I need ideas on leash training a physically abused pit puppy. The puppy is around 8 months old, scars over face, rescued from "fighters". This puppy has bonded with me wonderfully, but completely freaks out when a leash is even shown to her.
I am so sorry about what happened to you! Do not let this shatter your belief in what wonderful pets a dog can be. I do not think people understand the extensive damage an animal incurs when abused by the very people it trusts. Look at how humans turn out from the same abuse - molesters, psychopaths etc etc.
If you are going to adopt an abused animal you need many resources and much training to turn that animal around. I wish you the best of luck and want you to know people are to blame here not the poor dog who was beyond saving by the time he was given to you. God Bless.
Not all abused animals are untrainable, but the place you got the pup from should have tested it's reaction to people, leashes, being fed, and other stressful situations before giving it to you. that's inexcusable behavior on their part and they could be liable, if you chose to sue.
It has taken me 3 years to turn a beaten, kicked and who knows what all young cat into a sweet, loving, trusting adult cat. it can be done. true love, patience, and firm but gentle training does the job. dogs are different, though, and some can never recover. it's really an individual basis. type of breed, experience of animal, skill of owner, all tie in. I wouldn't try to tame a fighter dog or any that outweighed me. That could turn very bad very quickly. Choose wisely.
Get a new pup soon, it will help you forget this experience. make sure it's a pup, not one that's already had an owner put ideas in its head, but 6-8 weeks old. Getting one you have to reprogram can be problematic-but I'm preaching to the choir, you've learned that the hard way. Don't express fear to your dog, it makes them crazy and aggressive.
I am so very sorry that it came to that, but you do what you have to do in a situation like this. It wasn't the poor dog's fault, but he was a danger to have around and he was obviously miserable himself. Don't beat yourself up for doing what you had to do. He is at peace now.
I want to thank everyone for their wonderful ideas. unfortunately, the leash being on the floor in a different room was enough to cause her to attack. by attack i mean she jumped up in the air and lunged for my throat. after numerous bites (the puncturing kind) and a somewhat intense struggle, my oldest pit came to my rescue and got the new puppy off of me. i say pup, she was 8 months old. she continued the attack behavior even after all leashes were removed from sight, ie placed in drawers. i found out through investigating this poor baby had bitten its previous owner. the previous owner said they had never had a problem w/her. Not only did that irresponsible woman put her 2 children (under the ages of 5) in danger, she put me, my children (my daughter was attacked also) and anyone who came in contact w/this poor pup in danger. I am sorry to say that after attacking my daughter I had no choice but to have her euthanized (God forgive me I abhor that word). It was no easy decision and I still cry over her. Please keep pets in your prayers.... thank you
Forget that leash. Use a thick, fuzzy curtain cord instead, and eventually replace that with a chain that has wool of the same color threaded through the links. When I had sled dogs, I used to use a straw broom to herd the puppies out of the way. No matter how cute they are, that enthusiastic herd of fan and groupies do get in the way of work and need to be sent away and/or disciplined occasionally. The broom never hurt them, but always became a life long terror inspiring symbol.
Even a 15 year old senior working dog, that could pull the bumper of a pick-up without noticing it, always instantly stopped barking or fighting and slunk away with the tail tucked between the legs, if I showed the broom or slapped the broom onto the ground. The absolute worst punishment, that elicited the most pitiful kayeying was hitting HIS tree with the broom.
So, simply realize that the pup has been beaten with a leash and now equates it with the hyroglyphic for terror, and will for the rest of his life. Silly tricks to get him to tolerate or like the "symbol for terror" will just warp him. Curtain cords, house-coat belts, anything soft and fuzzy will work just fine as a substitute.
I have 8 previously abused dogs and 1 abused cat and i find that each situation is different and there are always going to be some permanent scars. My Dobie will not be yelled at or whipped in any way and I have owned her for 8 years and bonded so deeply that when I was in the hospital my husband had to carefully get her out from my room because mama left her there. She is bonded with him too but mainly to me. You just keep doing what you are doing and don't push her she will come around for love. She won't forget so remember that if you ever get her on a leash.
