How do you convince a mistreated dog he won't be hurt?

We've saved a dog that was mistreated by a man. He's fine with me but terrified of my teenage son. I've told my son to feed him hoping this will gain trust. Is there anything else we can do?

He should speak gently to the dog, not look at it directly, walk directly toward it or pet it on the head (these things are seen as dominant actions). Instead he should approach the dog sort of sideways, and only touch it on the chest or sides. Time will do the rest.

Good job for saving him! You're on the right track with having your son feed the dog. It will just take some time for him to relax and feel trusting, but he will. Best of luck!This site might have some information that's helpful:http://fearfuldogs.com/

It will take time and patience. The dog will come around, but slowly. You son needs to give him treats, take him for walks, and train him. Your son needs to prove to this dog that no harm will come to him. Keep at it and keep everything positive! In about a month, give or take, you'll notice a difference!

it takes a lot of patientfrom the both of you. give the dog some time. right now he is scared of mailvoices. keep letting your son feeding him.when you and your son take the dog for a walk,hand the leach to your son and see what happend. if the dog walks with him,try to stay behind a few steps. the dog has to learn that not all mails are bad.i wish you two the best of luck.

You really just have to give him time. The dog might be afraid of your son because he is a male and the person who abused him was a male also. So, in order for him to trust you, you have to gain his trust. After a couple weeks of being with you he should be more comfortable with you and your son. It is hard for an abused animal to trust another person if the last person they trusted mistreated them. So, it will take a while but, it will happen.My grandad took in a abused dog and at first she was terrified of everyone including me, but as time when on she got more comfortable and we earned her trust since after a while she knew we would never hurt her. You just have to be nice and gentle. She is still afraid of men who wear baseball caps, anyone who wears one has to take it off or she won't go near them.Just be gentle, pet her, and talk to her and let her know that everything is okay now. If you give her a few treats and toys she should be fine. Best wishes, I appreciate you taking a sweet dog out of a horrible situation. Good job!

i'm sorry to say but u have to wait. u can't make the dog change and open up right awaywould u open up right away if u were mistreatedi took in a cat and she was the same but now she has never been more playful

never charge at him...try not to make loud noises...i rescued a boxer about a month ago..he is soooooo scared...he has attached hisself (literally) to me...he wont eat, go outside or anything unless i am home...saying the dogs name in a soft way will help...petting them..taking them to parks will help them see other people too...get used to surroudings...sampson has came a long way in a shoert time..allthoguh he dont like my bf....but it was a man that beat him...sooo! but he will go to him when i am around..

Walk slowly and talk gently to the dog....and it is best if your son is the only one in the room that way there isn't a competiton thing between you and your son in the dogs eyes...time can heal the emotional wounds and love will make the future a bright place...

I have one right now too. She is getting better but is afraid to walk though the front door to the outside. You can only imagine the scars. Your son should walk toward her but not up to her, sit on the floor and talk softly to her. After a few weeks, he should reach out his hand for her smell. Never run past her only gentle movements when in the same room. He should walk her on a leash, once a day, even if she is afraid. Dogs love this and she will know that he is taking her. He should also sneak her a taste of table food or a treat when mommy is not looking so they can be best friends. Spend time just sitting in the yard with her, laying on the grass looking at the ski, on leash. It will take time and they will bond even though she is afraid right now. He needs to ignore her fears and force the dog into walking with him or whatever it is he desides they will do together. Ignoring the fear rids the fear. Do no pet her when she is being fearful but praise her when she has done something without fear.

You don't...You take it slow, step by step. Your son should offer the dog lots of treats. Your son should take the dog for walks even if the dog doesn't want to. The dog may pitch a fit at first but dogs enjoy walking whether they know it or not, it also strengthens your bond with the dog. Dogs/pack canines by nature walk for hours a day with eachother in search of prey or water. They also groom eachother, your son should start gently and slowly grooming the dog, or giving the dog a scratch without pushing the dog past it's limits (which will result in a fear bite). Since the dog isn't aggressive yet just take things slow and easy, be gentle, but don't reward it's shy behavior, make the dog come to your son via food or some other reward it likes. I hope I helped, good luck, e-mail me if you try what I've suggested and hit any speed bumps!

You can't "convince" the dog of anything. All you can do is let your son be the one to take care of the dog and eventually the dog will learn. He will come to view your son as the source of his food, treats, etc. Just don't rush it! If a dog has been mistreated, they can become aggressive. Patience is the only way to earn the dog's trust.

Just give him time. Talk softly. Give treats when he comes close to him. Just give him time, thats the most important, if he knows that he wont hurt him, then all will be well.

