rewcue from puppy mlll
On May 26, we adopted Bogie from Corgiaid after he was turned in to the Humane Society in Hattiesburg, MS by a puppymill breeder. He was heartworm positive and in tact, so he had to be neutered and undergo HW treatment. We don't know any of his history except that the 'breeder' said he is 6 yrs old. Bogie traveled by car from MS to LA to TX and then by plane to FL. He is extremely shy and timid. It seems obvious that he's not use to being inside the house and is definately not housebroken. He is not familiar with a collar or leash and refuses to walk, but rather drops to his side and you can pull his across the room in this position. He startles at the slightest noise and either runs behind or under furniture or drops to his side if you approach him. So submissive. He stays in a crate at night or for a few hours during the day if we're not at home. His accomplishments are 'baby steps'. He didn't eat for the first few days, but his appetite has picked up, and he eagerly looks forward to and actually reminds you when it's time to eat.
I know that Bogie would probably be happier and learn pottie training or leash manners if we had another dog, but this is not feasible financially at this time.
Bogie is such a sweet little guy, and has never growled or snarled since we got him.
He just seems afraid of everything and everybody. I keep reminding myself that he's had 6 years of neglect and minimal contact with humans.
Does anyone have suggestions on how I teach him to do his pee and poop outside instead of in the house. When I put him out in the yard he now tries to immediatly get back on the porch, even ripping a hole in the screen to get in. He seems so focused on getting back inside, that he doesn't even think to do his business.
I know that Bogie would probably be happier and learn pottie training or leash manners if we had another dog, but this is not feasible financially at this time.
Bogie is such a sweet little guy, and has never growled or snarled since we got him.
He just seems afraid of everything and everybody. I keep reminding myself that he's had 6 years of neglect and minimal contact with humans.
Does anyone have suggestions on how I teach him to do his pee and poop outside instead of in the house. When I put him out in the yard he now tries to immediatly get back on the porch, even ripping a hole in the screen to get in. He seems so focused on getting back inside, that he doesn't even think to do his business.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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Bless you for taking in this fellow. It is all going to be about baby steps. As for other dogs this wouldnt be a good idea even if it was feasible as his comfort level lies with other dogs and not people. Your task is to assure him that people are a good thing. Dogs that come from situations you speak of know nothing about being outside of a kennel, have little to no contact with people, do not know typical indoor noises or the activities that occur within a home.
I think I would start by letting him drag a lead inside so he knows he has freedom of movement and nothing negative will happen. Make sure you only do this while he is well supervised. As his comfort level grows then start to hold the lead and follow him making sure that he is not feeling threatened by your proximity. Then start taking him outside on lead. He is dropping to his side as he is unfamiliar with what you are trying to accomplish and he is fearful and submissive. Confidence will fix this.
Putting him outside also puts him in a fearful situation. He is now finding some comfort in your home and is wishing to get back there to safety. This is why it is most important that he becomes familiar with the leash and comfortable with your presence. Even if you have to put him on lead and carry him outside I would do this.
Rehabbing long time kennel dogs is no easy task but can be done. Requires lots of time, love, patience and reassurance. As his confidence on lead grows start tying him to you while you go about your daily routine. This will enable him to learn a bond with you and help him from retreating as he becomes startled. Best of luck!
