Amber our Cocker Spaniel Rescue from Many Tears

[villierschris]

Have been interested in some of the posts on here regarding ex breeding dogs as there doesn’t appear to be that much information/advice about rehoming , training these very special dogs.
After losing our precious terrier cross ‘Holly’ last year there was such a gap left behind. Fate stepped in and just before our summer holiday in August I discovered the Many Tears Website. A sad red eyed Cocker Spaniel caught our eye, mine and the kids that is! My husband didn’t take much persuasion and four days later we had changed our holiday plans driving 7 hours with two kids, our two other dogs Star and Mia in our camper van to Wales! All on the strength of a sad photo on a website, call us mad , looking back it probably was! Amber is her name now she was known as Charlie, we wanted to share our experience, highs and lows of our life with her over the last few months. Each tiny milestone feels huge, we feel so privileged to have her in our lives!
Would love feedback from others who have experience which may help us, as want to do the very best for her!

[villierschris]

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[MIN]

Hi.  what a beautiful girl you have there. Her sad eyes tell a story but with time I am sure they will smile.
There are a few people here ( more than a few) with Many Tear's girl who will be along to share their stories. I applaud you for taking the plunge to give this girl her forever home. I look forward to reading hers and our journey 

[Countrygirl]

Amber is beautiful and I think you are wonderful for giving her a home.

[Jaysmumagain]

Amber is a lovely girl, am sure with extra TLC she will shine.  We too have a rescue in Ollie over 9 years later he brings us joy each moment of every day

[Poppypuppy09]

Amber is a beauty  Well done to you all for offering her a lovely home 

I have Bella who is an ex breeder from MT, she is also blind and always has been, she has been with me over 6 years now and without a shadow of doubt the best achievement in my life to date. Bella was a bad case but if you met her now you wouldn’t know it 

I also have Carrie the Springer from MT (found tied to a tree pregnant and under a year old ) and Poppy the “posh” Cocker.

There are a few of us on here with ex breeders and some super experienced COLers so I am sure we can help if you need us x

[ejp]

Amber looks so much better already, now she is in your home. We had an ex breeder and she was a joy. It was the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Not always easy, but those special moments when they achieve a little milestone is priceless. You will get lots of help on here. For me, the most important thing for Lara was time, and she learnt way more from my two cocker boys than she would ever had from us. Enjoy your new girl.

[Finvarra]

She's lovely, hope you have many happy years together.

Lesley and Dylan

[villierschris]

Thanks for your lovely responses; nice people on here!
Amber arrived in a pet carrier, we unzipped the front and brought her carefully in to her new home. She cowered in the corner of it fearful of moving, eventually claimed ‘Stars’ bed and remained there all night, we weren’t sure what to expect that first night.Would  she cry, start scratching to escape;it was like having a new baby!
She wasn’t house trained and that worried us, would our home be awash in wee and poo? In reality we’ve had only a few accidents, our two other dogs helped I think. When one wee’s the others follow, realise the value of these dogs being rehomed with others! Star our German Shepherd quickly became therapy dog; Amber was fearful and spent lots of time hiding behind bushes in the garden. The garden which had been checked as dog proof we quickly realised was no match for the fight or flight adrenaline fuelled will of Amber. She was a magnet for any gap or weak spot, digging for freedom! I believe it’s a feature with these dogs, they will endeavour to return to what they know however bad !We spent the first few days re -dog proofing, boulders at base of fence, chicken wire , you name it we did it. Coaxing her out of hiding was a challenge, one night I sat in the garden for almost an hour scared to leave her in case she started her escape. Eventually  we sent Star in for her and that was a breakthrough and gave her the confidence to leave her hiding places.
What are others experience of the fight or flight trait, does it ever leave them? Wondering if we will ever be able to trust her off the lead?
Hoping to post some more over next few weeks and hoping for pearls of wisdom from any veterans? We were so focused on trying to do the right thing , read the advice re crate training and the need for them to have a safe haven. Wrong!! When zipped in overnight she ripped the roof of the luxurious £50pet carrier!! Reluctantly had to trust she wouldn’t wreck the house and that Star and Mia would accept their new furry sister, yes that’s right girls she in it for the long haul not just a sleepover!,


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[Mudmagnets]

What a pretty girl, wishing many happy years ahead 

[MIN]

Time is a healer and memories can fade.  they are more like us than we imagine.
  if we were " kidnapped" and taken to a strange place our first thought would be to escape regardless of our previous lifestyle. Love and  patience will win through 
We are all  behind Amber and stand with you in her corner 

[ejp]

I know what you mean about the garden, you think you have created Fort Knox only to find it is a bit of a sieve! Star will teach Amber a lot, and definitely give her confidence. There is so much for her to absorb, it will take time. I struggled with toiliet training for Lara, and then I noticed that she had a habit of looking at the back door before going where she was. Things got a lot better after that! We always had to be proactive with her, but we got there. Amber will be totally overwhelmed just now and needs to sort things out in her head. I would let Star take the initiative and enjoy watching your new girl grow.

[PennyB]

I do think each dog is different and the only advice I can give is to give them time and space and not push them too much

[villierschris]

You’ve now had Amber for 10weeks now, she is doing really well in the short time we’ve had her. Walks quite well on a short lead; but harness and a ten metre training lead is still needed as we are just trying to work on recall. Amber is coming out of her she’s not hiding in bushes anymore and has started taking treats from us, this has taken some perseverance though. Training involved me laying face down in the garden with a treat in my upturned hand, as fearful of being approached initially and figured I was less of a threat face down! The neighbours must have thought I was mad. Poor Chris is still persevering, she is still more nervous of men and is starting to be more receptive. It’s exhausting watching her if she doesn’t get the treat on the first pass she spooks her self and does twenty laps of the dining table backwards and forwards....... Any sudden movement past her still makes her skedaddle, poor Amber I do hope this will settle. Like others have said it’s just about time and confidence. Any tips for our current issue? She is unable to restrain her barking when we walk her, call it excitement, feeling overwhelmed , we live by the sea and she is distracted by seagulls flying , other dogs, people they all set her off. We try to reel her in and say quiet. Someone suggested a tin with pebbles in it and shaking it when she starts, haven’t tried it yet.Hope the neighbours aren’t watching when we do they’ll think we’ve finally lost it!


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[ejp]

I would be wary about the tin with pebbles, the noise will probably scare her, and I would imagine that is the opposite of what you want. The puppy farmer was likely male which is why she will be cautious of men. Lara was always less comfortable with my OH than me, and was very wary around his feet, making us believe she had been kicked.  if your other dogs are calm, then you may find that Amber will settle as she gets more used to her surroundings.