It'll likely have a major bearing on her level of interest/enthusiasm for what she imagines to be her future as she works toward these new aspects of what her life may become, with her person(s).

Also on the patience and perception of those who interact with her and help her work toward achieving the desired results.

ole joyful

Yes I think so, but you need to learn to speak dog...I'm a fan of Cesar Milan and his methods of communicating with a dog...the most important being that they need to see you as a secure and trustworthy leader for them, much of that which comes from a walk which would also expose her to new things.

My SIL couldn't walk her dog as he was too powerful for her (90 lbs) but after she and my brother passed, I fostered the dog for a couple of weeks and within 10 min of using Cesar's techniques, he was heeling nicely. So yeah, they will learn quickly if you speak their language.

It can be very, very difficult. My dog grew up in a puppy mill. We got her from a rescue when she was 11 months. She bonded to us quickly but most other people still can’t pet her. Took a year before we could take her on walks, and she has to choose the route. We spent a lot of money on a behavior specialist.

Some dogs from the same situation adjusted to their new life faster, some slower. So it partly depends on the dog. It takes a lot of work.

I think she can "learn" things still - but will she ever be a happy go lucky socialized dog? My guess would be no. But I think she certainly can learn what it means to be safe and comfortable in her own home.

A professional dog trainer would be key in this situation.

Yes. Feeling loved, wanted, part of "the pack".....means a LOT to any dog. Cesar Milan has made some mistakes. He was caught on camera beating up a dog that wanted to control "him". But for the most part, what he says is right on! Speaking dog is helpful.

Thank you for taking in an older dog and giving her a chance at life.

6.5 is not that old. Our dog is 8 and is still learning new tricks. I think more importantly, it all depends on the breed the dog is and the environment it comes from vs the environment you are able to provide. You might want to read up on the traits for its breed. If its a mix, it can be fun and eye opening to do a DNA test on it (which you can buy from Amazon). Also, dogs are creatures of habit and are happiest when they have a routine. Provide a spot somewhere in the house with either a bed or crate that it can use as its “safe” spot and when it’s there, that’s it’s down time, don’t call it out or interact with it at all.

I also agree with Annie, you need to learn how to speak “dog” with it, offer it security and leadership so it knows its safe. The way that dogs see love is different from the way we do, spoil it, but don’t treat it like its human, that can actually cause more problems. You also might want to consider a dog training class to help you learn how to work with it. Training has a lot of benefits and will help you and the dog bond.

I believe it can be done.... and I have no other advice to give. But wanted to say blessings to you if you decide to take this baby.

Professional dog trainer for 20+ years here. Not a Cesar fan, he is a great handler, but a mediocre trainer. Look into Ian Dunbar for insight on behavior modification through training.

As to the OPs original question, it’s impossible to say without a trainer or behaviorist actually meeting the dog, and even then it would be an educated guess. What is the breed of the dog in question? Breed characteristics will have a bearing on the dog’s ability to accept and adjust.

I think so. I agree with learning more about dog behaviors by watching Cesar Milan. She is being exposed to a whole new life and it must be scary. She will learn to trust you. I’d splurge on a trainer or behavioral expert to get started correctly of the issues are daunting. Do you have a crate? Many dogs feel secure in a crate at bedtime or while left alone. Every dog is different. We adopted a 50 lb dog and put her in a xl crate so she could see the cat and see how that went. The dog had a full blown panic attack trying to get out by any means possible. It appeared she must have been left in crates way too long in her previous life. She was also heartworm + and not supposed to have any excitement. Change of plans-the dog came out and the cat was put in the crate LOL. It turns out it was all unnecessary, the dog was cat friendly good luck with your new dog. I absolutely think she can learn to adapt at her age. A vet or trainer can guide you if things get difficult. Also a vet can prescribe anti anxiety meds if symptoms are severe.

I think so with time, patience and a lot of work. Keep in mind that part of how she does will depend on her personality. Some dogs are naturally laid back and easy going while others are more high strung. You can build her confidence and skills, but the personality is something that's just part of who she is.

I know someone who adopted a dog that was not well socialized and was very shy and anxious. In addition to working with her at home, they went to agility training to develop confidence. They eventually started competing (dog doesn’t have to be purebred) and are now winning ribbons, and the dog is very comfortable with the judges, other handlers and dogs, and audience.

I don't think this is a question of teaching a dog tricks or repeatable behaviors, it's trying to adapt its responses and comfort level in a new environment.

I agree with other comments that an element of this may be the dog's individual personality. Another element might be its adaptive behavioral reactions or anticipation of its environment based on past experiences.