I have also retrained horses that were abused horribly and they all will bond without pushing. I have 2 dogs that won't tolerate leashes at all until I put them in the truck and when I carry them into the vets office I put a leash on them. You have chosen a large task and it is not impossible but you will have to be patient and know that scar goes deep.
I get a calming capsule from my health food store you may want to try but I wouldn't push the lease. Fight dogs are bred to fight and baby one day will defend herself....just be careful. As I said my dobie would still bite me if I went to strike her or yelled at her and kept doing it. Fear the most horrible fear in their life and they have to respond. Don't put her into that situation till you can handle her in every other way and she trusts you for anything. This is important. I have 3 brindle bulls and only one had been abused but she is unpredictable with anyone but me or my husband.
TLC is the best cure and try the harness after you have her confidence. Don't push too hard as you are her only chance.
I'm going to offer some ideas that I would try if this were my dog. I have taken in a dog or two in the past that was abused, but not to the extent that your puppy has obviously been abused --- so I'm no expert (just someone offering some ideas).
First, I believe that (to her) the leash represents an inability to escape from danger. If that's what is going through her head, desensitizing her to leashes would be a good thing. So that she can come into contact with leashes that DO NOT cause her to be unable to escape from danger, you could have a bunch of leashes just laying around the house. Seeing that the leashes aren't moving or doing anything to her or keeping her from fleeing from danger, she MAY realize that the leashes are not bad.
The other thing is that her former "owners" probably used some sort of collar around her neck attached to the leash. If she pulled on it, it likely strained around her neck, choked her neck, pinched her neck, or poked her neck. I prefer collars to harnesses when walking dogs because I think dogs typically train better because there's a negative reinforcement if they pull on the leash. But, in the case of your dog, I think a harness is a better route to go because any negative reinforcement on her neck is just gonna bring back bad memories for her. If she's on a harness, you can keep the harness on for a day or two before ever even attaching a leash, and it might not bring back any bad memories, then when you attach a leash it might be different enough from a collar/lesh setup that she might not be so upset.
These may or may not work, but it's what I would try. I'd also consider not actually holding the end of the leash when you give that a try. Whenever I have leash trained young dogs, I have attached the leash and allowed them to go about their business for a while before I ever pick up the other end of the leash. It seems to be a smoother transition.
I think it's wonderful that you are taking this dog in and giving it a warm, loving environment. Keep in mind that some of the awful stuff from her past is likely to always be a part of who she is. If anything will solve her issues, though, it is patience, kindness, and loving discipline. My hat is off to you for welcoming her into your family.
Here is the answer to the leash question. Hold the leash in your hand, not on the dog but just in your hand. Call him and have him come to you. If he does, then throw down a treat in front of the leash, where he can see it. If he does not come over, then throw down a treat for him near the leash to make him come over.
Say "yes" when he does something remarkable. Praise him calmly, and only throw food down when he steps forward.. It may just be one step toward you but throw the treat down for it. I would use cut up cooked hot dogs into little bitty pieces he can chew up quick and then be looking for more. Cut up into about twenty pieces. Go to leerburg.com for more info. I might look up the dosage of benadrylto give dogs also, sometimes it helps for anxiety. My shepherd is on it for bad skin, but it calms him down too. The dosage is on the net under benadryl dose for dogs. Blessings, robyn
Hi There, Buy him a special soft place to go and start throwing treats there in his presence. When he gets on the couch, say bed, and throw the treat on the bed. Make sure the bed is special, a soft dog bed or a couple of folded comforters....get them from freecycle.org if you can't afford them..he needs a special place,,he probably feels he cannot be hurt if he is "up". I would myself, make a chair or couch in there for just him. The special, soft, dog bed, when he gets praised for going over there to get treats you put there, will serve just as well unless he feels safe only off the ground. If this is the case it is cruel to keep him if he will have to stay on the floor where he feels in danger.
