Whilst on holiday in Corfu, a homeless dog ‘found them’. Beau is a mix including Spaniel, age about 18 months. You can see why they couldn’t resist him!
He arrived here two weeks ago. Though wary, he’s settling in very well for a dog uprooted from all he knows. He loves food and he loves people.
Wary of other dogs
Unfortunately he doesn’t love other dogs as they found out in the vet’s waiting room. This came as a bit of a surprise.
They had been doing exactly as they should – keeping him at home to begin with while he settles in and then planning to introduce the outside world slowly.
He can’t relax sufficiently to toilet
One symptom of his general wary unease and probably not feeling safe outside is that he will only toilet probably when he’s desperate, peeing just twice a day. I suspect this will be a gauge of how wary he is – as he gains confidence he will pee more and, hopefully, enjoy marking (outside).
Their immediate problem is his reaction to other dogs because there is a dog next door which colours his feelings about the garden. I imagine he has had to protect himself from other dogs out on the streets.
Preparing slowly for walks
They will prepare him slowly for going on walks, first with lead and harness at home. They don’t yet know how he will take to a harness and will introduce it very carefully.
They will work first on the dog next door and then on dogs passing the front of the house. They have a drive they can stand in with him, watching passing dogs from a distance. They will only walk when he gains confidence – waiting for him to ‘tell them’ by wanting to go further.
The dog next door
It’s interesting that next door’s dog doesn’t bark. Beau knows however when she is in the garden. He may rush down the fence or stand where he is near either the lady or gentleman, and bark. He won’t go outside alone yet.
I suggest a long loose line to prevent any charging down along the fence. As soon as he even looks at next door’s fence (dog in mind) they will say Yes and feed him something very very special that he gets at no other time. They will keep sessions short.
Fortunately Beau is very food orientated, possibly through having to survive on the streets.
They will also scatter feed over the grass which should gradually make him less wary out in the garden.
NB. For the sake of the story and for confidentiality also, this isn’t a complete ‘report’ and is always written with permission of the client. If you listen to ‘other people’ or find instructions on the internet or TV that are not tailored to your own dog it can do more harm than good. Click here for help
