Need advise on how to handle a very skittish Yorkie

[cidneyI]

I adopted a 1 yr old puppy who had some sort of rough start in his young life. The foster lady told me he was abused in some manner by a man and then dumped off in the woods at 6 months old. He is a yr old now and I am going to do my best by him to help him over come his fears.

He is fearful of men, loud noises and sudden moves. He has his go to hiding spots and just seems to pace around when he is not hiding. I know the best thing to do is to establish a stable, loving enviroment but I am not quite sure on other things I should or should not be doing to help him through his fears and now being placed in a new home. It seems when I think he is fine with whatever we are doing at the moment like just sitting on the floor with him, he takes off to a hiding place and I have no idea what triggered his fear.

Any suggestions on how to help this little guy?

[kimp5]

wow good for you for taking him in. I don't know much about this sort of thing but I bet a stable environment with a very good routine that he can get used to would help. Just trying to do the same thing at the same time every day kind of gets them used to things. Breakfast, followed by fun, then nap, then lunch, then a little training, then love time, then dinner then some scratch time, then bed. Keep it the same every day as much as you can. Consistency I think would be key. Once he can come to expect things at certain times each day it may go a long way to curb his fear and focus on daily routine. I wish you the best..

[yavenay]

I found a thread that you maybe able to get some tips from. I have a rescue and these tips helped me tremendously as my little one was skittish along with a few other odd behaviors.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...nt-advice.html

Hope it helps and congrats on your new puppy. It takes time but love and persistence is the key. When he feels safe and secure, you will begin to see him blossom. I should know I now, my little one went from being afraid of her shadow to a bona ride diva.

[zcb]

Scooter also came from an abusive home. He spent a lot of his first few months under my bed but eventually when he found that he had nothing to fear he became more confident. You will probably never know what scares him and you probably don't want to know. He'll get better, just give him lots of quiet love. I know you want to take him and hug him and one day you can but for now just take it at his speed. Lots of luck with the little sweetheart.