# Adopting an unsocialized pup



## Sweet Lou (Mar 16, 2020)

Hello,

I've just joined the forum to learn about helping my neighbor and her new pup. She recently had to say good-bye to her darling 7 year-old cockapoo, after 8 months of treating leukemia. My neighbor really needed to get another dog, so we did some investigating and found what we thought was a cockapoo breeder. Yesterday we brought home a 5 month old boy. Little Louie is darling and sweet, but very timid. We now wonder if he is a puppy mill dog. We have found out that he was shipped to New England from Tennessee, and has been kept with his litter mates, and other dogs, in a basement. My neighbor talked to the seller last night, who acknowledged that he has had little to no socialization. 

Today when I went back over, he wouldn't come near me. He wants to be in same room with us, but doesn't want to get close enough to be picked up. It took a long time today, with me sitting on the floor with little morsels of beef scattered around me, for him to finally take one from my hand. He is very jumpy with noises and sudden movements, and when we walk toward him, he walks away to keep out of arms reach. When we gently cornered him and picked him up to go outside, he struggled for 2-3 seconds, then relaxed and practically hugs us, acting like he wants to be held forever. Later today I sat on the floor, he did come sit next to me, and let me pull him onto my lap; he then snuggled into me without me holding on to him at all and seemed very content. Once I stood up and put him down, however, he wouldn't let me get close enough to be picked up again. My guess is that the people who had him would grab him roughly. 

My neighbor said that last night he didn't want to come out of his crate, so slept there, but that early this morning she pulled him out to go outside, then took him to bed with her and he slept soundly for two hours.

He seemed very timid when I first took him out to the yard yesterday, but today he actually chased after me and was playful. It was the first and only time he's seemed really happy.

Any and all advice is most welcome. My neighbor is an experienced dog owner, but I am a newbie.

Thank you!


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Poor little pup. You will need to take everything very slowly at his pace to let him learn the world is not as scary as it seems at the moment


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## Evie24 (Mar 8, 2020)

My pup also hid a lot when we first got her and was very very shy. We had to always sit on the ground to make her feel comfortable and it took 2 weeks for her to feel 'at home'. Maybe the pup has separation anxiety. But just be patient and sit on the floor with him and try to play with him, he will come out of his shell it just takes time.


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