Rescue Dog - Terrified, Advice Needed.

Icanandwillsavemoney

Hi

I picked up our new border collie from the local rescue centre yesterday. I realised she was quite scared when I got her in the car and she wet and messed within 2 minutes. Because of this I have been very gentle with her and talking softly. She has been glued to my feet since we got home.

The reason I am asking for advice is that she keeps jumping up onto the work surfaces in the kitchen every time I walk out the kitchen. Her night bed is in the kitchen which is lovely and warm for her so she is spending half the night on the work surfaces. I came home today and in a stern voice said 'down' and she jumped down amd wet herself whilst cowering on the floor. I felt absolutely awful especially as I didn't shout. HOw do I discipline her with regards climbing on the worksurfaces without being stern. It looks like she has been through far too much for me to cause any further upset unintensionally. She has been wonderful other than that.

Please help me get this right.

Thanks in advance.

MrsTinks

Have you thought about a crate for her? She may actually feel more secure in it especially if you cover it with a blanket to make it seem more like a den. That would also prevent her from jumping on the work tops when you're out...

Kimberley

Phone the rescue you got her from, they are there to help you and they will know her more then you. They will be able to advise you further. I too am a fan of the dog crate, it's a pity you don't live near me because i'd have loaned you one.

mirrorimage0

def ask around see if you can loan a crate it makes them feel ,mure secure, how about trying a dap diffuser too i think you can get plug ins and drops, not 100% sure though maybe someone who knows about them will come along soon and advise

Milford_Cubicle

I got a DAP diffuser from vetuk.co.uk, it was £15. I'm not entirely sure if it's helping calm our pup down or if she's now settled so therefore calm but it's been there a week, she's almost 9 weeks old and is a delight.

Another vote for the crate here. You can close the door at night, then during the day leave it open so if she feels threatened, she can go in there and feel safer. Dogs generally don't mess where they sleep so it might encourage her to be 'clean' as well, even when feeling a little nervous.

Good on you for taking a rescue dog and good luck with settling her in.

Foxy2008

Hi
Well done you for having a rescue dog .
We have a rescue dog best thing I ever did .
Tia wet herslf coming home too .
First of all your doing a good job , do you have any life history on her ?
Her only way of eating might have been jumping on work surfaces for food .
She needs to get used of you and that your not going to hurt her ,its early days yet .
I would just keep gently calling her off and putting her down on the floor .
Once she realises your not going to hurt her and she will be fed it may sort itself out .
If you are going to use a crate i personally would put her bed in there in the morning with her food in there so she gets used of it .
My dog didn't like a crate .
We have had Tis 8 months now and she still wees when my hu8bby comes home , she is excited to see him but a little scared of men .
Good luck

marlot

I rescued a german shepherd a year ago, and had very similar issues. We used lots and lots of positive reinforcement, and worked to find something which was fun for her which she could use to learn (or relearn) basic commands. In our case, a radio-controlled car was perfect. within a few days she had learned 'leave' - always followed up with some play, of course. we spent ages teaching come, using an open area and two of us, each with a supply of chicken! But... a month or so ago she wet herself with excitement when I came home and without thinking I scolded her, and we got a lot of the old behaviour back - fortunately they died away within a month.

My advice for now is lots of patience. Be careful around children in case she snaps (out of fear) and if necessary consider a muzzle (we had to use one for 4 months). Try to use positive commands rather than scolding - we even turned 'leave' into a positive with lots of rewards. Make sure that she gets used to you touching her ears, paws, teeth,tail etc as part of your bonding.

She will take longer to settle in than we can expect - in the first month or two we had aggression to other dogs, children and a bitten vet. After 4 months she was able to cope with sensible children, and was so good with other dogs we were able to take the muzzle off on walks near other dogs as long as she had a ball in her mouth. We've just come back from a weekend away in the caravan with a well behaved dog who was a delight.

I'd echo what people say about a crate. If she isn't a chewer you could get one of the fabric ones - they give the dog a bit of privacy. We discovered this a bit later in the day and wished we'd done it earlier. but make sure you never use the crate as a punishment - you want the dog to think of it as a safe place to be.

Icanandwillsavemoney

Thank you everyone for your advice

She is wonderful really, this is the only thing that I would like to manage. She follows basic commands such as sit, lie down, bed so has been trainined and also saves her business for the outdoors thank fully. The fear showed itself tonight as I was walking her and a man approached us talking on his phone, she heard his voice and immediately welded herself to the back of my legs so I am summising that it was a male that has done this.

I know it will take some time but my DD (11 years old) will just fuss her all day if I let her and she is really lapping up the positive attention she is getting and the tail is wagging when she greets us so I am taking that as a positive start. The pair of them just clicked so I am really really pleased although I don't think Wispy will appreciate all the ideas of pink diamonte collars that my DD keeps talking about!! Think we will stick to the plain red one!!

I am going to look into the crate idea as I think she may benefit from the security. I just want her to feel safe and wanted and I know she will eventually realise that she is never going to get hurt again. Also I won't need to keep cleaning the work surfaces quite so often!!!

Thanks again everyone, your really kind.

Icanandwillsavemoney

I too am a fan of the dog crate, it's a pity you don't live near me because i'd have loaned you one.[/quote]

How kind and thoughtful, it's a shame but thank you so much.

MrsTinks

Ditto I have one sat outside the front door that hasn't been used for ages lol But it's a wee bit of a drive!

Kimberley

The rescue where you got her from may have some for her size, ask them. If you do get one make sure you cover the back and sides with a dark blanket to make it dark for her, leave the door open at all times except when left and at night. With my foster dogs I put treats inside the crate for them so they associate the crate as a haven/den. Goodluck and I hope she settles in soon.