You have a lot to deal with in this little guy. He has had an awful life full of awful people. Yes, he does have trust issues. You might want to be careful in handling him. He could have old injuries that are causing him pain that he cannot tell you about. Take things very slowing with him. He has a lot of baggage he is carrying.
There is a website called Dog Star Daily that has some very good training articles on it and also some video. They have quite a bit of information about dealing with rescue or problem dogs. I agree he is not ready to go to any kind of obedience training in public. If you could find a good animal behavior specialist it could be helpful.
There is a section here on dealing with puppy mill dogs. You dog has gone through some of the same stress as a puppy mill dog does so reading that may give you some tips. Look in the "sticky" areas. |