Training An Abused Rescue Dog

When you decided to go out and look for a new dog from the local shelters and rescues most people don’t go looking specifically for an abused dog. However there is that very small group of compassionate people out there that simply have big hearts and are willing to bring an abused dog into their homes and their life. Lets talk about training that abused dog.

Yes, there it is that fearful little dog that is simply too fearful to approach you even though you can tell that it really wants to. The next thing you know you are on your way home with your new fearful dog at your side.

Has this dog been abused? Most people would say yes, however that simply is not always the truth. There can be several reasons that this new member of the family is so timid and shy. It can be a lack of socialization. Don’t forget the period of socialization is from birth to 20 weeks of age. Maybe this little guy just did not get socialized. You really don’t know because the rescue said it was found roaming the street so it has no history.

It can also be fearful because of genetics. Yes, we don’t know anything about the parents they may have been fearful as well. In fact you probably know a human that is shy and withdrawn that was never abused so the same can be true for a dog.

Last but not least is yes, maybe there is some abuse in this dogs history. But time to move on and teach the dog that you can be trusted to treat it with respect and get it trained so it knows that it has a strong and understanding leader.

Start slowly building trust with you first and then with other members of your family. This will take time. I can assure you that it will not happen over night. It could take months and sometimes years.

Start off teaching your dog the very basics including sit, down and walking on leash. As time passes and the dog is catching on you can move to more advanced exercise like sit-stay and down-stay. Remember take it slow your not only training this dog you are also building trust.

As time progresses try to start socializing it with other people, dogs and even new locations. There is no exact time line for any of this because each dog will be completely different.

If you need help don’t hesitate to enlist the help of a trainer that is experienced in working with abused dogs. Their experience will be able to help you move along at a good pace.

Do you need help training an abused dog?  We have a lot of experience doing just that, so feel free to visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialists in Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

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