How do you cope re homing ex breeding bitches

[sarita]

My friend has enquired about Hoo Hoo. She was asked all the normal things and she said that she would like to do a little obedience and some fun agility.
The person then pointed out that.
1. most of these dogs have never had any human contact.
2. not house trained.
3. never seen day light.
4. never known any life but in a barn.
5. never had a collar and lead on.
6. the list goes on 

She was told it could take 6 months to even get a collar on  never mind the lead and out the door and walking as this could take up to 5 years she was told.

Ok now its obvious that an ex breeding bitch will not do as she would like so is put off. This is fare enough.

If this is the case with these ex breeding dogs either male or female, how do you cope with it. I know time, dedication and patients are key to this but how do you cope if the dog wont even have a collar on or go on the lead and is terrified of everything.

If these dogs are this bad I admire every one of you that work with them and re home them.

What is the most you could expect from a dog like this? I cant imagine that they have a normal life as our pet dogs do.

Do you ever manage to do any fun stuff with them as in agility or flyball or even play with a toy and most of all basic obedience.?

I have thought about these dogs all evening and night, the thought of barns full of dogs living like this just for money and then cast aside when they are no longer wanted is  words can not say how I feel from angry to sad.
I am just interested in what quality of life (after breeding and living conditions ) can these poor dogs have.

[cazza]

Not ALL ex breeding dogs are kept in conditions like that 

My friend has just re homed an ex breeding bitch and she is a joy and was obviously really well looked after and has the basics commands and her recall is to die for

For an ex breeding bitch as you described then a lot of it would be having the time the patience to do the training slowly and at the dogs pace and go back to basics (This is just my opinion as I have no experience in this)
The quality of life after being a a puppy farmer breeding bitch is dependant on the new owner putting in the time etc and building up the bond and trust of the dog.

[minimoo]

the 6 months to get a collar on and 5 years to walk them are the very extreme cases i expect, i think alot of these dogs with patience and kindness will be walkable, but easily spooked, i have walked quite a few  ex breeders at many tears, and they arent all that bad, yes there are far too many terrified of everything, but by far not all, thank god ,  most arent house trained, there are many people on here who have rehomed an ex puppy farm or ex breeding dog/bitch and hopefully will be able to tell you of their experiences  , i personally had a puppy farm pup at 5 months and he took alot of work, he was VERY scared of women,  and i did alot of work with him and hes a fantastic dog now but he was only young when i got him ,so that helped , he wasnt even in a barn, it was a rusty corrogated shack with fencing round and a pack of german shepherds roaming about looking like they wanted to rip these 2 pups to bits  , the woman (and i use the term loosely  ) bred the shepherds as well and had about 20 behind this farm gate all ages and sizes old ones too ,in a sort of pack and a couple got out and tried to get at the cocker pups it was HORRIBLE , i tried reporting her to kennel club and RSPCA but shes still advertising pups for sale now 8 years later 

[Mundyboy]

I agree with above - not all 'rescue' dogs have the same background.  There will be many that take to their new life straight away and will give you (your friend) many years of love and loyalty.  It is the owner that must have patience and understanding.  Do not expect the older dog to be fully understanding of what you might expect from an older dog.  There will be many more postings to this thread from those who have more experience than I but what I can say is my 'newbie' is a delight to have around.  She has her problems but my old boy, she and I are working together on these.  She trys so hard to please.  The more folk you speak to the more you realise that there are a great number of good people out there who have taken on a 'rescue' dog and they can not all be wrong.  Visit , as many times as it takes - see the dog at the rescue centre - not all dogs are suitable for you AND not all potential owners are suitable for the dog.  I wish you well.

(I might add it was largely through the advice and experiences of others on this site that I took on a rescue).