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Permalink Reply by Sheila + Mark Vanderbilt on
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We've had Bogie about 75 days now and we've made some definate progress such as: he considers the crate as a safe place to hang out and sleep. He also feels comfortable in the livingroom laying on the floor between the couch and loveseat or behind my husbands recliner- usually on his back with all four legs up the wall ! He will go out either the sliding door in the living room or den to the back porch and then outside to the yard.- I whistle and Bogie will respond to that and come to me. Thought that maybe the 'miller' whistled when it was feeding time? Anyway he does respond to that so that's how I get hime out the door to the yard. The biggest accomplishment is the few instances when Bogie actually wants to play - He races from his crate thru the house out the porch door, thru the yard, back in the other porch door, into the house and repeats the route. Sometimes he actually does this for 5-10 minutes. These 'games' just make me smile and feel so grateful that Bogie appears to be happy at those times. But here are the regressions: For no apparent reason, suddenly Bogie refused to go into the livingroom or go out the porch door to the back yard. It took me almost a full week of coaxing, bribbing and as a last resort carrying him out to the yard. Then slowly one day Bogie made a tentative foray back into the edge of the living room, and days later, back to his previous comfort spots. Ok, finally back to our previous milestone and then on a Sat afternoon, he refuses to go into the bedroom and his crate. Again, back to coaxing, bribing and a week later, the bedroom and crate are ok. I've had several trips out of town,(these trips are after Bogie has his melt down so they do not cause them) so the process of introducing Bogie to walking on the leash have been delayed....plus when he was having his 'nervous periods' I hesitated to add anything new. But he's been dragging around a 6" piece of leash attached to his collar for over a week now and doesn't seem to notice it anymore. I did try a longer length, but it was difficult for him to walk, because he was constantly stepping on it, and jerking his head down. Bogie will pee and poop if I stay outside with him - I don't know if it's because I keep saying ' GOOD PEE! " etc, or he just wants company,but he will not stay out in the yard by himself for any length of time, and is just as likely to pee/poop when he comes back inside. I guess I'm really confused about his regressions because there is no apparent reason and I can't explain or understand why. And since I don't know what causes these breakdowns, this makes me reluctant to try him on the leash because it might make him fearful of me and be another set back. I would be so grateful for any tips or insight to getting over these humps with Bogie........is is possible that he's 'mentally unbalanced'? Or would a tranquilizer help? He's just so nervous and still afraid of things, noises, strangers. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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Again, thank you for taking in Bogie! CorgiMom and I have quite a few rescues and I can say it takes a while for you to make marked progress. Sam is correct. It's all about the baby steps. I'm thankful he's not aggressive. Our Rudy is people aggressive (and he promptly reminded me of it the other night - ouch!)
Take your time. He will have moments of regression. He sounds like he's terrified of so many things. You never know when something in the environment will trigger an ingrained response from his past. You're doing the right thing working through those times. Just remember not to coddle him. That can accidentally work against you and reinforce the fear. If you are kind, assertive and confident, he will become that too.
You're on the right path. Congrats on your adoption of Bogie. We're here for you as you help him reach that wonderful balanced place.
(And Sam, thank you for your willingness to share your wisdom. I'm always amazed and thankful for your knowledge...and I always learn something new!)
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Permalink Reply by Anne on
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I think the advice on here is wonderful and also so helpful. I wish I had known about this site the first few months we had Le-Le. We are almost up to 6 months with her and she is doing so much better. We still have some issues and set backs. When they happen I do not know what causes them. She does not like going into our yard at twilight or when my husband is grilling but she was fine with it several months ago. So I let her stay inside or sometimes I pick her up and sit her next to me and then she is fine. She was only a kennel dog and very fearful but young still so she has come around a lot. Still hates and is scared of new people. She still shys away from my husband a bit and he bribes her with food when she gets like this though she loves to sit by him in our truck. We take it one day at a time and each week is an improvement.
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Permalink Reply by Ziska Childs on
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This reminds me so much of little Ginny. After 7 years in a puppy mill she only knew her cage in the back of the truck. She was terrified of wooden floors and noises of all sorts but starved for affection. I found that "herding" her from one room to the next worked better. In this case it just meant standing in back of her and inching closer and closer without touching her until she decided to move a bit. A leash was out of the question. The other tried and true method was just to lie down in the next room (or outside) and she would come walk up to you to see what was happening. Good luck with all of this. When you see the fear leave their eyes and it's replaced by trust it's a wonderful thing.
Ziska
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