How To Work With An Abused Dog
No dog deserves to be abused. And every abused dog deserves a chance to receive unconditional love. But many people become frustrated with abused dogs, because it seems they never accept the love their human is trying to give. Many abused dogs become aggressive or shy away from human contact all together. It takes a long time to rebuild trust with a dog that has had its heart broken. And its important to remember that time heals all wounds- and patience is the greatest gift you can give an abused animal. But along with patience, there are a few other actions you can take to help build trust with a dog that has been mistreated in the past.
Stay calm: Always approach an abused dog with a mellow attitude. If you are in a bad, sad, nervous, or scared state- the dog will pick up on your emotions and most likely mimic them. Before working with the dog calm yourself down. Breathe slowly. Let your eyes rest. Relax your muscles. Approach the dog with a happy yet calm demeanor.
Move slowly: Although most dogs react to hyper happy humans with joy and excitement, abused dogs can quickly become frightened. So its important to move very slowly when approaching a mistreated animal. Walk slowly, be aware of all of your movements. Even suddenly moving your arm to scratch an itch can trigger fear in an animal that was once hit with by an arm.
Talk softly: Most abused dogs have not come in contact with a soft and calm voice. Most likely they have heard a variety of yells, shrieks, and crudely chosen words. Whispers and a calm, slow voice can go a very long way with an abused dog. It will naturally give them a sense of trust, because you are not talking to them in an aggressive tone.
Sit on the ground: Become level with the dog by sitting down. When you are seated you appear smaller and less threatening. The dog is more likely to approach you when you are not big and scary- like you appear when standing.
Always let the dog approach you: Do not approach the dog. Walk towards it, only until you are close enough to verbally interact with it (5 to 15 yards). Then sit down. Extend your hand slowly and talk to them softly. By extending your hand you give the dogs a small object to approach. Coming close to your hand is much more intimidating than walking directly up to your body. When the dog does approach, let it sniff your hand. Give it approximately 60 seconds to get your scent before you make any movements. If the dog seems content with your hand, you can move it slowly to pet it. Move very slowly, and if the dog runs away- let it. If the dog growls, slowly move your hand back to the position it was originally in and give the dog more time to get accustomed to you. It will take a while for the dog to trust you, but after many patient attempts at letting the dog approach, they will begin to allow you to pet them.
Make no sudden movements: One of the quickest ways to scare an abused dog is to make a sudden movement. Even the littlest sneeze can cause a panic attack in a dog who has experienced pain due to sudden movements. Its very important to always move very slowly. If the dog snaps at you, try very hard not to move quickly. Set your hand down and let the dog retreat. Do not try to chase the dog, grab it, hold it still, or quickly pet it. By making slow movements you allow the dog to read your intentions, which makes them more comfortable and less inclined to run away.
Find their quirks: All abused dogs will have, what we call lovingly quirks. Quirks are basically certain triggers that cause the dog to act a certain way. These triggers could be a variety of things. Many dogs who were kicked by an abusive owner will cry out if a person suddenly moves their leg while sitting down. A dog who we own, named Rascal, was beaten when food was brought to him. He was hit. So his natural instinct was to cower and run away whenever someone carried a food or water bowl towards him. Once you find the dogs quirks, find ways to work around them and eventually train them not to fear. Our first alternative, when feeding Rascal, was to bring him a bag of food and put it on the ground. He was not afraid of bags because they didnt appear like a bowl- which he associated with pain. We did this to ensure he would eat, and after a few weeks of getting him accustomed to being fed at the same time every day- we brought small bowls and set them away and let him come to them on his own. Then we moved to a bigger bowl, and also set it away from him and let him approach it at his leisure. And eventually he grew to learn that he could be excited, not fearful, of meal time. Now he happily runs up and jumps around excitedly when food is brought to him. By finding his quirks and working with them we could retrain his behavior. Its important to find your pups triggers and to work to teach them not to be afraid by showing them unconditional love.
Always supply adequate food and water: Abused dogs often went long periods of time without food or water. So its very important to always supply fresh water. Feed your dog at the same time every day, so they learn when to expect meals. And it will also give them piece of mind knowing that they will never have to go hungry again.
Allow them to lightly bite: Abused dogs have never had the chance to be superior to a human. This leads to a lot of curiosity. Many abused dogs will bite, not out of aggression, but out of curiosity. They want to test humans, to see if they can play with them. Biting, to dogs, is a form of play. Allowing your abused dog to lightly nip you (pinching, but not breaking the skin) will let them connect with you in a way that they would connect with fellow dogs.
Allow them to play: As your dog becomes more comfortable with you, and your movements, allow them to play. Try fetch, tug-o-war, running, and tackling. Many people fear that abused dogs will become aggressive during play, but that is very rarely the case. By allowing your dog to play, you do something their abuser never did- you give them happiness and freedom. That will speak volumes to a dog that was never truly loved in the past.
