Look What I came home with tonight!!! update on post 31

[Ema]

well just give an update on Hank.

I don't see where the issue with him really is. He has been here 5 days and he has had no incidents except on the first night which I think was because he was trying to get used to the scent of the rest of the dogs. He is quiet most of the time, listens well and likes my kids my Dh, myself and the rest of the animals very much. DH introduced him to the chickens, from the outside of the run as we have a small section where we purposely left with hardware cloth so the dogs could look at them. The chickens came to see him, he never growled, charged or ran away, he sniffed and then went about his business. He did the same thing with the cats and the guinea pigs, however the cats do not like him yet, thy tend to take a long time to warm up to other pets, lol.

We did have to switch his food, turns out the previous owners were feeding him pedigree, and the first night we looked at the food we already knew there was no way such a small dog could eat such hard large food. we switched him to little dog food, ceasars, and we mix it with wet puppy food as advised by the vet.

he did see a vet because we noticed we could really feel his spine and rib bones, not by much, but enough that it concerned us. the vet said he was a bit underweight, but other than that he was very healthy. We asked about fixing him, and vet said that it was really unnecessary because since he was not spraying, and already was super calm that he didn't need the added stress, they did say that they would do it if we really wanted to. that is still up in the air, he doesn't roam as he has a leash run out front. he is too small to go in the dog run with the big dogs.
He doesn't chew on anything other than his toys. he only wore his makeshift diaper the first and second night, and hasn't since because well he isn't peeing in the house at all.

Even though we have baby gates to keep the big dogs from getting to rooms or places they shouldn't it really makes no difference with Hank, we think he is part rabbit as he can jump quite high. we really do not want him to jump like that because we don't want him to hurt his little hips...lol...

so there you have it, this dog is an angel, the issue, were the previous people and the other numerous houses he was at. My Dh never wanted a small dog, but he adores him big time.

 

[welsummerchicks]

For the older dog who doesn't seem to have gotten house trained, a trip to the vet can be of help. Some of these animals have chronic cystitis or other medical reasons why they are incontinent, most of them very treatable.

Some dogs, on the other hand, just haven't been managed properly.

Once the older dog is checked out ok with the vet, the best thing to do is put him in a crate when he's not being supervised. He can be taken out several times after he eats, drinks or plays and praised when he 'performs'.

Food can be withheld after 5 and water after 8, to help him get through the night. But the key is crating.

Crating and taking the dog outside, makes the dog realize that finding an out of the way place in the house isn't ok any more.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
this is good info.

Hank is 3 yrs old, and HE IS house trained, the people that had him before just didn't care enough for him to provide him with what he needed, and its quite obvious!!!!. Too bad for them, good for me and my fam, cause he is amazing, lol....

I've always been the type of person to see a dog in a sweater and say, poor dog, what the heck are they doing to him/her...lol...I just came back from buying him a winter vest/coat. In my defense he is super small and it gets super cold here in northern Ontario Not that he will be spending too much time out there but still. I couldn't find the winter booties so I will have to wait on those. Hank's natural fur coat was cut pretty short, I know he is supposed to be long haired, so because of this he needs the purchased coat.

 

[sourland]

Amazing what change of environment and proper attention can do fora dog. My daughter recently took in a pug (she has had his brother since he was a puppy) whose owners didn't want him because he refused to be house broken. When my daughter got him he wanted to be friendly but was very hand shy. She crated him every evening and provided frequent trips outside during the day. He urinated in the house once or twice on the first day. Since then he is house broken and has become very trusting. He was also supposed to have aggression isues with other dogs? He gets along fine with his brother, my daughter's black lab, and our golden retriever? He's a neat little dog who was scheduled to be euthanized because of his "incorrigible" nature?