My dog Tuffy, an update...
Thought I'd share an update on our little puppy mill mama survivor Tuffy that we adopted back in January. She's doing great! She still doesn't want to be touched at all, but she's come out of her safe spot in the dining room corner more and more. She's currently curled up in the office with me... against the wall, but still in the same room so I'm happy with that progress!
She absolutely LOVES being outside! She has a routine where she will sniff and potty and then when it's time to come in, she goes to the end of the yard and races down the fence line and turns the corner and races over and up the steps. I call it the Tuffy Speedway.
Just seeing her learning to be a real dog and a member of a family brings us so much joy. To see her running around the backyard with her little ears flopping and her bunny hop of a run - she's too cute!
I joined a great group on FB called Puppy Mill to Pet where we share a lot of advice and stories. It's good to know that a lot of her problems are the same ones others have. Some get over them and some don't. I'm hopeful some day she will enjoy being petted and held. But if not, the fact that she comes over and touches my finger with her nose is still huge and I love it every time she does it!
Here's a picture of when we first got her
This is a few weeks ago - the urine stain discoloration is pretty much gone
And, after I gave her a haircut... best I could do with my husband holding her and me clipping her. Not a great job, but she pranced around afterwards. I think less hair felt good to her!
Comments (32)
Related Discussions
Update: adopted dog with separation anxiety
Comments (4)Well I don't know what to tell you other than it sounds like the crate that was used was either not sturdy enough or not assembled properly. I have an adopted dog that used to get very anxious when I would leave. To this day he often curls up by the door that I walk out of and waits there the whole time by the door until I come back but not always. Before he demonstrated he could be trusted alone in the house he had to stay in his crate. I made the crate a very rewarding place to be because he got Kongs stuffed with peanut butter, slices of bread and other goodies to work on while I was away. Fun fun fun. And it involves chewing so he'd calm down. Then by the time the Kongs are cleaned out he's wiped out and in need of a nap. The crate should be used frequently before you actually have to leave the dog alone. Feeding the dog in the crate and giving him treats for going in there teaches the dog that being in the crate is a reward and not a punishment. It should never be a punishment. Dogs do not know what cages are. They see wire or chainlink like walls of their safe little cave. But humans know what cages are and have preconceived notions about cages being cruel. If this is the case, decorate the room that the crate is in with happy doggie related decorations so that there is a feeling of happiness that overwhelms any wire cage crulety feeling the dog owner may have. This is solely for the owner. After a while he graduated to bedroom and had freedom to the entire bedroom. Then eventually the whole house. Then it just becomes up to the dog. The first night I gave my older boy rights to the whole house and an open crate, he wandered around for about 30 minutes then guess where he decided to sleep.... He went back in the crate all on his own decision. These things take time. After a while the dog will start to figure out that the human is coming back. Setting up a routine helps....See MoreUpdated pics of my dogs
Comments (5)Thanks all ... they really are quite a pair. When they finally relax, they lay side-by-side so they're touching each other. Kim, they do take turns taking each other down ... and yes, I tell Rocky all the time to be gentler with Lily. She often has soggy ears from him grabbing them. But doesn't seem to mind ......See MoreGood update on my dog, I think...
Comments (18)Excellent news! Try to keep her from overdoing it, though, as the pain meds will mask the pain before whatever is hurt has time to heal. Also, certain pain meds are bad for their liver, so don't be surprised if they want to recheck her blood occasionally, should she be put on a regular pain med. We have a dog on Tramadol now, but she's been on others that caused elevations and had to be switched around some....See MoreUpdate on Thundershirt for Scared Dog
Comments (19)Chisue this is the direct quotes from the thundershirts website which is where I got the term swaddling, from them. Perhaps the info directly from the website will help. SAFE - Applies gentle, constant pressure, similar to swaddling an infant. EASY TO USE - Just put it on and watch the results. No training required. EFFECTIVE - Over 80% success rate as reported by thousands of families, vets and trainers. MANY USES - For all types of anxiety, fear, and over excitement issues. Anytime calming may help, a ThunderShirt may help. SCIENTIFICALLY STUDIED - Independently by Dr. Temple Grandin and other scientists. DRUG-FREE - No medications... just safe, comfortable pressure. POSITIVE SOLUTION - Most dogs love to wear ThunderShirts! INEXPENSIVE - A fraction of the cost of medications, training... or destroyed furniture From real world experience helping millions of dogs and cats, we know that ThunderShirts help for over 80% of cases. That is why we can offer a money-back guarantee. ThunderShirt's patented design applies a gentle, constant pressure on a dog's or cat's torso. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years. Prior to ThunderShirt, there just wasn't an easy and safe way to do so for our dogs and cats. It is believed by many experts that this type of pressure works in a similar manner to swaddling an infant or people with autism using pressure to reduce persistent anxiety....See More- 6 years ago
happy2b…gw