Timid Saluki Pup

[R Mahon 7]

Just got a 6 month old saluki cross, was locked in a barn for most of its time and im nearly sure it was hit or shouted at alot, trying to get it to trust me and used to me. Was never walked on a lead but have took it out loads and got it used to walking just needed to get it to come round to people. anyone got any tips on how ? would really help thanks !!

[riohog 5,701]

Just got a 6 month old saluki cross, was locked in a barn for most of its time and im nearly sure it was hit or shouted at alot, trying to get it to trust me and used to me. Was never walked on a lead but have took it out loads and got it used to walking just needed to get it to come round to people. anyone got any tips on how ? would really help thanks !!

take it to your nearest town and walk it around it will come around

[R Mahon 7]

Thanks for reply ive tried that but when anyone comes close to her she stops or jumps and trys to get away, shes a great dog very quick, just need to get the fear out of her

[skycat 6,173]

The pup will probably never be completely at ease around people. With luck it will trust you, but no one else. Pups which have been isolated like that during the first months of their lives are more like wild animals than domestic dogs, though the domestic dog blueprint does alter their behaviour to a certain extent because thousands of years of breeding have gone into making the dog more accepting of humans.

 

You will need a huge amount of patience with this pup. Even if it hadn't been abused, its reaction to strangers will be one of fear, because it sees all strangers as potential predators, and it is the prey: this is what happens when pups are not socialised properly as young puppies.

 

You need to try and change the pup's mindset with a mixture of play and exposure. Get it playing with you: get it grabbing a rabbit skin and playing tug of war with you. Also, take it to where people are, but don't let anyone approach it for the moment. Just let it watch people going about their business. Slowly, it will learn that there is nothing to be afraid of.

 

Is the pup interested in food? Is it a greedy pup? If so, then you have a powerful tool in food. Take a bag of tasty titbits wherever you go with the pup, and every time it starts to be nervous, offer it a tit bit.

 

All this will take months and months: you are trying to rehabilitate an animal that has no experience of the big outside world: everything is scary. Treat it like a wild animal. Move slowly, speak gently at all times. No sudden movements or loud voices. Sit on the ground in the kennel or run, let the pup come to you for food. Sitting still shows the pup that you are no threat to it. Don't stare it straight in the eye, turn your head away slightly when you approach it, look down, stand side on, or crouch, turning away slightly. All these things show an animal that you are not a predator, not a threat.

 

People are taller than dogs, they loom over them, bend over them to stroke them: to an unsocialised dog this appears as a threat to their very lives, so don't let strangers near the pup until it has total trust and confidence in you. Then, when you do walk amongst other people, tell them not to bend over it, but to crouch down when they come close. If they don't want to listen to you or tell you that you are stupid, move away. Your dog is more important than they are, and if they can't understand what you are trying to do, then they are not worth bothering with.

[Casso 1,261]

Just got a 6 month old saluki cross, was locked in a barn for most of its time and im nearly sure it was hit or shouted at alot, trying to get it to trust me and used to me. Was never walked on a lead but have took it out loads and got it used to walking just needed to get it to come round to people. anyone got any tips on how ? would really help thanks !!

hunger helps to over come fear,

 

her fear is all in her head, an instinctive response to the sight of a predator(stranger), completely natural if badly socialised and not a learnt behavior because its an instinct, what needs to happen is to learn a behavior associated with strangers through referencing her gut through hunger

 

i would set up a situation where she only eats after been approached by a stranger, the more fear she overcomes to eat basically the more fear she overcomes,

 

if you think of it as a scales , her fear of people far outweighs her referencing her gut or taking food in their presents at this point, but the hungrier she is the more pressure she is under to eat when they are around, and the more fear she has to give up to do this, so gradually the scales gets tipped the other way,

 

be creative, but dont over power her at the start, start with you, handfeed for a few days first everything out of the hand, you need a dog to be completly at ease in your space , no corrections for any fcuk ups of any sort, none,,manage her,

 

after a few days start feeding her out on the approach of a friend, set up a situation, the hungrier she is to eat the more fear she has to give up,

 

slowly and easy , watching her body language for signs of distress and signs of improvement, thats all i would do with her for the next month, only feed her in the presents or on the approach of strangers,best of luck,

[ginga john 268]

I have recently been given a terrier with the same problems but this one was shall we say " kept in" for almost two years !

This dog does not like people and is so timid it pisses at the sight of them, it was either some time with me or the long walk so I thought I'd give it a go

so for the first two weeks I totally ignored it, let it have the run of the yard and some supervised introduction to the rest of the mob, although putting a bitch among three mature dogs wasn't without its problems

So for the next week I started to feed the bitch with the rest of them, individual bowls and no thieving tolerated so that went pretty well

All along this dog has been sitting by me, with me, on me as she pleased

So after 5 almost 6 weeks the bitch is walking on a lead, doing cartwheels to get out of the run and play with one of the dogs in particular

( the younget one ) as he's less inclined to try and shag her on sight

Has been out with other dogs and has even managed to creep up to one of the kids for a fuss

