adopted dog pees ..anxiety

Absolutely put the garbage where she can't get it! Easy solution to that problem! Remind them not to lean over her, especially the husband, men tend to do this for some reason and they don't realize how scary it is for a dog to have a tall person looming over them.

It's going to take her a while to feel safe and less fearful. They are going to have to be patient. I bet even a raised voice upsets her, or sudden movement? Poor doggy!

Lots of gentle attention, letting her come to them, a nice safe place to den up if she wants...regular meals...eventually she'll start to feel safer and act more "normal."

More folks will come by and post more help...Good luck and I hope they keep her!

Hi Jeano..Thanks for your reply.  I will call them and push the idea of moving the garbage but that only takes care of that one thing that makes her pee.  The idea of not looming over her is a good one.  Dustin is 6 foot 6 but Jade is only 5-3...the dog is very large herself but I guess thats beside the point.  They are leaving her tied outside for the day provided the weather is okay and she hates that.  Peeing has increased since they started doing that so I think that she feels abandoned on a line and it has scared her more.  I use to have a Great Dane and she would do the pee thing sometimes with no abuse or neglect present.  I wonder if this is typical for this breed of dog..anxiety.they are so large you would think they would be tougher.  I will talk with them again and stress the importance of being understanding and patient altho they have told me that is what they are doing.  If one of them had yelled or hit her when the other was not home that would explain the increase lately and not just the tieing up outside thing..I would take her in at my home but have allready taken their kitty in since Gracie would not leave th cat alone and the cat  was living under the bed in fear..Trixie is doing fine here but my daughter misses her greatly.   I sure hope that things get squared away as I feel badly for all three of them.  I may have to buy them a new dog proof garbag can..donate for a good cause.  Is there anything on the market?  Hey thanks and looking forward to anymore suggestions that any one has to alieviate an anxious dog.  You from Alaska?  Me..from Maine

we adopted a very timid dog. she never peed from fear, but she would cower down and tuck her tail if she even thought you were mad at her. i can say that what seemed to help her gain confidence the best of all the things we have tried is clicker training. and of course the things that jean mentioned ... no sudden movements, no loud noises, etc. will also help.

Hey there Cyclefiend2000,
     Dare I say I know little about dogs or dog training..just sort of treat them like kids..love care and guidelines but I do not know what clicker training is!  Could you fill me in?  Thanks Shari

I had a submissive peeer(sp?), for about 6 mo., she grew out of it. This dog probably has serious trust issues, so any kind of loud voice, mean look, etc... will provoke her to pee. Do not make direct eye contact, approach from the side, actually let her do all of the approaching and no petting over the head,, go for the chest. Also, her being tied outside is scaring the crap out of her. Is crating an option? Its only been three months and this girl probably has years of neglect to forget. I always say "This too shall pass." Don't give up on her, it sounds like everyone else has.

http://www.clickertraining.com/home/

clicker training is a positive reinforcement type of training. you teach regular obedience (sit, down, stay, etc.) but with out the use of things like choke chains. you dont punish or correct the dog for not performing what you are asking him to do, but only reward him for doing the things you want. by training this way the dog builds confidence. kind of like "if i do what my person wants good things happen and if i dont nothing bad happens"! once the dog learns a few commands you can even start letting the dog try to figure out what you want them to do and then reward them for any action you like. i think this is where the real confidence builders came for amelia.

for a trainer in your area look at either or both of these....
http://www.apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx
http://ccpdt.org/rstr/

petsmart and petco also offer clicker training. you might want to go by a observe a class sometime. it really is fun for the dog and the person. we completed a clicker training class with our dogs a couple of months ago and they loved it.

before we knew about clicker training we tried amelia in a more traditional type of training class (using choke chains). i went to one class and never again. it was too traumatizing for her and me. every time i put the choker on she would cower down and not want to move. she would look at me with a look that said "why are you doing this, dont you love me?" it broke my heart and i just couldnt do that to her. with clicker training she looked forward to our practice sessions and the sessions with the trainer. we had private lessons at our home. they were slightly more than the ones petsmart offers, but well worth it. that might be something your daughter and son in law might want to look into since their puppy is soo timid.

i am not a trainer and i am sure there are others here that could explain clicker training better than me. if they arent already, you might also suggest they try crating her when they arent home. this will help curb some of the mischief and give the dog a "safe" place to go anytime he wants. good luck to your daughter and son in law with there dog. i know how frustrating and heart breaking it is when your dog that you love more than anything is afraid of you because of something that happened to them in the past.

