New Rescue - From S.K Dog Meat Farm

[jsis]

Hey all!!!

Figured I would ask a few questions on here to ensure I'm on the right path with my new rescue. Yu-Jin came into my life 1-month ago, and he's made MASSIVE strides in this amount of time.

TLDR story on him: He was brought to Canada at 4-months old and was with a rescue/foster here in Ottawa for 6 months. He came from a dog meat farm in South Korea, so his start to life has obviously been disgusting. I met him and he was this terrified ball of fur. My other dog was indifferent (which is huge as he's extremely reactive and selective of certain dogs).

Jin would literally shit and piss himself out of fear if we moved the wrong way or coughed. He's a dream to walk and take on car rides and handles the chaos of traffic and people walking by perfectly.

He's started to show a willingness to come up to us with his tail wagging and we can scratch him under the chin. But then there are days it's like he's never met us before and he's just losing his mind. I'll typically clip on his leash (85% of the time I have it connected anyways for control) and guide him to his bed or crate to kind of mellow out.

Does anyone have some thoughts on how I can help him overcome this fear and extreme moments of being skittish in the house? I completely understand that time may be the only key and that 1-month in a structured household is nothing for a broken soul like Jin! I would love some advice for training and maybe your past experiences!

https://preview.redd.it/nlog5bks5ga...bp&s=e92758be7a7c751cbc1885159d54425d218d21af

 

[reformedbill]

@jsis You know, it sounds like you're making incredible progress! It very well might not be necessary but have you considered anti-anxiety medication to take the edge off? If a person had anxiety issues this bad a little drugs could help him or her deal with the stresses and develop the skills to handle day to day life.

Personally, if it were me, I'd discuss medication with my vet- not to fix the problem, just to give him a bit of an edge.

My parents' dog used to have severe anxiety. After a few months of work with anti-anxiety meds he no longer needs the meds (this is after a year of effort without the meds during which he barely improved). It's like with the drugs he learned that the world doesn't have to be scary, so his default state went from terrified to mildly wary. Then when they quit the drugs he never went back to being terrified.

Note that I am NOT a vet, but I am a pet care professional.

One other thing: please get a name tag with phone numbers on him. If he gets lost you can't count on someone taking the time to take him to the vet. If someone manages to lay hands on him you want them to have every advantage and to be able to get him home to you lickity split.

 

[jsis]

@reformedbill Thank you so much! He will be due for his yearly vet check soon and will be microchipped and I'll discuss possibly some anti anxiety meds if he's still super anxious.

 

[reformedbill]

@jsis Please do this sooner than later. He needs that chip and tag NOW.

 

[jsis]

@reformedbill He has his tag on at all times!!! I was pro active and we had this even before we officially adopted him.

 

[lupasola]

@jsis Are you having him neutered there too? The extra testosterone pumping through doesn't always just go to aggression/territory, but can keep them on edge and flighty/anxious always worried about who's going to fight them. Could be that helps with some mellowing as well and as he's over a year old you should be out of the woods with his growth

 

[jsis]

@lupasola Thankfully he came to us already neutered one less expense this year!!!

 

[lupasola]

@jsis Oh goodie, that can be a big thing we see with intact males. Tons of nerves when they walk into the clinic for the first time. I couldn't tell from the pic, almost looked like there was something hanging out in his scrotum haha

 

[jsis]

@lupasola Omg I know!!!! I looked at the photo after I took it (this was about 2 weeks after getting him) and was like: "I thought he was neutered?!", And no joke, I groped the poor dog

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@jsis I’d highly recommend Prozac, we got it for our anxious separation anxiety doggo and she is doing soooo much better now, 7 months on from her adoption. Not the same kind of anxiety but it takes the edge off stressful situations for her, it could do the same for your dog.

 

[leodrone]

@jsis Fearful dogs take time and love. Consistency will be crucial as he spends more time with you. Just making sure your rules and expectations stay the same, and work on ending each new experience in a positive way. Find something that motivated him. A yummy treat perhaps, and shamelessly reward him for positive behaviours. Lots of love and patience.

 

[jsis]

@leodrone He's the polar opposite for motivation right now compared to Dexter. Jin refuses treats. Chicken, liver etc.. he won't take them unless he's comfortable.

He's now just started accepting them during walks which is MASSIVE for him. We did a big walk working on his leash manners and a tandem walk with Dexter.

 

[leodrone]

@jsis That's amazing! I remember when my pup was a wee one, walking in a group really boosted his confidence. Hopefully those walks are helpful for you.
Sounds like you're already doing so much. Remember to be patient with yourself too! Dogs (even perfectly even tempered ones) can be exhausting. You're doing a great job!

 

[lifebychrist]

@jsis I just wanted to say thank you for adopting Jin I was recently looking into adopting dogs from SK (I live on the West Coast of the US so we have quite a few posted on Petfinder), and I would've really considered it but we couldn't guarantee our first dog would get along with it. We didn't want to take responsibility for a pup that we would have to give up down the road if he/she had issues with Cowboy.

 

[jsis]

@lifebychrist I wasn't sure if it was the best thing to do, but really, as soon as Dexter met him and had zero reaction, I knew we had to have Jin.

From him being this scared soul on day 1 to a dog that will now somewhat allow his chin to be scratched, is so rewarding