Dog afraid of new owners, ok with strangers and dogs

[JAMES HARTWELL]

We got a rescue dog from Texas at the end of January (we live in Washington state.) She is a small terrier/chihuahua mix. She opened a window and escaped after the 2nd day and was gone for 4 days.  She was recaptured when our neighbor was walking her little dog, and our dog just followed her and her dog into her house.  10 days later she escaped again, was gone for 2 nights, and was caught by the same neighbor.

She is a sweet dog, and loves her walks.  She has found her safe space underneath the rocker recliner.  She will come out from under when we tell her it's walk time.  She will run to front door, and then cower and shake as I put a leash on.  She walks beautifully on a leash.  When we finish the walk, she comes home, comes in, then cowers and shakes till I remove the leash, and will then make a mad dash for under the recliner till the next walk.

She is so scared I can't even get her to take a treat from me during the time I put on her leash, even her favorite bologna treat.  We have tried to put her on the couch after her walks, to pet her and hand feed her some bologna.  She will eat (finally) but won't even stay till her bologna is gone, but will bolt the second she can wriggle free and hide. 

What is odd is that she is completely different around strangers, especially strangers with dogs.  She will literally leap for joy when she sees another dog, big or little, friendly or not so friendly.  And she loves the people attached to them.  She will let them pet her, will react with pleasure when she sees them on another walk, even if they don't have their dog with them.  She plays with dogs and even our neighbor's cat.  (Interestingly, she doesn't seem to like our feral cat, who is also trying to be friendly and play).  Other neighbors can give her any treat they have, and she will eagerly take it.

It breaks my heart to see the dog be so happy and joyful with others, but so fearful of us.  We suspect she is traumatized due to the long and miserable trip from a long distance, and associates us with that.  After she started running away, we were told to crate her.  She was so miserable and anxious, destroying parts of the kennel, that we decided to let her find her own safe space.  She found the chair, and no longer tries to escape when we leave the house (though we close doors to bath and bedroom, to be safe).  She has started to come out at night to play in her bed with some toys.  She will also come eat.  (We tried just leaving food and water out at night, but she wouldn't come out to eat. She will not come out all day to eat or drink, preferring to drink from puddles outside. on walks) She had many siblings to play with, and her foster also had a small dog to keep her company.  We are retired, and so home virtually all the time.  Were hoping to take her with us most places, but she is terrified of any car ride.

Suggestions?

[JMFS]

Awww, my heart breaks for y'all!  This one is, and this is impressive, a new one I've seen here.  I look forward to hearing suggestions.  Just know that you're in good hands with Adrienne!  dddd

Something that may help Adrienne help you is to describe the car ride from Texas to Washington.  How did she behave, what did y'all do on the stops along the way, were there any potty accidents, what is her age, is she spayed, etc . . ..  Do you know what her life situation was like prior to adopting her?  Have they given any insight about traveling, etc . . ..  How does she react to females vs males?  Did you have any dogs previous that may have left a scent behind - anything you can think of.  When she meets strangers, is it when you're out and about, or is it in your house?  Anything you can think of to help troubleshoot.  <3

[JAMES HARTWELL]

Tnx for the suggestions for additional info.

*She was transported by the Texas animal foundation. 3 days, in a small crate.  Because she was an escape artist, they didn't let her potty outside, but only inside warehouses and other stops.  However, she must not have had many accidents because she smelled pretty good on arrival.

*She is 13 months old.  She was born at a home that let their dogs wander the neighborhood, and were finally convinced to give up the puppies to the foundation. She is spayed.  She is street wise. She had only a few accidents inside, mostly as we were trying to adapt to each other's schedule. She walks well on a leash, and responds to simple training, like "no pull" when she starts to pull a little too much. She'll stop, look at me, then continue forward.  Very smart.  She's 15 lbs, and cute as a button. She is the smallest dog we've ever had.

*She likes males and females equally.  She even likes our neighbor who uses a walking stick and wears a hat. He has an older shih-tzu, but our pup still wants to play with her. He can reach down and she'll smell him and let him touch her.  She may like women slightly more than men, but only slightly.  We have had strangers in the house, and she will stay hidden, but none of them was attached to a dog.  On our walks, she does not react to hats (except maybe mine), and I have seen a guy pet her with and without gloves.  I stopped wearing any once the snows left, although it is still darn cold some mornings.

