What can you do for a terrified dog?

My family (my husband,3year old daughter and I) took in an abused dog.We've had her for about 8 months now.Everything has been good except for when things get loud around the house,no matter what the noise is,She shakes uncontroablly and hides in the bathub(for hours).I've asked the vet and he told me that there's probably nothing I can do that will help.I feel bad that she's so scared.And we don't want to give her up.I was just wondering if anybody's been in this situation or has any suggestions.Thanks.We thought about giving her away to someone who lives alone without much noise but like I said.We don't want to give her up.

I would hire a behavior modification dog trainer.

I had the same problem with an abused cat. All you need to do is EARN her respect. Just let her come to trust that you are never going to harm her and within time she will come out of it. It took my cat 2-3 years to get past the point where he would see a hand in the air and he'd run. He ultimately came to trust that the hand in the air wasn't out there to hit him.

it takes awile but show it love and feed it well it will learn the love it has is pure, if not put it under don't make it live under stress. Poor thing. Hope it all works out for you.

you can feed them. my dog hates strangers and i pick her up say it is all right, nobody is going to hurt you, i will never give u up and feed the dog.

they have doggie "valium" - ask your vet - good luck!

why would giving her up even cross your mind? She is scared and needs stability, her hiding in the tub while you have company is not a "problem" for you, it is a problem for her.My dog is a scared of everything, and the trick is not to baby them while they are scared. If youdo it sends the signal that you are rewarding them for their behavior, instead, as opposite as it sounds ignore them while they are in that agitated state...it wont reinforce that behavior.

Take the dog to the pet training school

My family has a similar problem with our beagle, who was also abused. She cries and shakes and freezes up for hours when we even mention taking her for a ride in the car. We've had her for almost 6 years and while she's made a lot of progress, whatever trauma occurred in her past will unfortunately be stuck with her. Same for your pup. All you can do is be as reassuring as possible and make her feel safe. It takes dogs a long time before they feel safe. Treats, hugs, and praise are the best you can do. If she has a favorite treat or toy, offer it to her when she begins to look frightened and it may help her realize that she won't be harmed.

Get Ceasar Millan The Dog Whisperer's book. I had the same problem with my dog and this book helped me so much i can't even describe. And never give a dog treats or affection when they are scared as this encourages the behavior.

That's a difficult situation because you can't have a kid and no commotion. There is not much you can do for your furry friend besides giving her your love and attention. Something that may help would be to give her her own space somewhere and try to keep your family fun in other rooms. Give her a little dark nook somewhere where the traffic isn't as much, maybe in the kitchen - my cats have their quiet little corner in the pantry to get away from my kids. But be patient also. She will always be somewhat skittish, but will become more acclimated to you household the longer she is with you. Good luck!

My Chihuahua is like that. My dad would go outside and shoot his gun for target practice, because he likes to hunt. And if my dog was outside at the time, he would run straight for the door and shake until someone let him in....Then he would go hide under the bed, behind the couch, or behind the entertainment center and shake uncontrollably...He got to the point to where he knows what a gun is, so when my dad would get the gun out, my dog would run and hide. He also hates other loud noises like thunder, or bubble wrap...I would pop is just to mess around that the dog would get scared and shake uncontrollably and hide. Same thing with any other loud noise, no matter where it is coming from...He even does it if me and my bf get into a yelling fight...There isn't really anything you can do....I usually go find him and hold him and cuddle him till he calms down...it helps ALOT. Your dog should be fine...Just caress him and let him know that you will never do anything to hurt him.

I had a nervous dog and I went to books a million and got a book about these problems. You could go to your local Pet Smart and they have classes for dogs that is suppose to bring dogs out of there shells. Also, when things get loud around the house don't baby her but let her know that everything is ok. I also read online about dogs with obedience problems.

I'd change vets There are many things to do to help a scared dog, but many vets don't know much about animal behavior medicine. If you know that there is going to be loud noise in the house (ie. a party you are going to throw, or 4th of July, etc) you should ask your vet about prescribing an anxiolytic that you can use for a few weeks before the event and slowly wean her out of it afterwards. Many vets prescribe what is called acepromazine, this is only a sedative but doesn't help their anxiety. A truly scared and strong dog will still be scared, even tho is "drunk" under the effects of ace and maybe more scared due to her inability to react properly. If your dog is only mildly scared, then ace will work fine. For behavior modification, try finding what makes the noise that she is scared off and slowly introduce her to it. Give her treats and make her feel comfortable around it. You may want to tape the noise and play it softly in the beginning, then slowly raise the volume until she is more comfortable with the louder noise. Also, anxiety wraps work in calming down many anxious dogs. I didn't use to believe in it, but I have seen tremendous results with it before. You may want also to check the link below. You can also suggest your vet to visit VIN, most (if not all) vets should be familiar with it. And if you remember, can you post an update in a few weeks? or email me your update (I think my email is visible in my profile) I'd love to know what worked out for you and what you tried. Thanks! Oh, and PLEASE, don't hear anything about the dog whisperer..... cesar milan is the worst thing that ever happened to the dog training community!!!!!!!!!! his approach will only make your dog react due to fear and tho she will behave well for 5 minutes, it will only increase her anxiety and make things 10 times worse in teh long run, and he has been sued due to the death in his hands of various dogs and the fact that the dogs behave well in his show, but after a month the owners end up w dogs that are acting even worse than before.ps. i agree w rottiesam too

I agree with Cori J and would have to say there is one other thing I would do and this has worked with dogs that are afraid of vacuum cleaners and storms... whenever she shows signs of getting scared and running to the tub distract her! speak in a high tone or squeaky voice and act all excited...make her excited whatever it takes.If you do something to get her attention focused on you and she forgets that she was scared praise her. it will take time but in months you will see a difference. Never reward her for her fretful behavior though...Distraction is the key!