[amanda.seal]

I have recently took on two rescues a few months apart. Marley, my first rescue is happy, playfull and loves his cuddles and makes me laugh everyday (he was not a ex-stud but a hand-in by someone that no longer wanted him). My second rescue, Gracie is an ex-breeder but was in a home for a year before coming to me, she is very easily spooked but desperately wants to be near you. She does not like people standing over her and walking around but will come up to me now for a bit of fuss and if she is scared by something she sits and stares at me for reasurance (i've had her 2 weeks) She will go on the lead  and walks nicely but is jumpy and nervous but i know with time and love this will get better. I wouldn't be without my 2 beautifull dogs, they are very different in personalities but the joy i get from seeing the little changes is huge and Gracie has a long way to go but i know she will feel loved and wanted and safe and to me that is giving them the best quality of life(something they have never known before)

[Mary P]

I have 2 ex-breeders from MT, and I would say the key to success is to have another settled dog to help them along.

I have 4 rescues altogether, and I'd say that in each case, for them to be REALLY settled it has taken a year - but that is to the standard that other people (including Sylvia from MT) deemed them to be 'normal'.
The first one (RSPCA) was alone of course, and she just wanted to be with me, but didn't want to leave the house at first. I think she'd been dumped as she still can't cope with us in the car, and her out of it. I guess she'd been bred from too.

After a year we got Jack (MT) who was a stray. He eventually settled down when he accepted that Tia was boss, although his sight and hearing problems didn't help.

Peggy (MT) was indeed scared of the sky as she'd been in a shed for 4 years, but this was overcome by getting her to walk near walls at night (so she couldn't see the scary sky), then slowly desensitizing her by day. I had to carry her to the park, and sit with her quaking She had her chin glued to her chest, and couldn't look you in the eye at all. She is now the most loving, cuddly little thing who loves to run, gaze into your face, fantastic recall - wonderful dog.

Bonnie loved Peggy from the moment they met, and although like a firework on the lead at first, her desire to be with Peggy overcame all that, and she was walking on a lead comfortably within 24 hours. Peggy and Bonnie still pull like demons, but I'm not bothered - their enthusiasm for life is a joy to see!! She still shakes a little when picked up, but hardly at all now, but is terrified of scissors! Bonnie's recall is fantastic too, and she's very funny and sweet. I am using clicker to teach her things, but generally she picks it up from seeing the others.

The toilet training was slow, and we still have the occasional accident - regular outings and lots of praise is the key!

Peggy and Bonnie were 2 that Sylvia deemed to be very difficult. I work from home, so we progressed well. I don't think it would have worked so well if I was out to work more than I am, or if my kids had been small and too boisterous.

Go to visit MT and see for yourself. Like Minimoo, go and help out - it's very rewarding!!

[CarolineL]

Mary, I just have to say that your post had me in tears, you, and all the others that adopt these rescue dogs are amazing and I truly admire anyone who does so. 

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[KarenB]

Mary, I just have to say that your post had me in tears, you, and all the others that adopt these rescue dogs are amazing and I truly admire anyone who does so. 

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So totally agree.

[Mary P]

They are so very rewarding, and my kids have been terrific (Why do we always get broken dogs Mum?) 
Watching them develop is fantastic, believe me!

Come on other rescue dog owners - they're great aren't they??

[Mundyboy]

They are so very rewarding, and my kids have been terrific (Why do we always get broken dogs Mum?) 
Watching them develop is fantastic, believe me!

Come on other rescue dog owners - they're great aren't they??

Yep I think your kids are just great too

[Beth]

(Why do we always get broken dogs Mum?) 

Awwwwwwwwwww tis so you can fix them of course

[Dark Side]

Do the puppy farm breeders approch you to say that they have a dog which needs re-homing or are they conficated or dumped somewhere, just wondered as i would have thought that these kind of people would want to keep a low profile.

i was just wondering how you come by these dogs, as there seem to be a lot of ex breeding dogs about at the mo
Just me thinking aloud i expect a lot of other people wondering aswell. (no offence ment)

[wend]

We got Summer from MT, she was an exbreeding bitch. Her eyes were very red when we got her due to being kept in a barn and not seeing daylight. She was very nervous but let us bath and blow dry her as soon as we got her without a grumble. She didn't get on very well with Harvey my other cocker to start with, but they are absolutely fine together now. The house training was no problem at all as an adult dog can 'hold it' longer than a puppy. The collar business, well I put one on her as soon as we got her no problems they need to have it by law so I didn't hesitate, she did 'weave' to start with on a lead but soon caught on. To be honest she's an absolutely perfect pet, we've done some agility with her and obedience, she has a very good recall and I'm a total convert to exbreeding dogs. It's so rewarding watching them come out of there shell and develop their own personality. Can I just add I've had far more problems with 'Harvey' the dog I got as a puppy then I've had with Summer. I'd tell anyone to 'go for it, they're great they may need a little time and patience to adjust but a puppy needs just as much if not more!

