Puppy Mill Rescue

M

Mel Miller

Forums Novice
We have Ginni, a six or seven year old female. We have had her for almost a year now. We have done all of the "doggie" training classes at our local Petsmart. She did OK, except for learning to "stay". We are still working on that. We tried the CGC test. Ginni still panics when she hears a load noise. She does real well at home for a puppy mill rescue. But, she still spends most of her time behind a chair or table in the "TV" room. I'm thinking of taking her to another not for profit training class. My intensions are just to expose her to more things to see if she will be more out going. Does anyone have any other suggestions.
 
Welcome to Sheltie nation, Mel!! Exposure is the key. Try letting Ginni watch you drop a book, the something louder like a pan lid. As she sees that nothing bad happens, she'll get more comfortable!
 
Welcome to the forum Mel! My name is also Mel and I have a 6 month old pup named Ginny :smile2:

I've never had a rescue dog but have delt with some shyness and loud noises.

I found it really helpful to desensitize Milo and Sadie to the things they were afraid of. Milo was terrified of other dogs and of loud noises so I enrolled him in a puppy class at our local Petsmart. Petsmart is full of all kinds of loud noises and I figured puppies were less intimidating that adult dogs (Milo was also 9 months old at the time so technically a pup). Sadie was overwhelmed by simply the loud noises.

Petsmart felt very overwhelming to both dogs for a while so I started by bringing them in for short periods, giving lots of praise and high value rewards, then leaving. Gradually I increased the duration, for both dogs, till they were no longer afraid.

If Ginni isn't already crate trained, I'd definitely consider it. She may find it comforting to have a place all her own to hide. When you're not home you can put her in her crate.

Others on the forum have found it useful to record the frightening noises and play them back at a low level when they're not home. You may want to combine that with crate training, when you're not around. You can gradually increase the sounds as she gets comfortable with them.

One more word of advice that you may already know through your training, find what motivates your dog. If your dog is food motivated find the treat she'll do anything for and use it as a high value treat You can also use toys or games that she loves as motivation. Tug can be particularly useful, as it can not only be a reward, but a way of bonding with her.

Good luck!
 
Both Chris and Melissa's suggestions are excellent.

Desentization is key. When I was introducing the Peticure to my pups, it was a gradual process, starting with just letting them sniff the tool while not turned on, progressing gradually to having it turned on but not touching, to touching their bodies, till finally able to do the nails.

It didn't take very long.

She may not yet be ready for more puppy school.

If she spends most of her time cowering in a corner, you need to give her a reason to come out.

Sit on the floor with toys/treats around you. Just start playing with the toys by yourself. Don't start with squeaky toys - you can introduce those later. Don't try to entice her out, but see if you can get her interested. At the slightest interest/movement, treat and praise. If she starts coming out to play, gradually make the play a little more rough-housing, and introduce squeeky toys. Always treating and praising if she sticks around and gets into the game.

Then, consider bringing her back to puppy school.

Hope this helps.
 
I have a very noise sensitive sheltie, and exposing him to all kinds of sounds really makes a difference. Working breeds are known for their sound sensitivity - esp Shelties - it helps them alert the farmer when there is danger or when a storm is coming. But of course, in the past the dogs had something to do in response to the sound, like protecting the flock or bringing in the animals.

Background music really helps, esp to begin with. Start with some soothing classical and work your way up to ones with lots of percussion - your aim is something like the 1812 Overture. It also helps if you play together or do some training to keep her focused while you play noises. I found adapting to noises better if there were those calming noises in the background. Actually someone here recently posted a website that sells calming music CD for dogs. And leaving on background noise regularly will also help her get used to noises generally (leave on a radio or the tv when you go out).

Go regularly to your local shops and work your way up to busier shops with shopping trolleys and cars. Sound sensitive dogs often cope better if they have lots of other activities to focus on besides the noise.

If she reacts to a noise go into play mode - dont try to get her to look at you or do a stay. They lose track of the sound then and it helps them work off that adrenal response. My boy hates airplanes, esp after thunderstroms, so if he hears a plane and starts going bananas we go for a little run in a circle (him on the outside then its not so much work for me) and he forgets about the sound.

With desensitising noises (there are lots you can download from the internet, or you can just buy one of those desensitising CDs). Start by playing the noises at a low level while she is eating (a great distractor). Then over a period of time try playing the sound when she isnt eating, if she copes with that increase the volume at her next dinner time and so on. Its always best to try to keep her occupied so she learns to function with sounds as background.

I do find my boy's sound sensitivity will often return after certain events - like a thunderstorm - and I just have to work again to settle him down. But he is so much better than he used to be.

Sorry about the long post. Hope this helps.

PS - I agree a crate training might be really useful - then she has a safe place of her own to go to.
 
My rescue sheltie Callie was 5 yrs old when I got her. She was pretty much scared of everything. I did already have another adult dog so she had someone to look up to. I kind of let her take her time but I didn't really baby her either. A week after I got her (in Dec '06), I took her and my other dog to my Dad's for the holidays. Then after the holidays, I put her in a basic obedience class at a pet store. I didn't expect her to learn anything there- we just went so she could be around people and other dogs. Callie loves food- not so much toys. The first class, she just laid by my feet- she only changed position from not watching the other dogs to facing outward. By the last week of class, she was trying to get the trainer to give her treats. Now, people that met her when I first got her are amazed at how she is. She does still get a little anxious when we go somewhere new but she adjusts after a little while. She has her CGC and 2 legs of her Rally Novice title. so, just hang in there, give her some time to adjust and try to figure out what she likes the most so you can reward her for good things. :smile2:
 
Ginni Doggie

Thanks to all who responded. I will try all of the suggestions. Calliesmom described Gini's situation the best. Ginni has come a long way from when we first got her. I'm encouraged to hear that there have been success stories concerning the Puppy Mill dogs. Ginni is our third Sheltie. We had Missy and Kelly. They both lived long lifes and passed a little over a year ago. Ginni is the "sweetest" of the shelties we have had. My hope is that she will have a good life after the terrible start that she got.
 
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