My new dog! But he is TERRIFIED (Pics included!)

Hey everyone!

I've been posting the last few days about a dog my boyfriend and I were meeting on Sunday. Well, we're doing a trial for a week (I don't think a week is long enough to get to know the dog very well but...) we're totally smitten with him and going to adopt him. Even my boyfriend thinks he's the sweetest thing, and my boyfriend isn't the biggest dog person.

He is the sweetest dog. He'll make himself really small (out of fear!) and kind of crawl to where you're sitting and want you to pet him. He gives kisses. He slept in his crate all night last night (I left the door open but closed our bedroom door, just in case) I was concerned about the 2 year old with him but the 2 year old is here right now and everything is going well.

The only issue is that he is so, so afraid. He WILL NOT go outside. If you get the leash and put it on him, he plops down like he's dead and won't move. If you pick him up and take him outside, he just lays down in the grass like he's dead. He doesn't fight you at all, but he just refuses to move.

He's been submissive peeing like crazy. He usually does it when you try to take him outside because he gets so afraid. He *actually* peed too. He lifted his leg and peed on our entertainment center. But before he did that, he was whining a little bit at the door. I figured he was just scared but apparently he had to go out. But he won't go outside, so I'm not sure what to do. I know he needs patience because he's in a new place and hasn't had a very good life. I just want to make sure I do things right for him.

The woman that was fostering him said that they have a fenced in yard and other dogs, so they were just opening the door for him and he would go out if he wanted to. Since I live in an apartment, I don't have that option.

We know we have to be really patient with him because he's obviously terrified and was probably abused. He is the sweetest dog and I really want to help him. I've just never dealt with a dog like this so I could use some advice

Here are the pictures!

Oh my gosh - he is adorable! I'm sorry to hear he is so scared of the world. Does he have any interest in food? I'm thinking REALLY good stuff, like steak or roast beef. Perhaps even if he doesn't want to walk to you to take it, you could toss it lightly away onto the grass, to see if you can get him up and walking out there. I'm sure others will be on with more and better advice quickly.

Congratulations on getting such a cutie.

He's a cutie!
Have you tried a harness vs. the flat collar? I have MUCH better luck with harnesses - esp. on dogs that are not used to being walked.

Sweet pup !!! It may take awhile .....soon those eyes will be smiling .

Awww what a sweetheart. I adopted a fearful dog too. She's turned into a completely loving wonderful dog, and now she's only scared if I try to teach her something or if we have a lot of people over, lol. I don't know what to tell you about the leash thing... I didn't have that problem with mine. I'd try Boston's advice and see how that works. The food thing never really worked for my dog. Still to this day, I can try to give her the tastiest morsel in the world, but if the house has any strangers in it, she will NOT eat it.

another tidbit for you -
although you feel bad for the new dog being so scared, don't baby him. Treat him like any other dog - that will help build his confidence. Get him a 'safe place' -like a crate. He peed on the furniture - not because he was scared, but because he didn't know any better. Drag a leash on him in the house - treat him like a pup.
And remember - it can take days, months or even years for a dog to come around. I took Casey close to a year to really open up and he still has issues.

Boston might have a point. If the dog allows you to pick him up you might want to bring him out with great food for the first few times. then switch to a lead and have him follow you. Act as if everything is great with the world. Maybe feed him his meals outside for a few weeks? He's so adorable, worth the extra work for sure. Sad that dogs can't talk . Something outdoors must have traumatized him, but if you make all outings pleasant and fun he'll come around.

Now I see, he's really sweet and lovely dog. Congratulations. Work on him and you will see how he slowly come out of his shell and show what he got.

Thanks so much guys!

I took your advice and I've been using treats and it seems to be helping. He still gets scared when I put the collar and leash on him (we will be picking up a harness ASAP) but he will walk outside on his own now! He even walked around a tiny bit today. I've been using treats and praising him like crazy and it seems to be helping him get used to it.

He peed and pooped in the house a few times already though. I've never trained a dog before so I'm a little overwhelmed. He hasn't gone to the bathroom outside at all. He even whines at the door sometimes but as soon as he goes out, he won't go to the bathroom.

There is freezing rain here today and I didn't want to take him out there and just wait it out because he was shivering within a few minutes. But maybe when the weather improves I will. I need to read up more on house training!

Anyway, I am happy for his improvement Thanks for the suggestions!