Wade: Day 3 (Warning: Very Long Post w/ several Questions)

Alex927

Wade was in transport from Friday through Saturday from Georgia to NJ and we picked up Wade from the shelter on Saturday afternoon. He has been neutered and microchipped (or so we were told but we didn't receive any paperwork from the rescue) is this normal?

Turns out he was a stray so he was a bit timid at first.

He's also got fleas and the shelter in Georgia realized he had a tapeworm but they never de-wormed him (not sure why the hell not) so he's very skinny right now. He got his first pill yesterday morning and his next one will be next sunday morning to deworm.

He's extremely food motivated. In fact, I feel like he roams the house (the part we allow him to anyways under close watch) in a constant never ending search for food! But this probably traces back to his days as a stray. I imagine this behavior will decrease a bit with time.

Because he's so skinny right now we're feeding him twice a day. 2 cups All life Stages Canidae in the morning at 6:45am and another two cups at 5pm.
According to the directions on the bag a 50 pound dog should be getting 1-2 cups a day....which seems really too little...or maybe i'm reading the thing wrong?...not completely sure.

BUt he gets tons of treats in the form of canidae kibble, biscuits and this Wellness treat that I found, but I'm not too sure of its level of quality.

At the moment he appears to have diarrhea so I think Ill go buy some puree'd pumpkin today to add a dollop to his food.

Crate & housetraining:
Wade's already got some great habits in this department. He's at least a year old, had to be coaxed into this crate the first time (he was afraid of it) but due to his high level of food motivation, this was a cinch. I dont think he loves his crate, but he has no problems going in and hanging out for several hours during the day and he's always in there at night when we go to bed.

No accidents in the house yet. He definitely waits to do his business outside which leads me to believe a) he's been housetrained in the past or b) he spent the right amount of time as a pup with his mamma who taught him all about eliminating away from the dwelling area.

Issues & Questions I have for you more experienced folks here on dogforums:

1. Fleas: Frontline Plus has been applied yesterday but the first quarter of it, I applied improperly before remembering that I have to part the hair and apply directly to the skin. Another mistake, I bathed him earlier that day, waited till he was fully dry before applying but I read that Wade's natural oils need to be rejuvenated before applying the frontline plus.

So based on those two mistakes, is it safe to say that the frontline plus wont be as effective?

Should I reapply sooner than a whole month?

btw: I've treated my house for fleas and have taken the necessary precautions (I think) but any/all additional suggestions are welcome!

2. Tapeworm: I was told that tapeworms form from flea ingestion by the animal. Wade has taken his first pill with the next pill to follow next sunday. During this period, if he ingests another flea (either dead or alive) can another tapeworm form. goddamn parasites....grumble grumble.

3. Wade is the first dog I've ever known that does not play, or chew, or chase or play in the forms of which I've grown accustomed to dogs playing. This concerns me a little.
I wonder about his emotional state and I want him to have FUN!
Will these types of things return? Or am I incorrect to assume that those things are innately fun to dogs?

Overall, I see his trust in my wife and I continuing to grow but he's not anywhere near just rolling over on his back for a tummy rub. But he does love when I scratch his belly . Also, I've taken his food away from him randomly and there isn't an iota of food aggression either. He's also well socialized with other people (though a tad wary with some older women in the neighborhood I've noticed) and loves other dogs. And we completely adore the guy and want what's best for him. I gotta say...I knew he was a NSDTR but the more I look at him, the more I see the APBT side of him and I love it! If it wasn't for my wife I probably would've adopted a full APBT (but I digress).

Due to his highly food motivated nature I sense that training him will be a little easier. He knows SIT very well already (thank you dog forums!) and thanks to RedyreRottweilers tips on Attention training (THANK YOU!!!! i hope I got that username right) we've been doing attention training and he responds amazingly well. He's learned his name and he is constantly looking to us and making eye contact and appears eager to learn as well as please.

I've begun intermittent rewarding system because I dont him to expect treats all the time. Effectiveness remains.

I took today off to hang with Wade and we've been sticking to the schedule I posted when I first found the forums.

My wife and I couldnt' be happier right now. Anwyas, I look forward to your replies! I wonder if anyone actually read this whole darn thing.

chriley58

Congrats on your rescue dog. We rescued our Bella in Feb. We did get a packet of paperwork when she got off the transport truck. She was 5-6 months at that time. It took her a good month to get really comfortable and build trust with the family. She was always good with everyone but held back a bit. She is also Very food motivated.

Make sure you use plain pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling. Also, typically the rescues feed whatever is available/cheap. So the food may be a bit richer than what Wade is used to causing diarrhea. My 50 lb dogs both only eat 2 cups/day tops, so that isn't an unreasonable amount once he's at his proper weight.

I would give him some time to get comfy before you start to see play behavior. You may also have to teach him to play if he's never had an opportunity before now. Lots of praise, treats and good living and he'll come around.

BTW, you need to post a larger picture of Wade, he looks A LOT like our Bella. We have been asked every time I take her out if she's a duck tolling retriever. We adopted her as a border collie mix, but she has none of the border collie traits she does act more retrieverish.

Cracker

Speak to the rescue again about getting the microchip info...no point in having the dog chipped if he gets lost and gets sent back to them instead of you...you will also need the info if you ever change YOUR contact info.


The soft stools could be a combo of new home stress, TOO much food (yes, 4 cups a day is too much, especially for an underweight dog...he eats it all because he's learned to eat when he can from being a street dog) and the dewormer. He WILL gradually gain wait, it is safer that way. Keep up the good food at a decent level and let him fill out naturally.
Crate & housetraining:

Make sure this remains a place of special things..a couple of kongs filled with goodies etc...each and everytime he's in there he should have something to do.


