How long for a rescue dog to recover?

We've had Maisey a Month now and she's still very withdrawn.
She lies around the house all day, and appears lifeless although she loves going out and only really shows any interest in anything when there's food around!
She's still very jumpy when stroked although she's getting better at greeting us and approaching us for cuddles but especially morning & evening times, she seems to withdraw again and just looks incredibly depressed.

She's 3-5 Years old, with no underlying health problems and all we know is that she was picked up as a stray.
She's certainly no stranger to a smack as she really jumps if you stroke her and she isn't expecting it although that is getting a lot better.

All of our other rescues settled fairy quickly, she just doesn't seem to be "happy."

I live with my Wife & 10 Year old daughter, she has two 30 minute walks a day and is fed on the pets at home adult dog veterinary blend kibble.
She has a bed in the corner of the room which she spends most of her time on, although she will come and lay on the floor below us during the day.

Anything else we can do?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Time is a great healer, and some dogs need an awful lot of time. It varies hugely from dog to dog and there is no way to tell you how long it will take Maisie but I can tell you one thing - a month is nothing!

The standard rule if thumb tends to be that a rescue dog can take around 6 months to fully settle in. Some dogs faster, some take much longer. My boy took around 7 months to become calmer and "normal" in the house, although I think this was partly due to his age as he hit adolescence. As for outside of the house, it wasn't until we'd had him one whole year that he started making real clear progress. Don't get me wrong, he did make progress the whole time, but it's only in the last few months has it been like "wow, look at the difference in him".

I know everyone told me it would take time, but I had to expierience it to realise just how much time that might be. Dogs will come around in their own time. You can use training nd gentle encouragement to help, but they really will only progress when they are ready.

All you can really do now is give her love and patience. Gentle encouragement and positive experiences, but no pressure. If she likes food then you can do training with lots of treats to build up her confidence. Make her feel secure but give her the space she needs, let her approach you. Don't touch her when she isn't expecting it. Talk to her, ensure you have her attention and wait until she invites the touch. Make sure her bed is in a quiet place where she can retire to when she needs space.

There was a story on here about a Labrador who shut right down but she got over it and was wonderful I'll see if I can fund a link to it. Maisie will come around, but a month is very short. Well done for taking on a rescue, you will learn a lot from her, enjoy the journey

Here it is

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=132593

The link has a story about a Labrador called Ruby who used to shut down every time she went out. It's not exactly the same as Maisie but it's a lovely tale and there's some really good advice on the thread.

Excessive sleeping can potential be a stress coping mechanism, her body uses so much energy with day to day stress that she needs to sleep a lot to recover. Some dogs just like to sleep! She may just feel comfortable having her space. It could be partly boredom. If she's food driven you could purchase a Kong and something like a Buster Cube. This will get her active and challenge her mind. Enjoy your girl (she looks like a real cutie on your avatar )

Ok I know the temptation to stroke the dog is overwhelming it is a natural human behaviour, wanting to touch the things we love.

However that is YOUR need, NOT the need of THIS dog at THIS time.

So, unwittingly, you may be INCREASING her stress.

I know that is hard to hear, and I know that is not your INTENT, but the IMPACT on the dog is what we should focus on.

Are you familiar with clicker training or target training?

Sometimes getting a dog to relax in ANY environment it can be more productive to get the dog comfortable in IT rather than concentrating on interaction between dog and person.

For the dog the PERSON, no matter how well intentioned, can be the ISSUE,so teaching dogs to target "stuff" for food can be a good "bridge" to enable the dog and human interface.

Just a thought.

Just to echo what the others have said, a month is nothing, honestly

My Lab is a rescue and he's now been with us for almost a year. The first month was hellish. The first three months were blinking hard. The first six months saw me in tears on several occasions.

Now, almost 12 months on, he's like a different dog!

He used to reject any affection - so I totally agree with what SMOKEY BEAR and MOON'S MUM have said. Give your dog lots of space and just make a fuss of her when she comes to you

My dog spent the first month trying to bite us every time we made him move off the sofa or bed etc. He growled at me on a daily basis.

Now, a year on, I can tell you he spends most of his waking hours on his back, legs akimbo, enjoying tummy rubs!

At present you are NOT seeing your dog's 'real' personality - your dog is probably very scared, unsettled, unsure...

It's so hard but try to relax, keep all of your voices calm and quiet, 'cause the more YOU all relax, the more your dog will relax

Let us know how you get on

Just a thought but is it at all possible that a bit of a longer walk might cheer your dog up a bit?

You mentioned 30 minutes, twice daily, I think?

Just wondering if maybe as a big dog she might need a little extra?

It really depends what their previous experiences have been. If she`s been shouted at for playing or making a noise all her life it`ll take a long time for her to unlearn that. These learned behaviours are the devil to combat IME.
The advice in all previous posts is absolutely right - give her time and space. A friend of mine reckons it takes 2 years to turn an abused dog round - and I don`t think she`s far off it.
It would also be worth seeing if the Rescue did a full health check.

I can only echo what's been said above, a month isn't long for a rescue dog to relax. Also, I wouldn't touch her when she's not expecting it, it will possibly put her more on edge. Imagine if you were walking around or lying down and you kept getting touched by someone you didn't know that well yet and you didn't know when it would be coming...it would certainly put me on edge! If you change it and only give her fuss when you call her and she comes, or she comes and clearly wants some, she'll understand the interaction more and start to trust that she will be able to move around freely without keep getting touched. Just my opinion.
I found giving my dog space, and making interaction with me as fun (but pressure free) as possible, plus lots of nice walks, helped him settle.
Best of luck with her

A month is no time at all, it probably took George a couple of years to begin to trust and then another few to really relax. In fact I would say that she never felt really relaxed when she came on my knee (her choice and fairly big dog.) The only place she felt as if she was really relaxed was under the bedclothes curled up at the back of my knees.

Clicker training can be a wonderful opening to communication between you. It helps trust so much and cuts out any other experiences she might have had. Give it a little go.

Good luck.

rune

We've had our rescue Springer since November and he has only just in the past week or so let his guard down.
He loves attention and stokes but if you put your hand down to him he would cower a little bit, we've let him come to us for a fuss and he is finally coming up and asking for attention and rolling on his back to show us his belly, and no cowering

I'm sure you will get there with her, just give her time and space to realize you are nice to her and she will come out of her shell I'm sure