Q: We recently adopted a female Chow mix who is about 2 years old. She also happens to be the sister of the dog we have had since she was 7 weeks old. The new dog was born and raised under a porch. She had very little human contact. She lived with four other dogs and was very dominated by them. We saw her in this situation and decided to rescue her.
She is very fearful of people. We have had her for 3 weeks now and we do see some improvement each day. She always wants to hide in a corner but she will let you approach her and pet her. She has never snapped at us, even when scared and cornered. I spend time every day brushing and petting her. She seems to be tolerating rather than enjoying it. She does get along well with our other dog who is friendly, playful and isn't dominating toward her.
The problem is once inside, she doesn't want to go outside. We have to force her out in the mornings and evenings to do her business. We either carry her or herd her out, which of course scares her again. She's never been on a leash--I tried it and she fought it terribly. She's never been to a veterinarian, but I don't know how to take her there with all her current problems.
How do I begin training her? Can I wait until she accepts the leash before I take her to the vet and If not, how do you suggest I handle it? I think that with time she will become comfortable here and I don't want to do anything that could make things worse. Please help.
A: Well, to spare your back, I suggest a crate and a crate dolly. Put her into the crate, the crate onto the dolly, and roll her where you need to take her--such as to the door to get her outside to potty. Her living inside is GREAT, as it will do much to socialize her. Also, your grooming her every day is ideal! Very good for you on that.
You might try a harness with the leash to see if that scares her less than the collar. Treat her like a puppy not used to the leash. Start with a short length attached to her collar for brief, happy times such as when she eats. Work up to a whole leash, then start following her around on it.
Meanwhile, work on her knowing her name and responding to you when she hears her name. Use her meals and treats and move away from her when you say her name, getting her to come to you for the treats. Until she loves grooming, don't call her to you for that, only for things you know she will like such as food.
I would talk to the veterinarian about the best way to deal with getting her veterinary care while she is in this condition. Perhaps it could wait a few weeks or perhaps you could have a mobile vet come to the house. Maybe you could also use the crate and dolly to transport her to the vet.
You may be able to use your other dog to give this dog confidence by letting her see the other dog do things that she fears and that nothing bad happens to the other dog then. She's probably more bonded to dogs than to humans and I expect 1 reason you're doing so well with her is that you have done a good job with her sister, and she can see that.
For a dog this scared, food is a good way to start the training. If you can get her to play at all--which may take time--that is also a powerful motivator for training. The other dog may be a huge help, having her do something before you ask it of the scared one. Your grooming will go a long way in building this dog's confidence, trust in you, ability to be touched, and bond to humans, too--keep that up!
You may need a behavior specialist, but you may not. Since you're seeing improvement and she is not aggressive at this point, pushing her in any kind of training could be a mistake. A realistic goal for this dog is to get her comfortable and confident in the home and family. A social butterfly she may never be, but I'm betting she will do her utmost to be a good companion to you.