Questions for the dog experts

[Darrell]

Day before yesterday I woke up to find a skinny, collarless dog sitting on my porch looking pretty miserable. Soft hearted (of soft headed) that I am, I fed her and I suppose she figures that's an invitation to move in.  One of my neighbors is a hound hunter, and he stopped by and told me that he'd seen this dog 15 miles away in the Catoosa a day before she showed at my place, and he identified her as a Mountain Cur. He conjectures that some hunter was dissatisfied with her for whatever reason, and took off her collar and set her on her own. What a scum bag, if that's true!

She seems pretty calm and friendly, but she's also very cautious. She'll gently take food from my fingers, but won't let me touch her. Unless I'm offering food she stays five or six feet away. We've gone for a couple of woods walks, and she'll stay right with me, keeping that few feet of distance.  

So... for the dog lovers among you who might know something about curs:   Is there anything more I can do to get her to trust me? I sit and talk with her, and she walks with me wherever I go outside, but she's shy. She doesn't cower at all, but she moves away if I try to get close.

Is there a way to tell if she's been spayed? Is it common to spay hunting dogs around here? 

Does this breed generally make a good pet?  We have indoor cats, and this dog will live outside, and there are no kids around. And we're on 20 acres, so she has a bit of space. The good news is that she's not pooped on my lawn yet, so that's one big check mark in her favor!

 

[ArmyBrat61]

Give her time and kindness, she will come around. Her past is unknown to you and her future is unknown to her. Be patient and consistent and her trust in you show itself. Her actions, as you have described, are her way of checking you out since you don't know what kind of damage an inbred, brain dead, idjit has done to her. You have the beginnings of a wonderful partnership in her. God sent you a blessing in fur!  

[superduty]

That dog looks like it's starving. Trust will take time- if it's that timid, it may not have been treated well.  You'll obviously need to get it a sheltered, warm place to sleep or shelter in. The cold is coming.

[Darrell]

17 minutes ago, superduty said:

That dog looks like it's starving.

Yeah, she eats like she's been starved, too!  Actually, this afternoon she slowed down a little and actually left some kibble in the bowl. I think she was dehydrated, too. She's showing a bit more energy today than she did at first. I'm fairly sure she has fleas, as she bites at herself quite  bit, but I can't do anything about that until she lets me touch her.

I ordered a dog house for her. I can see that her adopting me is going to cost four or five hundred bucks by the time I get her shots and have her spayed, if she's not already.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Darrell

[Hozzie]

It will take time, but probably not a lot.  Once she knows she has a place to get food and a place for security/safety in her dog house, she will quickly start to warm up to you. 

I don't know a lot about the breed so not much help there, but I firmly believe you will both find that you bring something to each other.  Once she is more comfortable with you, I would introduce (on leash of course) her to the cats.   She may end up inside at some point (on purpose or accident) and better to introduce them in a controlled environment first.

Most importantly, thank you for taking her in and giving her a home.  I hope it works out well for both of you.

[i1afli]

Shelter, food, and 20 acres to roam?  She definitely came to the right place. 

[RED333]

Darrel you have a good looking friend there, God bless you.

[10-Ring]

Hunting dogs are almost never spayed, and there is no way to tell.  So you can do is keep an eye on her and keep her put up if she goes into heat.  Almost certain that the dog was beat, keep doing what you are doing and it will come around.  Be generous with the treats too.  

[bobsguns]

11 hours ago, ArmyBrat61 said:

Give her time and kindness, she will come around. Her past is unknown to you and her future is unknown to her. Be patient and consistent and her trust in you show itself. Her actions, as you have described, are her way of checking you out since you don't know what kind of damage an inbred, brain dead, idjit has done to her. You have the beginnings of a wonderful partnership in her. God sent you a blessing in fur!  

All this.

Always speak to her in a slow, moderated voice so she won't spook. 

Anyone who abuses a dog should die from rectal cancer, IMO. Lowest of the low.   

[Darrell]

She actually played a little bit this morning. I brought her a racquetball, bounced it on the driveway a bit, then tossed it for her. She tossed it around a bit herself, but got tired pretty quickly. I could tell she wanted to be friendly this morning, she bounced back and forth and even put a paw on her head, but still won't let me pet her. My wife and I sat on the deck and she got close enough to sniff at my wife's shoes.  I'm pretty sure she'll come around. 

