Our rescue yorkie was really timid when we first adopted him as well. He still has his moments but he’s a lot better now.
He also backed away when we tried to pet him and was picky about his food/treats. The way we got him to come near us was I boiled some chicken breasts and shredded them and kept it near me. I would sit on the floor (sometimes for hours) and just throw little pieces of chicken to him and would gradually bring them closer.
He also hated having his harness put on as he hated anything near his face so we bought him a step in harness that just went up and over his front feet (sometimes took a while to get near him to do it though).
We kept noises to a minimum for the first few days (quieter voices, lowered the tv volume, turned phones to silent/vibrate) and praised him/gave chicken or canned food meatballs anytime he came near us or went near his harness. Sometimes he would take it and other times he would grab the food and run away.
We also found that he relied on his crate a lot when he was overwhelmed and let him have access to it as much as he wanted.
After a few months he had made a lot of progress but we ended up signing him up for basic obedience classes just to help his confidence and strengthen his bond with us. The first 6 weeks were mostly about him being confident in a room of other people and dogs and then we repeated the class and the next 6 weeks we worked really hard on the basic commands.
The difference in him now is amazing and we’ve had him for 11 months. He knows basic commands, lets us put his boots on (refused to let us near his feet last winter) and will cuddle with us on the couch.
Hang in there. I know I felt the same after we brought him home because I was afraid he wasn’t going to be happy with us or we weren’t doing enough for him but patience and a lot of work has really paid off for him.
Thank you for rescuing your sweet baby and I hope things get easier for you soon. |