She just needs your time and patience - everything is foreign to her, and she is confused.

I can give you a perfect example: my sister and I were placed in a foster home at a young age - we wouldn't eat at first, and we wouldn't respond to 'mom's' commands - we just were scared to death. We missed all our familiar routines and surroundings. It took about a month for us to have enough confidence to interact with the family who so graciously gave us a home.

Your dog is the same - she is frightened, but when she is with your brother's dog, she's found something she can communicate with and relate to. Please just work with her and be kind and patient - she sounds wonderful!

I took my dog to obedience school, which is just as much training for the masters as it is for the dogs. Your dog must associate its name and coming back to you with pleasure. When you want your dog to come to you, wave a slice of balogna (or any favorite food) and give it when the dog approaches you. My dog doesn't like biscuits, but she LOVES balogna and cheese. You say your dog's not much interested in food, find something he likes.

Maybe get her a loud squeeky toy. Sammie only comes when I squeek one of his squeeky toys. Just because he is afraid Pawle will get it.

Gayle

We adopted a year old dog that had been struggling to survive on the streets for a while. He wasn't interested in food either. I boiled a little chicken or scrambled an egg and he reacted to both. I understand you not wanting to get her started on that type of food, but just to see if she really is hungry or there might be something physically wrong, you might try the chicken. I've never seen any animal not respond to cooked chicken.

Maybe she is used to cheap dog food?? Try it, then you can slowly transition her over to better quality food.I agree with the special treat when you call her to get her to come.

As for not coming when you call her...you probably already do this...but use a very friendly voice and make a big fuss over her when she comes to you. I've heard people yell their dog's name...and it sounds anything but friendly. Also, you can put her on a long lead....call her in a very friendly voice, pull her to you, and make a big fuss over her...lots of praise.

I trained my impossible dog to come when called when I moved out of the city and actually have some land for him to run on.

We used a 30 foot leash. Allow the dog to run on the leash. Have LOTS of treats she like with you. Call her to you and reel her in with the leash, praising her when she gets to you. Make her sit and treat. Make sure she hears you say "Lucy, Come." This will take a few weeks, but it's worth it! We never thought Reilly would learn to come when called, and he did...at age 7! Good luck :)

I surfed around on the internet and found the idea about the long leash, Bearcat. I have also been reading a book by the dog whisperer. The long leash worked really well! She did so good this morning. My BIL's dog came across the road and they took off, but Lucy got a mighty jerk when she got to the end of the long leash! She came three times when I called her! She is also getting used to her name.

Shoot! I just took a pic of her but when I tried to upload my battery went dead! I'll post it after the batteries charge up!

Thanks again, everyone.

I finally found a treat she likes--it's these stinky fake bacon strips. I cut them up in small pieces. She didn't like those dog biscuits!

She is still not eating much. She seems to be more interested in food when we are at the table so her previous owners must have fed her from the table. We don't do that. She does eat, just not very much and usually only once a day.

I am no dog expert, but I do think all of the above advice is bang on. You might try giving her just a bit of table scraps on top of the dog food and see if that motivates her to eat.
I kind of think if she's hungry, she'll eat, so I wouldn't worry too much about that unless she seems to be listless or distressed otherwise.
How is she getting along with Blossom?
Suzan J

I know this will not be a popular opinion, but a dog trainer told me not to get a rescue dog. There are reasons they have been not been kept by their owner. Usually have picked up bad habits and may be untrainable.

Just like people...everyone needs to be loved. If you get a "rescue" it could possibly be a tough time of training. So, it isn't for everyone.

Thank goodness for us, who care enough to work on giving "rescues" a healthy happy home.

Big..there is lots of wonderful advice here, and I would like to add a few tips of my own. We recently adopted a puppy, and although he's a charmer, and a food pig lol, there are a few things we had to get used to.

Table scraps are fine, as long as puppy is eating AFTER or AWAY from the table. NO ONIONS, and grapes and raisins are no no's.

We added canned wet food, to his kibble, and are slowly weaning down to just kibble. He was weaned far too early, and had a few issues around being bulk fed, where he had to fight for his share.

