Author Topic: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears  (Read 6906 times)

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Offline revis

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2017, 05:40:11 PM »
Well done for giving Amber her home.We have had Maggiewho came from Dogs Trust Bridgend and Jesie from MT .Both so different. Maggie came to no other dog here. She found things easier but it took 1 year and lots of treats for her to go near my husband. 2days after coming fromWales she went to DT fun day and won waggiest tail in the show. Jessie came very nervous of everything circled the garden for days. Now 3.6 years on she is better but still very frightened.when anyone comes to the house she circles al the time. She is too nervous to go for a walk if I manage to get her out she circles my feet. She relied onMaggie a lot but sadly Maggie went to rainbow bridge 3 weeks ago . Now to get her to come into the garden I often have to put the lead on. When ever or where ever Maggie went she would go too. . I am always telling her that no one will hurt her any more. By the sound of things Amber is doing well it all takes time and some take logger than others.

Offline sodpot2000

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2017, 02:24:19 PM »
Much the same things we had with Annie when we got her from Many Tears last spring. Scared of people but especially men. Frightened of feet. If I walk towards her she will scoot. On the other hand, she has now decided that I am probably not an axe-murderer and will happily cuddle up with me on a sofa and go out with me for a walk.

I would be nervous to let her off anywhere that wasn't secure. It would only take something unexpected to flip her into panic and then I think she would just run with no regard for her own safety. That said she is as happy as could be and just loves being out with 'her pack'.

Please don't use the pebbles in a tin. The last thing you want is her to associate you with something scary. At the end of the day, if she turns out to be a noisy little devil ... what of it? It beats running and hiding.

Offline Finvarra

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2017, 04:01:10 PM »
https://youtu.be/0vtn8NhofOw

Have a look at this video on YouTube. If you teach the 'bark' command along with the opposite 'quiet' command, she will get the hang of what 'quiet' actually means. This may not be helpful straightaway as she is barking in excitement, but it's a very useful thing to train. Don't think the tin and pebbles would help much.

Lovely to read of her progress though  :D

Lesley and Dylan
Remembering All the dogs of my life, especially Milo

Offline Joules

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2017, 05:33:25 PM »
Sounds like she is doing really well and making great progress :clapping:

But PLEASE do not use the pebbles in a tin suggestion, or any other aversive method.  As a site COL promotes only positive, reward based training methods.  ;)

Given that she is still so nervous and is making slow progress, anything that gives her cause to be fearful of you or her new surroundings is bound to do more harm than good and could undo all your hard work so far. It is important to reward her for good behaviour, rather than punishing her when she does something you do not like.  No doubt at the puppy farm, they were left to bark, so it may be a hard habit to stop.  :-\ 

Cockers are a vocal breed, but if it is a problem, you can train her to "speak" to order and then "quiet" - rewarding at each point.  Have you tried distracting her from the things that she tends to bark at with a tasty treat or game?  Distract her when she is in the situations that cause her to bark and reward her for being calm.  If she is reluctant to take treats from your hand at the moment, you can try throwing them on the ground near her.

To be honest, given her background, anything that suggests she is becoming more confident in her new environment sounds like a good thing, but like everything else, time and patience are the answer. 

You may not be able to solve all her "issues", but it sounds like you are doing brilliantly so far 
Julie and Watson

Offline villierschris

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #19 on: November 10, 2017, 07:50:41 PM »
At three month point with Amber, have started dog obedience classes with her but not sure if it’s really for her if I’m honest! She is quite bewildered by the whole thing, and after 3months is getting used to us but doesn’t respond or want to please the way the puppies do within the class. She still doesn’t even always respond to us saying her name even at home. Anyone out there taken  their ‘special dog’  (don’t want to keep labelling her ex breeder!) to obedience classes?




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Offline ips

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2017, 08:36:45 PM »
I have no experience but I would imagine that these girls would be at there happiest one to one with there new loving family 👍
Muddling along in the hope that one day it all makes sense.

Offline ejp

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #21 on: November 11, 2017, 10:28:24 AM »
No, I don't take Lara to classes. She learnt more from Max and Bertie than from anywhere else. I know what you mean about wanting to please, that is a good description. These dogs have never had a puppy hood so often lack the social skills we expect to see. Amber coping with being in a class is fantastic on its own. Not sure Lara would have at that point. Lovely to hear of her progress  :luv:

Offline phoenix

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #22 on: November 12, 2017, 08:41:28 PM »
I can't see how old she is.   
My experience with with   well cared for, reject  kennelled Springers from a pedigree breeder , has demonstrated that even they take two years to resemble 'normal'.  Even then they prefer to hide behind a tree than say hello to other dogs. .
Mine had no understanding of scents, shadows and freedom.   You absolutely cannot hurry the process. Baby steps  please.
RIP Marti  the EPI springer age 12,  and beloved black cocker Bobby, 8 yrs old, too soon, from PLN.
Now owned by TInker, tiny hairy grey poodle/terrier rescue from Greece and Jack, local rescue,   scruffy ginger terrier mutt.

