Does anyone have any advice, books, or websites?

My boyfriend an I are going to be adopting a dog that has been neglected in the past. She is very shy and afraid of people at first. We have had a meeting with here and after about two hours she would allow both of us to come up to her and pet her. We have both had dogs in the past so we have experience with animals. I am wondering if anyone has any advice for a new dog owner of a neglected dog who acts like this. If you have any tips, websites or books that you can recommend I read please let me know.


Thanks for your help. I have already done a lot of research, but I just want to be as prepared as possible.





Thanks!Does anyone have any advice, books, or websites?
Try Yahoo Groups - Shy-k9s. Loads of experience, information and advice there for the owners of shy and timid dogs through lots of different doggie phobias.Does anyone have any advice, books, or websites?
since she would allow you to pet her after a couple of hours, I don't think there will be a big problem with her. She just needs lots of love and attention. Just give from your heart and she will respond from her heart. Thanks for taking this girl in and best of luck!





We have fostered and adopted many dogs over the years that have been abused and or neglected. They just need love and patience.
Here are some websites, hope they're of use.
You have to let the dog know that you are not going to hurt it. lets say when you feed it. just be calm when you are laying down the food. and when you try to approach the dog. be soft calm try not to make it think that you are going to even try to hurt it. you knoe these kinda things
I dislike Cesar Milan.





I would recommend being super patient.


Congrats on your adoption.
I would reccomend renting or purchasing The Dog Whisperer seasons. He often works with dogs that have that condition. Caesar Millan (the host of the show) also has books available that I'm sure you would find helpful.
There may be more problems than you thought %26amp; here are some sites related to adopting an abused dog.





http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG鈥?/a>
Meet local dog trainers and experts.


Chose the one you feel comfortable with.


Forget the crap you see on TV (Ie Cesar)


Congrats, thank you and best of luck!!!!!
Just be patient with you and you will win her trust. You will know what you do if you follow your own natural instincts.





Also, as far as dog language, a wagiing tail, is dog necessarily happy, but excited. You must look at the stance and facial expression as well. Don't raise your voice to her. Let her come to you. You may put your hand out to her but always palms up. Do not raise your hand over her palm down. She may interpret this as your are going to hit her. Dogs can be very sensitive. Mine is. I have only hit my dog a couple times in her whole life. She is 5. Sometimes when I call her and my voice is a little too lud or high in pitch, too fast, etc, she will run away. Then I have to go in the other room and ignore her. At that time, she comes to me within a few minutes.
Give her time to adjust and don't rush her. After she gets used to you and your home, pay attention which situations or sounds still make her uneasy and address them. Going to her to pet her when she is nervous is not so good approach - she still doesn't know you and even non neglected dogs are wary of strangers. Let her get used to you being in the same room, talk to her calmly, try getting her attention with some interesting toy or food. In couple of days she'd probably be relaxed enough to let you touch her-no sharp movements. But keep the longer petting for later. She first needs to realize that touching her won't hurt, then she needs to trust you and eventually she'll learn to enjoy petting.
I've fostered animals that were abused and I've adopted a few and most will tend to come around within a few weeks time when they have consistent care, like daily walks, regular feeding schedule, time to romp and play with their people and their toys.


I've had one that was extremely shy and would crouch against the floor and wet herself around people. She would hide behind furniture. I let her take her time coming out and approaching me in the first days and then started doing more with her, like walks (which she was very reluctant about at first) which she soon got very excited about and looked forward to them.


One of the dogs we have now experienced some very hard things in her early life and she had big phobias. Part of the reason for this was her breed type (lots of Aussie in her) and the fact that her sense of smell, sight and sound are very keen. Consistent walking in areas that were calmer to start, then building up to walking near busy roads, helped her, as an example of one of her phobias that she overcame. I don't know what type of dog you are adopting, but it would be good to look up the breed or the breeds your dog is mixed with and read about that (or those) specific breed because that will help you a lot as well.


Another thing that helped dogs I have worked with are my other dogs! We own three now (our personal limit to own), but as each was added, or when we've fostered one, the other dogs were hugely helpful in getting the newbie to adjust. Maybe you have a neighbor with a friendly dog that is calm and well socialized who can pal around for a bit in your yard or your house with your new pup.

alvinarf