We use cat kibble as a "come" treat. He thinks he's struck it rich, as he's supposedly never allowed near the cat food (which is now on the kitchen table due to resident food pig lol)

The 30 ft leash is a wonder, but try not to use the "string" type retractables. The dogs tend to get tangled, and get severe rope burns around the ankles etc. Instead try the flat nylon leads that trail behind, and you can step on the end should the puppy get too far away, or you want to correct behavior.

We were very lucky that we have a very obedient dog, EXCEPT for the recall outside. He's beagle/husky, and both breeds follow their noses, and are independant thinkers. He will never be a dog that's let loose outside.. EVER LOL.

I hope you enjoy learning and sharing the new life with your canine furfriend! It's rewarding, frustrating, and incredibly fun... all at the same time!

Oh, and for a quiet 1/2 hr, buy a kong (rubber, stuffable chewtoy). We fill ours with peanut butter, cooked carrots, leftovers, kibble, and all sorts of "stuff" He hated it at first as he was unable to gulp the treats, but he's learning! Pack the kong loosely for the first couple of times, and they soon learn the knack of dropping, chewing, and bashing the kong to release the goodies.

Oh, and those bacon strip things.. are ok.. but tend to make the dogs really thirsty. Extra water offerings, will be a must.

Good luck! Kym and Bernie

Suzan, I have been trying to keep her away from Blossom because when they are together they run all over the place and don't pay any attention to anyone! We are afraid that they will get hit by cars. Plus, at this time when I'm trying to train her I don't want her thinking that she can just take control. I think Blossom is a little too headstrong anyway and Lucy just follows her anywhere.

Here is our Dear Doggy Lucy today!

Jonesy, I'd bet that trainer that told you that raises dogs to sell, because the info he gave you is crap. The sad truth is more people are incapable of training a dog than you may realize. Not everyone is a good owner. All of my dogs have been rescues, and I have had many dogs. I expect my dogs to mind explicitly, and all are trained. True, some rescues have been through hell...and I am sure there are some psychotic dogs that can't be trained, but the majority of them will respond if worked with patiently and consistently. Animals suffer because of people's ignorance, and psychotic people will make psychotic dogs, but most rescued dogs aren't psychotic...they have usually just been neglected.

Dogs will eat when they are hungry. You put the food down twice a day at the same time. If they do not immediately scarf it down you take it away after 15 minutes. Then you do not feed them until the next meal. No treats. Not even dog treats except for training. They will not die from fasting for twelve hours or even a day or so.

If that expensive food happens to be "Science Diet" I am not surprised the dog won't touch it. Many won't. A good quality dog food need not be expensive. Pedigree is a good regular brand. Max Nutro is another bit "higher" end brand most dogs love.

I disagree with adding table scraps at this point to make a dog eat. It should be trained to accept dog kibble first. Many a bit of canned added, but no people food until it eats all its dog food unless you want to spend a lifetime "cooking" for your dog and are willing to take the time to learn proper nutrition and mess with all the bottles of supplements you will need to add to a human diet.

Make sure the food you buy has the proper ratio of protein and fat for the size, age and fitness level of the dog. Find a brand it likes and go from there.

Recall is always the hardest thing to teach. There are so many wonderful smells and distractions out there. Keep up the work with the long leash.

Agree with you there wildchild, about the tablescraps. Sorry to have mislead, I forgetting the part about being a little picky. We don't seem to have that issue here, just more of a "panic" eater, as our pup was fostered with 17 other pups, and a bucket of kibble lol.. Had to laugh at the Pedigree comment..I have the same reaction to the Iams anything.. if it's going to make me green around the gills, my dog isn't getting it.. Although the bucket of Nutro Max Lamb sitting in the cupboard drives both the dog AND cats nuts.. the smell is something else. Puts you in mind of a roast lamb dinner.

Bigbaby.....First of all, Lucy is beautiful!
Secondly, our dog did not eat well either. I used to feed him the best food. He seemed to like soft food rather than hard, so I combined mostly soft food with a few nuggets in it. Anyway, I also switched from the expensive food to the less expensive brand, and he actually liked that better. It takes time and patience, but Lucy will eventually fall into your routines! Good Luck!

