Do they forget?
 

Mikki had an accident in my house today. As soon as she used the bathroom she ran into my kitchen and hid in the corner. I went and picked her up to tell her it was ok. She was shaking so hard. I know she was scared. :( To me, I think she is remembering something from her past. I don't "spank" my dogs at all. Even if they use the bathroom in my house. I usually pick them up and take them outside so they know to do it there not in the house. I felt so sorry for her I just held her. Do they ever forget about those times in their other life? Is there anything I can do to help her overcome that fear? I don't want her to think it is ok to go in the house but I don't want her living in fear either. Any advice?

Poor baby:( Do you think she was hit in her previous home if she made mistakes? That is just heartbreaking.
I think just continue what you are doing. Let her know you love her and if she has an accident pick her up like you did today and then take her outside where you want her to go. I think that eventually she will forget and get over her fears, once she realizes that she has your unconditional love.

We have had other things happen that make us suspect that she might have been. :( She is 3 1/2 lb. Just a tiny baby. I am not very happy. I just have a different theory I guess. I always tell anyone that asks me, if you don't want accidents don't get an inside dog. I really really think she was in a lot of trouble if she had accidents in the house. I hope we can help her overcome this.

I'm so sorry that sounds awful. Poor little guy. I know it's heartbreaking but you're doing the right thing and I know Mikki feels loved. She knows she's loved.

It will take a while for her to realize she has nothing to fear. Jada is a rehome and she was 2.5 years old when we adopted her. I don't think she was abused but she didn't know what it was like to play and to know how to be a truly loved little girl. It took her almost a year to be fully at ease and to know how much we love her.

I'm curious if some of it is submissiveness? If your baby was re-homed then you're probably right about something that happened in the past. Our new girl will sometimes come up to me like she wants to be picked up then run and cower when I approach her. Different from playing - when she runs away and wiggles. She is submissive, but not to the point of crouching and piddling, and I've been ever so gentle with her - approaching her carefully, hand palm up, not looking her in the eye. She only does it sometimes but it makes me sad. It's like she's the re-incarnation of an abused dog! We've only had her for 2 and 1/2 weeks so some of it is probably 'newness', but the breeder was really gentle (we visited) so I'm sure she was never touched in anger. Weird.

I would think she may have been scared that is why she ran and hid. She may not have been physically abused but may have been hollered at. I have never hit any of my dogs either and Hobbes ( we got him at 16 weeks) always ducks his head and become submissive, when he thinks he has done something wrong. I hope Mikki did not have a terrible life but now she has a mommy that loves her and will be patient and kind to her so maybe she will forget. She is very Blessed that you brought her home to be Rosie's sister.

I think they do have a sort of recall of certain things that they associate strongly with something else from times well back in their lives, especially if they were imprinted at the time with something exceptionally wonderful - or exceptionally scarey or painful. If she were verbally berated for a long, long time in a scary manner or hit/injured when this happened, she very well could be "remembering" the pottying in the house leg to a very, very bad/scary thing and when she repeated that action today, she associated the action with that bad time and ran scared. It really does sound like she is essentially remembering. In time, that should abate.

I'm like you - I don't spank or scold a dog for pottying in the house - consider that my fault for a lack of a good schedule, failure to properly monitor my dog for "signs" of need to go or a problem with the dog's ability to hold it longer - such as a bit of diarrhea or drinking too much water. I simply bring the dog very matter of factly to the soiled area, say "uh oh" in a regular tone and take the dog outside to his "spot" and say "Good potty outside". The last thing I want to do is scare my dog for needing to void or poop, wherever he does it!!! But it sounds like that may just be what happened to your little bitty girl, poor little thing. I am so glad she is with you now.

Well this was my fault. I didn't get home until later than usual. She was home all day while I was at work. When I got home she was so excited to see me. I was just about to take her out when she had the accident. Pure and simple, I should have gotten her out quicker.