*We have had several dogs in the house over the years. We lost our last dog, also a rescue, during the first year aof the pandemic. I've asked a friend to let me borrow her dog for a few nights, but we haven't yet done that.  I pet all the neighborhood dogs, hoping that our pup will see that I'm acceptable to other dogs.

*We are currently trying a DAP diffuser and DAP spray.  Hard to do as her favorite place under the chair probably means she doesn't get much of the diffuser, and it's hard to spray under the chair.  We also spray her bed (in the corner by the chair), but she only comes out at night. That's when she eats and drinks.  I think she may be sleeping some in the bed when we're asleep.

Note that I (Liza) am the only one who really knows we have a dog.  My husband (Jim) sees this little dog go flying by to hide.

Tnx for any help

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Liza, welcome to the forums! -Thank you Jennifer for asking so many great questions!

Please see some of my observations in non-bold.

We got a rescue dog from Texas at the end of January (we live in Washington state.) She is a small terrier/chihuahua mix. She opened a window and escaped after the 2nd day and was gone for 4 days.  She was recaptured when our neighbor was walking her little dog, and our dog just followed her and her dog into her house.  10 days later she escaped again, was gone for 2 nights, and was caught by the same neighbor.

She is a sweet dog, and loves her walks.  She has found her safe space underneath the rocker recliner.  She will come out from under when we tell her it's walk time.  She will run to front door, and then cower and shake as I put a leash on.  She walks beautifully on a leash.  When we finish the walk, she comes home, comes in, then cowers and shakes till I remove the leash, and will then make a mad dash for under the recliner till the next walk.

She is so scared I can't even get her to take a treat from me during the time I put on her leash, even her favorite bologna treat.  We have tried to put her on the couch after her walks, to pet her and hand feed her some bologna.  She will eat (finally) but won't even stay till her bologna is gone, but will bolt the second she can wriggle free and hide. 

Poor baby, thank you so much for rescuing! The fact she won't take a treat during the leash attaching time is a sign that she is over threshold. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Maybe she was never taught to walk on a leash, or just sparingly, and finds it frightening, but since she loves walks so much, it sounds like she volunteers for it, but at the same time is scared. Conflicting emotions are likely at play. But then again we don't know what part of the leash she's really scared of. Maybe more than the the sensation of the leash (since she walks on leash so nicely), she is scared of the sound of having it snapped on or there can be other issues such as us feeling nervous about us looming over her as we snap it on. Or maybe she's not trusting enough of us or being confined in a house.  

It would help to carefully assess what exactly may be that causes her to shake, but we may never know exactly because dogs chain events with one another so this can blur a bit things. For instance, we may do a trial where we loom over her slightly to see if the looming is what evokes shaking, but it could be that she's shaking in anticipation of us attaching the leash since we do so predictable after looming, so that compounds things. 

When in doubt, it may help to work on this broadly-so to say, so to cover all basis creating positive associations with several parts of the chain (us walking towards them, looming, snapping the leash).

So by the door, since she doesn't take food, you can use going out the door as the functional reward since she loves to go on walks. So right after you snap the leash on, praise and immediately open the door as you happy talk your way out (if she responds well to your voice). 

On the way back, that's when we can start working a bit more on creating positive associations with the unsnapping the leash behavior. Since, on the couch she has taken treats let's take advantage of that. So once you come back from the walk, try having her follow you on leash to the couch, and once there, unsnap the leash with one hand, praise (if she does well with that, some dogs are intimidated by that), while with the other hand you drop some tasty bologna cut in several small pieces as a jackpot. You can keep a little place mat there if you don't want stains. Then let her free to hide or whatever she wants to do.

Choice is important for these dogs. They need to feel free to decide when to move away and hide, if we block them, they may feel more anxious. The goal is to every day repeat this routine so to get her to enjoy being on the couch more and more, up to where she'll do so voluntarily.  When we reach this point, we can then see if we can get her to move on the couch often where we can practice more leash snapping during the day so we can make it a fun  exercise and then practice doing this even before the walk. The advantage of using the couch for small dogs is that we won't be looming over them as much as when we are standing. It gives us a starting point. 

