Suggestions for dealing with a schizo puppy?

[Batman]

OK, so Batgirl rescued a 1 1/2 year old rat terrier from the pound and brought her home Tuesday. Cute dog. Only problem is, the thing runs under the nearest piece of furniture every time we leave it on its own. If we pull her out and keep her in our laps or on the couch or something, she seems fine. Last night we let her sleep in the bed and she was even playful for a while. But today she's been under the bed for the last six hours (after another two behind the dresser). Batgirl is getting frustrated and is about ready to take her back to the shelter. At this point, it's getting harder and harder to blame her. Any suggestions on how to solve our puppy's issues before we get to that point?

 

[pallister]

Put cold cuts all over the floor.

 

[DyePack]

Yes, it should be totally adjusted in just 5 days.

Have you ever owned a pet before? Have you given thought to never owning one again?

 

[Inky_Wretch]

You and she have to be patient. The key word in your post was "rescued." This dog might have been abused. At the very least, it was abandoned and spent who knows how long at a shelter.

Give it time. Be nice to it. It'll come out of its shell eventually. You wouldn't expect an adopted child to immediately love and trust you, can't expect the same from a dog.

 

[imjustagirl2]

My cat stayed under beds and couches for about a month. I'd have to lure it out with a trail of food to be able to take it to the vet.

Since then? Her trust has grown, and she now jumps on me and purrs.

Just freaking give it time. It's been five days.

 

[aspiring]

Sounds to me like this puppy was mistreated. Just give it some time and LOTS of love. Don't take it back to the shelter, that'll only make it worse. Keep it and love it as if it were your child. It needs it.

Usually, a pup that acts like that was abused by a previous owner, or saw a form of abuse as a very young pup.

Keep the little rat.

 

[hondo]

1. Burlap sack.
2. 2-3 bricks.
3. A bridge over deep water.

 

[HejiraHenry]

The dog, does it have its own spot in the house ... a box, whatever?

 

[Batman]

Batgirl is also disabled (in a wheelchair), so it's nearly impossible for her to dig out the little mutt to feed her, take her to the yard to poop, things like that.
We figured she was abused and it might take a while before she's "normal", but it'd be nice to see some signs of...I dunno, something. Exploring the house, wandering around, eating her own food without being hand-fed...something. We don't want to take her back, but we also don't want to come home and find a dog skeleton under the bed because we either couldn't find her or couldn't get to her.

 

[DyePack]

I think it likes to hide underneath furniture, which is a reason for execution if I ever heard one.

 

[Batman]

The dog, does it have its own spot in the house ... a box, whatever?

We bought a little pet carrier for her and put a blanket in it to make up a bed. She went in there the second night, but seems to like the spot behind the dresser much better.

 

[aspiring]

Batgirl is also disabled (in a wheelchair), so it's nearly impossible for her to dig out the little mutt to feed her, take her to the yard to poop, things like that.
We figured she was abused and it might take a while before she's "normal", but it'd be nice to see some signs of...I dunno, something. Exploring the house, wandering around, eating her own food without being hand-fed...something. We don't want to take her back, but we also don't want to come home and find a dog skeleton under the bed because we either couldn't find her or couldn't get to her.

Give it some time. THe dog just needs time to gain trust. THe wheel chair might be a little scary too. Just give it time. I was told by a vet that a dog won't starve itself. IT will come out and eat.

Work with it.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

When I was in high school, my best friend got a dog and wanted to name it Ronnie, after the bad ass who went mad and shot everyone up in a Metallica song. Don't ask me why it makes sense today, he's actually quite a normal guy. Anyway his little sister didn't like that idea and named the dog something else instead. Then the dog went mad and started biting everyone all the time. They should have named him Ronnie.

 

[Bears00]

I had a dog that acted the same way. Also rescued from the shelter. He wouldn't even sleep on the end of my bed he was so scared. He'd climb behind couch and stay there until we pulled him out.

Seven years later, I couldn't imagine not having him. Give it at least six months. I think you'll be glad you did.

 

[CentralIllinoisan]

1. Burlap sack.
2. 2-3 bricks.
3. A bridge over deep water.

Not even funny.

 

[Gomer]

Our dog was split up from her sister when we got her and had a ton of problems at first. We had neighbours complaining, doors and walls scratched, accidents all over the place.

Two months later she's the best thing that's happened to us this year. Still not perfect but well worth all the time and effort we've put in to helping her adjust.

There are tons of websites out there with free advice. Go to a vet and ask a thousand questions, you'd be amazed how helpful they can be. Most importantly, be patient.

 

[BYH]

1. Burlap sack.
2. 2-3 bricks.
3. A bridge over deep water.

You are a complete piece of ****.

"Ohhh people call me names." You earn it. Every last bit. You're the worst, least useful troll on this board.

Not a surprise you'd treat difficult animals like you want to treat people who aren't perfect. You must be a wonderful parent.

**** you.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Bunch of dumb assholes on this thread. Lousy, worthless, crappy advice.

Solution simple:

Sell all your ****ing furniture, nutbag.

 

[ifilus]

Crate training.

 

[fever_dog]

the puppy is obviously scared and has likely been abused.
you need to accept and understand the fact that it's going to take a lot of hard work, consistency and patience to rehabilitate it. because that's what it needs: rehabilitation.

so it needs a few things:
(1) strong leadership from the bat couple.
what does that mean? always act calm around it and always be in control. dogs want to be followers, and they gain confidence being around leaders.
(2) discipline.
it needs a routine. it needs structure. it needs rules. canine's crave this. keep her on a leash in the house, this way you don't permit her to get under furniture. remember, you are the bosses. it is your home that you have invited her into.
(3) exercise.
this will be difficult because she obviously is fearful, lacks confidence and is insecure. but long, structured walks are crucial to your relationship. take her for walks everyday. lead her with treats if you have to, but try to make her walk.
(4) less affection.
i know this sounds crazy, but don't lavish affection on her. why? you more than likely are just reinforcing the unwanted behavior. for instance, let's say you get her to crawl out from under the bed and she is obviously scared. so you attempt to comfort her with pets, hugs and snuggles. what's the message to the dog? if she crawls under the bed and hides, she will be rewarded with pets, hugs and snuggles. so she will act scared to get affection.

i hope this helps.

PM me, if you have any questions.