I Love Lucy! She is so beautiful, I just adore her big brown eyes!
Wildchild, you reminded me of when I bought Iams brand cat food for MouCat, he wouldn't even sniff it, just looked at it and walked a wide circle around his plate...lol. It was pretty funny with him looking at me like I'm nuts...
went back to Fancy Feast and he's a happy guy again.
Suzan J

When my Dad passed away his Lhasa Penny be became ours. She wouldn't eat dog food (she ate what he ate) so she went hungry for three days. On the fourth day she decided to eat dry dog food. A dog will not starve it's self.
When we adopted Peati we stopped at the feed and grain store on the way home and I bought a 40# bag of Iams. She ate it the first two days but wouldn't eat it after that, I called our vet and she told me that most dogs don't find it paletable. I've been feeding her Nutro products (dog treats too) for 7 years. She gets no human food and lays on her bed while we eat. Our vet also told us no rawhide or soft treats they soften and can get stuck in a dog's intestines. Peati's fav is baby carrots. They are sweet and crunchy and good for her.

Lucy is so pretty, I wish you good luck with her.

When you adopted her, was her name already Lucy, or did you rename her?

Instead of working on recall, I suspect you need to work on teaching her/re-teaching her "name". We learned this in obedience class when one of our members had a rescue and wanted to change its name.

You and Lucy should be in a room with limited distractions (outside=too many distractions). Have a handful of something tasty to use as treats, 20 or so. Tiny pieces of cooked chicken is a great idea. Say her name...when she looks at you, say "GOOD!" and give her a treat. Do not make her sit, do not make her come, just reward her everytime she looks at you. Repeat until you are out of treats.

The end result should be that she will look at you when you say "Lucy". Once you have done this, recall training might be easier.

With respect to the food, I agree with others. She will eat when she is hungry. As long as the vet has given her a clean bill of health, I wouldn't worry about not eating. Just offer her food 2x a day and don't give table scraps.

PS. She looks like she has border collie in her? Very pretty girl.

Things are going well for the most part. We have been using the long leash with mixed results. She does well until one of the neighbor's dogs comes over and then.....total distraction! Some days she comes and some days she doesn't. I've been working with her based on a book I got from the library by Cesar Milan.

I'll try that with the treats, Cindy, to try to get her to recognize when I am calling her. Lucy was not her name, we don't know what her name was. She was picked up on the streets, adopted for four days and brought back because the man said she snapped at their 4 year old. We have not seen any behavior like that whatsoever, even with our 3 year old grandbaby petting her. She is a real sweetheart and very smart. We suspect that the previous children weren't very nice.

I finally broke down and bought her some canned food. She was literally eating only about a small cup of food a day. I mixed the canned with her kibble and she wolfed it down! I she was probably fed from the table because she always seems really interested when we are eating, but I don't like feeding pets people food. I'll try to slowly back her down to kibble only.

Lucy is my second rescue dog. My first one was a wonderful dog and already trained as well.

Thanks for all the tips!

When I got Jake two years ago, it took him about 6 months to settle in. He was picked up as a stray. He had to learn my rules and my routine. We did go to obedience training right away and that helped a lot.

Big, Lucy is adorable. It sounds like you are making significant progress.

Also, please be aware that a number of trainers disagree with Cesar Milan's training approach, especially that of finger jabs or choke collars. I imagine that he has some good information, just be aware that some of his methods may be too harsh. I've included a link at the bottom.

I personally prefer the training that we used when training our dogs to be therapy dogs. We used positive reinforcement, including using treats. I had been told about 20 years ago not to use food as a training tool, because the dog would not do a behavior unless he/she there was a food reward. I have not had that experience.

Jonesy,

I appreciate your courage in posting what you thought might be an unpopular opinion.

My experience has been very different. Over the years, we have had 7 rescue dogs (we have 4 of them right now), and we have had a lot less work than we did when we had a puppy (same breed as the rescues). Two of the current bunch are even animal therapy dogs. A lot of people will give dogs up for reasons other than a behavior problem.

We worked with a rescue organization that put the dogs through a very careful evaluation before putting them up for adoption.

Big, good luck with Lucy's training.

Here is a link that might be useful: Critque of Cesar Milan

Lynn....very interesting article!