[Mary P]

Do the puppy farm breeders approch you to say that they have a dog which needs re-homing or are they conficated or dumped somewhere, just wondered as i would have thought that these kind of people would want to keep a low profile.

i was just wondering how you come by these dogs, as there seem to be a lot of ex breeding dogs about at the mo
Just me thinking aloud i expect a lot of other people wondering aswell. (no offence ment)

Some of the rescues (like MT where I got my dogs from) have made a 'relationship' with these people, so the dogs can be re-homed rather than PTS. (And as far as I understand, PTS is a benign way to put it!) The farmers contact the rescues, and either drop off the dogs, or arrange meetings in layby's etc, or at the Vet. Some of the breeders look after their dogs better than others, and you can usually guess which is which by the way Sylvia describes the dogs on her site.

Puppy 'farm' sounds rural and idyllic, but better to think like 'factory' or a bit like battery hens are kept. What the farmers do is as I understand it legal, but as most of us would think of it - immoral. I'm glad in a way there are more around, as this means they can be re-homed rather than sold on and on from one breeder to the next until they are deemed not useable material.

We are not talking about the kind of responsible breeders such as we have here on COL!

[AnnieG]

My Millie is also an MT ex-puppy farm dog.  In fact, I am fairly certain she is the mother of both Bean and Carrie who have recently appeared in the Rescue threads.  She was in an absolutely dreadful state when I got her.  Like Summer, her eyes were sensitive to light because she'd never seen the outside world.  Her back legs were wasted because I suspect she'd never been outside her cage (she couldn't climb stairs) and she was terrified of everything. She is now around nine years old and is just the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever known.  She is gentle and totally bombproof with everything from babies to toddlers to postmen. But, frankly, getting her there has taken a mile of patience and several miles of ingenuity.  

It's easy to assume that dogs like that crave all the things they have missed but, in fact, they are often terrified of freedom, the great outdoors and over-effusive treatment.  I well remember shuffling backwards on my hands and knees all the way round Tarn Hows (three miles) brandishing sausage to convince Millie to take a few more steps.  You have to develop a thick skin to counter all the funny looks.  She always loved her nosh so that made life easier.  Every few yards she walked of her own volition was a cause for celebration and treats.  We did it by using a longish lead.  We never ever dragged her - just used the lead to prevent her retreating once she had collected her reward.  Then one of us would walk on a further ten yards and repeat the whole ludicrous bum-uppermost-knees-down persuasion.  We used the same process to get her use to going through doors in the house, which also scared her.  It honestly didn't take very long to get her to associate leads and the outside world with pleasure rather than fear. Crates also helped. I suspect that dogs like this have a form of Stockholm Syndrome where they grow to love their prison.  A place to call her own where she could always go when she felt worried helped both with housetraining and overcoming her fears.  Dogs rarely pee in their special place so every time she came out of her own volition, we took her straight into the garden.  It honestly didn't take long.  On the second day, she couldn't hold it any longer and peed outside.  We celebrated to high heaven, gave her chicken and the light dawned.  We never had another accident.  Quite honestly, the whole process of rehab was often puzzling but never distressing.  Common sense is the best guide.  We have another rescue cocker too now -- Cassie from Four Paws.  The two of them love each other to bits and having a permanent pal certainly made life happier for Millie.  But we managed the first year with her on her own (but with lots of help from friends with dogs) and I don't think she was too lonely. I'd do it all over again -- in fact, I WILL do it again come the dreadful day when there is a vacant dog-shaped space here.