Sad Puppy

[HellHound]

We bought an 11 week old Border Collie 2 days ago from a Farmer. She has such sad eyes and hides under tables and beds, gets scared at the slightest movement or sound, and is scared when you go to touch her. Me and my family think she could have been beaten up by the Farmer or something, or do you think this is normal? Will she come round soon? Please help .Oh and do you have some really good ways of housebreaking her too. Thanks :)

[Fury]

I would suggest being patient and give her time to trust her new family. It's only been a couple of days and at 11 weeks it's hard to adjust leaving mom and litter (I assume that is the situation).

House breaking; you need to take the puppy out frequently so she doens't have a chance to do it inside. If you can catch her the moment she is doing it inside, that is the time to apply negative reinforcement. A stern NO, and then take her outside. Find a word for poo or peeing and praise her when she does it outside or out in a preferred area.

Border Collies are very smart dogs and should catch on quick. I just hope you are ready for the commitment to attention and activity for that breed.

[opokki]

Sounds like she was probably undersocialized or maybe just a very shy puppy that is nervous in her new home. I think she will come around.

[Brattina88]

Sounds like she was probably undersocialized or maybe just a very shy puppy that is nervous in her new home. I think she will come around.
I'll second this ;) Work on socailizing her, but don't push her too far.
House breaking; you need to take the puppy out frequently so she doens't have a chance to do it inside. If you can catch her the moment she is doing it inside, that is the time to apply negative reinforcement. A stern NO, and then take her outside. Find a word for poo or peeing and praise her when she does it outside or out in a preferred area. With training, since she is being a little shy right now I suggest only positive reinforcement until she is more confident. There are always exceptions, so you be the judge because only you will know how you dog is going to react. If you're hesitant with the negative stuff (NO) try going 'eh-eh' or something to this affect just to startle her from going in the house ~ Praise her well when she goes successfully outside. Border Collies are exremly intelligent dogs, I hope you have some plans to put her to work doing something so she won't become distructive when bored. Let us know how she comes around :)

[Renee750il]

Lots and lots of positive reinforcement, affection and using a calm, soft tone of voice with your new baby will work wonders. I once sat on my grandmother's concrete laundry room floor for 4 1/2 hours coaxing the young German Shepherd female she had rescued out from under an old cabinet. She wouldn't come out for food, but sitting there, talking to her in a calm soft voice got her to poke her head out and lay it on my foot where I could touch her.

Also, be sure to give her a "safe space" that she understands is her haven that she can go to when she is overwhelmed. And, like Brattina suggests, although she does need to be socialized, don't push her too hard right now, let her develop more self-confidence.

Keep an eye on your puppy after eating and playing, as that's usually the sequence before they have to go out. Try getting in the habit of going out with your pup and be lavish with praise and even a treat for going outdoors.

Brattina is so right about making sure she has things to do to keep her from getting bored! Border collies have lots of energy, intelligence, and absolutely love to work!

[RavenWildharber]

We are dealing with something very similar. Our pup is 6mos old and still very new to our family. I just bought a book that I'm hoping will help us. Its title is "Help for Your Shy Dog: Turning Your Terrified Dog into a Terrific Pet". I don't know yet how helpful this really will be, I just started reading it myself, but its giving me some confidence in knowing what I should and should not be doing for our pup. We also are having a trainer come out next week to train us on helping our dog. Personal trainers aren't cheap, but we think an investment for us on the front end will be better than a scared dog for life. If you go this route, find a trainer that will train you to train your dog and get referrals. If our trainer gives us some good tips, I'll pass it along to you. Good luck!

[MEG126]

if the pup was previously abused or something along those lines... it might help to let her sniff your hand before you pet her, and don't reach for her from above, pet her from below so she can see you.

i would think it would take the pup a while to adjust too, to her new environment. and again.. agreeing with others, i wouldn't push her, let her take her own time getting used to you and trusting you. forcing yourself on her could have a reverse effect and cause her to trust to decline instead of increase.

don't know if any of this is helpful, but good luck w/ your new puppy!! -meg