6 month old from a pet shop; worrying about everything

T

Tuuliちゃん

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Hi,

Last week I bought a six month old tri-colour Sheltie, called Tuuli. I currently live in Japan so the pet shop she has been living in until now kept her in a glass display cage then when she was bigger in a crate on the shop floor. No one really wants Shelties here at the moment because the fashion is any kind of small dog and labra-doodles so I decided I wanted to "rescue" her and give her a happy dog life... in my small apartment...

So I've run into a few issues that I think come from the fact she's a pet shop dog;

-she doesn't understand the concept of steps and I don't think she knows she can jump

-going outside is extremely stressful and she has had a hard time getting used to it and therefore usually waits until we're back in the house before she poops and wees.

-she poops where she plays and when I leave the house for work she destroys everything

I also think it's mostly my fault and I'm making things worse. She hates being in the crate and whines and barks until I let her out (although at first she was pretty calm about it).

I didn't want her to be stuck in a crate while I was at work all day so I've been leaving her in the one room that she wouldn't freeze in- my small, living room area. I built her up to me being away for long periods and initially she was calm and seemed to just go to sleep. Now, she destroys everything and poops everywhere and it is just one horrid disaster when I get home.

The weather has been pretty bad here so when I've taken her outside it has always been grey and windy or raining so there are a lot of strange sounds and cars rushing around. She has quickly become more withdrawn and not as calm as when I first met her.

I'm training her with pee pads but she still hasn't figured out where to poop, I don't punish her but I give her treats when she gets it right. I also try to stay calm and cheerful and I spend all my time back from work with her (like I'd want to be anywhere else!)

I feel like I'm doing everything wrong and could really do with some help :hide
 
Firstly the easy questions. It takes time for a pup to get used to steps, it generally isn't something that comes naturally so you really will need to work on this with treats and praise, and literally one step at a time. With toilet training you will have to go back to the basics as if she was a puppy to untrain the bad habits she has learnt - in the pet shop dogs learn to toilet in their den.

If you don't want to crate her get an x-pen so she can be contained in a small environment. Given she has been confined all her life she isn't used to having a whole room to exist in. If you are worried about warmth try something like Snuggle Puppy (warms and has a heart beat) or even just a Snuggle Safe warmer (but make sure the warming pad is under something she can get away from if she gets too warm)

The other problems you are describing sound like true separation anxiety (SA). This is a very big issue to resolve. I suggest you 1) see a behaviourist and 2) speak to your vet about medicating.

Honestly, SA is difficult even for experienced people and it sounds like you are a novice. The treatments processes are complicated and time consuming and a good behaviourist will be there to guide you through. Medicating is often necessary to reduce stress levels enough so you can train. On the positive side at 6mths there is a chance of addressing it to some degree.

There are a few good books out there on SA, try Dr Patricia B McConnell's booklet called I'll be home soon and Nicole Wilde's book Don't leave me. As a starting point on the web try Dr Ian Dunbar's www.DogStarDaily.com articles. You are going to need to do some reading and some work. You should also consider enrolling in puppy classes.
 
I agree with Caro...if possible get some good qualified professional help with your little pup...someone who has worked with similar cases before and works with positive training methods only. Living in a pet store cage for the first 6 months of her life has robbed your little pup of all normal socialization and everything is both new and frightening to her. You have a long journey ahead to bring her into the "big world", however in the end it will be a rewarding journey as you see her gradually blossom. I have seen many pet store/puppy mills doggies, who started out with all the issues you are dealing with, become truly wonderful stable companions, but it does take time.

Basically, you need to go back to step one with her on literally everything just as if she was an 8 week old puppy. Housebreaking, introducing slowly to both inside things and outside things...and until she becomes more comfortable in her surroundings and is housebroken she needs to either be in a doggie playpen or gated into one small room when you cannot be right there with her. She will feel much more secure if she doesn't have free run of your home. Stairs/steps are not a natural movement for a dog and Tuuli didn't have the opportunity to learn steps yet...I would start training this step up movement with a low step that you make inside...so she is learning in a "safe area" and not outside with scary distractions. You can make a step out of a couple of big books...tie them together so they can't slip and scare her. A training step can be make out of just about anything that is stable for standing on.

She is used to constant noise...a pet store is not a quiet place...so when you are not home leave either music or a TV on so she has background noise...that will be something she feels is "normal". Try to gage outside time to be when it is as quiet as possible so she isn't overwhelmed by too much activity. Just being outside is new to her and has to be very frightening...so make outside time as low key as you can until she becomes comfortable and don't force her to stay outside until she is traumatized and shuts down or becomes overly reactive. Let her know you won't force her when she can't handle what is going on...she needs to see you and inside her home as her safety.