Doesn't that just break your heart into a million pieces? Thank you for giving him another chance to be happy and live a "normal" life. Thank you.I rescued a dog a few months ago and realized how severaly riddled with anxiety she is...terrified of men and erratically moving children, among other things. I found a site in the Yahoo! Groups section that I think would be highly beneficial to you, "Shy K9s". Everyone in this group has fearful dogs and most people on there are either behaviorists or former trainers that specialized in anxious dogs. Also, the woman who started www.fearfuldogs.com is a member. Since joining, that group has provided me invaluable advice and my scared girl is SLOWLY coming around. I highly suggest you check out that group.Your son feeding the dog is an excellent start, as long as you're talking about him filling up the bowl and putting it in the designated spot. But putting food or treats in your son's hand and showing to the dog might actually be a step back, in that he wants the treat so will most likely cross his "fear threshold" to get it and will conflict his mind, which is the opposite of what you want. It's all in the files of that group. Some dogs it works for, but for most, it's better just for the person the dog is fearful of to fill up the bowl with dog food and set it down and walk away.Also, some great books to read (they're both short and easy to understand) are "Calming Signals: On Talking Terms with Dogs" by Turid Rugaas (still in print, but get it on Amazon or Ebay, it's cheaper than bookstores) and "The Cautious Canine" by Dr Patricia McConnell, DVM (this book is out of print, but you can find it on Amazon for cheap). These two books especially are great "starters" to understanding your fearful dog. There are several others that the Shy K9s group will suggest as well.And in my mind, medication doesn't need to be a last resort. My girl is on fluoxetine (prescribed by the vet, the generic version of Prozac) and it has made her much more able to concentrate on me when we're working on rehabilitation...her mind is calmer and faster to focus and understand me when she is scared. Might want to talk to your vet about it...that medication costs me $4/month.Anyway, try the group, I promise they can help. I hope to see you in there! And good luck with your new dog. It's horrible and gutwrenching to watch (don't you just want to strangle who made him this way??), but it can be done.

No abuse or chaos, towards him or anyone in the home.Firmness and consistency will help him to even out a little.Doing at least an hour of pup time everyday with him; fitness, bathing, cleaning his ears, petting him. This should be done by all in the family, faithfully, everyday. Getting him used to attention may be hard, esp physical attention. The idea is to push him beyond his comfort zone, but just a little and never for long. He wants to trust you and love you, just keep plugging away on his care and he will come around.

Have him be as gentle as possible around the dog, and don't let him just bound up to the dog. Let the dog come to him and get used to him. Things should turn out fine, let him feed the dog and give him treats and maybe try to play or pet the him a bit. That is normally how dogs are when they are mistreated

That may never change. I have known dogs like this and they have stayed that ways for over 10 years. Regardless of the love and attention they receive they still hated men, even men they knew and let pet them occasionally.Good luck

Hi there,That was a wonderful thing you did rescuing that dog!I want to explain to you that dogs "LIVE IN THE MOMENT", and the reason (for the most part) that the dog is acting so fearful, is because of the sad, guilty, "I feel so sorry for you", energy that you guys are projecting at the dog. Dogs are highly sensitive and intuitive, and they communicate with each other through body language and projection of energy. So the first step is (and believe me, I know this will be hard, but it is what is best for the dog) STOP FEELING GUILTY AND SORRY FOR HIM. Always project, happy, calm, assertive, relaxed energy at the dog and he will absorb that and react accordingly. The first step for your son is to sit in a chair or on the floor and watch some TV or read a book, in the same room as the dog. He MUST ignore the dog (don't talk to him, touch him or look at him), and stay calm and relaxed and simply go about his business. He could have treats in his pocket as well to make his scent more appealing. The idea here is to let the dog make the first move and to show him that you aren't threatening in any way. He must stay completely calm and relaxed and not pay any attention to the dog. When the dog starts to approach him, remain calm and continue projecting that energy, allow the talk to walk completely around your son, sniff him and start to learn to trust him. If he goes to your son's pocket and sniffs, then give him a treat and say good boy (insert name) good boy. Then tell your son to go back about his business. Eventually he will be able to hold out his hand and the dog will start to approach him, once the dog is comfortable enough to let him stroke his fur, more treats and praise right away. (stay calm though), Make EVERYTHING to do with your son a positive experience. It will take time, but the important thing IS NOT TO FORCE THE DOG to do anything he isn't ready for.Take the dog for a walk every day and have your son come with you, while you are walking hand your son the leash without the dog noticing, if the dog does notice say good boy (insert name) good boy and hand him a treat when he continues to walk. (I wouldn't suggest starting this until you've completed the other steps I suggested).The key here though is the energy you are projecting towards the dog. If all he ever feels from you both is guilt and sadness, worry and anxiety, then that is how he will feel.I also suggest you get a hold of a dog behaviorist or trainer who has experience with fearful dogs. NOTE: Whenever the dogs is acting fearful DO NOT: Pet him, Pick him up, Talk to him soothingly, Feed him or Coddle him, THAT IS REWARDING HIS FEARFUL, NERVOUS BEHAVIOR. Don't scold him, (that would be highly counter productive) just ignore him when he acts that way (I know how hard it will be, trust me, but it is the best thing for the dog; dogs learn by association and they learn quickly. He will learn really FAST what will get him attention and he will resort back to it whenever he wants attention) and give him treats when he's calm and relaxed.Also (and I know everyone feels differently on this subject and I respect everyones opinions) watch "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Millan on National Geographic Channel or go to his website at: http://www.cesarmillaninc.comGood luck and blessings

Yes, joining a positive "clicker" training group where you can get expert advice would be great.http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/peaceablepaws/You will certainly get much better advice there than here.....only positive solutions to problems, and a lot of great trainers on that list!Good luck!