Issues & Questions I have for you more experienced folks here on dogforums:

!

You should check with the manufacturer..they often have a toll free number to ask question like this.

Good question, I'm not sure. Sorry.

You've had him three days, he was a stray (little human contact) and he is NOT settled in yet. Give him LOTS of breathing space, he will need at least a couple of weeks but more likely a couple of months or more to come into his own. Just let him be, keep any training sessions short or even not there aside from "houserules" and learning the runnings of the house.

Do NOT do this.

If you don't want a dog to become food aggressive you do not randomly take his rations away..it's backwards thinking..you are not teaching him it's okay for YOu to take his stuff away, you are teaching him that YOu TAKE HIS STUFF AWAY..which CAN create the need to guard. He's also so very new to your house that you may be playing with fire here. He should be fed in his crate (to make crate a good place) and left to eat in peace. More people create guarding in dogs than the dogs themselves.



I'm glad you are happy with Wade. As you can see I read the whole thing.lol. I actually prefer the longer ones...more info.
Good luck.

Alex927

ok, will call them today.


I've been luring him in with food and rewarding him when he's inside but I have forgotten to leave him something inside the crate. When he goes in this afternoon, per the schedule I have, Ill make sue to include a Kong with Kibble and peanut butter mix. In fact, I best go mix up a tasty concoction to freeze up now! thanks for reminding me!

good to know. I've stopped doing that after day one as a test but now I know not to do that again.

Thanks for the advice! I'm still open to hear others viewpoints of course...

What amount would you recommend now? Wade's about 50 pounds and I can see his ribs.

How many cups of Canidae? btw..Im using an actual measuring cup.

TxRider

Slow down, have patience.

He may not play until he gets more trust and confidence.

Take it easy for a month, it takes about that long for a dog to get accustomed to the new environment and really open up.

He may not know how to play, he may just need to built trust, confidence and know he's allowed to play and nothing bad will happen.

Take your time, just establish the rules and let him get comfortable. The training is great, awesome for bonding, keep it all positive and simple, sounds like your doing just fine. I wouldn't worry too much about loose stools until you have him on regular food for a few weeks and his parasites all cleared up.

Read the food bag, give him what it says to for the weight he should be and a little bit more until he puts on a little more weight.

You will see him start to show his personality and quirks over the next 3-4 weeks and probably start to want to play soon enough as he learns what he is allowed to do and what he isn't and gains trust in you and confidence in knowing the rules and routines of his new life.

Are you taking him on walks? That's also great for bonding and building confidence.

MelB

I rescued a cocker spaniel who to this day has no idea how to play with other dogs. He didn't know how to play with toys until the other dogs taught him how to play fetch and even now he will go run for a tossed ball, but most times doesn't bring it back to you. He is all excited that he ran to it, but then comes running back all excited that he managed that much. ANd I have had him for 7 yrs!
Another dog initiating play puts him on the defensive. He has no idea what they are trying to do and no idea how to interpret their body language! He thinks they are going to hurt him, and cockers are whimps!!! He screams before they even touch him.
He will play with your hand, but has a tendency to bite down very hard.
I truly think he was separated from his mother too soon and never learned the basics of puppyhood, bite inhibition and play. I got him at 7 months old from a person who rescued him from their mother in law who stuck him in a room and when she thought about it she threw (literally) food to him. He looked alike a Puli when I got him from the mats and hairballs all over him. I didnt' believe he was a cocker until I groomed him.
Give your new one some time. He may never understand the whole play thing, but he might be enticed into a game of fetch if you have another dog who can show him the ropes.

MissMutt

Alex, your dog sounds a LOT like mine.. smart, timid, food motivated, and, a Georgia rescue!

The food motivation is really great for training. It has made any of my dogs behavior issues or simple trick training much easier. I'm sure, with time, that you'll find the same thing.

I second (third?) the idea of feeding him in his crate, giving him chewies in his crate (if he wont take them maybe you can try a Kong stuffed with peanut butter?) and all around making the crate his safe place to stay.

Don't really know much about the Frontline, but you've gotten good advice to contact Merial and/or your vet (did you choose one yet BTW?)

Yes, listen to Cracker, give him LOTS of breathing space right now and make sure not to expose him to too many new things at once (the biggest mistake I made with my girl was taking her to Petsmart the night we adopted her.. ) He has come a long way from Georgia, the bus ride is something like 18 hours according to the rescues I spoke to when I was getting my girl, and still has a lot to learn, I'm sure, about living in a house with people. But he is doing great, from the sounds of it

Alex927

thanks chriley, I'll take some close ups of Wade to post soon!

I've got to remember this. I think I definitely have to slow down. I should remember that he's been on the streets for god knows how long and after that in a shelter.

ok.


currently 4 a day.

6:45am immediately following his first meal.
12:45pm--although today I just got back from a walk (11:41am EST) and his stool is becoming more solid! He's napping now.
5:30ish - Wifey walks him then feeds him his final meal of the day.
9pm - I give him last walk of the day.

yeah I gotta remember to incorporate the kong in the crate.
Our boys are definitely alike. haha.

Alex927

hey Miss Mutt,

No, I havent chosen a vet yet but I really need to for some personal peace of mind.

Will keep you posted on which way I go. I think for now I'm going to go with your guy....I gotta check my pm's to see who it is again.

Their prices are reasonable you said? I'm probably getting pet health insurance too but I really want my vet to give my dog a good check up.

I'm getting over worried right now...probably all for naught.

Is it hard to make appointments at your vet? I mean...do they generally need to be very far in advance?