Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

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FurElise
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:02 pm

Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by FurElise »

Hi,

I'm looking for advice and suggestions for how to help a disabled dog. We have recently accepted a dog rescued from a severely abusive situation. She's a young, we are guessing between 1 and 2, German Shepard mix. She was severely mistreated before she was rescued and as a result of the trauma she suffered (she was severely beaten, possibly with a pipe of something similar), she is blind, has limited control of her tongue and balance issues, seems to lack a sense of smell and probably taste and may have some hearing loss (she can hear, but does not seems to be able to determine what direction sounds come from). She cannot make any sound at all - no barking or even crying or whining. She lives in a world of sensory deprivation and is understandably very fearful and prone to panicking.

We have been working hard on getting her used to us and trying to establish trust and assurance that she is not in danger from us, and we've made progress. She has to be approached carefully to avoid startling her, but she will allow me to touch her and when she is not panicking actually seems to enjoy having her shoulders and neck rubbed. We have stared teaching her to cuddle and she has even allowed us to bathe her (which I cant say she enjoyed, but which she tolerated) and we are able to brush her now and even trimmed her nails. I can say that apart from being thin, she is otherwise in good physical shape and she has a sweet nature.

We have set some very basic initial goals: She needs to be house trained and she needs to learn to be led on a leash so that she can be taken outside as needed (right now she must be carried, which is difficult for her and for me because she tends to panic, although that is improving). She seems to be learning that when she is taken outside she can do her business, but has not yet caught onto the notion of NOT doing that inside, so we need to watch her for signs that she needs to go and we are trying to get her on a schedule. Which works some of the time, but not enough.

What I need is advice from anyone with experience working with a severely disabled dog. For starters, we have not found anything we can use as a reliable reward to reinforce positive behavior. Food treats don't work. The reason that we think that she may have no taste is that she does not respond to any food we have tried. I have even managed to get pieces of bacon in her mouth and they simply fall back out. Same with other meats we have tried. She eats basic kibble that she has learned satisfies her hunger, but does not seem to be interested in other food textures. I am afraid to try peanut butter or other similar foods because she cannot lick or lap due to the lack of control of her tongue. (Its heartbreaking to watch her eat and drink.) I am trying to use touch as a reward, little pats and shoulder rubs, but that is also how we express affection to her and calm her when she gets panicky.

When we have tried her on a leash, just to move between rooms at the moment, she will tolerate only so much then tends to panic and throw herself around which is dangerous for all concerned, especially her.

We are willing to make the effort to try to help her, but, frankly, I don't know what I am doing and would appreciate ANY advice or suggestions regarding how to best help this animal. Our best intentions don't amount to much that's useful and I don't want our inexperience to cause her more distress - she has already suffered enough!

Thanks in Advance

FurElise
Lotsaquestions
Posts: 646
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:06 am

Re: Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by Lotsaquestions »

That poor girl, and good on you for helping her out sounds like you are doing amazingly.

I don't have a disabled dog so I'll just preface this that anything I say here is from knowing people with disabled dogs or from reading about blind dogs (I was considering rescueing a blind dog at one point).

Can she hear a jingly bell? A light one that you can wear around your wrist that isn't too loud or obnoxious. Because she has trouble smelling, and her hearing is her only mostly working sense, perhaps it would be a comfort to her if she can hear your hand or that you are close, and know its you.

As for testing her sense of taste, you could see if she likes something liquid? Maybe since she has trouble with her tongue she might be reluctant to move bacon or harder things around. You could try goats milk in a pipette, or squeezy cheese.

I've also seen people with blind dogs put different textures between different thresholds. Like a rubber mat before the door to go out for the toilet, a soft mat before the living room etc:. Its to help them feel their way around. I've also seen this device that you put on a harness that looks like a loop, so if the dog goes towards an object, the loop acts a bit like a blind man's cane and tells them there is something there so they don't pump into it. Different scents in different rooms also helps. A lavander scent for the kitchen, a chamomile one for the living room etc: so they always know where they are.

As for the lead, if you're pulling her to different rooms she might get worried about any tension on the lead (since she's from an abusive home they could have even used the lead as another way of punishing her). My parents have a rescue chihuahua who will also flail on a lead with even the slightest bit of tension, but without tension and letting them ALWAYS tell YOU where to go (so if she backs away, back away with her so she knows she's not trapped on a lead, always keeping the lead loose) they do relax a bit more with it. Same with my own dog, he hates the car so if I was to drag him to it he would flail, but if I keep the lead loose and back away when he backs away, he will eventually jump in on his own because he knows its his choice.
popsicle
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:46 am

Re: Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by popsicle »

Hi
I mainly wanted to say good on you for taking on such a special needs dog. I have an almost blind dog. When he moved in I bought some wrist/ankle bells so he would always know where I was but I never used them as he always knows anyway!
A friend who adopted a blind dog which had been chained up outside most of it's life, started by tying him up in the house but with enough length for him to explore a safe close area so he wasn't overcome with it all. She gradually increased the length as he grew more comfortable till he was eventually free to roam.
Can she get through the night dry? If not it can make dogs uncomfortable and prone to infection. When my last dog was put on steroids and started leaking, she wore special dog pants for a while. Just on the subject of clothing, she might find a Thundershirt soothing. Plus it might be an idea to put some clothing of yours in her bed for reassurance.
Have you thought about massage? There are books - including kindle - on Amazon though getting some expert tuition would be preferable.
That's just off the top of my head. More later if I can think of it!
JudyN
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by JudyN »

The poor girl :( Well done for taking her on.

All I have to add is that judging from a friend's traumatised rescue dogs, the best thing you can do is put as little pressure on her and wait... it can take months or more for her to come out of her shell and she may never fully come out. So if you think she just tolerates cuddles, rather than enjoy them, then don't cuddle her but stick to what she does enjoy. And if at all possible, stop using the leash before she panics. Give here all the time she needs to unpack her bags rather than aiming to 'make progress'.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
FurElise
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:02 pm

Re: Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by FurElise »

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions!

We will try as many as possible - hopefully they will help us help our special girl. I will try to post back here occasionally regarding progress and describe whatever we have found helpful so that hopefully anyone in future with similar questions will have this as a resource

All the best

FurElise
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: Seeking Advice -Disabled Dog

Post by JudyN »

FurElise wrote: Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:23 amI will try to post back here occasionally regarding progress and describe whatever we have found helpful so that hopefully anyone in future with similar questions will have this as a resource
Thank you - that's really thoughtful. And of course we'd love to hear how you get on :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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