Very worrying behaviour. (Border Terrier)

A friend of mine has asked if anyone has any suggestions regarding a dog she has.

Found about 2 weeks ago, adult Border Terrier bitch, obviously bred from.

Never seen a dog so thin and still be alive.

Had a black belt around her neck.

Eating and drinking well and is very friendly.

Cannot stop pacing round and round, whether inside or out, literally constantly pacing and trotting around borders untill psychically exhausted.

If you stop her, hold her or crate her, she goes into a panic state, and screams incessantly until released.

Any clues on how to help this poor thing?

I cant help on how to stop it im sorry but my friend has a pup who does this and he's got eye problems i.e is nearly blind and he does the exact same thing,

Does she respond at all if she's spoken to while doing this behaviour?x

Sounds like mums rescue puffer - Peace, her pacing seemed to have come from years of caging, no human contact and certainly no affection.

I wonder if this dog has been caged for long periods of time, away from people..Hence the fear of being re caged, held ect..

I am certainly far from a dog behaviour expert but I think once trust is earned, your friend can then think about working with the poor girls issues - I guess for now, the first step is just needs to earn the dogs trust.

My Jessie was like this & even now 2 1/2 years down the road, she spins when excited. She no longer paces though & all I did was give her time & space & I also occupied her mind with games & teaching her simple "obedience"type exercises & lots of gentle T Touch

Razzle did this pacing when he first came. He only stopped when he found somewhere to hide (under a table).
He gradually stopped, but it took a few months.
I`d back off from the dog - avoid eye contact and provide a bolt hole for her. She needs routine to feel safe as well. She will gradually relax as she finds that she is not hurt. The best thing is to be quiet round her and try to not put any demands on her, which means ignoring her.

Poor little mite, obviously never seen the big wide world has she I'd be inclined to find an old, friendly dog that she can gain some support from coz it sure won't be a human who can give her that atm is it and she needs quiet in a smallish space to start off with, then I would gradually increase the area. Yes Dawn, obviously bred from

Agree with ClaireandDaisy - sounds very much like a stress thing poor dog. May take some time but eventually I am sure she will start to relax.

Maybe the vet could give some mild sedatives to take the edge of the behaviour? Or if not, DAP plug-ins or sprays? I'd be careful though as sometimes this can lower a dog's inhibitions and make a scaredy dog more likely to bite. Another alternative could be Zylkene, meant to have good results, even if they just try the 10-tablet trial pack?

All I can think of is that she has been caged for all her life, a dog that I had (Chester) paced and paced all the time, he had spent the first 2 and a half years of his life in a cage. It did calm down after we had him for about 6 months, but he was always restless. Sadly he died of a brain tumor after we had him for about a year but at least for his last year and a half he had love and attention.
I hope your friend manages to help this little lady

Gosh Dawn, how awful, I am so sorry for your friend.

This sounds to me like the extreme behaviour you see displayed by animals who have gone stir crazy in a cage, eg in a zoo. They pace up and down up and down, often shaking their head from side to side. It is caused by the extreme stress of being held captive.