Young, out-of-control stray. I have had her one month and I need help!

[RoseOneall]

She was found on April 15th in a parking lot at the Houston Intercontinental Airport.  The only way that she could be there is if she was dropped off and abandoned.  I am a flight attendant and responded to the plea to foster her because we are not working much right now and I wanted a project.  She was 35 pounds, emaciated and full of worms and was with an 87 pound male.  Both dogs were very good with all the people who they came into contact with.  I took them both just to get them off of the airport property but I could only foster one dog.  She was completely attached to the male to where she would cry if she could not see him.  Fortunately, ( or unfortunately) that attachment transferred to me.   She has been to the vet and is healthy but she does have some skin issues that are being addressed.  She was spayed last week.  I began using the Kholer method right away to train her (I apologize, it is what I know).  I trained her to sit concurrently using treats.  She is now 44 pound, walks well on a loose leash, passes people and pets well on our walks, will sit for a treat, love kids and all people.  Sleeps quietly in a kennel all night; literally puts herself to bed.  However, her training has come to a virtual stand still.  She has now a good foundation to build on but her lack of socialization is causing me issues as I go forward.  I have to put her in her kennel for at least 3 or 4 hours in the morning and in the afternoon because she requires constant supervision.  I have tried leashing her to me but she will pee at my feet every time her activity changes, if I do not walk outside with her.  She has begun barking at me when she wants to be doing something fun or get a treat.  Like a toddler, she wants to chew everything.  She will easily drop it but then she grabs the next thing.  It is all day, all the time.  It is exhausting.  We have had to have x-rays and a vet consultant when a pin-cushion found its way into her kennel.  She looses interest in toys that she cannot destroy and I just cannot keep giving her raw bones all day.  She is completely inappropriate with my patient, 10 year old collie who cannot stop her from being her chew toy.  I just will not allow Stella to bite on her anymore.  I know she needs structure.  My husband thinks I am kenneling her too much.  I am feeling at a loss.  She hates the heeling work and resists the "corrections" out of what seems to be stubbornness.  She backtracking on the few things that she had learned well.  The evenings are the worst, just like with young children.  I know part of the problem is that she is feeling so good and strong.  I have a neighbor who has offered to walk her more.  

We are her only hope in this city full of stray dogs.  She is sweet but so powerful and nutty.   I am attracted to your methods but I feel like I need more structure on what I can expect from her.  Am I kenneling her too much?   She gets a long walk every day and lots of time outside with me.  Using your methods trying to get her to lie down has been a complete failure for me.  What is your training routine on a young dog like this?

 

[Adrienne]

Hi Rose, 

Welcome to the forums!

First of all, you need a big thank you for opening your heart and home to this beautiful dog. I am guessing from her behavior that she is young and likely in the doggy adolescent stage. I have a few questions for you.

1) Can you describe more in detail "I have tried leashing her to me but she will pee at my feet every time her activity changes." What activity changes are you exactly referring to? How often is she peeing? Has this happened since you got her? Have you noticed if she pees on your feet when you look at her, loom down or talk to her in certain tone of voice (excited, frustrated, irritated?) Does she still pee if she isn't leashed to you?

2) When she starts barking at you when she wants to be doing something fun or get a treat, what do you do? 

3) Can you provide more details on what is happening when you are trying to get her to lie down? Is she following the food lure? Not interested in it? 

I hear you about the exhaustion. With dogs like this, they initially need our constant supervision and guidance to learn how to be good members of the family. They need routines, exercise and lots of mental stimulation through brain games, interactive play and training. They also need to learn some rules, what they can chew and cannot chew, where they can go and cannot go, what they can't get away with.

I often find that with these work in progress dogs, the more they are allowed to stay around us, the faster they learn. If we leave them out in the yard or crated, we are losing the opportunity to provide them the guidance they need. They also risk coming back from the yard or from outside the crate in a too excited and overstimulated mindset which only causes us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted again so we send them out again or crate them, only for the cycle to repeat. If you have time still, it may be worthy trying to work around the issues, but we can make our lives easier by encouraging independent activities and getting their minds tired with training and brain games on top of exercise. 

