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Expect that his real personality (likes and dislikes) won't fully show until 2-3 weeks later.
Set your rules and boundaries at the start and stick to it. Is he allowed on the couch? On the bed?
Designated spot for eating, where the kids won't bother him and no foot traffic. It can be in his crate, the laundrt room, or somewhere quiet. Not the kitchen. Mealtime should never start and end stressful. This can lead to food insecurities, which results in food possesiveness or aggression. Kids love to pet the dog while he eats but tha is a no no.
Set schedule for feeding and walks. The more predictable things are for him, the better.
Separation anxiety is a real, common problem. You may start to see small signs in about 3 weeks or so when he is bonded to the main caregiver. It can be whining while you are out of his sight, following you from room to room, etc. This can progress to more severe anxiety like chewing up the house or crate, howling, extreme distress,etc... upon your leaving him alone at the house. Your dog may only show the minor symptoms and be okay. Or, it may get as bad as hurting himself to get to you, which is rare but it happens. Crate training do not thwarts this anxiety, it may soothe his stress but the anxiety remains. Which leads to me last point:
From day one, do not be clingy with your dog and do not allow him to cling unto you. He may seek confirmation from you that all is fine by a pet on his head. You may give him kisses and hugs. But he needs to earn most of his rewards by simple tasks, like sitting, staying and being calm. Do not greet him every time in an overly excited manner. Wait 5 minutes, make eye contact and say hi, pet him on the head. Spend time leaving him home alone too. This will teach him that your return is not a big deal and that you do come back.
Do not be afraid to ask for help using force free methods and positive reinforcement.
Chewy.com is your best friend when it comes to ordering pet food and supplies.
A lot has transpired over the past two days. Cheesenugget, wish I read your post earlier about clinginess. He's innately velcro but we can be a little bit more low key.
Still a work in progress! Found out the other day that I need to go easy on the walks since he's a senior. It's a classic case of him having a lot of stamina in the first part of the walk but then tiring easily. I don't want to push him too hard. Also he is now being a picky eater. As far as transitioning goes, he is really great. Our Golden, bless his heart, took months. This dog really seems to want to fit in and is very treat motivated, so that goes a long way. We are going to schedule training soon so that we can all communicate with each other. We've already taught him "sit" and "gentle" and "kennel". It's just fun being with him....
A lot has transpired over the past two days. Cheesenugget, wish I read your post earlier about clinginess. He's innately velcro but we can be a little bit more low key.
Still a work in progress! Found out the other day that I need to go easy on the walks since he's a senior. It's a classic case of him having a lot of stamina in the first part of the walk but then tiring easily. I don't want to push him too hard. Also he is now being a picky eater. As far as transitioning goes, he is really great. Our Golden, bless his heart, took months. This dog really seems to want to fit in and is very treat motivated, so that goes a long way. We are going to schedule training soon so that we can all communicate with each other. We've already taught him "sit" and "gentle" and "kennel". It's just fun being with him....
Can you PLEASE post a pic? Adopted senior dogs are a personal favorite of mine!
Can you PLEASE post a pic? Adopted senior dogs are a personal favorite of mine!
Sure!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JrzDefector
I may have to steal the name Voodoo for my next Catahoula...
Lol!
Well third day today and unfortunately voodoo peed on the wood floor. This wasn't due to the urge to urinate as he usually warns us when he needs to go potty. We're at a loss as to why this happened. He just lifted his leg by the bannister and let er rip. My husband wiped the pee up but now we're concerned about him returning to that same spot and peeing. Any suggestions? We really felt good that we reinforced his housetraining but now this happened :/
A lot has transpired over the past two days. Cheesenugget, wish I read your post earlier about clinginess. He's innately velcro but we can be a little bit more low key.
Still a work in progress! Found out the other day that I need to go easy on the walks since he's a senior. It's a classic case of him having a lot of stamina in the first part of the walk but then tiring easily. I don't want to push him too hard. Also he is now being a picky eater. As far as transitioning goes, he is really great. Our Golden, bless his heart, took months. This dog really seems to want to fit in and is very treat motivated, so that goes a long way. We are going to schedule training soon so that we can all communicate with each other. We've already taught him "sit" and "gentle" and "kennel". It's just fun being with him....
I LOVE you for adopting a SENIOR. I did too as I could not commit to 10-15 years of dog ownership.
I use plain Cheerios in a treat ball as they have no dyes/preservatives etc, are lo-cal compared to actual treats and low cost as well! I do not use treats in general, just when she's left alone, in a treat ball, for distraction.
I have always cooked my own dog food, you may consider if he is a picky eater. I make a batch and it lasts 3 weeks (I freeze in small Tupperwares) as she is 4lb, when I had two 65lb dogs a batch lasted a week so it's not like you have to cook daily. It really is easy peasy. I add eggs WITH shell then crush em up in the pot with the meat/starch/veg.
Edit: re the urinating. Could be territorial marking now that he's more relaxed in the home. Less likely but possible: UTI.
All this advice and I didn't follow any of it and have had not one problem. However, I did merge a rescue three year old male Malamute in a family that had a four year female and myself.
Well can't explain the urination thing. Maybe it was territorial marking (he is fixed). Our last dog peed in the house three times in his life, so keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the same!
He's been here almost a week. Trying to juggle the rabbit who thinks he's a cat (he LOVES...craves...attention from humans) and the velcro dog who must have us in his sight at all times.
Adjustment can be intense, but it feels so good to have a house with pets again after six years.
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Adopted senior dogs are a personal favorite of mine!
