Very scared rescue Yorkie

[axus]

Hello
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I bought my late wife a Yorkshire Terrier, Susi, 4 years ago. lovely girl, everyone's friend and always wagging her tail.
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About 6 months ago, I decided to get another Yorkie girl to give her a playmate and a friend to grow old together with, etc. I approached a small dog rescue group and asked to be considered for another Yorkie girl, about the same age as Susi and along came Missy.
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I was told she was 4 years old and came from an elderly couple, the man had died and the lady couldn't cope with her, also she was used to playing in a 2 acre field.
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Brought her home, put her down and she ran around in a panic, finally jumping into a chair petrified. Every time I tried to go near her she panicked. After a couple of hours I tried taking her into the garden, large and enclosed with lawn and shrubs. She dashed into the shrubs and curled up in fear. It was the following day before I could get to her. She hates being outside.
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She has clearly been used as a breeding dog and massively ill treated. I have found out from her chip she is 7 years old and was last registered in West Yorkshire but that is all they would tell me.
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6 months on she now plays, loves being stroked though on her terms and wags her tail for England.
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My problem is she has not lost her fear. Any unexpected noise or movement and she panics, her eyes full of fear and tries to crawl away on her stomach. If I go close to her she looks away and tenses up. I love her to pieces and getting desperate to find some way ease her fears.
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Any suggestions will be so helpful, thought of trying a natural sedative but worried it might upset her.
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Keith

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi Keith - WELCOME to YT ! Glad you found us. Bless your big heart for taking in this little girl, she sounds just precious. Poor thing, being so jumpy and scared. There are times when I think meds can really help a dog who has some psychological scarring...at times like these, valium or prozac may be able to do wonders! I'd really talk to your vet about these meds for her. I'd also consider a Thunder Shirt - I wonder if she'd benefit from it; many member here have had good luck w/ it, but I don't really know if it'd work for what you're needing.

[DvlshAngel985]

Hello Keith! I have a nervous Yorkie too. He's made our home happy for almost 5 years. My biggest advice to you is don't rush anything. These nervous babies will come around in their own time. When your Missy is happy, and in the mood to be around you or explore, train with her. That's one of the things that have brought me and my Kaji closer together. He's such a good dog! He listens very well. Is able to be recalled easily and quickly now.

The only thing I can't seem to change is his anxiousness. I've learned to observe our surroundings and if I see something that I know will have him running for the bushes, I pick him up before he sees it. Or changes, Kaji hates changes. If anything changes that Kaji doesn't like, he becomes physically ill. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, the vet and I do our best to get him back to normal.

[connie3dogs]

That's a real shame Keith. I would go very slow with her. What about sitting near her on the floor and don't give her any eye contact and see if she will approach you...maybe put a juicy treat near by. It will take time and patience for her to trust. Good luck


Shirl

[Lou]

I think you have come a very very long way from where she was 6 months ago. Keep up the good work. She will come around.

[ladyjane]

Welcome to YT, Keith.

Pups like Missy who have been severely traumatized take time and patience. The most important thing is to give her time and space to come to the realization that life is not what she has been living; and that people are not cruel. As someone suggested, spend time sitting on the floor and letting her get used to you. Don't try to push her into socializing....just let her go at her own pace. It often takes years for them to come around and you learn that any little positive step is a huge milestone. I have two pups who came from a bad breeder. I adopted them in 2007 and they still have some issues with other people. They are sweet with me, but it took a very long time for them to trust me.

