My boyfriend brought home a puppy last weekend, they told him it's half Chow, half Shepherd.
Well the problem is that this pup is petrified, of everything!
We've had him a week and a day now, he hides under everything he can get under, chairs , couch (not for long on that one) tables.. you name it.

If you turn him on his back he stiffens right up & holds on to you for dear life, won't come out to play unless it's to chase the kitten when we're not in the room or play with the older dog (Rat Terrier), again if we're not in the room.

I have a cage for him, that he has no problem staying in. I have to take him out of his cage, and carry him to go outside... then pick him up to come back in. He screams like your killing him if I have to get him out from under something.. is there any hope for this pitiful creature ?

sure there is hope, sounds like he had a bad time where ever he was kept before. How old is he? Did he come from a situation where he was kept in a cage full time?

The first thing I suggest you do is NOT free feed him. Feed him 2 or 3 times a day and make sure he knows who is giving him his food. Start him on a nothing in life is free program.

There are some things you have to watch out for that you do NOT do. IF the pup learns that screaming gets him out of things he will continue that his whole life. It almost sounds like someone has probably unknowingly trained him to react that way. Just take it slow and easy with the pup, and work on positive reinforcement with him. Start him on a "nothing in life is free" program. I think that covers my major concerns, I'm sure others will give you lots of good detailed information. Take a good look around the website, there is lots of good information there.

Thanks for replying Thomas!
I'd have to guess that the pup is 3 mos. and it is unknown if he was kept in a cage full time, but it DOES seems that he's had minimum if any human contact.

Ok I get the idea about "nothing in life is free". But what about his screaming ? if I have to pull him out from under the couch he screams.. ( I know I'm not causing him pain, it's more like he's suprised) but I don't stop, because he has to go outside.

Also, should he be allowed to hide under things ? or should I try to keep him out from under the furniture? keep him on a leash ?

Don't roll him over.

Hand feed him. Clicker training would be a good confidence builder too.

Sit on the floor, and just spend time around him. Let him have good interactions with you on his terms (instead of just you pulling him out to go pee).

Get him a crate! Preferably an airline style. Give him a safe place to hide that is just his, where he can be left alone and have his quiet time.

I have a cage for him, should I cover it so it's more like a cave for him ? (buying something new right now is out of the question)

I would put a blanket over it, since he likes to be under something more solid. What size and style? If it will fit him as an adult you might want to block off some of it to make it smaller.

The cage is a very large, wire cage I have one that is a little smaller that the kitten stays in at night, maybe I'll switch cages so the pup has the smaller one, and cover it for him so it seems more secure. I'm sure either one will be more than big enough for him when he grows up.
I'll need to read up on "clicker training" I'm not familar with it.
Thanks again

Elizabeth,

Not trying to sound negetive, but *sometimes* these dogs do not get better because of weak nerves and bad genetics, which is why the parents shouldn't have been bred in the first place.......The pup was probably screwed up at birth and it probably didn't have anything to do with how he was raised.

You can just try and do things to help the pup along......Thomas had a good idea, not to reward screaming and keep everything positive for him, but it could be an uphill battle because of genetics.

I think it is good advise that you avoid situations that make him scream. That would be the first priority. If you can't avoid the screaming, ignore it. And by "ignore it" I mean do not let it stop you from what you are doing (unless of course the dog is screaming in pain or something like that) and also don't pet him to calm down the screaming. If you show him lots of affection when he is screaming he we learn that screaming results in affection. At this stage it is important that he learns that screaming has no effect on you (good or bad). As long as you are treating the dog well, he most likely will stop screaming on his own, it is just very important that you do not do things that inadvertently reward the screaming.

I am wagering that the pup came from a pet store, and he probably sees the cage as his security blanket. He probably is relatively smart if he picked up that screaming will get people to leave him alone (it happens with the smarter petstore pups). The cage advice so far is good. Let the cage be his safe place. But don't let it be his comfy place. Have an area set aside away from the cage that has a pillow and some toys, make it a nice place to interact with him. Evenutally he will seek out the comfy spot instead of the security of the cage. (he will also learn is secure in the comfy spot too)

In anycase don't let the screaming make you think the dog is hopeless, the key is just not to make it worse. I suggest you get the puppy videos here on the site too, because they will help whether its a case of bad genetics, or if its just a smart pup who has picked up bad behaviors in order to cope with a bad situation.

The good news is if the pup is only 3 months old, there is alot you can do to improve things. But first you need to add structure, safety and the feeling of security to the pups life.

If I let the pup be in the crate when I was home, it would ALWAYS be in the room with me and with the door open. So the pup can come and go when it wants. But still be exposed to my life and learn what is normal and ok (rather than avoiding all life in the back bedroom).

I would also have 100% of the food come from my hands, no free feeding. And gentle training with lots of praise and treats. Sounds to me like the pup spent alot of time with other dogs, or in a crate and NOT with people. So it's the 'people' part of socialization you need to be working on TONS for the next year or so.

http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm has great info on how pups SHOULD develop so you can see whats going right and wrong and where to work on.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/socializ.html gives info on what a properly socialized pup should have been exposed to, and what you can work on.

http://www.briardsbriards.com/oa_pup_behav.htm discussion on how genetics and other factors effect puppy development.