Advise for puppymill dog (non OES)
She's such a different dog than I am used to. Sadie is just non-responsive to just about anything. She isn't interested in food, play, or people. She just sits on the couch and lays there. We do know that she was dropped off with three other dogs; a chihuahua, another silky terrier (who we suspect was her mother), and a poodle. She was dumped off in front of a vets office and left in a ditch with the others. A good samaritan brought them in. We know she is depressed and keep that in mind. When my friend is at work, she doesn't mess in the house. But once my friend is around, she will urinate in the house, even after having gone outside for a good 20 minutes. Also, she just won't eat. My friend is hand feeding her, which I have told her to stop. I told her to put down the food and take it back up after 20 minutes if she won't eat so that she'll learn what she wants her to do. Any advise? I've never had a puppymill dog and I don't really know the right way to steer her. |
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| Often times, totally ignoring a new dog can help them to relax and settle in. No pressure to interact, no touching, no eye to eye confrontations.
If she believes she lived her life in a cage, a crate might be a comforting thing to her and might allow her to eat her meal on her own. Start in a quiet area but as she settles in, bring it into an area where the family spends more time. It may allow her to feel safe but she'll still be exposed to normal family behavior and activities. Leave the crate door open. She may spend a lot of her time in it at first but will hopefully begin to venture out as she begins to adjust to her new life. I can't say enough about a well adjusted dog. He/she can show an unsocialized, neglected, etc. one how to behave normally... that certain things don't need to be feared. If she came from a mill situation, she's probably more familiar with dogs than people. Did she interact with the other dogs she came in with? Is there another dog in the home that this dog can learn from? It sounds like submissive or nervous peeing when the human is around. Ignoring her may help. Later, once she begins to relax, hand feeding treats may help to establish a bond between owner and dog. Patience, love, patience, understanding, patience. 
Definitely a worthwhile endeavor. |
| She loves other dogs, from what Beth says. She will perk up and go to play with them. Beth is recently divorced and both her children are grown with their own families, so she and Sadie have one another.
I told her that I will bring Wendel and Asterisk over so they can play, and maybe it would help her. Thanks for the advise on the crate! I'll let Beth know. |
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