some dog help

[Alberta_Qaudin]

so my gf has wanted a to get another dog to keep ours company when we are at work which i agreed it was probably a good idea, so a girl she works with has a dog she cant keep cause she's moving. this is fine, the dog is a 2 yo border collie sheppard mix, my dog is a sheppard rotti mix. they are both close ot the same side and seem to get along good....

now the problem, this dog is timid, and timid to the point she is scared to death every time i talk to her for her to come near me o have to tell her its ok about 50 times, when i ask her if she wants to go out to pee she gets excited but the minute i tell her to come she pisses and runs to her hiding spot, if i raise my voice at my dog she pee's and hides. That said i havent raised my voice to her because i dont think she could handle it , and i highly doubt it is her fault she is so scared. so how do i break her of this, i havent had to deal with a dog going in the house for a long time and never dealt with a timid dog before as mine is nothing but hyper and happy, i could probably yell at him with a bull horn and he'd just bark at me to shut up or give him a turn.........so this puppy is starting weigh in on my nerves........but she really is a sweet dog.

so any ideas on speeding up the not being scared process

[ridered92]

just keep telling her its ok that the only thing i can think of sounds like she has been abused good luck

[Bradracer18]

Thats what I was thinking too....probably been abused, even if it was verbal.....she needs to get comfortable with you and your house. Real comfortable. Try to work with her as much as you can......hang out with her if at all possible.....even if its sitting on the floor and holding her on your lap! She will soon gain trust in you, and it will be easier to break her.


Be careful though, we had a dog like this(outside)....and years later we tried to scorn her and she went back to that scared fashion like she had years prior.

[Flyin-Low]

That dog has DEFINITELY been abused.

It will take time but keep working with her and eventually she will realize you don't mean any harm. One of my dogs was rescued from an abusive home and we got her at the animal shelter. She would constantly climb to the highest point in a room and was scared to death of small children, we got her to the point that she would go outside to pee and poo, but wouldn't go further than 10 feet from the door. It took a lot of work and she still has some quirks but she turned right around and has been my best friend and an amazing dog for the past 10 years or so. Too bad her time is coming to an end :(

BTW, she is a Border Collie - Black Lab mix. And is about 13 years old.

[ridered92]

yeah if you can let her sleep on your bed with you guys. try to make her a comforable as possiable but remember you have you first dog and heor she will get resentfull of the new dog if he or she dosent get the same attention as your new dog

[Alberta_Qaudin]

i know i'm very careful about making sure he doesnt feel she is getting more attention, i've had him since a pup and he'll probably always be my favorite, but yes he does get jealous once and a while but is doing really well and we reasure him all the time making sure to pet him and pay attention to him everytime we do the same for her

[Velocity Girl]

Might be worth taking her to an obdience class - this will help both of you as the trainer can help you with methods with her and she will come to see you as an "alpha" in the pack and someone that can be trusted.

Also, given that she's part border collie you can try "working" her. They loooove to have a job/something to do and if she is focusing on her work, then she might not be so scared. (And work can be doing obedience drills, doing tricks, agility, etc.)

Good luck!

[criminalpoet]

Well, one thing to try is when you tell the dog "lets go pee pee", instead of waiting for the dog to come to you, go to the dog. Pick the dog up FIRST, then say "lets go pee pee". Take the dog outside and when the dog does its business give it a treat and praise the dog for a couple of minutes.
Your new dog was obviously abused! And the type of abuse that your dog was exposed to was that anything and everything that that dog did, the dog was made to feel as if it was wrong. Some people get a dog because they think they want one, but once they have it everything the dog does gets on their nerves. To the point that the dog is verbally or even physically repremended for its every move.

This is why your dog acts as if its constantly in trouble. When you get home make sure to put a few dog treats in your pocket. And everytime the dog does what you ask of it give 1 treat and praise the dog like crazy for a couple of minutes. In situations like using the restroom, dont tell the dog lets go pee pee. Instead pick the dog up first, then say lets go pee pee. Take the dog outside, when it does its business give a treat and lots of praise.

Eventually the dog will be able to distinguish whats right from wrong and will begin to emotionally come around. Whatever you do dont raise you voice at the dog at this point. It is critical to build the dogs confidence first. But you can change the tone in your voice, instead of yelling, just speak with an extra deep voice.

Lots of praise when it does what you want, thats the ticket. Once the dog begins to come around you can replace the treats with praise and petting. The treats are just an extra motivational technique.

Good luck and be patient!

[bwamos]

How long have you had the new dog?

People are saying it was abused.. but honestly if the dog's only been around for a short while it's probably just freaked out by the new environment.

Remember, it's been taken away from "mom", kicked out of his/her home and forced to live with "strangers" that have another dog. It's no longer top dog, in its own home.

It will probably just take time to adjust.

I agree with everything else the guy above me said, however. ;)