Rescue newf has bad breath & other things

[Emmielu]

I've had my 2.5 yr old newfie bitch for a week today. Shes been to the vets to be registered, checked over & chipped. She also didnt have any vaccinations at all when i brought her so shes had a first lot & is due for a 2nd lot next month. The vet noticed some tartar in her teeth but said that wasnt a huge problem. However, comparing her to my parents newfie boy whos 19 months old, her breath is awful. Her teeth are no where near as clean as his & hes never had to use denta sticks etc. I brought her some denta sticks to help with her teeth but i've heard of dog toothpaste but not sure exactly what will work.

I know newfies play differently to other dogs in respect of they're bigger so there is less running involved when they play & they tend to squash each other & i know because she lives with my parents dog (i live at home too) she wants to try & be top dog but yesterday she wouldnt let my parents dog in the house. She didnt eat her breakfast yesterday which isnt like her since the last owner had no problems feeding her. She didnt eat her dinner either. She hasnt eaten this morning & i have no idea whats wrong with her. Its very sudden. Shes due to be spayed in november. She seems to be settled in well, shes stopped the panting, doesnt wake up at silly hours pacing the floor but she still follows people around. For example if i get up to get a drink, she will follow me there & back. Shes also wary of people who come to the gate. She howls & barks at our neighbour but shes fine with people who are already in the gate or in the house. My friend came over yesterday & she didnt notice my friend was in the house until i called her, she didnt howl or anything, she was very loving towards her. Why does she do this?

Emmie, did you get her from a rescue organisation? I am very surprised that they have let an unvaccinated, unchipped, unspayed bitch needing dental treatment out to a home.

When a rescue dog is new, it's natural for them to be following you around for the first few days. Everything is very new and they are still finding their feet. As she gradually becomes more settled, she will be more comfortable about being left to her own devices. The panting would have been a sign of stress too - if she's stopped, that's a good sign.

With the loss of appetite, there could be several reasons. Again, the stress of a new home. How is the weather with you? All of our dogs noticeably lose their appetite when the weather is very hot. It might be that she is unused to the food you are providing, or even that she has a mouth problem that doesn't let her chew hard food, especially as she has bad breath.

Another possibility since she is unspayed is that she is coming into season. This can affect bitches behaviour, appetite, drinking etc.

You might find that giving her something to chew will be helpful. As well as being very good for her teeth, chewing helps dogs deal with stress (act of chewing releases a feel good hormone). Try something like Stag Bars, pigs ears occasionally, a Kong stuffed with treats, or a large raw bone from your butchers.

The rescue where you got her should be offering you backup and support, but as they have let her be homed in this state, I am not confident.

Good luck! It sounds as though as she has had a rough start in life but will have a very loving home with you, and it's lovely that your parents also have a Newfie to keep her company.

Her original owner was selling her on a website. She had her from a puppy but was told to give her back to the breeder (she signed the contract to say if she didnt want the dog anymore she'd hand back to the breeder) because court proceedings were going ahead otherwise. So the owner took her back to the breeder, breeder contacted us, took her to the vets near her to get her ear drops sorted, checked her over & it was then we found out she wasnt chipped or vaccinated etc. What angers me is that the breeder didnt think to ask or find out what her life was like with the last owner. She just told us her age, colour, if shes trained or not, about her ear drops, not spayed, not vaccinated, not micro chipped & that was it. When we picked her up she only had a collar & lead. No toys. No bowls. No bed. No blanket. Nothing.

We literally know nothing about her routine, what food she likes, any allergies, specific ways of training. The poor girl doesnt even know how to chase a football.

What a sad situation. But how lucky she has you. I think this is going to be one of those situations where you are going to have to work from a zero base, so to speak, and get her used to your routine, training etc. This is similar to taking a foster dog from a pound.

As for foster dogs, the key is to gently introduce a routine, so they know what to expect and not to make too much fuss in the first few days. She will be pretty much overwhelmed. Does she enjoy being groomed - lots of dogs do and again, this can be a lovely bonding time for you and her.

I do think doing training classes is an excellent idea - it really strengthens the bond between you.

It might also be worth having a chat with your vet about a DAP diffuser to reduce stress?

Wonderful posts from ScuttleButter.

Following you around is normal when a dog has come from a bad situation - she knows she has someone good now and doesn't want to let you out of her sight! It will settle down as she becomes more secure. It can take quite a while for a dog to settle in fully, sometimes up to six months, so you will gradually see more of her personality come out.

When I adopted my first dog, he didn't eat properly for a long time (and hadn't been eating at all at the rescue), because of stress. However it sounds like she was eating at first and then stopped? If you are worried you can take her back to the vet. As Scuttle says, since she is not spayed yet you will have to watch out for her first season.

A training class is a great idea, as is doing lots of training yourself at home. You can have lots of short training sessions (even for any commands that she knows already) and reward her when she does what you ask. A lot of bad behaviours will go away if you simply ignore them and make sure not to reward them (even inadvertently). Also, whenever she behaves well or does something you like, you can reward that behaviour to encourage her to keep doing it.

It can take dogs a while to get used to each other. You could help the process by giving her a treat whenever the other dog is near and she is being calm. Then she will learn that she gets good things when your existing dog is around, instead of seeing herself in competition with her.

You can get doggy tooth-cleaning sets that include meat-flavoured toothpaste, a doggy toothbrush, and a little rubber thing you can put on your finger to clean the teeth with (this is usually easier than a toothbrush). But you might like to let her settle in before you get started on this, as she is probably not used to it. Start slowly, putting some of the toothpaste on the brush or finger attachment and letting her lick it off, and then gradually progress to brushing her teeth over several days or weeks. Dentastix should help in the meantime.

Sorry if my answer is too long. I think it's lovely that you have given her a home and hope that you have lots of lovely times together :)