[OldIronFan]

2 hours ago, 10-Ring said:

Hunting dogs are almost never spayed, and there is no way to tell.  

Once she trusts him and lets him touch/pet her he could likely find out. There is generally a small incision scar after the dog has been spayed. Both of my females have had a small scar. Vets are not plastic surgeons and generally are not as concerned with scars when completing surgery. 

One of the best tricks I have seen/found for getting a stray/abused/or otherwise skittish dog to trust you and humans again is non attentive proximity. This means you bring the dog into a somewhat restricted space, say a laundry room or a smaller enclosed porch. You get a bowl of food at a meal time and place the food on the floor for the dog to have access to it. You then sit on the floor, allow the dog to eat in their own time, and do not approach or attempt to touch the dog. You start by sitting as far away as you can from the dog in that space and just more or less ignore them while they eat, bring a book. You are close but not attempting to handle or approach them. You do this over the course of days moving slightly closer each day. By the end of it you will likely be able to sit right next the bowl and pet the dog while it eats. 

It gets the animal used to your proximity at a vulnerable time and the animal learns that you are non threatening so they can relax in your presence. 

Edited November 18, 2021 by OldIronFan

[Swamp ash]

Give her time, love and security and you'll have a true friend for life.

She looks like a nice pup who has probably experienced some terrible things. I hope you can get her calmed down a bit and get her to a vet. She will certainly need heartworm and tick prevention.

Oh, major props on taking her in!

[E4 No More]

I bought a Rottweiler puppy many years ago when it was about 9 weeks old. That puppy did NOT like men. He was skiddish around me for awhile, but he got to the point that he would only show affection to me and not any other man. I can't imagine abusing a puppy enough in 9 weeks that it acted that way.

[Defender]

2 hours ago, E4 No More said:

I bought a Rottweiler puppy many years ago when it was about 9 weeks old. That puppy did NOT like men. He was skiddish around me for awhile, but he got to the point that he would only show affection to me and not any other man. I can't imagine abusing a puppy enough in 9 weeks that it acted that way.

We've got a pit bull terrier mix of some sort that we inherited from my daughter who got her as a puppy rescue but then couldn't keep her.  I think she was a few months old when she got her, and around a year when we got her.  My daughter says she was abused by a man, no details on how, but she doesn't like men now.  She was very attached to my daughter, and once she was here, she very quickly developed an attachment to my wife, even though I'm the one that feeds her and takes her out, lol.  At first she'd have nothing to do with me but after a good while she does now.  She is afraid of me, she just prefers women.  Maybe she's a lesbian, I dunno, lol. I work form home during the day and my wife goes to an office, so I'm here with the dog all day.   The dog mostly sleeps during the day, other than when she wants to go outside.  She's funny, and very smart.  When my wife comes home, its like the skies open up for this dog. Unbelievable change in behavior.  After an adequate amount of loving attention from the wife, the dog becomes my friend and wants to get in my lap and will back up to me to get petted.  Weird dog but smart and very loving, and also very spoiled by both of us.  She will sit on the foot of my recliner if I recline it, and wait for me to pet or scratch her.  If I stop she will turn her head all the way around to look at me, as if to say, I didnt tell you to stop.

[peejman]

A friend raises Curs for bear hunting. His are well socialized and friendly.  Curs are pretty lean looking dogs. Yours looks a little thin, but seeing their ribs is normal.  Once yours settles in, I suspect you'll need to find her a job. 

[Darrell]

Just a quick update. "Katy" was pretty much hands-off for five or six weeks. But in the last week she's decided that she wants to be petted pretty darned often. She sticks right to my side on our walks in the woods, and pushes her wet nose into my hand every ten steps or so. She's figured out that her kennel and house are hers, and she'll go in there whenever she wants a break.  I fly model airplanes and helicopters, and she REALLY wants to eat one, but so far she's respected my "no's" on that. She's still lean but one can no longer see her ribs and spine sticking up, and the flea collar has done wonders for her biting and scratching.

Off to the spay clinic as soon as I can get an appointment, and she's due for a full set of shots. But I guess she's family now and we'll do what we can for her.

 

 

[bobsguns]

Darrell, 

Good on you for taking care of that little sweetie. 

[A.J. Holst]

It took about 90 days for ours to become completely comfortable, it's obvious when they take mental ownership of you, your family, home and property.

It is awesome how she walks with you.

Thanks for saving a lost one!