I don't know if she was yelled at or hit or what. I do know that she was scared acting. It was so sad. I just picked her up and loved her. Then we went outside. I told her to potty outside. Never scolding her. I don't think the lady I got her from did anything. I think she loved her and knew she had to get rid of her. She told DH that her boyfriend didn't like Mikki. So I don't know.

Honestly, more and more I think I know why she was there when my friend saw her. This led my friend to text me and next thing we know she is mine. I believe everything happens for a reason. She has been spayed, current shots, groomed, heartworm tested, heartworm prevention, flea and tick prevention, etc. Things that she was lacking in her past. I just hope that we can encourage her to not be afraid. Well, only be afraid when Rosie is after her. :D Lol.

Fear is such a hard thing to deal with in a dog. I'd much rather deal with a biting, aggressive dog than a fearful one. But the fearful ones are my heart - my purpose in life is to bring them gently along over time and nurture them back to trust in humans. They take the longest to rehab and can get a setback out of the blue but helping a fearful dog to become confident and trusting and fun-loving again is the most rewarding thing ever.

I think you were meant to have and help this little one and bless you forever for it.

Thank you! I love her to death. She has wormed her way into my heart and believe it or not DH's heart too. He adores her. Really really feels for her. Picking her up and loving her, is that the best way to handle the "fear episodes"? That was all I really know to do. Thanks again.

I think they do remember. I've had Kaji 2 years, and there are still times where he'll pee out of fear when I approach him. If I call him over and he doesn't come, and I keep insisting, that really makes him scared. He usually comes when I call, but every once in a while, he'll get scared. If I go pick him up, he'll pee. If I send someone else, he'll go limp, and will let them bring him to me. I don't know what it is, I don't know what I do that triggers this.

I think it could just be her personality. We kept one pup from our previous litter and she's nearly a year old now and just finally not acting like a 'fraidy-cat all the time. It really bothered me. She was always quiet and shy, but for quite awhile she acted like she had been beat. Since we raised her from birth, clearly this was not the case. Loud noises still startle her.
I think because she's small she realizes she could be hurt more easily (stepped on, etc) ??? I can't help but think she may have also picked up on our being more careful of her...not wanting to encourage being afraid...we may have over coddled her/making sure no one yelled or made sudden movements around her...making her all the more timid??? either way, I think her personality is just one of a timid demeanor whereas another one of ours is a barker/playful/outgoing dog, another is the bossy/diva. She's definitely coming out of her shell though...just took her on a trip and she asserted herself just fine to my daughter's big schnauzer (who tucked tail when she barked at him!!! lol)

Just a thought. I know for a fact not all cowering dogs have been abused. (Like Kendra) my sister had a puppy from birth that was just over reactive to stimulus. She out grew it some what but, she still shakes and hides when anything new happens. Maybe her brain was damaged in the birth process. Maybe it is a canine form of automatism or retardation ?

I agree.. it could just be her personality. I have Bailey.. he is a 26 lb shih tuz and he is such a timid soul. He is so loving and cuddly with us but if I even look at him like I am mad he will hide. The other day I was playing with Remy .. the "I am going to get your toy..and then chase her" game (remy loves it.. she barks at me if I stop playing).. Bailey got scared and ran and hide from me. He will not let any one new pet him, he groans (not growls) if a stranger walks up to us.. he is very protective of me with other dogs..
we have had him from about 8 weeks and he has always been loved, never ever hit or even really yelled at.. we socialize him but he is what he is.

