Welcome to the forum, Congratulations on Annie. Sure hope you'll share some pictures of her with us.

Advice, I have lots..... my Bridge girl was a former puppy mill momma. Like Annie, when I got her she was terrified of everything and I mean everything including us. She hid behind the toilet in my bathroom for a week. My husband had to pick her up and carry her outside to go potty because for the first week she was with us, she wouldn't walk let alone come out of the bathroom.

After the first week, she decided to explore the house and she went outside on her own. I would go out with her and let her walk around the yard. I had to work with her for about a week on potty training before she stopped having accidents in the house. After that, I either would take her out or she used the pet door I have and would go out on her own.

Her entire world had been turned upside down..... she spent the first two years of her life in cage that wasn't big enough for her to stand up or turn around in. She'd never touched grass, never been in a car, in the house. She had not been socialized, she had been verbally and physically abused. Because of this she was afraid to be touched, afraid for us to be behind her.

First of all, keep in mind, Annie's entire world has been turned upside down. She is going to need a lot of love and patience from you and your wife. Each dog is different, give her the time and space she needs. She needs time to adjust and relax, she needs time to learn to trust you, once she does, you will see a completely different girl.

It took months for my girl to completely trust us, once she did, she started exploring her new world and gradually with time became a part of our family. I also had a well adjusted Golden boy that was her big brother. He really helped her out a lot and most dogs that have not been socialized, benefit greatly from one that is well adjusted. When my Boy passed, I adopted another young golden boy that was well adjusted to be with her. A lot of puppy mill dogs will always need to be with another dog and my girl for sure was this way.

Be realistic with your expectations with her, be very patient and very consistent. Give her the time she needs. You will probably find what normally works with a well socialized dog may not work with her. Try different things, you will be able to find what works the best with Annie. My girl was not food motivated when I got her, but she responded extremely well to being told what a good girl she was......

I am not going to tell you this is going to be easy, but I will tell you it will be worth all the time you put into her.

DVGRR has a lot of Resources, take advantage of them. There's a Fearfuldogs website and a Fearful Dog FB page. Here's the website, lots of good information on it.

Fearfuldogs.com

There's also a book on Amazon, might be worth the read.

https://www.amazon.com/GUIDE-LIVING...-3432559-2440110?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526496322&sr=1-6&keywords=the+fearful+dog

Amazon has a lot of books about working with Fearful Dogs.

Check with DVGRR to see if they have a trainer that can work with you and Annie or if they recommend one. I'd give Annie time to adjust, settle in, learn to trust you before working with a trainer though.

The best way I can put this, is you need to take Baby steps with her and there will be days you will take 2 steps forward and one backwards...

Just be patient.....

Good luck, hope you'll keep the rest of us posted on her progress and again, would love to see your new girl, so post some pictures.....

 

Bless your heart for adopting Annie.

May I suggest getting the book : Love Has No Age Limit written by Patricia McConnell. It can help you understand what your new girl is going through and how to introduce her to her new life with you and ways to work with any problems she may be having.

 

I too adopted a fearful 4yr old. Thank you for this BTW! Carolina is spot on. My girl will soon be 10 and doing better but this is not a dog that you can take to the lake and expect them to enjoy it. At least mine isn't.

I spent lots of time taking short walks to let her get used to trash cans, the wind, voices of people at the park. It's a very long process and requires patience. I have sat on the curb with treats, next to whatever it was that frightened her. Once she relaxed we went a few more feet. Every day was a victory! Baby steps.

When I retired and moved to a quieter location and no longer had a business in my house, things were easier for her. She is happy to play with her toys alone, loves to chase the squirrels and just basically enjoys her home turf. She's pretty good at short car rides but not so good at going to new places.

When I got my puppy it was love at first sight and she found a new level of comfort. Still not 100% but so much better. She stays home when I do activities with the other dog. I board her when we travel and she's good with this. She's actually a wonderful, sweet girl but you have to accept her limits. She's doing the best she can.

She snuggles with the cats & chihuahua. Has NEVER had an accident in the house or torn anything up. She is very quiet natured and loves to stay in the same room with you but never has really bonded to the level of my younger golden. She won't run away but must be on leash at all times. If she sees a kitty (not hers) or squirrel she has tunnel vision and would be off in a second.

So give her time. I actually made a small bio to help me remember how she was when she first got here. Sometimes it's easy to forget how far they have come and what fears they have overcome. I wish you well, it's not hopeless but there is no way to hurry the process. It takes as long as it takes!

 

Bless all of you who provide love and shelter, a safe place to rest, and the respect to be all they can be, as puddles said, to these fragile sweethearts.

 

This is my first forum and photo sent, I hope it gets out there.

 

She's a beautiful girl. I'm so glad she's getting a chance at a good life with a loving family. My best wishes to you all.

 

Annie's beautiful......

I'm very happy for you all

 

Best wishes for Annie adapting to her new home! You've done a wonderful thing.

 

Annie is a very pretty girl! and so lucky to have found you!
Hope to see more photos, and to be able to read more about her. I wish you both all the best in the settling in and getting to know you process.

 

Welcome, what a sweetheart.. congrats, and best of luck w your new friend...

 

Welcome to the forum. What a sweet girl Annie is and thank you for giving her a 2nd chance. Enjoy the forum.

** Also, I merged your 2 threads so all the reply’s will be in the same place.

 

Welcome home Annie! Bless you guys for opening up your home and hearts to her. I think you've gotten some great advice here. I would give her a lot of time to adjust and let her set the pace. I can't imagine how overwhelmed she must feel having lived life the way she did <3. Cant wait to hear more stories about her!

 

Thank you for saving Annie. You and your dear wife are a blessing to Annie. Annie will be a blessing to you both.

Stay engaged with us here at the GRF, we can and will help.


My first dog as an adult was a Golden named Annie, who spent years chained to a tree. When I brought her home, she sat next to a column lamp inside and the cherry tree outside. It took a year to get her more than 20 feet from the cherry tree when in the back yard. She was still wearing a mental chain, I guess. The motivation that got her comfortable with moving away from the tree was playing a fake wrestling game. Wife thought it humorous that a fat 40 something rolled in the grass, got "pinned to the mat", and played snatch the nose with his dog. She was a great dog, still miss her. The last two quickly got tired of wrestling with the human.

Like everything in life, persistence and diligence are the keys to success. The same key words every time for a particular situation.




Max (the human, not the canine)

 

Thanks to all that posted to Annie. Will try to send more stories and photos about Annie. It is slow going. Thanks again.

 

It can be 'slow going' when working with a fearful dog, use lots of food rewards, gently toss them to her if you need to, and plenty of gentle praise, give her her space when she needs it. Patience, and more patience, compassion and empathy - she hasn't known too much good in her life, and it can be a 'scary' world out there for her. It is going to take her time to learn what she can expect from you, that she can trust you.

It is not the destination but the journey that matters, take your time, make it a great one!

 

So happy that Annie found you, and you found Annie. One day at a time, and celebrate the small joys... looking forward to hearing about her.