[Virginginginia]

I addopted a beautiful 10 year old male Pomeranian on Saturday. His name is Auggie and he is very sweet and gentil. He was used as a stud in a mill for his entire life. He is very submissive and gentil, but has absolutley no social skills. He does not understand treats or toys or grass. He does not even know his name which is not new, or seem to have any idea that a person could be speaking to him. He seems so withrawn and almost completley numb to life. If anyone has any advice on how to make him more comfortable please let me know. I would also appreciate it if someone could reccomend other bloggs or websited for me.

The good news is that he seems to really like me. He follows me around, slept in bed with me, and even gestured for me to hold him. Just to put it out there I am in no way nervous about him or second guessing his adoption. Optimizing his comfor is my only concern. Thank you all.

 

[kmes]

What you are experiencing is completely normal, especially with a puppymill dog. Honestly I would just give him time to adjust. In time he will likely come out of his shell and show more personality.

Has he been to a vet yet for a full check up? If not, I would definitely tackle that this week. It is not uncommon for Mill dogs to have some medical issues that need attention.

I would start hand feeding him and when training use high value treats (chicken, cheese, etc.) for training.
As for toys, he may never really understand what they are for. After he settles in a bit, try out different toys and also try to play with him with the toys. Make the come to life! But if he never really gets into them, don't worry too much. His life is already infinitly better because of you!

Also, you can begin training, which will help him to bond with you and also gain some confidence. Personally I would keep everything as positive as possible with this dog! Clicker training is a great way to do this!

 

[kmes]

Oh and here is a link for you. I'm sure others wil come along with more.
ASPCA - Virtual Pet Behaviorist - Adopting a Puppy Mill Dog

 

[Virginginginia]

Thank you for all of your advice. He has been fully vetted and I am happy tosay he is healthy. At this point he wont even look at or spell treats, toys or bones. I wont give up though. I forgot about clickers, I will have to get one tonight. Thank you again!

 

[LynneMarie]

Are you sure he can hear? I am sure though he will come around more and more every day..Great job adopting a geriatric..not to many people will do that...

 

[pawzaddict]

Question regarding his name...was this a name that the rescue gave him? You can pick a different name and start training him with that. A fresh new name for a fresh new start never hurts

I would definitely make sure he can hear. kmes gave some awesome advice and links! I cannot add anything further, but want to stress to take your time with him and he will come around Thank you for rescuing!