Rescue Dog

[monik7]

I'm looking at a rescue dog as a companion for Abby. She's about a 2-3 yr. old Maltipoo. They rescued her from a shelter because she's so shy and they didn't think she'd be adopted being afraid. She needs to gain a pound or 2. She gobbled her dinner tonight, but hasn't gone potty since I first saw her this morning at 10:30 am at her foster home and it's 5:30 now. I keep taking her outside but she doesn't do anything. I take her to papers in the garage that Abby uses, but she won't do anything. Any ideas? I had hoped to keep her inside tonight in a crate. But I don't know how I can do that if she hasn't gone potty all day. Should I leave her in the garage with the crate door open tonight? I really wanted her inside to get used to Abby, Amy and me and would sure not like to leave her alone. HELP!!!
Sandi

[OregonLuvr]

Maybe take her for a long walk, kind of stirs up the "black tank" LOL She sounds like a good fit for you, Abby, and Amy. Can't wait to meet her.

karen

[Liz]

Aw, how sweet! Long walk is a good idea. Inside with you in a crate is fine I think, and by morning she should be ready to "go." Thistle can go an incredibly long time without peeing. Wish I had his control.

[cnq50b]

Sadie can 'hold' it for a very, very long time - especially if it's raining outside. She also needs to walk a pretty good distance before she can find a suitable spot to poo. When I first got her we had to walk close to a mile before she'd do anything. Apartment living has helped her get it done more quickly but she's still pretty picky about where she does #2.

So happy for you all. Can't wait to see some pics of her. I, too, vote for keeping her in a kennel inside with you so she knows she's part of your pack.
Can't wait to hear how it goes.

[Bethers]

I agree about a walk. Peaches still needs pretty long walks to poo and can go incredibly long times without peeing. When I first got her I think she was used to being lucky to go out twice a day, so she held it forever. I, too, agree she should be fine in the crate. Good luck to all of you.

[monik7]

Several of you suggested I take her on a long walk. Yesterday I took her out first with Abby in the hope she would see Abby going potty, then I took her out at least 3 more times by herself and she just stood there when we stopped at patches of grass.

It's now 2:30 am and I woke up to her crying in the garage where I left her with her new bed and the crate door open. She apparently did do #1 on the papers in the garage and that was good. So I brought her and the crate upstairs and next to my side of the bed. I turned out the light and she was fine for a few minutes but began to whimper. I do remember past times with new tiny puppies that they cried in the beginning. I've never started out with an adult dog before. I really don't want to fail with her. She's so cute and deserves a good and loving life. I can return her within 31 days, but I don't want that to happen. I know it's the first night and I shouldn't expect her to be completely at home so soon. I might have to reconcile that I may not get a lot of sleep for awhile.

FYI Liz: When I was searching rescue websites for dogs in my area, there was a dog that was identical to Thistle, all the way down to those light-colored hairs that show up when his hair grows out. They could be twins.

Any new ideas would be appreciated. She seems fine now in the crate and looks like she's sleeping, but will probably wake up when I go to turn off the light. Here goes!
Sandi

[grammynmaggie]

I had the same problem with Pheebe... I just kept taking her out every couple of hours and I felt the first 24 hours she never did anything but within 48 hours... she was doing her thing... try just taking her out more often

[IrishIroamed]

Sandi -

Give her time. Any major change to a dog, especially a shy rescue can be traumatic even though you are doing the right thing by being patient and sweet to her. It's hard with rescues because you don't know the full story, if any, on them.

Heck, I had my angel Molly for 6 years, but the move from a townhouse to a condo threw her off. She didn't #2 for 5 days! because she was off leash in the back yard. I got to the point where I put the leash on her and walked her in the back yard and yes, she really had to go...and go...and go. But that was her turning point.

Keep her with you in the house, not the garage. The darkness and strange place are probably very scary and she needs to be with you, even if it's crated for a while each day so she can get used to the activities and noises in the house.

Bless you for rescuing her & congrats.

[retiredhappy]

Patience with rescue dogs is the key. Its gonna take her a while to get into a routine. Remember she's had to adjust to a shelter and then a rescue so right now she's pretty confused. One day she had a home and the next she was in a cage. I'm not one to give advise about crates. Each one of my guys spent their first night in the house in my bed along with the rest of the crew. She may be whimpering because she's used to being cuddled up to a warm body. As for pooing, its a LONG walk that is often the key, not frequency. Good for you doing a rescue and NOT buying.

[chalet05]

No expert here, Sandi, but I think you'll be fine if you just let her adjust. Lots of good advice from those in the know!

[Othersharon]

Sandi, time will cure much of her "problems". If she was with a foster family, can you contact them to see how they handled her and what their routine was? Maybe they can give you some insight. What a lucky little dog, good luck with her!

[monik7]

When she was in the garage, I left a small light on for her. I think it was good because she did #1 on the papers. My earlier post said she hadn't done #2, but this morning I saw that she actually did do #2 also while in the garage. I got the crate because the foster care provider told me that's where she's been sleeping, but she didn't take to it here. Even though she was within about 3' of me, she still whimpered. So, I decided to put her up on the bed with Abby and me and she did fine. I found an old, very small stuffed lamb that was Krissi's and gave it to her and she immediately took it in her mouth. She slept from about 3:00 am until Abby wanted to get up at about 7:00. I took her to the garage and she did #1 and 2 on the paper. Yay! I noticed her getting into a stance to do more #2 on a piece of carpet in the garage and tried to point her to the papers but she wouldn't do anything. So she's not completely ready to use the papers, but I think it was progress to get out of the bed in the garage and walk about 10' over to the papers to do her business.

I think I may take the crate back because I don't think she's going to use it. I have a puppy playpen that I got when Abby was a puppy. I'm thinking I could set that up inside to enclose her for a while if I have to go out. Thanks for the suggestions. Any more ideas would be great but I do think we've made progress in less than a day. She's still very skittish though. They didn't think she was abused, just neglected in her previous life. Abby and I intend to change that and give her the best life she deserves.

This is what she looked like when they rescued her from the shelter. Very matted and very dirty.


Here she is now. They bathed her and cut off most of her hair before she was spayed. I was surprised at the color difference. She looks like a smaller version of my wonderful Krissi. I didn't expect that. I'll let her hair grow out because I think she'll look better. By the way, her name is: Bindi

Sandi

[Rufflesgurl]

Hi Sandi - congrats on your new puppy. She looks like she belongs with your family. Love her hair with the waves when it was longer. She kind of reminds me of Ruffles. Remember too, there's always the ticking clock for a soft, steady sound for them at night, but I think she has already found her "place" on the bed. LOL How are the others adjusting to someone else in the house?

Linda

[Bethers]

Aww, thanks for the pictures. Bindi is beautiful.

[chalet05]

What a sweetie - so cute!