How to Build Confidence in an Abused & Fearful Puppy

Puppies that are rescued from abusive homes, overcrowded shelters or puppy mills may harbor a number of undesirable characteristics related to their early rearing. This includes fear of humans and an inability to immediately bond with or socialize with human and animal companions. An abused and fearful puppy will need love, attention and most of all, patience. Assume that you will need to undo poor or inadequate training and then retrain the puppy in appropriate ways. This process will take more time than training a typical puppy, but this extra investment will be rewarding.

  1. Provide a Safe Environment

    • Abused puppies will not be used to having their own beds, their own feeding dishes or a safe and quiet environment in which to live. Prepare a quiet private place for your puppy before it arrives. Provide a covered plastic crate that is roomy enough for the dog to stand up in and move around in comfortably. Add soft bedding, chew toys, and food and water dishes.

    Set Aside Puppy Time

    • It takes time to build confidence in a fearful puppy. If possible, set aside a long weekend in which you can be with your puppy and begin bonding. Join the puppy in its private space and allow it to come to you. Talk softly and gently and don̵7;t make sudden moves or loud noises that might frighten the puppy. Allow it to explore its surroundings and become familiar with you. You may opt to allow the puppy to sleep with you at night or to have its crate in your room at night. This will alleviate fears and help your puppy becomes more comfortable with you.

    Establish a Routine

    • An abused puppy may not be well housebroken, so institute a regular feeding, exercise and potty-break routine right away. Gently praise your puppy when it eliminates outside. If it has an accident inside, which is very likely, pick it up and take it outside right away. Never scold, yell at or hit your puppy.

    Begin Socialization

    • Allow other members of your household to introduce themselves to the puppy one at a time, following the same procedure of sitting quietly in the puppy̵7;s space and allowing the puppy to initiate interaction. Offer gentle praise and attention, and take the puppy̵7;s lead if it seems eager to play. If you have other friendly animals in the house, allow them to introduce themselves one at a time as well.

    Introduce Leash Training

    • An abused puppy may have developed behaviors such as biting, barking or scratching. Fortunately, these habits are easier to break in a puppy than in an adult dog. Start with indoor and outdoor leash training. Fearful puppies are often more confident with a harness leash than a collar-and-leash system. You can allow your puppy to explore and interact with simple commands and gentle leash correction. Start with commands such as sit, stay and come. A gentle ̶0;no̶1; and a light tug on the leash can stop undesirable behaviors.

    Offer Frequent Rewards

    • Offer little tidbit snacks to your puppy when it comes to you or responds to a command. This will help build the bonds of trust and serve as positive reinforcement.

    Introduce New Environments Gradually

    • An abused puppy will need to build its confidence slowly, which means too many new experiences at once will feel overwhelming. The first trip outside or to a park should be short. These outings can increase when the puppy becomes more confident and less fearful.

    Implement Formal Training

    • Once an abused puppy is confident and comfortable in its new life, consider professional group training. This will help you bond with your puppy and allow the puppy to build its confidence meeting new people and animals.