I'm new here, and I'm hoping someone can give me some tips. We rescued a sweet little pup who was being neglected and abused by his previous owners. We took him to the vet. and got a clean bill of health, and found out that he is a Jack Russell and Beagle mix, known as a "Jackabee" from what I've heard.
My question is, since he was not treated right, is there anything special we should do for him? We've had him a few months now and he has warmed up a lot and is a happy pup for the most part, but sometimes when we walk into the room he will urinate on the floor and duck down as if he's scared. I'd love to know what we can do to make him feel more safe! Thanks!
10-31-2012, 06:05 PM, (This post was last modified: 10-31-2012, 06:07 PM by haopee.)
First of all, how old is "Jackabee"? If he's still less than a year old, it could be because he's still a pup the bladders of steel haven't grown yet. Taking him for potty breaks more often can help.
What kind of abuse did he go through? Did they hurt him or physically maltreat him? Dogs who've experienced neglect can often be scared easily. They can also end up doing submissive urination. If this is the case, you might want to try boosting his self esteem a little. Tug toys can do a good job of making a dog confident. However, be wary that tug toys can also cause dominance. Fortunately, "Jackabee" pup is a small breed. Nonetheless, make sure to maintain a structured lifestyle and continue to provide him with exercise, discipline, playtime and affection.
Haopee has offered some excellent suggestions. I thought I'd offer something from my own experience as it might be helpful to you. You might search for some of my posts. I have a Jack Russell. She was treated very well as I got her at 8 weeks old. But, right before her first birthday, two events happened that threw her into a tailspin. My Dad was hospitalized and died (he lived with us) and a neighbor who visited with him everyday moved.
I had to move after that. It was an unsettling time. Misha had a bit of a nervous breakdown. Once I was settled in, she had several problems. One was peeing in the house even though she was housebroken (Jack Russell's are notorious for being slow at housebreaking, by the way), she ate carpet, and she became violent when anyone attempted to pick her up.
I won't go into all the details of what I did. But, I went back to dog training 101. I acted as if she had learned nothing and started over. I think, though your dog has different issues, this is probably what you should do. Don't baby him too much because he has been abused. This may make things worse. Show affection but don't let him get away with things because of his past. He may need some gentle handling in certain situations. But, give him dog training so that he learns to trust you. It was the one problem I had with Misha after our emotional trauma. Earning back her trust was the hardest to deal with. But, she is three years old now, and despite a couple of quirks, she had turned into a fine dog.
A forewarning, Jack Russell's like to be in charge. You'll have to work on letting him know you are the boss. I did this by teaching Misha to sit for food and to wait for me to enter the door first. It's the little things that will help your pup out.
One thing in your favor is that Jack Russell's love to learn. They love to please and they love to do tricks. You can set up a really nice trick and reward system that should help your dog trust people. Good luck and keep us posted on how it is going!
All you can really give him is time and patience! He still associates you coming into the room as being a negative thing and obviously his previous owners would frighten him in some way. The peeing on the floor is a natural sign of submission and not really associated with whether or not a dog is housebroken. If you see him acting nervously just talk nicely to him and perhaps encourage him to come to you but don't put too much pressure on him or chastise him in anyway for his little accident.
All you can do is show him that you aren't going to hurt him or yell at him. Time will help!
I agree with others you don't know exactly what the dog has gone through. Give this time, if the vet said that the dog is in good health keep this in mind and don't worry. Just show the dog love and patience eventually he will adjust to his new surroundings realize that now harm will come to him in your home. Odds are the dog will settle down eventually and know that he is loved.