So just keep loving her.. she will adjust and some bahaviors will change others will not

That's really good information. But think the problem for situations like mine and the OP's is we'll never know for sure. We're always left wondering was he, or wasn't he? (or she in the op's case)

It leaves you to wonder more when the pup is not like he was described. And the cowering only happens when someone raises their voice, has a mean tone of voice, or approaches him. He hasn't had an accident in a long time, but he use to run and hide when he did. I was told he loved other dogs, yet he never bonded with Gypsie (roomie's chi mix), he was curious of Danger (other roomie's pom), and only really liked Samus (neighbor's doxie mix rescue) but he still acted scared of her. I was told he wasn't a barker but would chime in if other dog's bark. Danger loved to bark, and Kaji never joined in. Kaji would make the strangest noises though. If I went downstairs for a quick shower, he sounded like a debarked dog. (as close as he could get) later I found out he wasn't, but it was strange. I tried taking them on pack walks, but that didn't help. He eventually fell for Uni, but he wouldn't play with her. It was like he didn't know how. Uni would happily fetch her ball, and Kaji would run after her. He really didn't get the concept of the game until much, much later. I could go on and on about the things I was told about Kaji, and how he's so different from the description.

I don't know if the move was too much for him, and it brought out the worst in Kaji. Or that maybe something else went on. I'll never know for sure and I'll always wonder about that.

I agree. I think that is a lot of it! We will not ever know. And yes, we have been told different things that we are now finding out isn't true. What makes me really wonder is the fact that Mikki was in pretty rough shape when I picked her up. And the former owner told my husband that the man of the house hated Mikki. If you raise your hand up she is so scared it isn't funny. Maybe it is submission but I really tend to think she just didn't have a good life. We are working hard to change all that.

On a positive note, since we have been grooming and using good products on Mikki, her coat is really looking better. Her hair is still patchy around her face. But her body is really showing the silver that is under the black. It just looks so much better than it did. And her new daddy LOVES her to pieces. And her mommy too. But DH is really crazy about her. This pup was scared of men but has taken quite the liking to DH. :) It is quite a sweet site.

all good points.. and in your case a lot different than my Bailey.

I think with time Mikki will be more trusting. Maybe she will always remember, but she will learn to trust you guys.

My mom has a Shih Tzu that we rescued from a guy that had him outside with boxers that he bread... He was in such bad shape when we got him ate up with fleas and mites had not been groomed or brushed or bathed he had a really bad skin infection also... Mom said the guy told her he would hit and choke him to make him smell every time he has a accident in the floor... so the first few weeks every time he pooped in the floor he would cry and rub his face in it....He is almost 2 years old not and the kindest and gentlest dog you could ever meet we have outside trained him and he does good. However last week I took Tibbs and Bella up to play and Bella pooped in moms floor and he done the same thing... I really do think he was having a flash back :( So I picked him up and assured him it was ok and then give him a bath poor thing shook forever....

The first pict is of fluff now the last one is when we first got him IDK if you can see but the bald places and red on his face was all over his poor body. Both picts are taken after we had him groomed he was so bad I did not wait to take him .

My female is the same way. I got her at 12 weeks old (she is 19 months now) and I know she has not been abused. Sometimes it bothers me, but I have thought maybe it is cause she is small. She is not shy most of the times. She is usually out going. But she does have that skiddish to her at times.
I was trying to get her to kiss me this morning before I left for work and she went under the kitchen chair. I got on my knees and crouched way down till she come to me.

that is so sweet... don't you just want to kick people that mistreat the sweet loving animals!!!!:mad::mad:

Yeah I do!!! It makes me soooo mad....to say the least! But you know he is super gental to be in such a bad situation!!! He is a baby doll and I do not understand how they could have been mean to him.

I agree with Lil Sis. I got all teary reading this. I think dogs do remember. But like us, if they are given love they get better. Some things scar us forever, but we can adapt and learn new ways. I know this is true. I have seen remarkable changes happen with dogs. Some fears might not change, but with us they will be loved no matter what. I think with time Mikki will learn to trust you with all her heart. :)

Thank you so much. We are working really hard on the trust factor. She is more trusting of me than any one else in the house. But DH has been really good and patient with her. I see her getting closer to him each day. I know that she is with me for a reason. :) God put us together. Rosie isn't sure why but we all know why. Lol. :rolleyes: