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HMWTC! Very shut down puppy mill mama
I started working w a lovely spaniel Brocolli who was just adopted after she was rescued following being a puppy mill mama. She is approx 4 years old. She paces all the time and is fearful of her human (who is very patient w her). She is only comfortable in the bedroom on the bed. There she seeks affection from her human, does tricks, and rests. Recently she has started pottying in the house if for instance her human goes to take a shower or goes out to check the mail, or if a visitor comes over.
we are working slowly and gently w her. Targeting, snuffle mats. We are working on creating a “happy mat” so that her safety zone can move beyond the bed.
2 things I’d like advice on: the peeing in the house?!? No idea what to do.
where would be best for her to be left when her person had to go out?! A crate? In the bedroom where she’s most comfy?
also if anyone has resources or study material for this sort of situation I’d love to read up.
thank you all so much!
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4 Replies
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@AnnaBee
First, thank you and your client for your time and willingness to help this dog.
Puppy mill dogs typically have rough starts and lives and, endure a lot of trauma. I am sure this pup is thankful for you both.
As I read this, several things jump out at me.
I think a lot more info is needed as well but you have quite a bit of good info, too.
To answer your specific questions: In my opinion:
1. peeing in the house; First, please make sure Broccolli has a complete vet check up including blood work to rule out any possible medical reasons for the elimination in the house. I would also consider talking to the vet about the possilbility of general anxiety or separation anxiety (SA). Talking to the vet now and asking if meds may be appropriate is a good start-to help her start to feel better emotionally. You mention “started pottying in the house if for instance her human goes to take a shower or goes out to check the mail”. Elimination and pacing can be occuring as a result of SA, general anxiety or stress. Visitors or the change in her environment can cause stress elimination.
2. Where to leave her when her persons goes out; It depends. If Brocolli is struggling from SA, leaving her in a crate or a room can cause more harm. Dogs who struggle with true SA should never be left alone until they feel safe and have had systematic treatment for it through behavior modification. Are you familiar with SA? (respectfully, I am not sure of where you are in your experience, education, area of expertise etc. We all start somewhere, we are all here to learn!)
To back up completley overall, since she was just adopted, I would suspend all operant type training and allow her to decompress, to feel safe, get used to a routine etc, with no pressure to learn operant type behaviors. Remember the situation she likely came from; likely no or very little socialization, enrichment, exercise, interactions with other dogs or people and likely confined. Being in a home may be over-whelming. I love the idea of creating a safe zone, even multiple ones for her with the condition of her going to them on her own vs cued. I love the idea of snuffle mats; this can help her decompress if she is engaging in them on her own, on her terms. She needs predicatability and to feel safe first and formost. This will take time. I would just let her observe her new world while tossing treats for doing nothing- to help build positive associations with her new environments. Work at her pace.
If the bedroom is her comfort zone for now, keep her there. (but never alone if she is struggling with true diagnosed SA).
I am interested in what other info or questions you may have. I hope to read feedback from others as well.
Thanks again for bringing this case here to get help. I am sure we will all learn something as we try to help you, Brocolli and her human.
Best,
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Hi and thank you for this thoughtful and insightful response. I left out a lot of info in my original post because there is just SO much I could write. She went to the vet and is on anti anxiety meds, so hopefully that will start being helpful. I agree and encouraged the guardian to focus much more on non contingent reinforcement and her emotional state rather that training. The person is v desperate to bond w her dog though so I taught them some targeting games which they both seem to enjoy. But I agree that it might be too soon. The pacing occurs whether the human is home or not—-just all the time. I am familiar w SepAnx and i do think this could be that, though hard to tell given how much anxiety etc is happening with this dog. Unfortunately she is barely comfortable with her main human, and anyone else is a complete fright to her so practically she will need to be alone while say, her human goes to the store for an hour. Luckily her human works from home.
this is an exceedingly challenging case and def is a bit beyond my skill level. Luckily I have my local mentor (who is now also my employer) who is helping me too. I was hoping to gain more insight here so I can be knowledgeable when I speak to my mentor further as well as gain others perspectives. Thank you!
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Congrats to Broccoli for finding a new home! Do we know how long she was being used for breeding? Having litters and being separated from the pups is usually very traumatic in itself. I don’t know how long she’s been with her new family, but it will likely take several months for her to feel fully comfortable in the new environment. I love that you are creating safe spaces for her, and the happy mat is such a good idea. As for the house breaking, it will probably take some time as she has likely grown accustomed to relieving herself wherever she was being kept, rather than outside. She will benefit from a routine where she goes out to potty at regular intervals and is rewarded for relieving herself outside.
A personal anecdote: my shelter puppy had spent the first four months of his life eliminating in his kennel, on his bedding, etc. At first he could barely hold it for two hours even at four months old. At first there was no incentive for him to pee outside as he didn’t care about cleanliness. So what I did was start taking treats outside with me and rewarding him with a treat and play with a special outside toy after he goes potty outside. He has gotten much better and will relieve himself quickly once we get outside so that we can play right away!
With time, patience and love, I’m sure Broccoli will blossom into a lovely dog for her new guardian. She’s lucky to have you looking out for her. Good luck to you all!
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Hi Anna-
You have gotten some great advice here. I think one thing you can really do for your client is to help them understand what Broccoli might be experiencing so that your client can have appropriate expectations and patience for this puppy mill momma. Also you can get your client to keep some sort of data so she can actually see that there is progress over time (although slowly) and help her celebrate the small wins that might help as well. Setting up a safe space (s) for Broccolli is so important as well. Since you have a more experienced mentor and the dog is under vet care for medical intervention I would not underestimate your ability to provide helpful consultation.
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