The long and short of the story is perciverence, this bitch although roughly two had the mentality of a 3 month old, it was like having a rather large puppy but without the fearless attitude you get with terriers, its taking time but its getting there

The only thing I would add is that I am finding that dog a bit of a limpet, she has slowly decided that the old bloke with dog food is ok and so if I'm there she's mostly ok

I doubt very much that anyone else could take her for a walk let alone get her to work as she just doesn't see people as any sort of bonus, very incsecure and more than a little flaky around the edges, still we'll see if its got what's needed come November

Edited June 26, 2012 by ginga john

[skycat 6,173]

Great tale there gingajohn. That is the trick, letting them have the space and freedom to decide that you are OK: but of course you need a very secure garden or yard to allow a dog to do as it pleases. I once took on a similar case: 9 month old Saluki lurcher bitch which had only once been out of the kennel. The idiots that owned her took her out once as a 5 month old pup and spent 3 hours trying to catch her, so they never took her out again. When they brought her to me she was so terrified that she'd wedged herself under the back seat of their car and got tangled in a load of electric cables that were stored there: we had to take the seat out to get her free. She was literally frozen with fear.

 

She spent the first 24 hours trotting up and down my garden, ignoring, though not scared of my dogs. And ignoring me too: I left her to it, giving her time to adjust to the space and surroundings. Little by little she realised that life was not so bad, and within a couple of days she was coming to me for a fuss and food. She had been used to other dogs so basically she followed their example, which worked really well. I rehomed her as a pet where she settled in just fine, but she was for ever scared of strangers, though she did manage to accept people if she saw them on a regular basis.

 

She was a classic example of how lack of stimulation, socialisation and training can affect a puppy. Some people shouldn't be allowed to own a goldfish, let alone a dog.

[B.P.R 2,798]

i have a 18 week lurcher (sluki, greyhound.whippet, collie all in the mix)

 

is really bad with other dogs, p!sses when they come close and runs away if they come near her.

 

she is housed with 2 other dogs and after 2 weeks of walkng with my mates dog, shes not too bad with her.

 

im doing everything i can to get her right. very unusual and i thought she would have snapped out of it by now. i am going to take her to puppy socialisation and let her do as she pleases and hopefully over time she will come good.

 

everything else is perfect, loyal, inquisitive and a very game personality.

 

ive got high hopes for this little bitch and through skycats help and advice im hoping i do things the correct way and get her sorted.

 

 

ATB

[johnharris 177]

Saluki will only respond to kindness, the advice on here is spot on, I have had mine from 3 moths old and she was very timid ( She is still wary of strangers) I take her out with me as much as possible not just working but the mrs takes her if she walks to Tesco. Game fairs and markets are brilliant as there are lots of smells and noise.

Never try to force her to do anything, take your time and when you get it right she will be a pleasure to own.

[R Mahon 7]

Thanks everyone for the posts very helpfull, I have two other 4month old grey x collie x bull pups aswell and shes always down at the dog crying to get out at them she loves getting out with them 2 to play and shes very lively, When i put her out the back on her own and i go out she is a bit warey but if shes with the pups she grand and will come straight up to you no bother she wont eat of anyones hand but my hand which at the start she would not even eat atall ! When i walk her she usally has her tail between her legs but if i let the lead out as much as i can her tail comes out and she down sniffing everything. Its a pity i didnt get her eailier as a younger pup as she would be a great dog with the right care and attention. Just some people in this world dont no how to treat them ! Thanks everyone

[riohog 5,701]

its no bad thing having a dog that is wary of folk ,i have a bitch hear at home you wouldnt get near her !! thats suits me just fine

[poacher3161 1,766]

its no bad thing having a dog that is wary of folk ,i have a bitch hear at home you wouldnt get near her !! thats suits me just fine

Mine from a young age are stopped from going up to strangers and i wont let strangers stroke or fuss them.

[skycat 6,173]

I quite agree: mine are not nervous around strangers, most of them, and will go up to someone if I am stood talking to them, but if a stranger tries to touch them they either back off or growl, even the most friendly, unless I have actually told the dog it is OK to be stroked. For the most part they just ignore people. I have one bitch who is a fantastic personal guard: if someone approaches and I'm suspicious of them for any reason, or just don't like the look of them, she'll put herself between me and that person, snarling.. I think a lot of the time dogs learn to react to people in the same way as their owners: they read their owners' body language and react accordingly, but only if you have a close bond with your dogs.

[beast 1,884]

some very good advice here. the only thing i might add is that as the dog begins to accept strangers being within throwing distanmce then let them throw a bit of tasty food then walk off, until she thinks that the approach of a stranger = treat. you will need some willing volunteers to help with this. also use her friendship with the other dogs to help, dogs are social animals and get confidence from each other, as well as following another dogs lead, so take one or more (the calmest!!) of the others with her on her walks. the presence of another dog can also help to stimulate the willingness to feed (competition) so if she is a bit reluctant to take trats you can use the other dog to your advantage. good luck

[R Mahon 7]

Thanks everyone for feed back a suppose having the dog weary inst to bad considering it being protective, aslong as i cant get it trust me and listen to me, ill just have to take it day by day and put the work in a.t.b everyone