If we don't want to use the couch indefinitely, we can then gradually fade its use once you have obtained a happy response to the leash snapping, and practice next to couch, maybe split the looming initially, like loom half way and drop treats, then loom a little more drop treats, then loom and do the same exercise of snapping and dropping bologna (place it on the same place mat used on the couch, but now on the floor so to help her generalize). Then, you can gradually move the exercise more and more towards the door. If at any time she appears uncomfortable though, take that as a sign that you have progressed too fast and need to take a few steps back into the process. 

Many dog owners though just stick to snapping/unsnapping  the leash on the couch though because it's easier for us (and our backs!) and more comfortable for the smaller dogs. 

The goal for fearful dogs is to work on small steps using desensitization and counterconditioning and obtaining what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response. Let's split this down:

Desensitization means working in baby-steps, presenting stimuli or situations that are frightening to our dog in less intense forms. You can read more about this here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Counterconditioning means creating positive associations with something that the dog finds intimidating. It needs to go hand in hand with desensitization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

A positive conditioned emotional response is where the dog shows signs of being extra happy due to the all the positive associations:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

What is odd is that she is completely different around strangers, especially strangers with dogs.  She will literally leap for joy when she sees another dog, big or little, friendly or not so friendly.  And she loves the people attached to them.  She will let them pet her, will react with pleasure when she sees them on another walk, even if they don't have their dog with them.  She plays with dogs and even our neighbor's cat.  (Interestingly, she doesn't seem to like our feral cat, who is also trying to be friendly and play).  Other neighbors can give her any treat they have, and she will eagerly take it.

I have had dogs act in similar ways. In particular, an eskimo mix who when dropped off for boarding and training would bark at me every time I moved. All I needed to do is bring other dogs in the room and pet them and within seconds she would approach to be pet too and her barking would totally subside. The change was remarkable to witness, from tense body language to loose and wiggly. I did see a couple of seconds of tension again, but they quickly reverted to friendly after watching the other dogs happily interact with me. 

These are socially facilitated behaviors, that you can take advantage of.  Now, with socially facilitated behaviors, they can go both ways. Dogs can quickly become fearful if they sense fear from other dogs so if you want to take advantage of this, pick only confident, happy dogs who love to be around people. If you have somebody with a jolly, happy dog who she gets along with (careful since she's so petite!), it can help them a lot. 

It breaks my heart to see the dog be so happy and joyful with others, but so fearful of us.  We suspect she is traumatized due to the long and miserable trip from a long distance, and associates us with that.  After she started running away, we were told to crate her.  She was so miserable and anxious, destroying parts of the kennel, that we decided to let her find her own safe space.  She found the chair, and no longer tries to escape when we leave the house (though we close doors to bath and bedroom, to be safe).  She has started to come out at night to play in her bed with some toys.  She will also come eat.  (We tried just leaving food and water out at night, but she wouldn't come out to eat. She will not come out all day to eat or drink, preferring to drink from puddles outside. on walks) She had many siblings to play with, and her foster also had a small dog to keep her company.  We are retired, and so home virtually all the time.  Were hoping to take her with us most places, but she is terrified of any car ride.

There may be something more going on, but time will tell what it is. It could be she is scared of something in your home, like a sound. Jennifer asked you a great question, whether she is scared of your husband. Many dogs struggle with men, their deeper voices and how they move. I am going to read more in detail your answers and then delve deeper on them shortly. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Tnx for the suggestions for additional info.

*She was transported by the Texas animal foundation. 3 days, in a small crate.  Because she was an escape artist, they didn't let her potty outside, but only inside warehouses and other stops.  However, she must not have had many accidents because she smelled pretty good on arrival.

OK so you weren't in the car with her? I am a bit confused because in your earlier post you stated : "We suspect she is traumatized due to the long and miserable trip from a long distance, and associates us with that. " If you weren't there with her during the trip, I doubt she associates you with that, although if she was highly stressed from the trip,  trigger stacking can cause her to be more susceptible to reacting to other things going on in your home. 

