Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Hello Jaye,Re my last post "spend a little time with him" I was referring to your concerns getting him into the car . Spend time with him prior to taking him to the vet. I would suggest if he is afraid of men, let hubby drive and you sit in the back with the dog. I have a feeling that he will take to you and you will take him on the leash (let him do his business first) then climb into the back seat with a slight tug on the leash. Of course treats in your hand.

I've had 7 dogs altogether and taken a lot of dog training classes with them. Some instructors gave me good advice and some gave me bad advice. The two best pieces of advice I have been given are:

"Praise your dog every time he does a behavior you want, even if you didn't ask for it."

This can be for just laying quiet while you watch TV, or when he asks to go outside, or any other desired behaviour. I find this speeds up training of a puppy or a dog new to your home really quickly when you first start, but it's not as necessary once the dog knows what is expected of him. I still do it on occasion.

"Don't say 'It's alright' in a comforting tone of voice when the dog is upset, scared, growling, or whining."

The comforting tone of voice reinforces the behavior, and the words don't mean anything to the dog.

Thanks, everyone, for your support. Getting him the car really wasn't that difficult. getting him in to see the vet was okay too, because there were other dogs in the waiting area, and he loves other dogs. He had a peeing accident when we tried to get him on the scale. He was just so scared. The vet gave him a checkup, and his heart and lungs seem fine, he's a little underweight and he doesn't have much muscle mass. This didn't surprise me, since his previous owners rarely took him for walks,, and he spent his days in a cramped little townhouse and relieved himself in a postage stamp sized fenced in yard.
Today's challenges are 1. to get him to drink some water, and 2. to go to the bathroom. He hasn't done either since yesterday evening.

Congratulations. Not drinking means not having to hold it and that is how he has had to adapt to survive. I am sure he was "disciplined" when he had an "accident". Dogs are smart and try their best to adapt. Lots of walks and he will adjust in a positive way. I will be expecting to hear so many positive results during the next few days. Do you have a name for this little guy?

Good Luck with him!

XBRIT wrote:QR_BBPOST Congratulations. Not drinking means not having to hold it and that is how he has had to adapt to survive. I am sure he was "disciplined" when he had an "accident". Dogs are smart and try their best to adapt. Lots of walks and he will adjust in a positive way. I will be expecting to hear so many positive results during the next few days. Do you have a name for this little guy?

I agree: I think that he was disciplined for accidents. And pretty much any minor transgression. :-(
Yes, he has a name: it's Aiden. That's the name he came with, and since he's at least 5 1/2 years old, we decided that we would stick with it. Hubby thought it was a strange name for a dog, until I reminded him of his friend's dog, Ernest. Hubby is at home with him today, and so far has gone for 4 walks around the blocks in our neighbourhood.

Good for the "hubby" if not the dog . Lol

Good for all of us, Ross.

Walks are good bonding time. :)

Yes, they sure are good bonding time. Great that we have a warm spell, even if it is mucky out there. He likes his walks. And he is unbelievably good on the leash, given that he was rarely walked. I think his original owner must have done a fine job training him, because he hasn't forgotten. We like walking a dog with a loose leash, and he is perfect , never pulls, just wanders about within leash range, sniffing and exploring. He still hasn't ventured anywhere else in the house besides his safe place on his duvet bed in the laundry/mud room yet, but hubby picked up some chicken jerky this afternoon, so we will use a few of those to try to entice him him into the living room to his other bed in front of the pellet stove after supper tonight.