I would strongly suggest no longer feeding meals in a bowl for now.  Feed a portion of her kibble in a Kong Wobbler and then reserve the rest for putting her to work for each piece of kibble. Just the morning portion of her kibble should give you like 30-60 opportunities for reinforcement (depending on kibble size and how much you feed). Use the kibble to reinforce behaviors you like whether you asked for them intently or they occur spontaneously (like making good choices). When you must give a kibble, you can toss it at a distance so your dog also gets a workout and puts her nose to search them. When you give her outside time, make sure she gets some sniffing opportunities as putting the nose to work is quite tiring. 

Keep the kibble in your pocket or treat bag all day and if she tries to bark at you because she wants some ignore the barking, look away or even walk away if she persists. If she tries to nudge your treat bag when you are sitting, sit on it, clasp your arm against it or get up and walk away. When you notice she gives up and leaves, you can then ask her to sit and toss her a kibble. Giving kibble is on your terms, not hers. With time, she'll understand, just make sure you never drop any kibble or let her grab it the treat bag. 

Dog proofing the room where you spend the most time can save you from having to continuously tell her to leave things. Remove as much as possible things that may want to chew, leaving out only chews and toys. This leaves you with only a few things to work on her "leave its" rather than a dozen. Rotate her toys to keep her interest in them. Invest in Kongs (now with summer approaching freezing them with goodies can keep dogs busy for some time, look online for frozen Kong recipes) and check the link below where Jennifer shares several recipes:

About the crating, we also need to consider your work schedule once you will be back to working full time. Is somebody going to be home with her?  Or is she going to stay for a good part alone? Dogs like routines, and with this lock down, many behavior professionals are concerned about the potential for separation anxiety and dogs struggling with changes in their routines and schedules.

About your older dog: we certainly do not want her to be pestered by your new addition and at the same time, we also don't want her to feel left out. We need to tread with care here, making sure she gets her dose of attention (possibly away from your new dog) and that she has a place to retreat to without your new dog. We want to avoid her turning into a target as sometimes younger dogs can be very persistent with older dogs and their relationships risk deteriorating. 

[Adrienne]

Forgot to mention also that some impulse control and frustration tolerance training can also turn helpful. You can incorporate these in your dog's daily routine:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

[RoseOneall]

Good morning and thank you for your response.  I was afraid that I was not going to get permission the kennel her as much as I am.  Let me describe my morning so far with our Stella.  I get up at around 6:15, get dressed and open the kennel door for Stella.  She and I rush to the back yard where she does her business.  I clean up the poop and sit outside with her for a few minutes with my coffee while she runs around and picks up bones and toys.  We come in and we go to my study/craft room and I try to  keep her busy while I check my email, etc.  I give her a few kibbles for sitting and throw some in her kennel to try to get her to settle in there with one of her toys.  That may or may not work.   I lock  her in her kennel while I grab her breakfast.  It is plain kibble but she loves it as if it were steak.  I put a handful of kibble in about 10 piles all over the yard.  I let her out and she hunts for her breakfast. She goes back with me into my study and I give her a raw bone to chew while I try to concentrate on a project that I am working on.  (I am making masks for friends and family).   She finishes her bone and goes to the study door.  I get up and take her for a short walk.  I saw your notes to me so I placed her in our garage kennel so that I can have a few minutes to respond.  My plan will be to get her out of the kennel at 10 for a short training session.  

The peeing thing is really two fold.  One was while we were house training her.  I had to make sure that she went out every time we changed activity.  She slept much more then so when she would wake up, we go out, she would finish a bone or with a toy, we would go out, etc.  But sometimes I would just have her on a leash after we had just gone out to go to the kitchen for a snack and she would pee on the floor in the kitchen.  That was a change in activity that I was not really prepared for but she has me trained now and this rarely happens .  The other problem I am having was with dog beds.  I moved her kennel out of my study and replaced it with a dog bed.  She would like down on the bed but then begin tearing it up.  I would tell her to leave it.  Next thing I know, she has peed on it.  When that happened three times, I moved her kennel back in and stopped trying to let her have a dog bed.  