*She is 13 months old.  She was born at a home that let their dogs wander the neighborhood, and were finally convinced to give up the puppies to the foundation. She is spayed.  She is street wise. She had only a few accidents inside, mostly as we were trying to adapt to each other's schedule. She walks well on a leash, and responds to simple training, like "no pull" when she starts to pull a little too much. She'll stop, look at me, then continue forward.  Very smart.  She's 15 lbs, and cute as a button. She is the smallest dog we've ever had.

*She likes males and females equally.  She even likes our neighbor who uses a walking stick and wears a hat. He has an older shih-tzu, but our pup still wants to play with her. He can reach down and she'll smell him and let him touch her.  She may like women slightly more than men, but only slightly.  We have had strangers in the house, and she will stay hidden, but none of them was attached to a dog.  On our walks, she does not react to hats (except maybe mine), and I have seen a guy pet her with and without gloves.  I stopped wearing any once the snows left, although it is still darn cold some mornings.

*We have had several dogs in the house over the years. We lost our last dog, also a rescue, during the first year aof the pandemic. I've asked a friend to let me borrow her dog for a few nights, but we haven't yet done that.  I pet all the neighborhood dogs, hoping that our pup will see that I'm acceptable to other dogs.

*We are currently trying a DAP diffuser and DAP spray.  Hard to do as her favorite place under the chair probably means she doesn't get much of the diffuser, and it's hard to spray under the chair.  We also spray her bed (in the corner by the chair), but she only comes out at night. That's when she eats and drinks.  I think she may be sleeping some in the bed when we're asleep.

 

She sounds adorable, and has many appealing personality traits, it sounds like she's slowly coming out of her shell. It can be very rewarding watching them flourish.

Note that I (Liza) am the only one who really knows we have a dog.  My husband (Jim) sees this little dog go flying by to hide.

It sounds like she does very well with many people and dogs. If she's OK around you, it may be she's scared of your husband. Since she seems to come out at night, it maybe because it's "all clear" and nobody is around.  It would be interesting knowing how she reacts to you and your husband *outside* of the home.

If she does well outdoors, there maybe something in the home causing her to act fearful or she may still be fearful of your husband in confined spaces or maybe his movements sounds louder because of the floor or maybe his voice echoes? Things to wonder about. 

It can be anything in the home too. If she was left outside to roam the neighborhood, she may be fearful of just about anything. I once dealt with a dog scared of walking by a portion of the room and only once I put myself on my four legs and walked like a dog I figured there was air flowing from the bottom of a fridge. It could be that she feels trapped or unsafe. Maybe noises of things like the dishwasher or warm air from a heater etc. She will need to establish you as a secure base to trust.

Here is a general guide on helping new rescued fearful dogs: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/

If she's fearful of your husband then that will require a different approach, but always using desensitization and counterconditioning, here is an example:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

I would hold off car rides for now, since she has so much other things to worry about, however, once she's ready, here are some tips:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-getting-car/

Of course, feel free to post here for further tips/troubleshooting. 

Best,

Adrienne

Edited April 5, 2022 by Adrienne Farricelli
added detail

[JAMES HARTWELL]

Tnx for the comments, and sorry for the lack of clarity in some of my post.

*We were not with her during her trip here.  However we were the first ones she met when she left the transport van.  We're wondering if she has somehow associated us with being yanked away from her beloved foster and all her siblings.

*She is as fearful of me as she is of my husband.  However, I'm the one who takes her out for her beloved walks.  She'll come when I say "Walk time!" but she will cower and shake like a leaf when I put her lead on, and the same when we return. Then she runs under the recliner till the next walk, or until morning.

*My biggest concern is that she is clearly unafraid of other males and females when we go out for the walks.  They can wear a hat, gloves, and even use a walking stick, but if she is friends, she will run to them, tail wagging, and let them pet her or give her treats.  None of which she'll let me do.  I've tried approaching her when she is outside, surrounded by her doggie and people friends, but she still won't let me approach and pet.