We have an adopted greyhound who raced until she was 4 years old. Then, she sat unadopted for 6 months before we found her. She was very shy and was afraid of so many things...she had never been in a house before, did know what steps were for, had to be house trained, etc. Fortunately, the greyhound rescue groups provide a lot of information about how to handle all of these things...there is a "Adopted Greyhounds for Dummies" book, too.

Anyway...IMHO, patience and positive reward work best with rescues. They need to learn that they can trust their new owners and that you will care for them, protect them and love them. Since you've had other rescues, you have experience with building a bond.

You're doing a lot of good things for Lucy, just give her some time to bond with you and your family. Our greyhound didn't have to learn a new name, but since Lucy must do that, it will take longer for her to learn that you want HER.

If you can take the time, take her on walks for several months before turning her loose again. She is getting excited and distracted and doesn't know to pay attention to your voice when she's off running around.

Positively reinforce the use of her name on the walks. Try not to scold her in conjunction with her name. A firm "no" without the use of her name connected will help her understand the command. Use "Lucy good" in a happy voice as often as possible.

Since she understands other commands, give her healthy treat rewards and ask her to sit, stay, lay down ...frequently so that you can use her name in a positive way and give her a reward for each successful command.

I think the biggest challenge with any dog is to get the communication thing going...then, it works out. Right now, the two of you aren't synchronized on communication. You want her to understand your methods of communication. It's like she has to learn a new language...that's the best analogy that I can think of. She's a "foreigner" in a new country and she needs to understand the residents! :-)

Best wishes,
Cameron

Thanks, Lynne, for the advice and article link. That's really helpful. I wasn't sure how long to keep her on a leash so that's good to know. I have been using a short leash for part of our walk and then a long leash later so she can explore. I have been letting her play with the other dogs who come over at that time. I'm not sure that's the right thing to do or not! Do you know of a book, Lynne, that would help us?

I think we have confused Lucy by using her name in a number of situations and I am planning on using cindy's suggestion tomorrow when I have time to do it. We should probably just say her name when we want her to come, right?

And, Cameron, you are so right with the communication thing! Every now and then we will be talking and her ears perk up! We think, aha!, another word she knows!

I am so happy with Lucy. She is a great dog and thanks to you all for your helpful suggestions. This forum has been a godsend for me and Lucy!

Sue

Sue,

You are very welcome.
I'm trying to remember the names of some good books. In the meantime, I found a good summary of the Positive Reinforcement Technique at the humane society page.

Here is a link that might be useful: Positive Reinforcement for Dogs

Sue,

One more note on the name issue. Our trainer told us that most owners over-use their dog's name. Never use it when you scold, or just for random moments (I was guilty of both of these). Think of trying to use her name only when you want her to pay attention to you.

And I just feel like I have to say I am a huge fan of Cesar Millan. I know he irks some trainers, but I have used his methods on my young rescue dog with a great deal of success. When you read his book, think of his methods as being useful for behavior modification and not for training.

I explain it to people as similar to the difference between manners and academics for children. Cesar's methods help teach manners (by helping the owner to communicate on the dog's level); a regular dog trainer teaches academics. I used Cesar's methods when raising Sawyer, but also combined it with going through a regular series of obedience classes.

Sue,
Here are two books I recommend The Other End of the Leash (Paperback) by Patricia McConnell (Author)
and
Good Owners, Great Dogs

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Good Owners, Great Dogs [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)
by Brian Kilcommons (Author), Sarah Wilson

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She's so beautiful!!! You've got some great advice- we've done lots of it and eventually it does work. :)

I'm another who adopted rescue animals. Our cat sat in a Haven 250 miles away for six months until we found her picture online. When we went to pick her up, she was skittish, almost feral, and scared. Poor baby! We brought her home, cleaned her up and she has been the most loving, sweet, precious kitty EVER! When the kids cry if they've hurt themselves, she comes running! She cleans the dog's face and lays all over us. :)

Our dog is also a rescue that we just couldn't live without. He worries if we cough too hard, (thinks we're choking), herds the kids from the street (without nipping, LOL!), smarter than a whip and is soooooo loving! But both of them had issues when we first got them and just worked through stuff. :) I know Lucy will work out, especially since you sound so vigilant in your training, BB.

Blessings!
Haley