[ladyjane]

Here is a link with some great information about puppy mill pups and how to rehab them:

Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Inc.: Puppy Mill Survivors -- Caring for Unsocialized Mill Dogs

[yorkietalkjilly]

Thank you for agreeing to take her in and give her a loving home - knowing when you did, you could be taking on a troubled, even broken dog that you now are responsible for rehabilitating and that takes a very loving, big-hearted, patient person and lots of dedication to even take that kind of a dog into your home. I wish there were more like you! You can help her and restore her confidence with time, love and patience. No telling what big noises meant to her in the past but apparently she was alone, trapped in a crate or cage and couldn't run when she heard scary noises and associates them with only bad, frightening times. And even though she may have been in a crate or cage when she heard them and couldn't run, I'd provide her with a closed-in, den-like crate with a blanket over 3 sides of it and the door ALWAYS open in a quiet corner of the room so she could secret herself in there and perhaps feel safer in her hiding spot for those especially scary times when you drop a dish or it storms or a kid slams the door while she's being rehabbed.

If she's scared to go in there, then that's a bad idea for her as she's too bad an association with a crate to want to voluntarily go into it and if that's the case, perhaps a closed-top dog bed or cat bed with that tent-like top would give her a sense of security and a hiding spot for those times she needs it during rehab. After her 6 mos. or so of desensitization to ever louder and louder sounds accompanied by treats and your happy reactions, she shouldn't need that hiding spot again except once or twice a year. A sound-reactive dog, even one that's been rehabbed, will relapse a couple of times a year, just like a post-traumatic stress patient will have flashbacks.

For one with her past history, her age to consider, I'd ask my vet to check her over and be sure she was not hurting or ill/injured, then ask him to prescribe a 6 - 8 week course of a sedative of some kind to take the edge off of nerves so she can be more comfortably rehabilitated. Give her half doses if the full dose makes her a zombie and it's ok with the vet and then she'll be more amenable to desensitization training. I don't use Rx myself on my dogs but she's older and you've got to consider her heart and what she's been through and how fragile she might be medically and psychologically.

I've rehabbed several anxious, fearful dogs and the one I have now was scared of all sounds and the outside world - panicked and screamed and ran when he heard a new sound. If this were my dog, I'd first of all start with desensitizing her to odd or strange noises by creating them myself under controlled circumstances from time to time by banging on a pot with a spoon, using a loud whistle or slamming a cupboard, starting out with very soft versions of the sound and over time, gradually making them louder as she shows no fear from the sound. Here's the trick - make her hearing the sound a party - a happy event. When you softly bang on the pot, say "big sound" in an excited, very happy voice, smile really big and act sooooo happy and giving her a slurp of peanut butter or warm, boiled chicken every time she hears a "big sound", which of course is a very soft, low version to start out. Bang the pan and then react to that as if she's won the lottery, treat her and act very upbeat and happy. Repeat all of that two more times the first few days and then stop the session. Keep each session very short - no more than 10 - 15 created noises after a week's time and do it several times a day. In time, under the calming influence of her mild sedative, she should come to see that a strange sound is now becoming reason for all to celebrate, she gets a luscious reward when she hears it and everybody gets happy. As she accepts the sounds without panicking or showing fear, begin to praise that calm behavior by gently petting her and getting right near her face and genuinely, with feeling in your heart, telling her she's a "good girl big sound" and she will begin to associate that you are happy with her for remaining calm during the scary sound you are now calling a "big sound". This part is slower to take effect but it works to get it into her mind that her part of the game is to stay calm and not show fear.

After each desensitization session, take out outside or play a rough-house game or toss a ball a few times for her to be able to run and work off her tensions from the sounds she hasn't liked hearing. Then a treat and genuine praise for a "good training" session.

If she does show fear at first, just keep going slowly with a low, soft version of the created banging or whistling or closing the door and acting very happy and excited and giving her treats as if each noise just won her a great prize. Your reactions and how fun and happy you act and the food, together with the trial of medication, should make these early sessions ease her into learning to accept that loud or strange noises won't now hurt her, that you are there to control the situation and besides, you think it's a good thing to hear "big sounds" - you get happy when they come!

Try some form of that kind of desensitization to try to associate loud or sudden, strange sounds with good times for a 6 - 8 weeks period of time and then let us know how she's doing and we can go from there.