*She is not afraid of sounds outside.  We have a neighbor on adjoining property who is always shooting guns.  While she looks up when he fires what sounds like a small cannon, she looks up, but doesn't display any fear.  If we go into a neighbor's house, she runs to her, lets her feed her pieces of a treat, and will let her pet her and even slightly rough house with her.  If I try to feed her a piece of the same treat, handed to me by my neighbor, she moves away from me and won't take the treat.  My neighbor can be sitting or standing.  She can drop something, and again our pup looks up, but doesn't look afraid.

* In summary, it doesn't seem like a generalized anxiety.  She isn't scared of other males or females, isn't afraid of being inside other people's home.  But she is terrified of us.  She has her safe space, under the recliner.  But it breaks my heart to have her spend her entire day there, for the last 2.5 months. I don't think it's healthy for her.

*We have reviewed some of the dealing with anxious dogs.  As she will not willing come to us, is it ok to try some of the techniques by forcibly picking her up (after a walk, say) and try the targeting etc? We have done that in the past, trying to associate being with us with good treats, but she will leave the second we remove our arm which constrains her.  She is so scared when I put the lead on she won't even take a treat from me then.  Do you think we should try spraying DAP on us before holding her?

Tnx for any help--Liza and Jim

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Tnx for the comments, and sorry for the lack of clarity in some of my post.

You're very welcome. No worries! I just wanted to make sure I understood well. 

*We were not with her during her trip here.  However we were the first ones she met when she left the transport van.  We're wondering if she has somehow associated us with being yanked away from her beloved foster and all her siblings.

It *can* be possible that she has associated both of you with the trip. Dogs have an uncanny ability to associate events with one another, so if she endured a long, traumatic trip and then you were the first people she sees, you can become part of that anxiety-inducing stimulus package, sort of like dogs who associate the doorbell with strangers approaching the home, although there may be other factors at play. 

I already mentioned, trigger stacking which is the phenomenon where, one trigger, then another, and then another can have an additive effect leading to all the triggers stacking up like in the the game of Tetris and causing the dog to feel flooded with fear. So she could have been stressed by the trip, then being around two new people, different routines, sounds, sights, smells of an unfamiliar place.

*She is as fearful of me as she is of my husband.  However, I'm the one who takes her out for her beloved walks.  She'll come when I say "Walk time!" but she will cower and shake like a leaf when I put her lead on, and the same when we return. Then she runs under the recliner till the next walk, or until morning.

*My biggest concern is that she is clearly unafraid of other males and females when we go out for the walks.  They can wear a hat, gloves, and even use a walking stick, but if she is friends, she will run to them, tail wagging, and let them pet her or give her treats.  None of which she'll let me do.  I've tried approaching her when she is outside, surrounded by her doggie and people friends, but she still won't let me approach and pet.

It sounds like she may be stressed by your standing next to her to put on the leash since you mentioned as well that she's also afraid of you approaching her on walks. I understand how upsetting this must feel, especially since she is acting so social towards others! This is quite unusual, because usually the opposite is true, the dog is fearful of strangers and OK with their owners. However, all dogs are different and there many stories of dogs acting fearful of the oddest things. 

*She is not afraid of sounds outside.  We have a neighbor on adjoining property who is always shooting guns.  While she looks up when he fires what sounds like a small cannon, she looks up, but doesn't display any fear.  If we go into a neighbor's house, she runs to her, lets her feed her pieces of a treat, and will let her pet her and even slightly rough house with her.  If I try to feed her a piece of the same treat, handed to me by my neighbor, she moves away from me and won't take the treat.  My neighbor can be sitting or standing.  She can drop something, and again our pup looks up, but doesn't look afraid.

 Who knows what may be going on her mind! It would be interesting knowing their thought process. I knew one dog who was scared of people with blue eyes. Until dogs can talk though we can only make assumptions. It can be something in your home that she associates both of you with or the trip had a cumulative effect on her. 

Things to think about:

-Maybe you or your husband wear a type of perfume or cologne that reminds her of something scary that happened to her in the past or that she finds aversive?

-Has there been any yelling or anger in her presence? Any items falling from your hands  to produce a loud sound?

-Are any of your appliances working abnormally or making an abnormal sound? 

-Do you have any of those ultrasonic noise machines used to ward off pests from the lawn or garden?

