How do you cope re homing ex breeding bitches

[marbledmolly]

Remy is an MT ex-breeding. From what sylvia said she was tied to a fence we think for about 3 days before they phoned the centre to let them know they were there in a very cold January    . She was described an not walking on a lead, but the second my OH took the lead and encouraged her not pulled her she walked    to the amazement of the staff at the centre.  The working cocker that we fostered for them had bitten through a lead at the centre out of fear, but again he walked as long as he had Remy with him, OK a bit erratic to start with but he soon learnt. Some of them behave so different when they are away from the kennel situation and with another confidant dog to show them the way  Yes you have to be prepared to allow them time to adapt and learn about the real world they they are worth every minute of it. Remy's confidence has gown but her character hasn't really changed at all, she was a doppy/friendly dog that took everything in her stride as it still so laid back it amazing.

We've had a slight set back with the toilet training since we've had the puppy in the house, and she's now got mixed messages that is OK again to go inside. But we're back to basics again and hopefully when will have the both of them toilet trained this will be rectified

[sarita]

I really do admire all of you that have taken on these dogs. Your experiences are varied but you all sound as if you would do it again

Thankyou for your answers which are sad but wonderful reading. 

Share your experiences with me so that I can judge for myself, if one day I could help one of these dogs thats quite away away yet but one day maybe.

I dont know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

[Maria]

Smudge can via MT too. She was extremely thin, had sparse hair and conjunctivitis. She walked from day one on a harness, but wouldn't walk on a lead attached to her collar because it reminded her of being tied up and unable to move. Our walks took a lot longer than normal, as we would stop when she did and let her take her time. I think her natural curiosity helped her to overcome some fears. She had been in a foster home, who had started her housetraining, and she did learn fast, probably helped by copying Boysie. We did have a few accidents of course, and then a setback when she got giardia, but now if she needs to go out she lets us know 
At first she would curl up in the corner of the sofa, eyes shut tight, and we would have to carry her up and down stairs.She then got very itchy as her hair started to grow. She was very skittish (and still is a little bit) and one day she bolted back to the car when I accidently dropped the lead. After that I used to connect her long line to a belt. It took about 6 months for her to go offlead, starting with a long line, and whistle / signal / word training. Other training is purely at her own pace - eg she learnt 'sit' by us saying it when she did. She will not be lured, and if you try to do this she will run into her crate, her safe place where she hides her 'treasure' (like an empty cotton reel).
She's not very affectionate - if you pick her up she goes floppy, but she has recently started to nudge hands when she like her ears or rump stroked.
I think MT have to give you a worse case scenario of what you might have to deal with, but each dog is different. Smudge was only 2 when she was handed in, so may have found it easier to adjust than an older might. However, she still doesn't seem to get the point of going for a walk, and only really livens up when she knows we're on the way back to the car.She will never be a very confident dog, but in many ways is far easier to live alongside than her noise sensitive more reactive brother!
It is very rewarding helping these dogs to blossom and start to live a happier life. It does take time, patience and of course love, but it is certainly something we would do again

[daunting]

I dont know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

i would say that it is better for the dogs to be described at their worst so the potential families know what they may possible be getting rather than paint a rosier picture and have the dog returned because they weren't quite expecting it to be such hard work


i know when i have spoken to people interested in my fosters i certainly tell them all the bad/naughty habits they may have and leave them to think for a few days about whether they are happy to take on a dog that is less than perfect 

[Mundyboy]

It is very rewarding helping these dogs to blossom and start to live a happier life. It does take time, patience and of course love, but it is certainly something we would do again

Me too!

I have been very moved by the postings above.

[AnnieG]

I dont know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

I suspect MT thought your friend's plans for the dog lacked reality.  They may also, TBH, have thought she hadn't done enough research before contacting them.    To talk about agility when the first problem is actually getting a puppy-farmed bitch to accept a lead was pretty optimistic.  They were probably trying to make her aware of the worst case and, because they are all run ragged and will always put the dogs first, simply didn't have time to be either tactful or educational. My reading of the HooHoo post is that she has fewer problems than most.  But there will almost certainly be plenty of offers for her because of that, and MT will probably be able to choose from people who know exactly what they are up against and are prepared to cope with it.

 

[stuffster]

i would say that it is better for the dogs to be described at their worst so the potential families know what they may possible be getting rather than paint a rosier picture and have the dog returned because they weren't quite expecting it to be such hard work


i know when i have spoken to people interested in my fosters i certainly tell them all the bad/naughty habits they may have and leave them to think for a few days about whether they are happy to take on a dog that is less than perfect 

Yes, I agree with this - it is much better to be given a worst-case scenario, so you can decide if the worst happens, whether you can cope with it.