I'd also start her on a very limited course of basic obedience training for 5 mins. x 2 daily to get her mind off her fears and get her working to achieve something. Dogs love the training, the treats and the good praise they get - it builds their confidence immensely and helps with the nerves.

Enriching her life with dog toy puzzles and feeding her her meals in kong toys filled with her dinner will keep her busy working to get her meals and make her more confident, in touch with her hunter/seeker natural self and helps any dog have more fun, happy meals. Puzzle toys and bowls also work wonders to keep a scared, anxious dog busy working. Lots of exercise as tolerated will help her "nerves" and help her work out her tensions from her fears.

I'd try her on a Thundershirt and even the little hood also. My present rehabbed dog Tibbe used a Thundershirt during a bad PTS relapse he had when ill last year and it put him right to sleep all by itself each time I put it on him.

There are many more things to work on next after she's better but this will start you off in the right direction with her. Good luck.

[Sunnydayz]

My Gizmo was like this when I first rescued him as he was starved and treated very badly. Each time I would see the signals that he was ready to react to something, like seeing a surfboard the first time at the beach. He immediately stopped walking and looked at it in complete fear, I then picked him up and walked over to it while carrying him, I touched it, then let his smell my hand, as dogs associate most things with smell, hearing and sight. After he investigated the smell of my hand, I shave him a treat, I then put him on the ground near it and he smelled it, I gave him another treat, I then took his paw and touched it to the surfboard and gave him another treat. I repeated this on every walk when we would see a surfboard, and after about a week he started to run up to every surfboard because he then associated them to treats and being a good thing :-) treats work wonders along with a soft calmness from you. I would go slow, identify what her fears are and go through this process with each thing, one at a time as to not overwhelm her :-) it takes time and it's been about 10 months and now little mr Gizmo is a completely changed dog that no one would ever know he ever came from such a bad situation :-) bless your heart for rescuing her, I have a feeling over time, your patience will pay off big xoxo

[Magilicutty7]

Hi Keith. Someone gave me a "rescue" yorkie two years ago. This little guy was five years old, un-neutered and lived outside in Oklahoma the whole five years. From what I have learned, there was another yorkie with him who died from their neglect. The people who had him said that he killed the other dog (ridiculous). This little guy was starved, neglected and locked up in a shed night and day. He escaped the shed and dug was able to escape the yard where a neighbor found him. After a month of caring for him at her home she approached his owner and asked if she could have him. They let her and she had two dogs already so was looking for a home. Through a friend I was able to get him. He was brought out to me (two states away) and he was terrified of people. He would just tremble violently and urinate all over when anyone tried to come near him. He was not potty trained. I kept holding him and consoling him, talking gently and quietly to him telling him constantly what a good boy he is, etc. I had him neutered and all of his shots updated. I worked with him daily as he would hide deep in a closet or under a bed, for hours, while I would try to find him! One time I searched the whole house not finding him and had several neighbors and my family looking for him for over an hour only to find him hiding deep in a closet. He is very well adjusted now and is my constant loyal companion. He is my baby! I am crazy about this little guy. He is so cute! He is potty trained and does very well with only an accident on rare occasions if I am unable to get home in time. I found I cannot be harsh with him because of his past, it completely turns him away from me and back into fearful behavior. He really struggles with trusting men, although he finally trusts my husband and adult son to come near him and cuddle with him. That took a lot of time. In the beginning I had to sit and talk softly with him, telling him what a good boy he was and coercing him to come to me. I didn't force him. As he began to trust me he became braver and braver. Every once in awhile he retreats (out of the blue-not sure what triggers this) to the fearful behavior. I go back to being very gently and talking to him and he eventually comes around. I know this is a book but I hope this helps somehow with your new little female. I found I cannot ever be harsh. One time I came on harsh with my little yorkie because he took off chasing deer in my yard which leads to a busy street and I feared he would get hit by a car. I gave him a little swat on the bottom and yelled and he got away and literally ran away from home! I have never done that again! Now I just talk to him and it works.