Yeah, please continue to care for the dog. 3 months really isn't a long length of time. Give the dog more time. He'll come around. ;_;

Honestly, the easiest way to solve the garbage problem is to pick it up in another room. Eventually, if you do this everytime to leave, it'll become natural. Of course,  I pick up the kitchen garbage, and Grey always reminds me when I forget to close the door to the bathroom because that garbage will be strung all across the house. For some reason, he loves bathroom garbage, not kitchen garbage. Anyway...
 
Gracie needs time to get comfortable in her environment and to really trust her humans. When we adopted Grey, he was unsocialized and very intimidated by us, and he took forever to get used to life with us. He was also a submissive pee-er, but that stopped for the most part once he felt comfortable here, which took much longer than three months so I'm sure some dogs need a good period of time to adjust to all these new changes. Once we had established a bond with him, he's attitude evolved, but it took quite some time because he didn't trust my husband as much as he trusted me. So if you must, beg your daughter and son-in-law to be patient and give Gracie time to adjust. In the meantime, they can build her confidence through positive reinforcement training, which will also hopefully help in the bonding process between dog and owners. Good luck!

They are leaving her tied outside for the day provided the weather is okay and she hates that.

 
They are terrifying the crap out of an already terrified dog.  If they are going to do that, they should give her up - it isn't a solution, and will make matters worse, as you have already said.  It's more important, at this stage, to give the dog some confidence, and leaving her alone outside her safe area (the home) is doing exactly the opposite.  Some people just want Lassie, and this dog is a project that most people who want a spotless home cannot live with.  I believe that with understanding and proper treatment, this dog would come around, but it takes knowledge and effort.  Get them a copy of "The Cautious Canine" by Patricia McConnell.  At least that might help them realize why she does what she does, and how to help her. 

Why don't you swap the cat for the dog?  Is that possible? 
 
My dog was an abused dog when I adopted him. He absolutley can not be outside by himself!  He paces back and forth wanting to get inside.  And this dog is tied to a rope with no hope of escaping  all day!
 
I started giving my dog Canine ONE, a vitamin B and magnesium supplement which has really helped his anxiety level.  I buy it off the internet.  I also enlisted a homeopathic vet who prescribed PULSITTILA for his anxiety.  A conventional doggie valium is Colmicalm prescribed by a vet.
 
But really, time, love and patience is what this dog needs.  It took 10 months before my dog would let my husband near him and pet him. No amount of steak or treats would convince him to trust him.  My husband is a big 300 lb guy, so I'm sure your sons size is very scary to the dog.  He should lay on the floor with her to bond.

Also, abused dogs need routine more than ever.  Don't move things or have them out of place. Don't move furniture.  My dog freaked out seeing a new bag sitting on the floor, or if my purse was hanging on the chair when it is supposed to sitting on the chair!  They see a horrible monster and steer clear of it.  So sad to see them so stressed over ordinary things.
 
Start taking this dog for a short walk everyday to get rid of excess energy and to start meeting new people and dogs from afar.  Don't let new people pet her as that will stress her out, she could even fear bite.  My dog was terrified to go for walks at first. We just walked in a straight line and back, he was terrified if a neighbors car was parked in the "wrong" place.  Again, he needed routine. He used to strain to get back to the house, his safe place.   Now 1 year later, he adores walking  and jumps for joy when I say "go for a walk?"  ANd he gets in front of me to say "I don't want to go home yet" .  He gets braver and braver.
 
 My dog was terrified of the whole world,  the phone, the microwave, the TV.
 
I hope you all can see this dog thru this hard time.  It will get better and better and may take over a year to get there.  Its been a 1 1/2 year that I am working with my dog and he still is recovering.  

Sorry to keep posting but I keep rereading your post and seeing things I missed.
 
Absolutely, do not ever hit a dog, especailly a rescued dog.  They will fear you and an abused dog will never trust you.  Do not yell or scold.  All I have to do is change my tone and tell the dog to stop whatever, say "stop digging" and he comes running to me and sits.  He is so anxious to please me, God bless him.
 
If my husband and I are having an arguement, this freaks the dog out and he goes running into my closet to hide .  We make a point to go to him and hug him and tell we love him.
 
Too bad there is no book on "rescued dogs" because so many of us need guidance.      

Let me reiterate the advice on crating rather than tying outside. Dogs, especially timid scared ones, generally find the crate to be their safe haven. While we might think of being crated as being cooped up, dogs think of it as being in their den. Unless this dog has some issue with a crate because of previous experience, crating should reduce anxiety, not raise it. Just don't use the crate as punishment for anything. Make it a place that the dog wants to go to, and the dog probably will welcome the change.