Timid rescue sheltie

The kind of scum that would think a wire is a collar likely yelled at him whenever he took a whiz. If that is the case to things come to mind. First he will want you not watching and the other is I think they make a spray that kind of marks a spot for him.

Good luck, he is a fine looking pup and will adore you in short time.
 
Thank you for rescueing Razzle/Apollo. He sure is a cute little guy. Is there any way you can contact his foster home to see if there was a similar problem there? They know him and might be able to give you some help.

I have a rescue too that I adopted in August but I was lucky. He was an owner surrender and I think he came from a pretty good home. The transition for him was very easy. With love and a lot of patience I'm sure your little guy will come around.
 
Thank you for rescuing this little guy. The first thing he needs to learn is that he can trust you. We always advise our new adoptive parents to hand feed the dog for at least three days. If he won't eat dog food from your hand then feed him what he will eat. Chopped boiled chicken, a little of that beef roast left over from the night before.. anything that is a high value food. Once he's comfortable taking food from your hand he will look to you for all things good. Make sure there is plenty of opportunity for him to get water if he wants it. I have in the past put a bowl of water in each room so the new foster can find one without having to search and is able to go get a drink in private. Also if you don't have a crate I suggest you get one. These little guys have no idea what has happened to them and are so scared that they need a place to call their own where they are safe and comfortable.

Continue to offer him potty times at least every two hours while it's daylight. I have had dogs go two to three days without eating or drinking or potty after they come into my home.

If you need any more advise please feel free to IM me..

Good luck and I'm sure he'll come around in time.

Hugs
Judy
 
squall said:
First off, thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Second, here is the link to his profile on the rescue web page. His name was Razzle, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to rename him Apollo. The rescue gave him his current name just a month ago, so I don't think he's too attached. His foster mother told me to give him a new "respectable" name. Haha. He has a bad haircut, can't really tell in the pictures, but when rescued his fur was apparently very matted, so it was cut off. So it's unevenly colored, and uneven length, and all pretty short. Hopefully it grows back in quickly!
http://www.rosas.rescuegroups.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=2045917

I got up this morning, and took him out again for 1.25 hours. He sometimes would seem a little more comfortable but mostly still want to just sit behind me when I stop walking. If he shows interest in something and starts smelling, which he doesn't do much of...then I stop to let him have his time to go. As soon as I stop though, it seems he thinks he has to come over and sit. I feel like he might think I'm going to punish him if he goes.

That being said, I'm also worried to just leave him tied up and not close by...because of his background. I don't want him to think he's being tied up and left outside again. I have 2 different leashes. I started with my old leash from my previous sheltie. One of the retractable type, to try to let him get some distance. I had similar results with it, although he would go out farther...he also would run back behind me as soon as I stopped. The main reason I switched to leash #2 (just a regular 5 foot nylon leash) is that the retraction mechanism makes a clicking noise when he gets to the end of it and it gets pulled. The clicking scares him and he comes running back.

He has eaten a serving of food. Yesterday he did throw up after the 3.5 hour drive home from Kentucky. So that's where some of the food went. Not sure he has drank much water though. Maybe I just gotta get more into him...and wait.

Other than this issue, things aren't going too badly. Inside he just wants to sit with me and watches TV very intently. He is a bit jumpy, but hopefully that fades soon. He seems very sweet, and I think eager to please...but I think he doesn't understand that I WANT him to go. I've tried to use different words outside in case one is familiar...but no luck.

Lastly, here is also a picture of my previous sheltie, Dakota.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb131/squall_ishida/dakota/2000_0068.jpg

Thanks again! I know I shouldn't get frustrated so soon, but it's hard to see a sheltie that seems to have a great heart be so scared and anxious about everything...he hasn't even barked once. So strange for a sheltie, but maybe once he's comfortable he'll start speaking...probably a lot!
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He is a sweet looking angel! I would try the suggestion of chicken broth,and a light diet,and I was also going to suggest ice cubes.
Even if he played with it a bit,he would certainly get some licking out of it to help him in the fluid issues.

I'm sure this little guy has gone thru some frightful moments,and it may take some time before he unfolds and gets used to you,the surroundings. I take it there are no other furry babes in the house?

So theres a while lot of one on one between you & him. What I have seen,and we are also new sheltie owners,we've never had a sheltie before,but they are so very sensitive,that possibly with his former owner forgetting about him wired to a tree,theres no telling what went on.

Take treats (high value..cheese,bits of chicken) and when he does want to wander beyond just a foot or so from you,I would reinforce that as the good behavior.

He'll come around,but don't let him feel your frustration,as I'm sure he's reading your body language~

He deserves a big hug,so cute,and he has this look about him,that says he is a sweet soul.

