for over 15 minutes while I was hosing down the front windows and screens, front porch, garage door, etc., he has never set foot off his approved area. As I was working, often with my back to him for a minute or so at a time, he was just meandering around the yard or watching me! Cars and people were coming by. A couple came up and handed me a card for yardwork - he just sat there and watched them come and go, didn't try to follow.

I'm so proud of him and so glad he is so different than when I first got him. He's a treasure. You're baby can be that way, too. Just keep the training short and lots of fun - walk away if you get frustrated. Read your books and put it all into action turning your baby around and into a wonderful, happy pet. And no more negative thoughts about what he's been through. You are now creating a new and wonderful reality for him.

Don't expect perfection early on - that comes with time and repetition - like learning a new dance routine. Once you've taken him through his "steps" enough, he'll start to learn and get it that he's supposed to work hard at controlling his impulses and instead, do exactly what you teach him to do. And then the training comes easier and easier. Learning new things will start to get much easier for him. Best wishes to you and Romey!

[IheartROME]

Yes I know thanks I rearranged my room to his comfort and also bought more toys, and made his playroom bigger. I also been having my family that comes to my house follow through with the necassary steps to help as well so far I am happy my close family and friends are taking this as serious as I am. I know I have a lot to learn plus Rome is the second Yorkie I've had so I know I have a lot to learn on the yorkie breed. Thank goodness for Google LOL and YT because I wastruly feeling overwhelmed.I am going to go ahead and adopt a close friends dog her and Rome are close ends so hopefully that will help. Would it be to soon to get another dog? She's trained very well, great manners! I just don'twat to interrupt Rome's training, what do you think wouldbe best wait, or bring in the other dog?

[yorkietalkjilly]

For me that's a call I couldn't make as I don't know your dog or how a very fearful dog would react. Could you take that dog on a trial basis and see how your guy works out with him. If he's as fearful as you said in the original post, he could be helped by a friend to keep from being alone if they get along perhaps - but - no way to know how your guy's fear response to so many things willl be affected by having another dog in the home. But if he's a truly fearful dog, no second pet will work as well as the training and working with him will.

[IheartROME]

He is such a people and dog person maybe ill just have them spend a few nights together first, then see how he does.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Yes, might try a few sleepovers & see how it goes!

[IheartROME]

Thanks, yesterday he did cry as.i had to make a store run, so I know it will take a few months for him to get it together! Hes use to having another dog specially my mothers dog ill have to post pictures of them they are so silly together lol.