I feel like my study is puppy proofed as well as it can be for it to be functional for me.  She will chew on a chair or the side of a container or a table leg.  I would just like her to be able to chill with me while I do other things without me constantly giving her something else to do  The raw bones that I use are organic, grass fed.  Sometimes I will freeze and fill them up again with peanut butter and kibble but must I do this all of the time?  It is like the only time I know she is able to settle and rest is when she is in her day kennel away from me.  As a side note, I am not able to kennel her during the day in her sleep kennel.  She will go into it and chew a bone.  She sleeps in there from about 9 pm til morning.  But during the day, she will not settle in there if I am in the house.  I tried for days and finally gave up because it stressed out my husband too much with the barking and the whining.  She won that battle.  We have a kennel set up in our garage that we use when I kennel her during the day that she settles right down into.  I know she is being a brat and I should try harder to extinguish that behavior but I am not the only one who lives here.   

I really thought this project would just be a few months and then I could find her another home.  I have fostered dogs on and off for years but normally smaller breeds.  Her breed is problematic.  The last group that I fostered for, sends dogs up to Wisconsin after they are healthy and spayed/neutered.  It now appears that even in places where there is a dog shortage, they do not want these adolescent bully dogs.  Training will be her only salvation.  I don't want to let he down.  

I keep her separate from our collie for now.  Of course, that just makes Stella want to play with her more.  Stella just bites and bullies Sarah without ceasing.  Fortunately, Sarah has always been my husbands dog.  He continues to walk and care for her.  When I go back to work, he will be Stell's caregiver too.  He is able to walk them both but Stella will need to be crated a good deal more when that occurs. 

Regarding the laying down, I begin with Stella in a sit.  I place the lure in front of her, then slide it across the floor.  If she cannot reach it with her nose, she will get up to try to get it instead of reaching out further and going down.   I will grab her front legs before she gets up and drop her down and then release the treat but that has not clicked yet.       

I do appreciate your feedback.   I guess that I would like to know if I can just give her a bone every time she just needs a new activity for now to keep her settled and with me?  I have tried a few food stuffed toys and she has lost interest in them very fast.  

 

[RoseOneall]

Stella is napping and has settled in her kennel next to me with just a few more treats.  Maybe I am trainable after all.  Baby steps.   

[Adrienne]

I was afraid that I was not going to get permission the kennel her as much as I am.  Let me describe my morning so far with our Stella.  I get up at around 6:15, get dressed and open the kennel door for Stella.  She and I rush to the back yard where she does her business.  I clean up the poop and sit outside with her for a few minutes with my coffee while she runs around and picks up bones and toys.  We come in and we go to my study/craft room and I try to  keep her busy while I check my email, etc.  I give her a few kibbles for sitting and throw some in her kennel to try to get her to settle in there with one of her toys.  That may or may not work.   I lock  her in her kennel while I grab her breakfast.  It is plain kibble but she loves it as if it were steak.  I put a handful of kibble in about 10 piles all over the yard.  I let her out and she hunts for her breakfast. She goes back with me into my study and I give her a raw bone to chew while I try to concentrate on a project that I am working on.  (I am making masks for friends and family).   She finishes her bone and goes to the study door.  I get up and take her for a short walk.  I saw your notes to me so I placed her in our garage kennel so that I can have a few minutes to respond.  My plan will be to get her out of the kennel at 10 for a short training session.  

 

Oh no, I didn't mean to come across as not giving you permission to crate her. The choice is ultimately yours, as long as your dog is kept busy, (which from what you write seems like you are doing a good job!) you are not crating her too much considering that you are providing activities throughout the day. I know many dog owners who crate their dogs all night and then head to work during the day and their dogs are crated again during that time. Even then, as much as this seems a lot, they are walking their dogs first thing in the morning and after coming back from work and are providing brain games, training, nosework and interactive toys. 

 

My point was just to mention that, often we get more "payback," basically a return on our investment more quickly if in the dog's first months with us we can provide guidance and avoid the vicious cycle of dog misbehaving/closing/dog misbehaving/closing. 