-Any carpets that trigger static? We have a dear member here dealing with this issue and you can read the thread about how easily something as little as a static shock emitted from a carpet can cause a dog to associate a certain food with it and read the story of how my cat learned to associate the carpet's shock with us to the point of even attacking us aggressively!

* In summary, it doesn't seem like a generalized anxiety.  She isn't scared of other males or females, isn't afraid of being inside other people's home.  But she is terrified of us.  She has her safe space, under the recliner.  But it breaks my heart to have her spend her entire day there, for the last 2.5 months. I don't think it's healthy for her.

Here's the thing: hiding is highly reinforcing to dogs. When they hide, they learn that they are safe and they stick to that plan if they have a deeply ingrained reason to feel that the environment outside of that hiding spot is unsafe for some reason. They must learn through tiny steps and positive associations that nothing bad is going to happen to them if they come out, but this needs to happen on their terms. Even something as innocent as our arm reaching towards them can be perceived as aversive and scary to a dog and reason to hide away. 

You can read more about the fear-inducing process here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exposure-therapy/

Now, 2.5 months is a lot of time hiding, although I have heard stories of cats and dogs hiding in places for much longer. Yet, you are right to be concerned. She needs to potty, she needs to eat and drink when she feels like it, not when it's night and feels safer. 

There are several things that can be tried, but we really need to tread with extra caution because, if we aren't careful, even a tiny mistake on our side may further convince her that hiding is indeed needed and she may even get to a point of no longer even coming to you when it's time for a walk. 

As she will not willing come to us, is it ok to try some of the techniques by forcibly picking her up (after a walk, say) and try the targeting etc? We have done that in the past, trying to associate being with us with good treats, but she will leave the second we remove our arm which constrains her. 

With these dogs, putting too much pressure on them can cause them to want to retreat. With them being in such a panicky state (over threshold) there is usually little space for learning obedience cues like targeting. These dogs tend to do better when there is no expectation for them to interact with us. They should try to interact at their own pace. 

There are some things that can be tried, but I really would prefer if you could work directly with a dog behavior professional using force-free methods, because as mentioned, even a tiny mistake can lead to big setbacks. A professional can carefully gauge her body language to ensure she remains under threshold. Not to mention, these dogs with such deep-set fears often benefit from over-the-counter calming supplements/prescription medications along with behavior modification so to attain a starting point. 

It would be a good idea to have your vet check her our to ensure there's nothing going on medically and they can evaluate whether it may be worthy of trying some medication that may decrease her fear/anxiety and help her better adjust to the home and her new family. 

Here are some exercises, but once again, consider the very fine line between helping her progress and risks of flooding her. Flooding takes place when we expose dogs to too intense situations that cause significant setbacks. For a dog like her, any type of interaction may be perceived as flooding, so we need to be very careful-hence the importance of working with a professional/potentially using meds. 

-Keep a treat pouch on you at all times. Every time you walk past the recliner at a distance where she doesn't feel threatened, toss something super tasty her way and leave. We want her to associate you walking by with something wonderful. You may have to repeat this many, many times. Try different varieties of high-value foods and watch her response to them. 

-If you notice she ever comes out to eat, remind yourself of the treat/food used and keep distance. Once she goes back to her hiding spot, repeat using that treat. You don't need to use large treats, being a small dog, split a regular treat into several small parts. 

-If she starts coming out more and more, from a distance where she doesn't seem over threshold, keep tossing treats her way, but aim past her so that she retreats from you rather than having her coming closer to you. Basically toss the treats in a "treat-retreat" fashion that doesn't put pressure on her: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/

Please note:  If she doesn't do well with you tossing treats, jut drop them instead and leave. 

-Take advantage of walks (if she's more receptive outdoors) and occasionally as she's walking nearby you, try making a low volume smacking sound and drop some treats. Then, start bringing the treat/food at eye level before dropping it and see if she makes eye contact. If she does, praise (low volume) and drop the treat. If she avoids making eye contact, she's likely not ready for that, just keep dropping treats every now and then. (Here's a guide on the smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/)

-Being part terrier, these dogs often are crazy about chasing things. Play can be a great bonding activity, but dogs who are nervous won't typically play, however, it may be worthy of trying dragging a flirt pole (dog toy that looks like a fishing pole with a toy at the end) and seeing whether that stimulates her prey drive. I have had some good results with some dogs by attaching a real rabbit skin to a rope. You can carry this on walks and see if she responds to it. 