Offline sodpot2000

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #23 on: November 13, 2017, 01:37:20 PM »
I wouldn't take Annie (MT class of 2016) to an obedience class. She is unpredictable with other dogs, aside (fortunately) from our other spaniel Buster, whom she adores and copies from.

Because we don't know what they have experienced you never know what will frighten them. Last Friday night all the power in our village went off and Annie was shaking with fear. Yet she will happily go out for walks at night with torches along unlit lanes.

As others have said just let Amber take things at her own pace.

Offline Joules

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #24 on: November 13, 2017, 01:55:20 PM »
TBH I would probably forego a group training class.  It is very likely to be far too much for a nervous dog to cope with and it is still early days and you could do more harm than good.  :'(

Could you perhaps have some one to one sessions with a kind, positive trainer and practice at home while you build up her confidence?
Julie and Watson

Offline Lanyon322004

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #25 on: November 14, 2017, 12:25:52 PM »
Oh my goodness...you could have been me and my story.  I too have an MT rescue red cocker called  Amber. I've had her since June and she's settled in really well. At first she just tried to escape all the time. I've hired a private enclosure to let her off lead to run a few times.  Otherwise I have a long line. Still feel she would just keep running if I let her off lead especially if something spooked her. She was house dry very quickly and got used to her bed and collar. Still pulls a bit on a lead and has no clue about toys. Loves to top newspaper up. Tested my two other cockers but has found her position in the pack now.Good luck....they are very special.havent managed to attach a photo to forum 😣

Offline villierschris

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #26 on: November 14, 2017, 08:33:34 PM »
Oh my goodness...you could have been me and my story.  I too have an MT rescue red cocker called  Amber. I've had her since June and she's settled in really well. At first she just tried to escape all the time. I've hired a private enclosure to let her off lead to run a few times.  Otherwise I have a long line. Still feel she would just keep running if I let her off lead especially if something spooked her. She was house dry very quickly and got used to her bed and collar. Still pulls a bit on a lead and has no clue about toys. Loves to top newspaper up. Tested my two other cockers but has found her position in the pack now.Good luck....they are very special.havent managed to attach a photo to forum [emoji21]
Sounds like your doing well with her, love to see a photo . Keep us posted!


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Offline villierschris

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #27 on: November 14, 2017, 08:48:23 PM »
Been to obedience class tonight and trying to teach her sit and reward, not sure at times if she is really listening to me. Think I still need to build a connection with her, did those of you with similar dogs find the same? Teach you at class to follow a treat and gain their attention by saying ‘watch’ maybe eye contact feels too much but do catch her attention at times. She is comfortable now being with us in the lounge and will now lie on the rug near us as well as her bed. We just love to watch her sleeping she’s so lovely, dying for her to get on my knee. Guess we are long way off that, she sat on my knee in car on the way tonight. By default but love the feel and smell of her it’s such a privilege to have her close, just call us obsessed but we absolutely love her to bits!


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Offline villierschris

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #28 on: August 26, 2018, 02:56:45 PM »
It’s been a good few months since I last posted thought I would update on our rescue Spaniel ‘Amber’.
We have had Amber now for a year, if you were on the Forum then you will remember we got her from the Many Tears Charity in Wales. It’s been quite a journey full of challenges, frustrations, hard work but so worth it as a year on she is turning in to the most loving wonderful dog. Something we would never have imagined as she was so incredibly scared and fearful of any contact at all with us when we first got her.
We have very much had to go at her pace, she has had to gain her confidence and come to us rather than the other way around. Conventional training methods just didn’t work and we have had to look at other approaches; training a puppy is hard enough but the bonus of a pup is that generally they want to please you. Amber wasn’t a puppy and in her mind self preservation and avoidance were her driving force not doing things to please us! We naively thought reward based training would be the answer as she didn’t place any value on toys and didn’t know how to play. Try giving treats to a dog who won’t even come near you and runs away every time you approach her!
That said a year on we have a dog who walks on a lead, comes back sometimes when she’s called! Lol..... in her own time when there’s no birds to distract her. She has learned to sit at kerbs and on a walk but isn’t able to repeat the same at home. Our biggest achievement is that she trusts us, we know this as she sits next to us on her favourite chair, lies with us in bed (just as a treat)and loves being stroked, hugged and loved!! We are so lucky, she’s not perfect but neither are we, we’ve made mistakes too and still have more to teach her but for now we’re content she is happy content and hopeful knows she is very much loved

Offline lescef

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Re: Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears
« Reply #29 on: August 26, 2018, 03:02:13 PM »
Ahh..... that is lovely to read. The bottom photo of her is beautiful.  She looks truly relaxed.  :004:
Lesley, Maddie and Bramble