 

Here's the thing. In general, when we bring a new rescued dog to our home, the initial three months are the most labor intensive. Patricia McConnell calls 3 the "magic number." She states that during the dog's first three days in their new homes they are in shock from all the novelties, in the next three weeks they start showing their real personalities and then it takes about 3 months for them to finally settling in, relaxing and understanding the family rules. 

 

I have personally noticed that it is true that around 3 months is when you start noticing the most substantial payback. The dog settles more into the routines, is more relaxed, and has a sense of belonging. Often, if we can provide all-day guidance, we can get these results as close as two months and a half or even two months in some cases, but this is very labor intensive, and yes, very exhausting. 

 

The peeing thing is really two fold.  One was while we were house training her.  I had to make sure that she went out every time we changed activity.  She slept much more then so when she would wake up, we go out, she would finish a bone or with a toy, we would go out, etc.  But sometimes I would just have her on a leash after we had just gone out to go to the kitchen for a snack and she would pee on the floor in the kitchen.  That was a change in activity that I was not really prepared for but she has me trained now and this rarely happens .  The other problem I am having was with dog beds.  I moved her kennel out of my study and replaced it with a dog bed.  She would like down on the bed but then begin tearing it up.  I would tell her to leave it.  Next thing I know, she has peed on it.  When that happened three times, I moved her kennel back in and stopped trying to let her have a dog bed.  

 

In the potty training process, dogs tend to have to potty more right after getting up from a nap, after playing, after exciting/arousing activities take place such as greeting guests or barking at triggers, after being outside on a walk (if they don't potty during the walk). Sometimes dogs who sneak away to potty the moment we leave the room, do so because they want to avoid going potty in our presence. This can happen if we got upset with them for pottying or just simply are frustrated/disappointed when we notice the mess  (Oh, no, what a mess!). It could also stem from the previous owners punishing the dog for going in the house. 

 

About tearing up beds, here's a troubleshooting guide, however, yes, removing the bed for now can be a good idea until shes 100 percent potty trained and when her chewing is more under control. With summer around, most dogs like to lie on cool tiles or a bare crate anyway. 

 

I feel like my study is puppy proofed as well as it can be for it to be functional for me. She will chew on a chair or the side of a container or a table leg.  I would just like her to be able to chill with me while I do other things without me constantly giving her something else to do  The raw bones that I use are organic, grass fed.  Sometimes I will freeze and fill them up again with peanut butter and kibble but must I do this all of the time?  It is like the only time I know she is able to settle and rest is when she is in her day kennel away from me.  

 

There are products such as Bitter Apple Spray that you can try to spray on the table leg or chair and see if it deters her from chewing those items. It doesn't work for all dogs though, as some dogs actually like the taste. It could be she previously didn't live in a home but out in the yard unsupervised, where she could chew sticks and just about anything or perhaps she lived in the home, but the owner got tired of her behaviors and surrendered her. 

 

From your description it sounds like Stella must be an adolescent dog. Her chewing, strong need for mental stimulation, and exercise seems to suggest that. On top of this, you are dealing as mentioned with the most labor intensive part when it comes to rescuing a dog. We don't know why she was surrendered it appears, but statistically dogs of this age group are frequently surrendered because of the extra challenges they pose during the teenager phase.  Here's a read of dogs in this phase: 

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

With time, you should notice that the closer you get into 3 months, she should be starting to settle in more and you will be getting more and more breaks. Sometimes, you may notice behaviors getting worse as they turn a corner and then the next day or two things seem better.  Then this repeats again several times. 

 

 With the dog I am boarding and training at the moment (small dog), I was unable to do almost anything the first weeks. She just needed constant supervision and activities to stay busy or she would start to come to me to "pester me" or try to chew the couch covers, dig on the couch or chew the rugs. Long story short, she's a dog who due to her behavior (peeing everywhere, chewing everything and acting just boisterous) was closed in a small bathroom most of the day or on the terrace, but now as she is nearing three months, she has settled into a routine where she takes several naps and engages in more independent play,  is getting the rules and I am able to do much more on the computer and even house chores. 