-Scent can help too create positive associations. Before nighttime, try leaving a shirt with your scent and some tasty treats on top of them. 

 We have reviewed some of the dealing with anxious dogs.  She is so scared when I put the lead on she won't even take a treat from me then.  Do you think we should try spraying DAP on us before holding her?

I am not sure if you can spray some on your clothes, but if you are using a diffuser, it should get into the air. 

These are really tough cases, however, there is no reason that she will not eventually warm up to you and your husband.  It may just take some time.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Also was thinking that, based on her reaction to dogs, it may also help keeping her in a comfortable, non-threatening place and allow her to watch you interact very positively with another dog that she has previously interacted with positively. So if on walks she's more comfortable, you can have a helper hold her leash and let her watch you as you pet and interact positively with a happy dog. If you notice any positive change in her body language with you after this, you can then progress to doing this in front of your home. 

 

[JAMES HARTWELL]

Thanks for all this info!  We have just started trying the dropping a treat when taking off a leash.  No progress yet, but it's too early of course.

I try the positive interaction with other dogs approach every day.  When outside and we meet a doggie friend, she will run and jump with joy, tail wagging.  I pet and give attention to the doggie friend who of course all know me and interact well.  I even try rubbing myself all over the other dog (some are big, and she has no fear of them), in the hopes that my smelling like them will be something she likes.  She has a great nose, and I can tell when a doggie friend has passed by recently because of her behavior.  It's really the only time she'll pull on the leash.  All the neighbors laugh, because she is so cute and funnily enthusiastic to see her friends.

Inside my neighbor's place, which we visit at least once a day, she will run to my neighbor, and I sit down or stand while the pup gets petted, accepts a treat.  My neighbor has tried talking to me and handing me a treat to give to her, but she runs and cowers against my neighbor.

The good news is that I think she accepts her under recliner hiding place as a safe spot.  But I hate the idea of giving her a medication for anxiety when she only needs it when she is with us.  I honestly wonder if it would be easier on her, to rehome her in a place that already has another little dog, and where she could run around in a backyard.  We live in a park model (tiny home) in a camping club.  The area is completely forested, with lots of interesting smells, but every dog has to be on a leash.  She has adjusted to that, because she loves the time outdoors so much.  However, we can only stay here 6 months at a time, then we move next door for another six months.  Our move date is coming up in 3 weeks.  And 3 weeks after that I will head out of town for a visit out of state to family.  I'm concerned that any progress we make will be lost due   to that tumultuous change.  And we'll do it all again in 6 months.  It is just painful to see her so happy when she is out of the house, and so scared inside the house, though to be honest, we literally don't see her inside the house except for her running to the front door to go out.  Not ever. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks for all this info!  We have just started trying the dropping a treat when taking off a leash.  No progress yet, but it's too early of course.

Did she eat the treat when you dropped it? That would be a good starter sign. If not, she's still too over threshold. 

There are also some other options if the snapping on and off the leash is a problem. There are slip leads that you can just slip over her head as you distract her with some tasty peanut butter to lick off a wooden spoon. Now, these tighten around the neck when walking, so I would look for one with a martingale function that prevents it from tightening. 

Yes, slow and steady wins the race with these fearful dogs. It helps to keep a journal where you can keep track of her behavior and any little improvements so to not feel discouraged. And of course, keep posting here when you have any questions or just need some moral support. It's not easy with these fellows. 

I try the positive interaction with other dogs approach every day.  When outside and we meet a doggie friend, she will run and jump with joy, tail wagging.  I pet and give attention to the doggie friend who of course all know me and interact well. 

I even try rubbing myself all over the other dog (some are big, and she has no fear of them), in the hopes that my smelling like them will be something she likes.  She has a great nose, and I can tell when a doggie friend has passed by recently because of her behavior.  It's really the only time she'll pull on the leash.  All the neighbors laugh, because she is so cute and funnily enthusiastic to see her friends.

