Can a kennel dog be rehabilitated?

[EnglishKai]

About 4 month ago we brought home our second bully. She is about 1.5 yrs old and had been a kennel dog since she was 10 weeks old. I believe someone along the way may have been to hard on her because when certain people ( like my husband) walk into the room to fast she falls over backwards and screams. Yes, screams. Weirdest thing ever, but that's not what the problem is. I can't seem to house train her in anyway. She goes into a crate when unsupervised (for everyone's sanity), we did the same thing when we brought home Kai, she was a kennel dog and she was 3 and was easily house trained. But Jill...nope. I will walk her and walk her and walk her, get up even in the middle of the night to take her out and it doesn't matter. She holds it and comes inside, waits til I leave the room and then pees and poops in her crate or on the floor. At this point I wouldn't care if she at least only pottied on the porch for goodness sake. Can a kennel dog be rehabilitated? I know that it will take time, a lot of time, but it's been 4 months and to not see any improvement whatsoever makes me pretty downhearted. I don't want to give up on, but I also don't want to resent her. Any suggestions? TIA

 

[ddnene]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this... I'm going to tag some members that can help you. Poor girl, sounds like she went thru a rough patch...

 

[brutus77]

I do believe that Jill can be rehabilitated. 4 months is not a long time for a dog that has known nothing else her entire life. I would suggest putting her on a leash at all times in while she is in the house and keep her right by your side. If you see her starting to squat to pee just give a very slight tug on the leash with a stern NO and bring her outside immediately. Decide on a word you are going to use as a potty command only. Every 15-20 mins bring Jill outside to a designated potty spot and use the command word. If you do this on a very consistent basis, she will understand what you expect and will begin to potty outside. We adopted our Frankie from a family that did not understand his energy and crated him all the time as a result. He is 65lbs and his crate was on the smaller side. It took many hours and days of training him to understand what we expected at our house but he did get it. I will tell you while we saw improvement in his behaviors consistently it did take a full year for him to relax and be a truly happy carefree dog. Your hard work with Jill will pay off and you will have a beautiful dog that will appreciate you and your efforts for her happiness. Good luck and god bless for rescuing Jill.

 

[Petra]

Aww, sounds like she needs all the loving she can get. Thank you for adopting her<3

I do believe she can change, but habits are hard to break, even for humans. She had to do her "business" in her kennel all her live, it's what's right for her, it will take time to change that behavior.

When my Bennie was younger he used to get this idea that he must get up in the middle of the night to poop, it went on for weeks and it just didn't stop. So one evening before bed I walked and walked and walked with him until he finally pooped and then as a result he didn't have to go in the night and it stopped

Maybe if possible you guys could take a whole day outside, visiting a park or something. Eventually she wouldn't have a choice but to go outside...

When she finally goes outside make sure you've got treats and lots of praise in store for her<3

 

[Texas Carol]

Well, my question to you is this...what if she doesn't adapt well?
Please don't take offense, I'm not being a smartazz, all of us have
different strengths & weaknesses an different capabilities. Don't
hesitate to get a capable & honest bully rescue involved to rehome
her if need be and before you get completely overwhelmed (not
saying you will). Each dog will respond differently and at a different
rate of time to adjustment. She's still adjusting to her new home &
environment and not fully comfortable or trusting (how could she be).
Most likely is not fully aware or understanding of YOUR expectations
of her.

My 1st adopted bully, Brutus, was crated a lot and passed thru many
owners in his young life. He was not house trained and didn't know
HOW to be a dog. Very anxious to please...it took about 7 months of
calm, patient & reassuring work with him to relax and receive love.
I was home with him so had lots of time to constantly reassure & train
him. The transformation was incredible and way beyond any words to
describe how priceless, our bond so deep & true. And, when I think of
Brutus, my heart fills with joy that he was able to know & have the love
& life EVERY animal should have, to be a member of the family in every
capacity and to have trust in that family. It is an honor, a privilege to see
the amazing transition in them. But...it doesn't come easy or quickly, you
may (or may not) need an experienced trainer to help if it gets bogged down
along the way. Thank you for adopting her & reaching out to bully owners for
help, advice & support...exactly what these great members do best!

Keeping y'all in prayer & cheering y'all along this journey of LOVE...so worth it!

 

[Manydogs]

I definitely believe that she can be trained to potty outside. You can't undo what has been her habit(lack of training) for 1 and 1/2 years, in a couple of months. It is going to take time and persistance on your part. What I would do (though I just do things that have worked for me) is take her out with your other dog each time. Most dogs like to pee where another dog has just peed. When she poops inside,take the poop in the yard,and put it in a place that you want to train her to,so she can smell that area. It will take time and patience. Don't start to resent the poor dog, just think of the sad life she had before you rescued her-she just doesn't understand-she probably was never even TALKED to-she will have to even learn words!Wishing you and her the best! Forgot-make sure you take her out on a leash at first. [MENTION=15510]EnglishKai[/MENTION]

 

[Biscuitsmom]

I think you got some great advice about the potty part but I did want to speak to the abuse part. We adopted a pup from a kill shelter. He was only 9-10 weeks old but whatever human interaction he had (if any) left a permanent mark on him. He was probably abused and then thrown into a kill shelter with who knows how many dogs to fend for himself. He was even food aggressive when we brought him home because they throw one bowl in and they fight for who gets it. Well he is now 6 and still very much afraid of people. He has somewhat warmed up to us but if I accidently raise my voice or move fast he runs. Biscuit my EB picks up on this and is very mean to him which I hate! You have done a great thing giving her a chance! The abuse will take the most time, I agree to keep her on a leash. Make it as if she is a puppy all over again. Good luck!

 

[2BullyMama]

I do believe that Jill can be rehabilitated. 4 months is not a long time for a dog that has known nothing else her entire life. I would suggest putting her on a leash at all times in while she is in the house and keep her right by your side. If you see her starting to squat to pee just give a very slight tug on the leash with a stern NO and bring her outside immediately. Decide on a word you are going to use as a potty command only. Every 15-20 mins bring Jill outside to a designated potty spot and use the command word. If you do this on a very consistent basis, she will understand what you expect and will begin to potty outside. We adopted our Frankie from a family that did not understand his energy and crated him all the time as a result. He is 65lbs and his crate was on the smaller side. It took many hours and days of training him to understand what we expected at our house but he did get it. I will tell you while we saw improvement in his behaviors consistently it did take a full year for him to relax and be a truly happy carefree dog. Your hard work with Jill will pay off and you will have a beautiful dog that will appreciate you and your efforts for her happiness. Good luck and god bless for rescuing Jill.

 

[Hankster]

Just an off the wall thought... Do you have an outdoor area that she can be off leash? I was just talking to a fella that adopted a "kenneled" dog and he was having such a hard time getting to go potty while "on leash" . We spoke of spending time at our "private" dog park to let him sniff and see what other dogs do. It did help and it's starting to smooth out for him. We started by letting him run loose, potty, and then returns to that same spot *on* a leash the next time. I would also, but this is just me, right after feeding, have his kennel outside, and let him do his thing if need be, but at least he would do business out of doors, and take it from there. Sounds weird maybe but stranger things have helped