Rehabilitating an Abused Dog

At the beginning of this week, I had a customer come in and tell me she was going to dump her dog on her way to Atlanta. I finally convinced her to let me have her instead. I got her on Wednesday; she’s a Lab/Pitt mix it seems, and shortly realized she was showing signs of abuse. She’s very skittish, fearful, and not treat motivated. I can’t get anything out of her; she is just frozen up. I’ve never seen a dog broken down like this. We have kept her in my mom’s garage with lots of blankets and doggy beds, slowly trying to get her in the house at her own pace. She has been spayed and got her first round of shots; she seems about 3 years old. We realize she is going to need to stay with us until she gains some trust back, if she had any to begin with, and just take our time and let her know she’s safe with us before we try to get her adopted. Any tips are welcomed; I can’t stand seeing her like this, it hurts my heart. Everyone is telling me I did a good thing, but I just feel depressed seeing her so fearful, wondering what she went through. Thanks in advance.

Spend time by her. Just sit by her but not next to her. Don’t try to push affection; she’s scared. Don’t stare at her. Throw a treat by her on the ground then ignore her. She will eventually take it when you’re gone. Next time you’re sitting by her, do it again; talk calmly and quietly, tell her what a good girl she is and how happy you are to have her. When she starts to feel safe, she will get up and eat the treat. Remember it’s thrown on the floor close to her, out of arms reach from you. Let her guide you by looking at her comfort level. She could be taking the treats from your hand in a day or two, or it may take longer. This is a trust exercise.

I do want to say that a fearful behavior in a dog does not necessarily mean that it has been abused. More often than not, it’s due to lack of proper socialization to different environments, different people, and different animals.

Just time and patience. My girl was so skittish and scared of odd things (like a flyswatter). We gave her a lot of reassurance and a lot of treats (she is very treat-motivated, fyi) during the first few months until she really opened up. Not entirely sure what she went through before (shelter just said ‘hoarding case’) but she took a few months to loosen up and really be her real (and best!) self. It really broke my heart the first few times she’d react badly to things, but just giving her reassurance and letting her know she was safe and loved were the key. Sounds like you know all these things; just want to give some encouragement for an emotionally tough process :heart:

What others have said. Being fearful, especially in a new environment with new people, is not necessarily abuse (although it can be). Sit by her and just be there. Don’t look at her and completely ignore her; occasionally toss a treat in her general direction and just leave it. You can sit there and read a book out loud or talk to someone on the phone, just that quiet talking that isn’t directed to her. Let her choose to come to you, and don’t react in a big way when she does. (Watch Rocky Kanaka on YouTube.) And remember the 3-3-3 rule: 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn the routine, 3 months to feel at home.