Keep up the great work! This is also good because walking together can be a great bonding activity. The more positive walks you go through together, the better. Sniffing around can also be a good anxiety-reducer. I wonder if you can organize some fun treasure hunts in the forested area. Just hide some treats here and there before going on the walk and then tell her to "find them!"

Inside my neighbor's place, which we visit at least once a day, she will run to my neighbor, and I sit down or stand while the pup gets petted, accepts a treat.  My neighbor has tried talking to me and handing me a treat to give to her, but she runs and cowers against my neighbor.

It may be insightful to see how she would react to having a friendly and gentle dog go for a walk together and then come into the home and see if that dog can model some positive human interactions in the home for your dog to watch. If you can borrow a friendly doggy for some time, it may help. Social facilitation can be a powerful tool. 

The good news is that I think she accepts her under recliner hiding place as a safe spot. But I hate the idea of giving her a medication for anxiety when she only needs it when she is with us.

I hear you. However, we need to think that also being stressed in the way she sounds like (shaking, hiding) causes the release of high cortisol levels that cause chronic stress and this can lead to side effects. There are also calming supplements your vet can suggest although these may have less impact on dogs who are too over threshold. 

  I honestly wonder if it would be easier on her, to rehome her in a place that already has another little dog, and where she could run around in a backyard.  We live in a park model (tiny home) in a camping club.  The area is completely forested, with lots of interesting smells, but every dog has to be on a leash.  She has adjusted to that, because she loves the time outdoors so much.  However, we can only stay here 6 months at a time, then we move next door for another six months.  Our move date is coming up in 3 weeks.  And 3 weeks after that I will head out of town for a visit out of state to family.  I'm concerned that any progress we make will be lost due   to that tumultuous change.  And we'll do it all again in 6 months.  It is just painful to see her so happy when she is out of the house, and so scared inside the house, though to be honest, we literally don't see her inside the house except for her running to the front door to go out.  Not ever. 

Changes like this may cause more stress, but then again, we can't really know for sure. If moving to a new place, it may help to remove any hiding spots and set up for her an ex-pen in a quiet corner with food, water, a comfy bed, toys and a DAP diffuser. This is to stop the recliner hiding in which sometimes fearful dogs can get stuck sometimes. 

The problem is, once they establish themselves in a hiding area, that's where they'll always go to feel comfortable, it becomes a deeply ingrained habit. An exercise pen offers the advantage of her being able to see you and better habituate to your presence. If she seems very stressed, it can be covered with a blanket for more privacy and then gradually removed. 

Before leaving the place, a few days prior, if you decide to still keep her, it may be worthy as a last-ditch effort seeing how she would react if you would lie down on the floor nearby her (but not blocking her exit) with some tasty food while reading or doing something quiet nearby for a while Some dogs do better us with us when we're lying down versus standing up. You may want to use a word to announce when you're about to get up as a heads' up so they don't get startled, dropping some treats as you get up can further help create positive associations with your scent left behind. 

However, keep in mind that how this may work varies from dog to dog. Some dogs find us less intimidating and it can help them come out of their shell, some others feel even more scared as we are interfering with them feeling safe in their only safe spot. I know of a dog who did OK with this, coming out and laying down next to the owner, while the other kept acting fearful and had to be rehomed....So this could negatively impact her, to the point of her not coming out even for walks. So there are considerable risks to keep in mind. It could go both ways, helping her see us less as a threat or seeing us more as a threat. Her body language may give us some clues. 

[JAMES HARTWELL]

Great ideas! Will try some and get back in a week or so with an update.  I think she would particularly love a treat hunt.  I'll re read the treat hunt sections on the website and see what we can do.  Good idea for easing the transition to the new home.  But I don't think we have any room for a pen, as it is a tiny home, but the main thing is to make her a safe space. We have evidence she's using her bed when we're not around, so will work on finding a little cave area where we can put her bed.  I think under a bench might work, and would let her hide if she wanted, but see out easily.  My son's feral cat hid there for a while, though she now roams all over.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. 

Jim and Liza

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome, keep us posted!

Best,

Adrienne