Oh, how sad for the dog. He will need time to adjust to his new life. Everything is so new and scary to him. I'm wondering if he has ever seen his new family before now. He's frightened and insecure. And don't forget....he misses his old family. I would be very, very gentle with him. And patient. If he was a good pet before, I think he will be the same with time.
As for the food, I always think, and this may just be my opinion, if he is drinking water, that is more important than the food for right now. I think his appetite will return after he gets used to his new home. I would NOT rush him. Maybe taking him for walks, letting him smell his new environment may help.
I sure am not a professional so someone else may have a whole new idea.
My Granddaughter just went through a divorce, they have a golden retriever and although they share time with her she was devastated at first. Home wasn't the same to her and she missed the one that she wasn't with. It almost made me cry for her because her eyes looked so sad. It is better now after she adjusted and I'm betting your dog with be okay. Best of luck. BT

Bad idea to reach towards the dog at all, especially in the kennel. There is trauma and trying to assure the dog is counterproductive. The fact it has shelter, food available and is drinking/doing business outside is the best it can be for a day or two.

If he does not eat by the third day, a trip to the vet may be ia good idea. You might try the same food the old owners used, but a dog usually eats when comfortable or really hungry.

The walk and gentle aclimatization idea is really good---take Diesel in the yard on a leash and spend a lot of time letting hinm just do whatever. Trying to comfort him is confusing to him---doing the walk/familiarizing is the best care now.

She might try giving him little treats- tiny bites of chicken for instance. This will associate happy good things with her.
And lots of cuddling.

How did this dog greet your sister and her kids before they took it home? Did your sister watch it interact with the 5yr old it lived with? Do his vet record make any mention of nipping (I would hope she got the doctor's notes for this dog.)

What is your sister looking for in a dog? Do they want a dog that is comfortable traveling with them, going to the park, etc. and can be trusted when the kids have friends running and playing in the house? How dog savvy are her kids? How bad were the bites? Was there teeth/skin contact, marks left, blood drawn? Did the dog growl or warn or just go for the kids?

Frankly, to place a dog with a 3 yr old, I'd look for a dog with a confident but submissive personality. It should not only tolerate, but enjoy being handled. I also look for a dog that ENJOYS children. Some of them get that extra light in their eye and wag in their tail when they see kids. This doesn't sound like that kind of dog.

Lets tackle this one thing at a time.
It is quite possible that your dog is not food oriented. My dog will go for a good day without eating, being stressed - longer. So I would not worry to much about that part. Next - this dog is probably not eating its normal food, so it is taking time to adjust to the new diet.
My first action would be to take the dog to the vet. Make certain there is no physcial issues with the dog, pain and or eye problems.
You might want to go out and get yourself some rescue remedy to help your pup through the first week or so of adjustment.
I would recommend that you take your dog for leash walking a couple of times a day, make certain it is not the same person each day. This leash walking is very important, it establishes you as the top dog in your dogs world. You might also check out a dog training class. Socialization will be good for your pup, training will help all involved especially your dog, DOXIES have a tendency to try and take over everything, they want to be the boss. I dont know where you live, but if you can locate an organization which provides terriers with trials on what ethey are famous for, theat would be a great assest to your pups life. These organizations have a yard where they have created tunnels they actaully create like an underground maze, at the end of one of the tunnels is a caged rat or rabbit or other prey animal. The dogs are timed when they go down the tunnel, and are clocked when they have located the caged animal and when they have gotten back to the start. It is a fascinating obstable course to watch. Most all terriers are encouraged to join. And of course nobody is hurt. The rats used are use to the dogs coming down this tunnel, sniffing them, giving them a bark and heading away again.
1 Any suggestions for anything that will make this transition easier for Diesel? Leash walking, taking this slowly, talking to the dog. Obviously calling him out of his crate for anything (you should always make the dog come to you anyway instead of going to the dog - in the dogs mind you are a lesser creature if you go to them)
2 He will not be allowed to bite, she let him by with it figuring its the first 24 hours and she knows he is frightened and its reflex when he is scared. How to handle it if it keeps up? Tell him no bite. If you get scared of your dog he is going to pick up on it and take advantage of it. If you need to put a choke collar and leash on him in the house, so you can control him. I suspect he will start using the crate as a safety zone and start refusing to come out. Get him out by lifting the back, and tipping him out and close the crate gate if you need to.
3 How long to wait for him to eat? He is drinking and pottying. She is a little concerned but knows it hasn't been 24 hours yet. Dont worry too much about this. good luck and post if you have any other concerns...

He ate a couple bites today so hopefully he starts eating normally. She IS feeding the food that came with him, so its not a diet change. She also knows if she does change his food she needs to do it gradually and mix the old and new together.