As far as the retractable leash,they really are not worth a hill of beans,and coupled with the sometimes present clicking sound they make,like you said,it does spook him. Try the long training lead,if you have one.I do know walmart sells them.

Keep us posted,and thank you for posting pictures of him.
 
Wow, thanks again everyone for your suggestions and encouragement!

Well, I'm about to take him out again. He did eat a bit more and just drank a bit of water. I had it set out for him, but he wasn't interested until I put it in his crate, and then put him in the crate. (Unfortunately I hadn't yet seen the suggestion of hand feeding only until he trusts me.)

I do have one other pet (a mischievous cat), but he is at a friend's house at the moment. I was out of town and she was caring for him. I didn't want to bring him over last night, as trying to get the new guy comfortable seemed more important. The cat is mostly outside anyway.

Anyway, I am going to try to find a long lead we used to have for Dakota when we would let him run around for awhile on his own (before we had him trained not to go down to the road.)

I forgot to mention, but here's the outside situation. Our house is on approximately 23 acres of land, about half of it wooded, and one nice big field. The house is away from the road quite a ways, but until I know Apollo trusts me, I don't want to let him run loose, as there is no fencing.

Dakota would almost never go if he was on a leash being held by someone. He wasn't scared, just didn't like the audience. He would pee, but not poop.

Also, I have contacted his foster caretaker. She said he had only been on a leash when outside for about a week when she had him (about a month) and so he (Apollo) didn't have much experience with it. After that I think he was just free in her fenced yard when he went.

I will also look into finding a product that can mark areas for them to go. That could be very helpful.

Anyway, enough typing, I'm gonna give him another shot at the outdoors.

Thanks again!
 
Thank you for adopting. Razzle looks like a nice little guy. It maybe that he is just confused about what to do. First time I took Ember on a trip away from home she refused to go for 36 hours. She had been taught to go on leash but for some reason not being in her familar area made her worried enough not to go.

Continue to take him out. Stay very calm and relaxed. Ignore any shy behavior and quietly praise any outgoing or brave behavior. He probably just needs sometime to adjust. The hiding behind you means he is trusting you to protect him. Nice that he sees you as a comfort but don't encouage it or it will get worse. I had a rescue JRT mix that was like this. She never had human contact before I got her. She bonded so quick but I started to have separation anexity issues because I praise her at the wrong times. Good luck, hopefully he'll start settling in soon.:smile2:
 
Success!

I couldn't find the old long lead, and it would've been an hour trip to go buy one (middle of nowhere) so I tied an old piece of small rope to his short leash and gave it about 9 extra feet.

Most of the walk was similar to before and I was actually on my way back inside when I took one last stop. He wandered around behind me for awhile, and finally he stopped and peed for quite awhile. I had forgotten treats, but I gave him praise, but sadly...he actually seems to get scared even from praise. But after some petting I just went back to standing and he walked around a bit longer before finally going #2. A little more praise and I brought him inside and gave him a bit of cheese. He would eat it from my hand, but didn't want to walk in front of me. Only behind or beside. Eventually I got him to eat the last bit in front of me.

Small progress, but one step at a time! :smile2:
 
squall said:
Success!

I couldn't find the old long lead, and it would've been an hour trip to go buy one (middle of nowhere) so I tied an old piece of small rope to his short leash and gave it about 9 extra feet.

Most of the walk was similar to before and I was actually on my way back inside when I took one last stop. He wandered around behind me for awhile, and finally he stopped and peed for quite awhile. I had forgotten treats, but I gave him praise, but sadly...he actually seems to get scared even from praise. But after some petting I just went back to standing and he walked around a bit longer before finally going #2. A little more praise and I brought him inside and gave him a bit of cheese. He would eat it from my hand, but didn't want to walk in front of me. Only behind or beside. Eventually I got him to eat the last bit in front of me.

Small progress, but one step at a time! :smile2:
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Wonderful,glad to hear the good news.
He is going to settle in just fine,and we wish you many many years of sheltie happiness. Thank you for taking him in,and giving him a second chance!:smile2:
 
Diana said:
You could try using a clothesline. Those are long and light but also strong. And they're cheap. I think some dogs don't like to do their business with an audience.
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definitely, some dogs don't want an audience. Callie is also a rescue and she prefers not to be watched- when I first got her, she would wait until you weren't looking. She's better now but still prefers a little privacy. You have definitely gotten some good advice in the other posts. Sunchaser definitely can give you good advice as she has fostered many rescue shelties.
 
Welcome, Squall and Apollo! Everyone has given you great advice; here's my two bits. Get a copy of How to be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete. It sure helped us with our rescue, Annie Laurie (who is right now sleeping at my feet).
 
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