How to help a rescue dog overcome its past

May 20, 2010 5:30 AM

Help my family learn how to raise a great dog that was saved from an Amish puppy mill.

My parents are adopting a 6-week-old Puggle that was rescued from an Amish puppy mill (we're in Ohio) mere moments before he was about to be drowned because he was perceived to be unhealthy.

This puppy is actually healthy overall except that the vet says he has a neurological disorder that will cause him to "walk funny" at times when his neurons are misfiring (hence why he and his entire litter were about to be drowned)*. This is our first rescue and he is coming into a group of dogs who are all pretty well balanced. My parents already have a Yorkie and a Cairn Terrier, I have a Shi-poo (Shih-Tzu/Poodle cross), and my brother has a Bichon Frise, who all play with each other regularly with no major problems. My parents' Yorkie, Pixel, is your typical dominant terrier.

My questions are:

Will Pixel's dominance create problems with a rescue?

Are there any special things that we can do to transition the Puggle into our dog pack? What are your tips/anecdotes/stories about raising a rescue dog? Anything and everything will help us raise a great dog. Thanks in advance.

*Note: all the puppies in the litter were saved. Yay!

posted by ThaBombShelterSmith to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

Best answer: Well, puppy mill dogs can have their own special problems, apart from the rescue part of things. But the fact that he's a puppy bodes extremely well for his relatively problem-free integration into the pack. Older dogs who've spent years in cages or cramped quarters, or pushing out litter upon litter, are the ones who really suffer.

Pixel might be the one to watch. He may start marking in the house (or lose his housebreaking manners completely) for a while, until his dominance is re-established. Or, since New Guy is a young puppy (and probably still smaller than Pixel?) the dominance issue may not be a problem at all. If the beagle part of New Guy is very strong, Pixel may not appreciate having New Guy's nose up his butt all day long (literally and figuratively).

I've known one dog with a neurological disorder that caused her to walk funny and have periodic seizures. Her condition came on later in life, and it caused the other two dogs in the family no end of concern when suddenly their old friend wasn't running around and playing like before. Eventually though, things settled down.

Good for you for rescuing a dog!
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:45 AM on May 20, 2010

Best answer: I should have added: If Pixel is really dominant, things may actually go pretty smoothly, because he will let New Guy know what's what, and there probably won't be much disturbance in the force.

If Pixel is always reestablishing his dominance among the other dogs, then you might have some flurry of activity as the new pecking order is developed.

Watch the other dogs, and give them space when New Guy is being too nosy (as puppies in general, and beagles in particular, usually are).
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:48 AM on May 20, 2010

A 6-week old puppy who hasn't been mistreated or abandoned isn't what's usually termed a "rescue" animal, is it? I mean, great that you saved him from drowning, but none of the usual learned-behavior issues with rescue animals are going to apply here.
posted by ook at 5:55 AM on May 20, 2010

Response by poster: Ook, well, he came from a puppy mill, so I suspect that his neurological disorders came from overbreeding within the puppy mill. I understand that 6-weeks-old is not old enough for lasting damage, but he was rescued. Semantics, I suppose.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 6:25 AM on May 20, 2010

Best answer: This is a good article about what to expect when your rescue puppy comes home.

P.S. Good on you and your folks.
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:34 AM on May 20, 2010

Best answer: Regardless of the rescue aspect, you should know that the Puggle is the nitro-burning funny car of puppies. It's great that you have a lot of other dogs to teach him the ropes and for him to play with.
posted by rocketpup at 10:04 AM on May 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Your rescued an animal from death. Also, who knows what these people did in 6 weeks that was out of the norm, parts of dog's behavior gets established before that. Yes, you have a rescue. And thank you for that.

I agree that having a pecking order already established is a good thing. The puppy will be too young to challenge it.

But above that, YOU are the leader. As long as you set the rules for all of them and are clear, you should be fine. Do not allow them to make the decisions. For example, if two of your dogs are fighting for dominance, you should be able to tell them to stop, and they should instantly stop, as you are the decision maker.
posted by Vaike at 10:21 AM on May 20, 2010 [1 favorite]