Rawhides, treats to eat, kongs with stuff in them frozen, etc. make really good treats. Again, make sure the little darling is not being traumatized by having to be on the floor. Check out leerburg.com for using food rewards and marker training. Make sure the comforters or dog bed is huge and comfortable. Blessings, Robyn
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Request: Training a Dog That Was Abused (09/06/2009)
The 1 yr. old abused dog we adopted thinks he can sit on the living room sofas. I chased him off one sofa, so he went to the other sofa.
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Request: Training a Dog That Was Abused
Archived on 09/06/2009
The 1 yr. old abused dog we adopted thinks he can sit on the living room sofas. I chased him off one sofa, so he went to the other sofa. I scolded him, so he went back to the first sofa. You get the idea. I even brought out to the living room his comfy stuffed cushion that lined the crate. He walked up to it and looked at it. I praised him. He walked away. A few minutes later he got on the sofa again. Repeat performance. My daughter has fussed at him for the same sofa thing. So how do we get the message across that the sofas are off limits while he's still learning to trust us?
Holly from Richardson, TX
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RE: Training a Dog that was Abused
Try to use cloths hangers, while you are away (if he is out) he has total control. Try putting something on there that is uncomfortable. My grandmother used cloths hangers, but I have seen people put stools on their furniture so the animals stayed down. (11/14/2007)
Check your local pet store. I'm not sure of the name, but there's a spray you can use to items to keep pets off. it doesn't harm the fabric. Good luck. (11/14/2007)
I use flattened beer boxes. All I have to do when he's in my presence is say no. But when were not around, he won't sleep on a flattened cardboard box. If he was to go from couch to loveseat and back in my presence, I'd probably get a spray bottle with water and squirt it as I said "no". (11/15/2007)
I've heard of people putting aluminum foil or newspaper on sofa's or chairs that you don't want animals on. Maybe that would work. (11/15/2007)
By Connie from Canada
RE: Training a Dog That Was Abused
2 key words - love and patience. I take in a lot of stray dogs and find homes for them. The ones that are abused take a lot of time and patience. One dog took 5 years before any man could get near him. They don't forget. Praise him when he minds you and gets off the sofa. Reward him with a treat. Be firm but loving. And maybe he just wants to be on the sofa with you, his family. Would it really hurt to cover one spot on the sofa with a blanket and let it be his spot? I could never thank my dogs enough for all the support and unconditional love they have blessed our family with. Good luck and have a lot of patience and love. (11/15/2007)
By Lisa
RE: Training a Dog That Was Abused
I agree with Lisa, lots of love and patience. One other suggestion I would make would be to find a place that you want your dog to sit instead of the couch and reward him for sitting there. I mean, just celebrate the fact that the dog sat there. At first, he will think you are crazy, but he will want to know what made his person so happy. When he figures out that whenever he sits there he gets a treat, you will find him sitting there all the time.
When he sits on the couch I would calmly tell him to get down, and show him down with a finger pointing down to the floor. If he is reluctant to go to the place that you have designated for him to sit, then start it off close to the couch. As he gets used to it (and that may take some time, so be patient) you can move it away from the couch by a little bit. Soon you can move it more and more you get the picture. He has been shown that he will be okay without your couch and without being on top of the people. (11/15/2007)
RE: Training a Dog That Was Abused
He is a pretty dog and I'm sorry he was abused. I'm so glad you took him in. I think you are going to have to have a lot of love and patience with him because of the abuse. The sofa seems to be his comfort zone. Have you thought about buying a small used loveseat that you can show him is just his and his place to sit? My Mom did that with her dog and it worked well. It's worth a try. (11/15/2007)
By Mythi
RE: Training a Dog That Was Abused
Your dog needs positive reinforcement. this means no scolding and chasing. Instead not saying a word about the bad behavior and just praising for the good. So with the sofa, he goes on you remove him/her to the dog sofa and then give lots of praise, your dog will crave the positive attention and always aim to please when they figure it out. (11/19/2007)