It's nice to try to help this animal have a better life but as a default, you may expect things may not change. After all, it's not unusual for humans who have had unfortunate, difficult or other than "normal" experiences or environments when growing up or at some time in their lives to be unable to "shake off" all aspects of their past. It's no different for an animal with feelings, as most surely dogs do have.

When I read your post, the first thing that came to my mind was my sister’s two dogs. Both were in the 5-7 age range when they were rescued and had back grounds that were less then desirable. One had been caged constantly so she had no social skills but to look at them, you’d never ever know it. It took time, a lot of patience and love, but now, they’re both happy and flourishing.

I have a dog that was bred by a well known, non-profit organization that breeds and trains highly skilled service/working dogs. My dog had only professional training from puppyhood on. After her normal training was concluded and a couple of issues were identified, this org's full-time trainers spent 5 days a week over 3 months (a few hours a day, not all day) in remedial training for this dog because she had a couple of personality quirks that were normal for a pet animal but not acceptable for a working dog. They gave up and her outplacement brought a wonderful dog to our family as a pet (the second outplacement from this organization we've had). Her quirks are easy to anticipate and deal with and she's otherwise the the best behaved people loving largish dog you ever saw.

My relative who's a vet adopted a 4 year old dog from a breed-oriented rescue organization that had been mistreated. A lot of (expensive and intensive) professional training brought this dog to a more normal spot but she would have periodic relapses into what I'll call unacceptable behavior that she couldn't be broken of.

My point - every dog is a different individual, just the same as people are. I don't think it's reasonable to generalize for the OP what to expect.

I rescued a little bischon who is somewhere between the ages of 6 and 8 at the time, the shelter didn't know. I don't think she had been abused, but she had been neglected. She hated other dogs, and we had 2 others. Long story short, she is one of the pack now, although still really possessive of me from the big dog and will snap at him when he comes by me. She only has a few teeth left, so she can't hurt him. She didn't know how to walk on a leash or even play. She rarely plays, but she does walk on a leash although she prefers to walk without one, like in the woods. So I think you can socialize dog with enough patience and luck. Good luck!

So much depends on the breed. I have Cavalier King Charles spaniels and I'm constantly amazed at how well they end up doing, even if adopted out of a puppy mill. I got my girl just before she was 6, and my boy was 5. Both socialized quite quickly, but the girl is still a bit quirky around strangers - they can pet her as much as they like so long as she's in a chair - her "safe space". Both are from highly reputable breeders and good lines.

The only problem I've had with my boy is that he was housebroken to a doggy door. I don't have one, don't have a place for one and don't like them - I prefer to KNOW where my dogs are. If he doesn't find the door, he'll use the breakfast room floor. If he leaves the room, I best jump up quickly in case he doesn't want just a drink of water. Unfortunately, I don't jump all that quickly these day! It's a "work in progress" and the antique Chinese rug is cleaned and in the basement awaiting his mastery of this.

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate the stories about your dogs.

Elmer, having past trained service dogs sounds really interesting. I have a friend who also takes pups for early socialization and returns them after two months. She has also taken a 'reject' which turned out to be a wonderful dog.

I should give more info. I didn't expect such a response.

I am 'dog savvy' having dogs my entire life (70 yrs). My mom always had multiples. After marriage, my husband and I have had many dogs over the almost, 50 yrs. I always liked working breeds because they were very willing to learn what you expected. We had some breeds considered 'tough,' Dobies, Rottweilers. We spent many years showing our Rotts in competition. We loved it and made many good friends, traveled all over the Country with our dogs and they loved it as much as we did. We have always had so much love and fun with all our dogs. Our first Dobie was a rescue who we took at 10 months old and she was pregnant. We went though that and she was my love. I always say she helped me raise my children, like a Nanny. She never left them out of site and I could count on her.

My husband and I retired now and moved to Florida from NY seven years ago. Before we moved here, our last Rottweiler died. We decided we would not have any dogs again...until this...

The dog is a female English Pointer. Owned by my neighbor. Complicated story, I'll try to keep it short.

I know this dog from the time this neighbor brought her home at 8 weeks. Neighbor lives alone, is a scientist who works for our national agency (will not name). He travels a great deal. I've been taking care of the dog since she was 1 yr old.

She was kenneled in his yard, day and night since 8 weeks old. rarely came out. He had a igloo type box inside the fenced kennel. She lived alone, dealing with thunder storms, lawn people who would run the mowers, leaf blowers, etc. Never any toys or anything to play with as a young pup.

Long and short, I finally stepped in and offered to watch her while he was at work. I didn't know him very well as he was rarely home, but I couldn't take what was happening to this dog. So I started bringing her over. Taught her to walk on a leash, played with her, etc.

