How to help a rescue dog recover from trauma
The impact abuse can have on a dog and how to address challenging behaviours with a traumatised dog
The impact abuse can have on a dog and how to address challenging behaviours with a traumatised dog
December 17, 2024
Many rescue dogs have experienced considerable trauma in their lives, it’s a fact that breaks my heart. Some have been abused, some neglected, some abandoned, and some have simply been kept so isolated that they no longer know how to socialise or cope with the world.
Abuse, neglect and isolation can create a range of behavioural issues (understandably), such as:
Dogs who have experienced abuse or trauma may become easily frightened or anxious, particularly around unfamiliar people, animals, or environments. They lack emotional resilience.
Dogs who have been mistreated may develop defensive aggression as a protective response. This could be directed toward other animals, people, or specific situations that remind them of past trauma.
Dogs that have experienced food scarcity or deprivation may become protective of food, toys, or even their resting area.
Dogs who have experienced abandonment or prolonged isolation may develop an intense fear of being left alone, exhibited through excessive barking, whining, destructive behaviour, attempts to escape or self-harming behaviour.
Dogs with unfulfilled needs for mental and physical stimulation (especially those kept isolated or neglected) may develop destructive habits to cope with stress or boredom.
Dogs that were isolated or not exposed to typical social experiences may struggle with interaction, both with people and other dogs. They may show avoidance, fear, or overexcitement around other animals or people; difficulty understanding social cues; or overly rough play. In a worst case scenario, even fear induced aggression as mentioned above.
A dog who has lived in an environment of constant stress may be on high alert for potential threats. You may notice constant scanning of the environment, overreacting to sounds or movements, jumping or barking at seemingly minor stimuli, and difficulty relaxing.
This in turn has negative physical consequences of adrenal fatigue, depression, phobias and effects on the gut and other organs.
Dogs that were never properly house-trained, or that developed anxiety around people, may have accidents indoors as a response to stress or a lack of consistent routines. Some may show submissive urination.
Dogs who have experienced physical abuse or harsh handling may become fearful of being touched, especially in specific areas associated with negative experiences. They often show it being head shy or when having to apply meds they can be defensive.
Dogs that were never taught boundaries, or that experienced inconsistent or permissive handling, may struggle to control their impulses e.g. they may jump on people, steal food, dart through doors, or grab things inappropriately.
Rescue dogs often associate new places or objects with previous negative experiences, making it difficult for them to adapt to change. Building emotional resilience and confidence is important so they can learn well again.
We all know the saying “prevention is better than cure” - in an ideal world, early puppy training and socialisation would prevent behaviour issues down the track.
However, as we’ve covered, a traumatic start to life or lack of early training can lead to a dog that has challenging behaviours.
But don’t despair, in most cases these issues are entirely treatable with lots of love and the right training. You can teach an old dog new tricks!
Whether you’re working on reactivity, hyperactivity, barking or separation distress, in this article I go through some tips to help you successfully re-train a rescue dog.
If you want to work through an issue with your dog, first and foremost you have to invest some effort into a strong mentor bond. This is not just about loving your dog and them loving you back (though that’s a great start!). It’s about your dog seeing you as a trusted mentor, which allows them to relax, look to you for direction, take your lead, and be more responsive to you rather than feeling on edge or easily distracted. There are many training techniques you can use to build your mentor bond, but the best way to start is by simply by providing plenty of love, contact, cuddles, play and positive reinforcement for behaviours you like. It’s also important that you are controlling all the resources your dog has access to - whether this be food, freedom or contact. Show your dog you are in charge of these things they value, and they will soon learn to look up to you as a respected mentor that can guide them through any situation.
I teach a bonding technique called Joining Up, which is designed on their natural bonding process. Rescue dogs are normally highly motivated to build a new healthy bond so learn this technique and it will strengthen your bond and start the learning process well.
To do the right thing, your dog needs to know what the right thing is. The right thing might be keeping all four paws on the ground when meeting someone new, staying calm in the face of something they usually find a bit scary, or stopping barking. Whatever it is, use a marker to tell your dog the exact moment they did what you wanted. I favour a clicker, a small hand-held tool that makes a distinctive click sound, as it’s always consistent and carries no emotional overtones. However, you can also say ‘yes’ in a nice calm, positive tone of voice. When your dog does the right thing, immediately click or say ‘yes’, then give a treat. A click or ‘yes’ must ALWAYS be followed by a treat, as this is how your dog learns they’ve done the right thing. To introduce a clicker for the first time, simply throw treats on the ground and click as your dog eats them, then use it to practise some basic commands. Take care they don’t get frightened of the clicker so start with it in your pocket to buffer the volume a bit - rescue dogs in particular can be frightened of new sounds. Check out this blog on clicker training if you’re new to it!