QUOTE=Wylie's Mom;4441683]Hi Keith - WELCOME to YT ! Glad you found us. Bless your big heart for taking in this little girl, she sounds just precious. Poor thing, being so jumpy and scared. There are times when I think meds can really help a dog who has some psychological scarring...at times like these, valium or prozac may be able to do wonders! I'd really talk to your vet about these meds for her. I'd also consider a Thunder Shirt - I wonder if she'd benefit from it; many member here have had good luck w/ it, but I don't really know if it'd work for what you're needing.[/QUOTE]

[margaritaville]

Bless you for rescuing this little one. Patience, patience, patience and applaud every small step.

I agree with the above suggestions. Bubba is afraid of loud noises-thunder and fireworks. He has a thunder shirt and if we know there will be loud noises we put it on him ahead of time. If not he will try to hide anywhere he can squeeze himself-closets, under couches and has even tried to get in the refrigerator when the door was opened. so be careful because they have a tendency to run when they are scared and can be accidently hurt or lost.

Welcome to YT and please keep us posted as to how she is doing.

[Lisa and Pic]

Bless you for your adoption!

I am fostering (last two weeks) a little girl straight out of a puppymill so very much appreciate all the answers you are getting from members. Such good advice which I will apply too! Our Dixie is a work in progress and so happy to read that your Missy is slowly coming around. I look forward to hearing more about her progress.

[ladyjane]

No disrepect to anyone, but please just take it easy with this pup. She just needs to adjust slowly. Unless one has had a puppy mill pup, they really cannot totally grasp how traumatized they can be.

Baby steps. Put a crate somewhere very quiet with cushy bedding. She may or may not like it but often they do like an place to escape and will go to a crate. But, do not ever close her in it. Let her use it IF she wishes to do so.

Don't bother trying to teach her tricks...she needs to learn to trust and believe me that can take a very long time...with a truly traumatized puppy mill pup it can take a lifetime! They are often not playmates for other pups...or even good company. You just need to let her take the lead. Anything you push, will only serve to frighten her more.

She is so lucky to have you...so many end up in homes that don't want to help them and they get rid of them quickly because it is not the perfect pup they thought they were getting. I find that placing puppy mill pups is a bigger challenge than most ... people really do not totally get how unsocialized they are.

[Wallee]

I too will be following this thread. I have also been working hard with a breeder female I have acquired in the past month. She too is fearful of other people however luckily she is fine with me. Still can't get her to go to my husband however I know in time she will. She absolutely "loves" walks and it is very obvious that everything out there is as new as if she were a young puppy only she has more fears. It for sure is a very slow process, but I believe that with time, it can be done and they can carry on having a happy loving life for the rest of the time they have with us. After all they have been through, they are so deserving of the effort it takes to help them adjust. My biggest challenge has been "yard escapes", however I have been patching, nailing and adding to my fence at every tiny spot there is and..she has a collar on with a name tag and my phone number "just in case".

[yorkietalkjilly]

As you have had her for 6 months and from the history you stress, it sounds as if she's settled in with you as well as any rescue does that first six months in a new home except for her fear of sounds and the unexpected - sounds being the main thing you stressed. Working to help her deal with her fear of sounds and the unexpected will help her immensely at this point if indeed she's cuddling and otherwise living a fairly normal life for the first six months in a new home. I'd say she now needs to no longer spend time living with her fears but needs to get some rehab sessions and get her mind off those things by working some to help herself become more self-confident. Best thing for anxious, panicky dogs after they have adjusted to the new home and time has passed is to get them busy working and learning and not catering much to their anxieties but rather directly helping them deal with them tiny steps at a time. Once even the most abused and panicky dog learns she can cope with some things she once feared, she'll begin to become a much more confident, happy girl and begin to generally fear less and less and as her lessons continue, she'll get better and better if you don't hurry her. Best of luck to you!!!