I mentioned the cooked chicken and she said he's never been fed "tablefood" and she didn't want to start doing that and was afraid he would get an upset tummy.

She has vet and vacination records. He is not a biter. He did not break the skin at all either time. The first time he bit was when grandson reached out too quickly right after she got home with him. The second time was when he had a Busy Bone in the crate. He did give advance warning which is why DD didn't make a big deal of it. He played the first night with the boys a little while. The owners said he loves kids and gets along fine with them, but I am sure he was in "his" home.No she did not see the 5 year old interact with Diesel. Grandsons have both been around my dogs since they were born. The youngest is am imp, but would not be mean to a dog. The oldest loves to cuddle and watch tv with dogs.
They did go for a walk last night on the leash, he picked up a burr on his foot and was disgusted with my daughter for taking it off. LOL He is her shadow, follows her alot. I am sure she is the least threatening! She has the crate in her room and has told the boys not to pester him and let him come to them.
Thanks for the help. I hope he will start eating normally now that he's taken a few bites.

Sooo glad to hear that!! Sounds like he will be adjusting very quickly. He is a very lucky dog to have someone care so much about him like they do. I'm sure things will continue forward and it's nice to know that he has latched onto your daughter. At least he's comfortable with her and when he sees her reaction with the rest of the family, I'm sure he will be just fine. Relax and enjoy!!! Congratulations to all of you for your new family member. BT

Oh how wonderful and what a relief for you. Most dogs bite because of fear, it is usually an underlying motive for many behavior issues. That poor dog has been through alot. Good to know it is settling in and getting much needed TLC, Kudos to you and your family, keep up the good work.

DD has talked to the former owner and he said it is NOT normal for Diesel to bite. He gets along great with kids of all ages and other dogs too. He said he must really have been out of sorts hopefully tonight he is glad to see them when they get home. I know DD would feel better about it if she just seen a tail wag! She said yesterday he just seemed heartbroken and was afraid he'd not eat and make himself sick. She felt better after seeing he ate like 3/4 cup of food early this mornign.
The boys have also been told they need to sit and let Diesel come to them. In hopes that will help too.
I'm sure I will have another report tonight on her lil man!

I am not sure if someone else mentioned this but the children should be told not to bother the dog if he is in his crate. This is his safe place and should be a signal to them that he is tired or wants to play alone.

I know our nephew does not yet understand this. He will follow our poor dog around and the dog will try to run away. We have to be very vigilant when we have him around the dog. Usually we allow our dog to go into a room and shut the door when we see he wants quiet time.

The kids need to know that the dog can not be bothered in his safe spot. They should never reach into the crate or bother the dog when he is eating.

We have two rescues and it takes a long time (couple of months) for the dog to really feel comfortable. Your daughter just has to be patient. I highly suggest walking and playing with the dog as much as possible. A tired dog is a happy dog! Walking (not being pulled by the dog) also helps build the relationship between the owner and the dog. Maybe have the children take turns holding the leash and having the dog do little tricks for them (sit, heal, stay) for treats.

Also have your daughter and children teach the dog the "drop it" command. Have them give the dog a lot of treats for it. If the dog drops the toy he gets a nice treat.

I am sure he will do wonderful in his new house. He just needs some time to understand what has happened and realize that he has a new family now.

-rj

Things are better today!
He snapped at the 8 year old a couple nights ago. He didn't bite though. 8 year old was trying to close the door to the crate. He's been told to avoid the crate entirely! 3 1/2 year old has been told too. Diesel seems to like the little guy better?! LOL The one who takes his toys and runs screaming thru the house instead of the quiet one who would love to pet you! Go figure. Oldest is a bit nervous when the dogs mouth comes close to his fingers. So who knows what it is, but they now both know to leave the crate alone.
Anyway, this morning Diesel ate his food when he woke up and running around the house with the boys. NO more accidents, he'd only had one though to give him credit.
Gramma was so worried and I think I can relax now.
Oh yes, if he growls or snaps he is told sternly NO! NO BITE!

Poor little guy - what a stressful time for him. Thank you for taking him into your family. It looks like everything's coming along. Just continue to let him come around on his own terms. Doxies are independent and have their own mind, being stubborn when they want to let you know what they want or don't want.

Doxies are very loyal to one or a few people - so he will pick and choose who he determines are his people now. My doxie did not eat the first and last time I left him at a kennel. When he is stressed he will not eat. Make sure the little guy understands he is the lowest on the family's totem pole. Doxies will be quickly dominant in the absence of leadership. Have each child take him on leash walks.