These issues are not going to be fixed in just a few weeks...it will be a slow learning process, tiny steps. Tuuli has had nothing in her life in the pet store that prepares a little dog for living in the real world. There will be times when suddenly she seems to be going backwards instead of making progress...that is normal...don't let it discourage you.

Trini
 
Welcome to the SN forum. You have found the right place to discuss the breed. The members here are very knowledgable...and always willing to help. I totally agree with Caro. Keep things positive. :smile2:
 
Welcome and thank you for rescuing this little girl from life in a pet store crate. I don't have anything to add other than stressing how important it is that she has a very small space when you are away. It will help make her feel secure and you do not want to come home to a place that has been destroyed.
 
Try setting up a crate in an xpen. I have this setup for my puppy. The whole thing is on top of a painter's tarp, and I put pee pads down in the xpen area. The crate has 1/2 yard pieces of fleece in it in several layers. If she has an accident, it's not a biggie as they all go in the wash. So far so good.

I'd keep her in this setup to limit the mess, and also see if you have a reliable neighbor or friends who can stop by in the middle of the day to take her for a walk.

Don't worry about the steps for a while - I'd just carry her for now until she gets more confident in herself.

As far as going outside - you need to set it up so that she will go outside. IE, keep her crated and then take her outside. When she does, give her yummy treats (I use chicken or cheese) and have a party. If she doesn't, back in the crate she goes and try again in 1/2 hour. Once you get her to go a few times and you can treat her, she will quickly get the idea that she needs to go outside to get her treat
 
Your pup is young and most likely unsocialized at a young age due to being in a pet store. As folks have already suggested, you need to treat your 6 month old like an 8 week old and start training from the beginning.

As someone already mentioned, steps are literally a one at a time training. Start at the bottom step and lure her down with a treat. Give her another treat and lots of praise when she steps down. Don't get frustrated with her, just wait her out. Make sure the treat is something irresistible to her like boiled chicken.

The same is true with taking her outside. I know it's cold but you may need to wait her out to pee or poo. If she doesn't go, take her back in and go back out within 5 min before she has a chance to go indoors. If she goes in doors, make a big dramatic scene about cleaning it up. Don't yell at her or call her a 'bad dog' but just act sad and disappointed.

To help her adjust to the noise and commotion outside, treat her when things happen, like cars and trucks going by, so she associates the sounds with good things. To help her get use to people, take her places, again with treats, and allow folks to offer her a treat - flat open palm - so people become a bringer of good things (aka food).

The more things you can expose your little girl to with positive experiences the calmer she'll be.

I'd also suggest you find a training class for basic behavior obedience, similar to the CGC in the US. The AKC's CGC certificate basically certifies the dog and handler understand basic manners; sit, stay, down, greeting another person with a dog, calmly moving through crowds, etc. Any class that teaches those basics will be great for you and Tuuli since there will be other dogs in the class with her. Just make sure any class you take uses positive training techniques.
 
Thank you so much for all the comments and advice!! I certainly have come to the right place.
Since I posted, Tuuli has improved a lot RE house training. We now have a pretty good routine in the morning and evening so she is really starting to enjoy our walks (she does a little skip when we first step outside- so sweet!) and she goes to the loo on the way. She also uses the pee pads although she still has accidents indoors.
I don't believe there are any behaviour therapists in the area but I will do some more hunting around and for the time being order those books Caro recommended before returning home to the UK. I have also been reading a lot of the articles on the Quick and Dirty Tips website- have any of you read any of the dog articles on there? It was very useful when I was first looking into positive training techniques- like all of you, I definitely don't want to punish her or use "corrective training" on her.
I bought a Kong and have been trying out a sweet potato, rice and carrot recipe and she's really enjoying it; I put in her crate and I also feed her in there so she is beginning to enjoy being in there.
I think there are definite signs pointing to SA but I was wondering whether any of you think she might just be a bored puppy with too much energy? She seems to need a lot of playtime in the morning and if I'm only gone for a few hours she doesn't to wreck anything and she doesn't get especially stressed about me leaving her or get over-excited when I get back... I'm going to go on a bit of a hunt today for flooring to put over the tatami mats and a play pen and get a radio set up so she has something to listen to.
You have all given me some great advice and ideas that I can get working on so thank you so much for your support! This is my first time raising a dog by myself (although my family have always had border collies since before I was born) so I am most definitely a novice and this is going to be a challenge but I really want to do my best for her. There isn't much in the way of animal rights in my area of Japan and I was so worried about Tuuli becoming another neglected dog tied up outside someone's house and she has such a sweet nature so she won me over instantly!
Anyway, that's quite a lot of prattle but I am so grateful! Thank you!!
 
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