Foster girl issues *UPDATED*

LunaBrown · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:23 pm Post subject: Foster girl issues *UPDATED*

Okay, I need some guidance...

Sabriel is a 2 year old weim, a very nice girl... she's sweet and sassy and stinkin hilarious... we've been calling her clown dog.

There are THREE interested families, but we're leary on placing her just yet because she's got one... quirk, we'll go with quirk.

She was raised by a soft spoken gal, who never told Sabriel she wasn't the boss... SO, when you try to make her do something she doesn't like (ie: kennel up, bath time, trimming nails etc.) she gets a little aggressive. She will 'cry' and growl, and grab/bite your hands and arms... I assume an attempt to intimidate us into stoping. I also assume it worked on her old mom. Wellll, we're not scared of her at all, she's never bitten in the sense of breaking skin or leaving marks, she's all talk. When she realizes we mean business she will quit and do what she's told... how do we get her past the scare tactics and on to just listening in the first place?

Help?! I would love to have these families come meet her and move forward on her adoption, but I don't want to have her placed and then come right back to us labeled as an agressive dog... She's an awesome girl aside from this one quirk...

youhavenoidea · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject:

Have you tried baiting her with food to distract her from the behavior in the first place?

Not so much bribery, as teaching her to start viewing something formerly negative, as a positive.

This is how I trained Slade to accept having the dremel taken to his toes. My sister would continuously bait him with weiners or cheese . . . he was so busy trying to get the treat out of her hand, that he barely noticed what I was doing. TONS of praise and treat offerings once he was done.

Same with the crate. He used to go all spider-monkey and splay all his legs out when I tried to put him in there, but after a week or so of getting "gourmet supreme" Kongs ONLY in the crate (he still only gets Kongs in the crate), he literally RUNS when he sees one, and I tell him "in your room". Now he's in the crate sitting like a pretty boy before I even get there! LOL

LunaBrown · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 6:39 am Post subject:

Hmm... perhaps something tastier than a doggy cookie would help, good thinking!

One more thing, this is for my letter-writing impared self - I'm supposed to e-mail the 3 families waiting to meet her and hold them off a little longer... How would you phrase "she might bite you" in words that won't scare them away?! I don't want to put anyone off, and I want them to know they're not being ignored... Confused

kamfam · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:10 am Post subject:

Ah, I like the word "training"!!! You can say, "Since she has had little or no training from her previous owners, we'd like to get her used to some basic commands prior to being adopted". Or what I used to say about Bo, "He's like a 2 month old puppy in a 1 year old body, with a very small attention span Rolling Eyes

"!!!

weimdawgs · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:17 am Post subject:

Very good Kamfam..

Luna,

You know how to fix her, but there is no way to speed it up. That is the exact same issue we had with Jake. Be consistent with her...the biggest hurdle will be telling the NEXT family not to let her get the upper hand.

Tell the family that she has some dominance issues that you are working on. There is nothing wrong with telling them that her previous family let her run all over them.

AmyB · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:27 am Post subject:

I agree with Amy and Lynn, telling them you're working on training is the best thing to say. And without saying "she might bite you" Laughing

, I would still tell them about her issue and tell them that it's something you'd like to take the time to work with her on. You want the new family to be well aware of her "quirk". If it scares them away, then they may not be the right people to take her.

LunaBrown · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:19 am Post subject:

I knew you guys would be able to help... we'll continue to do what we're doing, maybe up the ante on the rewards for being a good girl.

I'll work on the e-mail to the potential families tonight... all of the applications I have saved at home, so I don't have their contact info... plus I should probably be working LOL

weimdawgs · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:22 am Post subject:

anne · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:36 pm Post subject:

IMO you may need to be careful of the way you place this girl. I have worked with a well loved Weim that does similar and she tried to bite me when I was helping the owner clip her nails. Frankly, from what I know about her and who her breeder is, this is just her temperament. This particular dog was more than just an owner letting the dog get an upper hand, and she needed professional help and went to serious "boot camp" type training. She is not a dog for everyone and needs a Weim savvy family and one that is willing to "put up with" her nature. So my suggestion would be to assess your girl as accurately as you can (is it her temperament or is it poor raising from the previous owner, or a combo of both?) and place her carefully.

LunaBrown · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:37 pm Post subject:

Thanks guys... I am going to be super-cautious about who I 'reccomend' to be approved... the gal coordinating the rescue is very busy and overwhelmed with everything she has going on, and she weighs my opinion heavily.

Here's what I sent, I hope it's OK, being as I already sent it.. LOL

"Good Evening,

I would like to thank you for your interest in Sabriel, as well as your patience while we continue to get to know her better and figure her out. I still do not feel she's ready just yet to meet potential adopters. She has a bit of a dominance issue, and we're working hard with her to correct his behavior. Her previous owner never established a pack order in their home, and Sabriel seems to have the idea that she is in charge. Other than that she is a very sweet and happy go lucky girl, and once we get this figured out, with continued strong leadership she is going to be an awesome dog.

I assure you we are not putting you off, we just need some more time!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You can e-mail me or call me any time.

Sincerely,
Mindy Brown, Sabriel's Foster 'Mom'"

youhavenoidea · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject:

AmyB · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Very good Mindy! Very nicely written. Very Happy

NenaGunther · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

LunaBrown · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:19 am Post subject:

Apparently, we've made some progress! *knock on wood*

Last night at bed time, and again this morning when hubby was leaving for work, Sabriel walked into her crate all by herself! No physical force requried! She did 'sass', but she eventually did what she was told! Very Happy

There is a family coming up this weekend - driving FOUR hours from Iowa to meet her. I sure hope they fall in love with her and are going to be capable of continuing to provide Sabriel with strong guidance and love! I have spoken in depth with the gal about the tantrums... not trying to scare her but trying to make sure she understands... but they've already looked into an obedience class for her, and asked me what kinds of things they might need should they take her home! She wasn't even scared by the notion of the prong collar when I told her about how nice it is for walking the girls. Let's hope this weekend goes well and they see the good girl we do so they can take her home!

kamfam · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

Good luck!!!!!!!