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Elizabeth24's avatar
Elizabeth24
Explorer
Oct 12, 2013

Maggy Settling in But Has" Issues"

Well we have had Maggy for one month now and she is settling in nicely with me but with my DH & DS, that seems to be a different story. She still does not go near either of them even when they try to give her treats. She really hates going on walks, noise seems to really frighten her. She did have a ruptured eardrum that was treated before we got her and I am cleaning her ears daily so there is no infection. She also still seems to be very itchy. So far she has had a bath with medicated shampoo, been to the groomer, had a flea treatment even though I could not see any on her, vet has given her a full checkup and does not see anything that would cause this. I have changed her food, she only eats dry with no grains. I also give her fish oil and vitamins for her coat which looks really nice and soft compared to when we got her.

I know that hopefully with lots of patience and love she will get better with men and will learn to play and be a happy dog but would really like to get her itching under control before we head out for our winter home . Based on observations and some research we think that she could some sort of a Goldendoodle mix.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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  • xteacher's avatar
    xteacher
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    Have the males feed her and provide all that is good, and to not look her in the eyes at all. When the food bowl is put down by one of them, have him call her, but then leave the area. As she gets used to this, they can eventually leave less and less space between themselves and the dog.

    Have them sit with their sides to her, rather than facing her (less threatening to the dog). Let her approach them - it may take awhile. Don't reach out to her when she does approach - let her sniff around and see that no one is going to grab and/or hurt her. Have a treat laying on the floor nearby - don't touch it or even reach for it, especially when the dog comes around. If the dog won't get near it, that's okay. Give her time - baby steps.

    Our late poodle rescue, Potsie(RIP), never did warm up to my grown son. His voice and demeanor scared the poor little guy, and he wasn't willing to do what I suggested (stupid kid, I know). My little guy loved women and soft spoken men. My husband learned to be quiet around Potsie, and the two of them became quite close (DH still misses him terribly).
  • CA_POPPY's avatar
    CA_POPPY
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    The walking issues may be greatly improved if you know somebody who would be willing to walk along with you and their own dog. Don't let Maggy win by avoiding walking altogether. Don't comfort her if she acts spooked, just walk confidently and she'll soon get that you're in charge. Do not comfort her if she acts frightened and tell people who might approach that you're training and please not to try to pet her.

    Some owners have reported good results by having the DS or DH sit on the floor watching TV and just ignore the dog. Maybe have a treat in a pocket but don't offer it. Gradually, over time, Maggy may tentatively approach them. I remember some folks on this board using that method with great success.
  • Elizabeth24's avatar
    Elizabeth24
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    Maggy is a 2 year old Goldendoodle mix (we think). She came from the Pound in Calgary and was in pretty rough shape when we got her She was skin and bones but has filled out nicely and her coat is really beautiful compared to a month ago. There are some pictures of her on the site under the heading "New Addition" Sorry, I am not very good with computers and posting pictures or I would post a new picture.
    She has really changed since her last pictures.

    She is a really loving beautiful dog, love her to death and we just want to make her life better than it was in the past. If we could only get her to be more trusting of males and become street smart she would feel much more comfortable. Thankfully she travels well as we will have a long journey shortly and then perhaps the RV park won't be as scary as life in the city.
  • Dog_Folks's avatar
    Dog_Folks
    Explorer II
    Oct 12, 2013
    brirene wrote:
    It took a while for our Zoey to warm up to me when she first came. Trainer suggested that I begin to feed her exclusively, and that dw be hands off. She realized quickly that I wasn't such a bad guy! Simple, but effective for us.


    From a dog trainer: That is good advice. Anything you do for her will help build the trust, just don't force him/her.

    For those of us that have not seen your other posts, what breed is Maggy? Male or Female?
  • brirene's avatar
    brirene
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    It took a while for our Zoey to warm up to me when she first came. Trainer suggested that I begin to feed her exclusively, and that dw be hands off. She realized quickly that I wasn't such a bad guy! Simple, but effective for us.
  • bob_nestor's avatar
    bob_nestor
    Explorer III
    Oct 12, 2013
    Sounds like she may have been abused by a male and she's now afraid of all males. My GF picked up a stray that was like that and she nursed it back to health. It took a long time and a lot of patience, but in time the dog came to accept me and we got to be good friends. She even looked forward to playing with me whenever I was around. One of the things I learned was to be careful of my body language around the dog until she learned to trust me. I was careful approaching her and learned to keep my hands down by my sides.
  • rvten's avatar
    rvten
    Explorer
    Oct 12, 2013
    It takes time with some people. Jaggy may never warm up to one of them.

    Funny DW has her Multipoo. I have a larger mixed breed dog.
    Her little girl spends more time with me.
    I keep asking the DW. When are you going to get a dog.

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