I went to see a dog about rehoming her, and the guy who was fostering her for MT told me she was an angel, really soppy and lovely. In the house she was beautiful (she was a terrier cross) but we took her for a walk and the second we got outside she was snarling and snapping at every cat, dog, person, car, van etc and pulled me off my feet a few times, so my OH had to take the lead. It really scared me, and as much as I wanted her, I knew I wouldnt be able to cope with that behaviour. I would have rather been told that earlier on than waste the fosterer's time with the visit.

Many Tears get LOTS of enquiries when they have cocker spaniels in, from my experience of trying to get one!, and so they have a lot of hard work trying to separate the really serious callers from the ones who areny prepared to put in the work.

[Joules]

I dont know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

Agree it is best to be told the worst case scenario - after all it does happen.  If your friend is looking for an outgoing and confident dog that is going to be up for agility etc from the start then realistically an ex-breeding dog is probably not for her.    As you can tell from some of the posts on here, it might take weeks, months or years for a dog that has been kept in the dark in a cage and given no affection to learn to do the things that most pet dogs take for granted. 

[Mary P]

I don't know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

Sylvia and her team have many many dogs to rehome, and make adopters sign to say the dog will be returned to her if things don't work out.
If she had to in effect rehome a dog more than once its hard on the dog, hard on the family, very hard on the staff, and an enormous trial for Sylvia. She's often testing people's commitment, and rightly so!!

[AnnieG]

I don't know why my friend was told such extreme problems, she was enquiring about Hoo Hoo who at 18 months old is very sad if she is that bad.

Sylvia and her team have many many dogs to rehome, and make adopters sign to say the dog will be returned to her if things don't work out.
If she had to in effect rehome a dog more than once its hard on the dog, hard on the family, very hard on the staff, and an enormous trial for Sylvia. She's often testing people's commitment, and rightly so!!

Hear hear!

[Cob-Web]

It can be hard on the listener when the "worst case scenario" is presented; and it does sometimes come across as putting people off - I've been *accused* of doing the same thing on posts here on COL to prospective puppy owners 

The media do such a good job of making dog ownership appear *easy* and that serious problems are simple to solve with the right approach (CM, Dog Whisperer and the like  ), that it is hard to communicate to prospective owners the full implications of the commitment that they are making 

[LesleyW]

I rehomed an ex-breeding bitch - not from MT, but a "commercial breeding kennel" near Chippenham, about a year ago.  There were a few health problems, that we mainly got right by changing her to a BARF diet, and she needed lots of baths before she smelled like a nice dog again 

I think she had a bit of a life before she was used for breeding tho, as she definitely had some training and knew all about collar, lead and simple commands.  From day 1 her recall has been perfect, but I think that is mainly because shes terrified to let me out of her sight. 

She has come along in leaps and bounds, and its been wonderful to watch her come out of the horrible, withdrawn, dead-eyed shell she was in when I first saw her.  About the only carry-overs from her kennel days are a frantic circling at high speed when she is excited, a complete distrust of strange dogs that approach her too enthusiastically and the odd puddle on the kitchen floor in the mornings - all of which are nothing compared to the love and company she gives us daily.

I would love to know her history and breeding, but have resigned myself to never being able to find out....

We regularly go on the NF meets here, and all the cocker owners that go know her, and know that she never goes far away from me    I wouldnt part with her for anything now.

[Beth]

We regularly go on the NF meets here, and all the cocker owners that go know her, and know that she never goes far away from me    I wouldnt part with her for anything now.

I've met the lovely Bracken a few times now, and i would take on a dog like her in a heartbeat, she is FAB! She's a real sweetie and she even quite liked my small boy.

[honeysmun]

Hi,
 Nearly two years ago we adopted our little black cocker Holly (she was then called Marnie, and was one of the four M's I wonder how the others are doing?) she was an ex breeding bitch from MT.  Like Wend's Summer, she also had sore eyes and they were the size of little peas, it was as if she was afraid to open them as if the daylight hurt them,  but not anymore, that was one of the most rewarding things to see in the changes to her, they are now wide open and most of all they have a lovely bright light shinging in them.  She was our first puppy farm bitch, but she won't be our last. We had lots of sound advise given from so many wonderful caring COL's on here which we took on board and with that help we have now a wonderful girl, It also helped having our year old Honey who Holly took to straight away and just adores, where one goes the other follows and into mischief
the only thing that we have found with her is that she does not like other strange dogs getting close to her and she will growl at them, but who can blame her after the treatment she must have had, we are working on this and she is getting better but it is going to take time. Everyone that we have met who has a rescue dog says the same, once you go down that pathway you will always take on another. With time, bucket loads of love and lots of patience you can turn around the lives of these poor dogs.

[Karma]

I have say, reading all these stories has made me determined that when the time comes to give Honey a friend, we will look at a rescue...