This has been going on all these years. She knows me and loves me and my family and house. She has her bed, sleeps next to me when he travels and many times shes here for a few weeks. All is good.

The problem is that I've dealt with her fears of people, other dogs, strange places, the car, more things than I can list. One other thing, she is not spayed and he has refused saying he plans to breed her.

As time has gone on, I have felt he is using me to look after a dog he has no interest in. He does bring her in his house. I have worked on him over the years and and happy with his changes. He now puts her in a kennel in his kitchen, or locks her in the kitchen when he's at work.

The reason for my question, I am thinking of telling him I'll keep her. I'm not sure how he will react but I have a feeling he is ready to give her up. He is away so much and she practically lives here with us more than with him. But I have no say in her medical care plus I demand she be spayed.

My concern is whether I can turn her around from those fears. I know I would need a trainer of some sort. She is difficult to walk on a leash, she pulls until I give her a hard correction. She then slows down but takes off again as on the track of a scent. She really is like a scent dog, like a bloodhound. She takes great joy going outside but is tracking scents rather than looking around or showing any interest in her surroundings. She is fearful of other people, will bark or lunge at them. Same in the house. I can't allow her to be inside when people come in. She has nipped a few people in the past, not now as I corrected her and removed her.

She is fearful of the wind. Terrified of the lawn people (no suprise) and generally very fearful of many things.

I've worked in obedience in the past with my Rotties, but they were not fearful. This dog is afraid of so many things even though I've exposed her to them.

I'm hesitant to tell him I'd keep her, but wonder if those traits can be worked on. The nervousness, makes me nervous and I don't trust her. She is not aggressive except when afraid.

Sorry for this long story.

Jane

Wow Jane that is quite a story!

I will just say definitely be prepared to accept what he says about his dog. Just keep in mind that while you have grown attached he is still the owner.

The problem with broaching the subject is he might decide to cut you out of the dog's life completely if he feels you have stepped out of bounds. He probably likes the idea of having a dog more than the reality of looking after one. I have met many such people. :-(

Instead you might suggest that the dog stays with you during the day every day. Just tell him that you want the dog well exercised so she behaves with him. As long as you watch out for her when she is in heat you should be able to train her in most ways without much problem.

You might think of it as your volunteer work with dogs so you don't feel used. At least that's what I would consider doing.

Good luck and lucky to have you in her corner!

Oh my... so sad that he would treat "his" dog this way. Thank God she has you to give her the love and attention she so desperately needs at least when she's able to be in your home.

Hopefully his plans of breeding her will never happen!

What if you offer to buy her from him? He might be all about the money if he had plans to breed her and obviously he doesn't care about her at all.

I also have a fearful dog - I've had since he was 12 weeks old so the fact that he turned out to be fearful was a complete shock to me. He's scared of everything and of anyone he doesn't know. Out of his fearfulness, he can be aggressive but he has gotten better over the years (he's 5 now). We learned that if someone reaches for him over the fence, he will bite. When people come in our house we tell them not to reach for him, let him come to them and once he sees they are friendly and want to pet him, all is well. He's a boxer/pit mix so he's big and scary looking but he's really just a wiggle butt who's scared of his own shadow.

Best wishes to you. I sure hope the neighbor will realize the best case scenario would be for you to take the dog and give her a much better life than what he's doing.

Oh gosh. I don’t understand people like that. Why have a dog if you’re not going to love it and enjoy it’s presence. I hope he allows you to keep her, after all it’s the right thing to do for the dogs sake.

Our dog used to get scared quite often and still does on occasion, especially during storms or when something is beeping. The best way I’ve been able to help her work through it was by using the method of distraction (Cesar Milan) So, if we’re out in the yard and something scares her, I’ll ask her where her ball is, her attention changes to the ball and off she goes to find it. If we’re in the house, I’ll say lets go outside or go potty and again, her mind is distracted. It works. I can’t help but think that once the dog is out of that environment permanently and you’ve had a chance to work with her consistently, she’ll be able to get past some of it over time.

I think you've gotten a lot of good suggestions so I won't add anything to that. I vaguely remember this situation so I think you've spoken of it before. I agree that if you can take her on full time, she will adjust and maybe even feel more secure. With her being a pointer which is a hunting dog by breed, she may always walk with her nose to the ground but maybe some obedience classes will at least get her to walk more easily on leash. I really wish you great luck in acquiring her and admire your willingness to take her on. At least she won't be a perfect stranger to your family and house and that will be a big help as well.

You are correct, Murraysmom. I wrote about it years ago on Pets. I tried to find my old post to link to it but its gone. I didn't want to rewrite the whole story again.

