[CRK21643]

Hello, We have just adopted a female Preso Canario. She is a little over a year old and came to us from another family that consisted of two adults and two other dogs, the old family decided to find her a new home because thier bulldog and the preso would get along one day and then fight the next. Ok she has been with us for three days now and so far still wont eat her dog food, she shows interest in people food but we dont want to encourage that. She just went outside to pee this morning other than that she has pooped in the house twice. When outside walking she is a puller! We have been working on that and she is getting a bit better still along way to go. And one more thing, the other day a neighbors beagle was outside while we were and our preso started growling at him even though the whole time her tail was wagging, should we be worried around new animals? I know this is alot but we would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions on helping our Canary Dog adjust and with training her.

p.s. She wont even answer to her own name!?!

 

[rosemaryninja]

Put down her food for 15 minutes; if she doesn't eat it, take it back up and keep it. Don't give her anything in between this meal and the next. At the next meal, put it down for 15 minutes again. She knows that there is food available to her... she just chooses not to eat it. It could be nerves from adjusting, or it could be pickiness, but just give it time. Dogs can go up to a week without food, and a healthy dog will not starve itself. When she is hungry, she will eat. If a couple more days pass and she still refuses to eat, I would take her to the vet. Remember she should NOT get any snacks or people food, NOTHING except those 15 minute windows of food in her bowl.

For pulling, check out this thread:
http://www.dogforums.com/3-dog-training-forum/4547-loose-leash-walking-using.html
The thread there will suggest to "be a tree" when she tries to pull. One variation of this is to turn around and walk in the exact opposite direction. She will be forced to turn and follow you. When she passes your leg, deliver a yummy treat -- that starts showing her where you want her to walk. When she hits the end of the leash, turn again. You won't get very far to begin with, but above all be consistent! And patient. It will happen, but it takes time and effort.

 

[Cracker]

Good advice from Rosemary.

I wanted to address your concern from when she saw the other dog. Do you have any more details of what was happening between her and the bulldog? Were they both females? Is she intact (unspayed)? More information is needed for you to properly ascertain whether you have a truly dog aggressive dog, a reactive dog or whether she will be okay. Being such a large and tenacious breed you don't want to take any chances. I am not maligning the breed, I love mastiffs..but she is an unknown quantity at this time.

A wagging tail does NOT always mean happy or friendly. A lot depends on other signals, the vocalization is concerning...what was her ear placement like? Her mouth? (loose or tight) Was she staring at the other dog? Freezing? Was her posture towards the dog or slightly leaning away? Was the tail wag loose and wiggly (including her hips) or slow and steady..was it placed up over her back, between her legs or midline?

Personally, I would stay away from other animals and children until she starts to settle into her new house and family and then get a trainer or behaviourist in to assess her reactions to things, animals and people. A person trained in dog communication and signals can see things YOU may not.