Hello all, I just adopted a five year old golden who had previously been in a hoarding situation. The dog is understandably extremely anxious, but has not shown any signs of aggression and is very quiet, I have had her for a week and the most noise she has made is whining. Obviously she isn’t housebroken, and I’m at a loss for how to house break her because she doesn’t like any treats (I mean ANY, I’ve tried ten different kinds, and cooked chicken and beef) and she only eats dry food twice a day, she won’t take it if I offer it as a treat unless it’s during the time she normally eats. Any advise for house training is greatly appreciated, or any advice for hoarding situation dogs in general!
Hoarder situation dog
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
Joined
·
8,699 Posts
I suspect she is still highly stressed after the move. They say it takes around three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to feel at home. Some dogs take longer.
A stressed animal won't eat treats so if you can give her a bit of time, she may well come round.
I also recommend to people that rather than giving a treat to a dog like this, for a little while they toss the treat away from them, past the dog, so that the dog has to move further away to get it. This does two things. First, it starts to develop something called a positive conditioned emotional response (Google +CER if you want to read more) and she learns that the person who has the treats is a good thing. Second it avoids the dog having to feel conflicted, which is what happens if she really wants the treat but has to approach the person she doesn't trust (yet) to get it. This will probably just take a few days, then try putting one near you. See what she does - if she darts in, takes it and retreats, she isn't ready for that yet so stay at step one for longer. When she eats it in place, do that for a few days then try offering one from your hand. Again watch her reaction to assess whether she is ready or whether you need to stay longer at step 2.
For the toilet training, try not to put pressure on her for now. You are right we would normally suggest a sausage party for successful toilets but for this dog, for now, maybe a warm ”goooood girl”. Obviously don't scold or react to indoor toilets, the last thing you want is for her to be nervous about your reaction. Can she be contained in an easy to clean area for now?
If she hasn't been toilet trained she has probably never had to develop any control over her bowel and bladder, she will need to develop that muscle control. So, step one is to take her out more often than she needs. Once she is taking treats from you (and I suspect in a week or two, after the tossing away technique, she will realise you are An OK Person and that frankfurter sausage is A Good Thing) generously reward outside toilets. The idea is to make her really want to hold her toilet so that she can earn her reward. Give the reward immediately so it is clearly for toileting and not for anything else. At the same time, make a mental note of how long it is between her normal toilets. At first, try to have her outdoors for every toilet so that you are setting her up for success and so that you get the opportunity to teach her how awesome you think outdoor toilets are. But - after a few weeks of this, depending how fast she progresses, try asking her to hold by delaying taking her out by just 5 minutes longer than her normal toileting interval. If she has got the idea that outdoor toilets = sausage and indoor toilets = nothing, she will try to hold. But don't stretch it by too much, you don't want her to fail and have an accident. Gradually keep asking for a little more time, as her control develops.
It sounds a little daunting but it really is worth investing the time and effort into her now.
And if you wanted to post some pictures once she is more settled, we won't complain!
A stressed animal won't eat treats so if you can give her a bit of time, she may well come round.
I also recommend to people that rather than giving a treat to a dog like this, for a little while they toss the treat away from them, past the dog, so that the dog has to move further away to get it. This does two things. First, it starts to develop something called a positive conditioned emotional response (Google +CER if you want to read more) and she learns that the person who has the treats is a good thing. Second it avoids the dog having to feel conflicted, which is what happens if she really wants the treat but has to approach the person she doesn't trust (yet) to get it. This will probably just take a few days, then try putting one near you. See what she does - if she darts in, takes it and retreats, she isn't ready for that yet so stay at step one for longer. When she eats it in place, do that for a few days then try offering one from your hand. Again watch her reaction to assess whether she is ready or whether you need to stay longer at step 2.
For the toilet training, try not to put pressure on her for now. You are right we would normally suggest a sausage party for successful toilets but for this dog, for now, maybe a warm ”goooood girl”. Obviously don't scold or react to indoor toilets, the last thing you want is for her to be nervous about your reaction. Can she be contained in an easy to clean area for now?
If she hasn't been toilet trained she has probably never had to develop any control over her bowel and bladder, she will need to develop that muscle control. So, step one is to take her out more often than she needs. Once she is taking treats from you (and I suspect in a week or two, after the tossing away technique, she will realise you are An OK Person and that frankfurter sausage is A Good Thing) generously reward outside toilets. The idea is to make her really want to hold her toilet so that she can earn her reward. Give the reward immediately so it is clearly for toileting and not for anything else. At the same time, make a mental note of how long it is between her normal toilets. At first, try to have her outdoors for every toilet so that you are setting her up for success and so that you get the opportunity to teach her how awesome you think outdoor toilets are. But - after a few weeks of this, depending how fast she progresses, try asking her to hold by delaying taking her out by just 5 minutes longer than her normal toileting interval. If she has got the idea that outdoor toilets = sausage and indoor toilets = nothing, she will try to hold. But don't stretch it by too much, you don't want her to fail and have an accident. Gradually keep asking for a little more time, as her control develops.
It sounds a little daunting but it really is worth investing the time and effort into her now.
And if you wanted to post some pictures once she is more settled, we won't complain!
Joined
·
2,321 Posts
Definitely just take her outside frequently for potty and do lots of soft gentle praise. Joanne's advice on that is excellent. As she settles in, she will catch on. I have rehabilitated dogs from hoarding/puppy mill situations, and it takes a lot of patience. Don't be ambitious for her, like wanting her to be able to do X by a certain date. That's one of the most important things I learned. Let the dog have her own time table for when she is ready for something and don't even push her to make progress faster, as it will only backfire. Just love her as she is through each stage, even if she seems to be going backward. The rewards are so great, it's well worth the time spent patiently waiting. 
If you have specific questions that relate to behavior caused by being in the hoarder situation, ask. I might be able to answer them at least from my own experience.
If you have specific questions that relate to behavior caused by being in the hoarder situation, ask. I might be able to answer them at least from my own experience.
Joined
·
1 Posts
Dogs may go off their food because of changes in the environment, stress, an adverse reaction to drugs, and nausea. Dental problems, pain, and internal obstructions can also cause dogs to lose their appetite
1 - 5 of 5 Posts