 

With dogs who had no training at all, it 's challenging, there's no bones about that. It feels like initially you have to spend a lot of time and energy to get just a little bit of peace, but as mentioned, it tends to get better with time. 

 

When I go back to work, he will be Stella's caregiver too.  He is able to walk them both but Stella will need to be crated a good deal more when that occurs. 

 

If that's the case, it helps to start getting hubby a bit involved in being the caregiver. Like feeding her, walking her if that's possible, so that she won't go through too many drastic changes out of the blue.  

 

Regarding the laying down, I begin with Stella in a sit.  I place the lure in front of her, then slide it across the floor.  If she cannot reach it with her nose, she will get up to try to get it instead of reaching out further and going down.   I will grab her front legs before she gets up and drop her down and then release the treat but that has not clicked yet.  

 

 

With lie down, we want to draw an imaginary letter L that starts vertically from the dog's nose and then straight down in between her legs and then pull out horizontally from her paws towards us.  Make sure it's really near her nose so that she does she follows it. I would avoid if possible grabbing her front legs because we want the dog to perform it naturally on their own otherwise our help can become a difficult prompt to remove because the dog may become dependent on it too much. 

 

I am guessing you are struggling with the last part where we move the lure horizontally? Try to go slower and keep it close to her nose at all times. She can even nibble on it a bit gently as long as she doesn't snatch the whole treat from you.  If she gets up, remove the lure and try fresh again. If she still struggles after a couple of trials, it's OK  to do baby steps and split the exercise into smaller steps using  a mix of shaping/luring.  

 

For example, use the food lure just from the nose to the her chest and reward her for simply looking down at first, then for lowering her nose to the floor, then for dipping his elbows slightly, then for lowering her chest, and then, when her elbows finally touch the floor and she is lying down completely, mark the behavior with your verbal marker or click of the clicker and give her a jackpot of treats (your food lure and extras). 

 

Here is a demo of the exercise, notice how the treat is kept near the nose especially in the last trial: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=10tWGqh_SAE&feature=emb_logo

 

Also, something worth mentioning,  note when she lies down naturally in case she's the type of dog who lowers her back end before her elbows. 

 

I do appreciate your feedback.  I guess that I would like to know if I can just give her a bone every time she just needs a new activity for now to keep her settled and with me?  I have tried a few food stuffed toys and she has lost interest in them very fast. 

 

About the bones, as long as she doesn't get GI upset and that your vet says they are safe for her, in the quantity given, then there should be no harm. To give less, you can try other activities. For instance,  you can try the Kong Wobbler since your dog seems to like her kibble so she's eating a portion of her meal. With the stuffed Kongs and other toys, I find that when they lose interest it's because they may be finding them too challenging and they just give up. Try to stuff them up lightly with food just near the edge so that it's easy peasy to remove, then gradually make it more challenging and longer-lasting.  If you have an outside yard, try to toss a portion of her kibble there and let her explore and sniff while you read a book or check your phone. See if you can find toys that keep her busy, like toys she can carry around and shake. Hide treats around the house. Look for durable chew toys (Kong Extreme, Goughnuts, West Paw Zogoflesh). If you have a yard, make a sand pit and bury toys under. Fill up a bottle with her kibble. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any further questions. Keep me posted on how things go and don't forger to give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work you are doing.  It's not easy with these dogs, but things tend to get better with time. 

Best,

Adrienne

[RoseOneall]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough response.  I feel much better knowing that I just need to continue the process and that you are just an note away.  We make a break through on the down.   She went from me having to wrestle her down to reward her to this in the last few days.  I tried for days to reward her whenever she would lie down on her own too.  Could not get it to click.  Now suddenly it is coming together.  

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome!

Glad to hear you were able to get her to lie down! 

Thank you for posting the video.

You aced it, very nice! Stella is also nicely focused which is a pleasure to watch. 

Next,  after a few trials we can start fading the sight of the food lure. You can make the treat gradually less and less visible or try not to use it all (pretend as if you're holding it) and make the same hand movement, but this time rewarding from treats held in your other hand hidden behind your back.