Can Abused Dogs Be Trained: Helping Rescue Dogs Learn New Skills

In this Omaha dog training session, we helped two sweet rescue dogs. We also answered their guardians’ questions. One main question was, “Can abused dogs be trained?”

Rocky is a one-year-old Kelpie who was rescued off a reservation after being starved, burned and subjected to other forms of abuse. Now she lives in a safe home with Mister O’Malley, a six-year-old Yorkie rescued from a puppy mill.

Their guardian arranged a dog training session with me. The goal was to help Rocky overcome his fear of the kennel. We also wanted to address his separation anxiety. Additionally, both dogs were a bit cautious when meeting new people.

I was expecting the dogs to be fearful or trepidatious when I arrived for the session. I have to say that the response I got when I arrived for the appointment caught me by surprise.

Aside from the jumping up, the dog’s behavior was great. A little excited, but far from the worst cases I have seen and much better than fearful.

I sat down with the dogs and their guardians to observe how they interacted with one another. I noticed that they didn’t show much respect for human’s personal space (mostly Rocky) and demanded attention.

This is likely because of the love and care the guardian gave to the dogs. This makes sense given their backgrounds. Helping an abused dog feel safe and loved is important for helping them overcome their fears.

How to Prevent Dog Separation Anxiety

Once a dog is healthy again, giving them lots of love can make them feel like a peer to their guardians. This can make them feel that they need to play a part in the leadership roles which can add stress and anxiety. This may relate to the reason that Rocky suffers from dog separation anxiety.

I suggested that the guardians start petting the dogs with a purpose. Adding a little structure can help the dog learn to ask for attention. This way, the dog will think they need to ask instead of just demanding their human pet them.

This change can help the dog become more of a follower. Since followers do not handle security or protection, this helps lower stress for the dog.

I knew that gaining control would help with Rocky’s separation anxiety. So, I suggested the guardian find ways to practice delayed gratification.

Asking a dog to wait before getting something they want can help them develop more self control. I like to add this kind of delay to daily activities.

Can Abused Dogs be Trained?

These activities will be repeated many times in the dog’s life. Once the human gets into a habit of asking for a short pause, they do it without thinking. But each time they do, they help the dog with a mini dog behavior training session without even intending to do so.

Helping a formerly abused dog takes patience, empathy, and lots of positive reinforcement. Creating a safe space, earning their trust, and slowly introducing new experiences are key steps in their healing journey.

A great skill for dogs is learning to stay. This requires self-control. I spent a few minutes explaining how to do this in the video below.

I’ve found many people train dogs to stay incompletely. They try to do everything at once.

This makes things harder. It can cause the dog to lose interest or the human to get frustrated. The best dog trainer knows the trick to training a dog to stay is to break it into three stages; duration, distance then distractions.

By working on one stage at a time, we can put the dog into a position to succeed and make it easier for them to learn. Humans do this, so it is only logical we incorporate this method when training dogs.

Helping a Rescue Dog with a Fear of the Kennel

Next, I wanted to do some kennel training with Rocky so we headed into the basement.

I was happy to see that Rocky’s fear of the kennel wasn’t as intense as I thought prior to our session. Many dogs with this problem won’t go anywhere near the kennel, but Rocky was walking in calmly within minutes.

By adding positive reinforcement to crate training, we can help a dog start looking at the kennel as a good or safe place. Practice and many treats will help Rocky overcome his fear of the crate, and I am sure he will succeed. His guardians can help him with this method.

Now that we all understood the technique, I took a few minutes to explain the next steps. Rocky’s guardians were eager to learn how to help a rescue dog overcome a fear of the kennel for good.

After reviewing the instructions, I had the guardians practice the technique. This way, I could ensure they understood it well. Rocky’s mom was a bit unsure at first, but she got better fast. Soon, Rocky was lying down calmly in the kennel.

Next up was our main man Chase who I have to thank for helping shoot some of the videos you have been watching. Chase is a true animal lover and has a good touch.

I didn’t have to profoundly offer any advice because Chase had paid such great attention. Normally I don’t show my client’s faces, but Chase said he wanted to be on our YouTube channel, and now he is.

It was great and very reassuring to see how well Rocky responded and how well his humans picked up our techniques and tips. I started thinking I should end our training session soon after we finished the kennel training. Plus I was starting to get concerned that Chase might put me out of business.

Rocky is a great dog, I think he was a little confused as to his position in the family. Now that his humans know how to help him with his fears, things will get better. They can talk to him in a way he understands and respects. Soon, his problems will be a thing of the past.

ROADMAP to SUCCESS

• Avoid petting Rocky when over excited or any other unbalanced state.
• Pet Rocky with a purpose as much as possible.
• Remember to correct or reward the dogs within 3 second max.
• Introduce rules and boundaries and enforce them consistently for the next three weeks to develop a new habit.
• Use the non verbal Escalating Consequences to disagree with unwanted behavior.
• Look for ways to delay permission or gratification to help Rocky develop more self control.
• Practice the Stay exercise in short training sprints multiple times a day; progressing from duration to distance to distraction only after Rocky is successful 5 times in a row.
• Practice the kennel training exercise as much as possible while gradually increasing the length of time Rocky stays in the kennel.