Consider anything in your dog’s environment that may help overall with their behaviour. If you have a high energy dog and may not be fulfilling their exercise needs, consider a dog walker or doggy daycare. If your dog struggles with recall, have them drag a long lead at the park so that they can enjoy the sense of being off lead but you have a way to get them back if you need to. If your dog struggles with separation anxiety, think of some ways you can make them more settled, e.g. by installing a dog door to give them access to a safe space inside, or by getting a treat-dispensing pet camera so you can communicate with them while you’re out and reward them with a treat for calm behaviours (particularly helpful for dogs with separation distress). A dog that’s getting appropriate exercise, stimulation and a good quality diet will generally be better behaved.
Our dogs are acutely aware of how we’re feeling. Our posture, voice tone, body tone and pheromones are speaking to our dog all the time, so if you’re anxious, stressed, frustrated, angry or even just distracted, they sense that and they’ll take their lead from you - how can you expect them to react calmly when they can sense you’re anxious? Though it can be tough in the early days, try to exude calm confidence when training, it can have a huge impact on how they respond. This is especially important for a dog that has not had a lot of stability in their life, or a calm confident leader they can rely on.
If they have experienced trauma, your rescue dog’s nervous system may be compromised. To help them feel more at ease, we need to use techniques designed to calm their nervous system. A couple of examples include:
Clicker training - when introduced and used correctly, a clicker becomes a switch conditioner, which helps to switch your dog out of sympathetic arousal (a stressed, scared, distracted “fight or flight” state) and into parasympathetic arousal (a calm, focused, “rest and digest” state). Harnessing this power is absolutely TRANSFORMATIVE, as it means you can now help your dog switch into a calm learning state in any situation, to help them progress with their behavioural issues.
Zen Down - this very simple but very effective command relaxes the dorsal muscles and activates the vagal nerve , inducing a state of calm in your dog. You can basically change the chemistry in your dog’s brain through their body posture.
Bond Gaze - by teaching your dog to gaze gently into your eyes, you will stimulate the release of oxytocin (in both of you!). This is a bonding hormone which will help your dog connect with you and trust you, and has a hugely calming effect. I use the clicker to shape this response too.
One crucial step in dog training is to stop rewarding the behaviours you DON'T want. It's as important as rewarding the behaviours you do want! Dogs are smart and quickly learn what gets them attention, treats, play, freedom or other positive outcomes. If we inadvertently reward undesirable behaviours, they are MUCH more likely to be repeated. When you have a rescue, it can be tempting to cave in to any whimper, bark, or push for attention - we just want to smother them with love to make up for their tough start. But this can become problematic, so try to ignore undesirable responses like barking or whining, and instead praise and reward when you see the responses you DO want long term.
If you’re working on a challenging behaviour, you can’t wait until you're in the situation to try and train your dog. You need to set up a controlled training environment to practise it first. So, if your dog is reactive to visitors, don’t wait until a stranger randomly knocks at the door to try and correct that response. Instead, set up a dedicated training session - ask a friend to come around at an arranged time, prep your friend in advance about non-threatening body language, get your dog calm and focused on you to begin with, have yourself set up with your training tools, then practise a meet and greet with that friend a few times in a row so your dog gets a chance to settle and understand what’s expected of them. Your dog is more likely to succeed this way, and the more your dog succeeds, the more you re-wire their automatic responses into positive ones. Rescue dogs can become overwhelmed, so start in a very quiet, distraction-free manner.
Your dog is a unique being, not a robot, they are not perfect and neither are you. Be patient in the process and remember you are unwiring established behaviours and traumas as well as rewiring new responses. You’ll get there with the right approach and consistency!
Resolving challenging behaviours with a traumatised dog sometimes requires specialised skills, beyond the love, patience and energy that you are undoubtedly already giving them. Our Virtual Training Schools have specific techniques to help resolve tough behavioural issues like aggression, hyperactivity, fear and anxiety (along with all the training foundations and basic commands, of course!). If you join, you also get access to personal help via Live Coaching Sessions with me, and access to my dog training team to ask questions whenever you need.
We’d love to support you in helping your rescue become the happy, relaxed dog they should be.
If you have adopted a rescue dog, please use code RESCUE15 to get 15% off your membership. Learn more here.
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