I know she'd be happier here, she loves us very much as we do her. She is so sweet and loving. However, her fearful behavior troubles me especially do to her age.

We live in Florida and travel to NY to see family a few times a year, which is why we chose not to have another dog. My husband has multiple health issues and that adds to things.

If I could keep her full time, I could make a commitment to work with her. However, she always has to go back to him which just reinforces her fearfulness. He's not a gentle type of person and can be quite harsh. She's afraid of him but tries so hard to do what he asks. Breaks my heart.

Anyway, I suppose the best thing to do before moving ahead would be to have a consult with a dog trainer or behaviorist. Her fear of people disturbs me and makes me hesitant to take her on. I don't even trust her with my daughter and granddaughters.

Loved reading all the stories above. Gives one some hope!

Yeon, you are right, he is the owner. I've made his life so much easier so he can come and go as he pleases knowing I have the dog. Yet, I have no legal rights to do anything.

A few weeks ago, he had to fly off and handed me the dog. He was to be gone 12 days. As I took her, he said, "oh, I forgot to tell you, she's in heat again." Had a sheepish smile on his face. He knew I told him before that I would not watch her unless he spayed her. It made my life difficult because of her bleeding and every male in the neighborhood visiting my house. Makes it difficult to walk her outside, which she loves more than anything. I offered to take her to the vet and have it done and let her recoup at my house. He would always say, "I'll think about it."

So here it was again and I was angry. I took her but blasted him by email a few days later when I almost had a confrontation on the street with a couple of dogs. When he returned, I refused to talk to him. Now, he's away again, this time hunting and he took her along which has me upset. So, either way I lose.

Thanks everyone, you have all given me a lot to think about.

Jane

If it's anyone who can care for this dog, it is you. Having a rescue dog that is reactive, I understand the ups and downs of a special needs dog.

As the saying goes, it is what it is. There are many things that cannot change and we accept this. We have gotten this dog up the highest level that is possible for him.

The first thing that needs to be worked on is pulling. We have had this discussion before and there are pros and cons. I highly recommend the Two Hounds no-pull harness. It does not take the place of training but it is a game-changer when you need to control your dog.

I would only take this dog is I could accept it as is. My gut feeling is that in a living home over time you will see some improvement.

Oh geez, this man must be an awful person to treat a sentient creature like this, he should be banned from having pets. And he refuses to have her spayed? A scientist should know the scientifically proven increased risk of mammary cancer in dogs that aren't spayed. I really hope you are able to rescue her from him permanently.

"A scientist should know....."

Nah. Many well educated people, technical and otherwise, live in their own little mind bubbles. My experience is that being technically capable (not just scientifically, engineeringly too) and oblivious to the world around tend to happen together with many people. And funny enough, many so afflicted think it's the opposite, that their technical or scientific knowledge imparts rare and special wisdom and insights about people and the world they live in.

^^ I can't argue with that, having encountered many of the above in the IT field. Being technically brilliant definitely does not guarantee empathy or common sense.

I apologize, pointers are such amazing docile dogs, I didn’t realize that when you described the problem as fearful you were pointing towards aggression. That is a tough one and your concerns are certainly understandable but I’m still hopeful (for the dogs sake) that you’re able to find a good resource (locally) to help you work through it. It’s upsetting just to read about your story, I can’t imagine what’s it’s been like for you having to live through it.

I hope you aren’t getting your hopes up and then he says no. That would be very upsetting. There are dog trainers who come to your house as opposed to going to a dog ‘class’ with other dogs. That would be a nightmare with her going after other dogs. They might do a free consult. I used to have a 80 lb dog (RIP) that barked and lunged at people, bikes, trucks, animals. It was very hard to go on walks at times. Eventually I bought a Gentle Leader for walks. It helped so much-no more pulling. Watching Cesar Milan I realized I needed to defuse situations before he escalated into the Red Zone of behavior. I kept using the gentle leader and the methods I learned. Repetition is key. The more the dog encounters these situations the more used to them she will get. Don’t give up.

Thank you all, again.

being a scientist means he sees a dog as a tool. She must obey, not cause any problems. I see his relationships with people similarly. Response to having a trainer, I tried that years ago. When a pup, I tried to put her in puppy obiedience. I was told, only the owner of the dog can do this unless he gives written permission for me to act as handler. Same thing with a private trainer. There are liability issues and they will only work with the owner. I’ve had similar problems with the Vet. I have never been given permission to even speak with the vet. This will be another issue I will deal with when he returns.

Im on my phone, I apologize for the typing, I’m on my phone.

Jane

I'm so sorry Jane. Thank you for caring about this dog so much. You sound like a wonderful person and I only wish more people were like you.