Advice on setting a dog please

[Runrabbitrunss]

We have taken on a 4 yo dog who is a bichon mix .
She lived with an old lady that struggled to walk her due to developing medical issues

She is very cuddly , likes to be near and we had her since yesterday.

Hoping to address current issues as beloe please ,and would really appreciate advice as am so tired as she did not sleep till 3 am and am exhausted.

Her previous owner fed her treats such as human sweet biccy s - when she has one the dog had one toast , cheese , as above .
She fed her a mix of sainsburys dry dog food and dry cat food as she refused to eat her dog food
. She says that she put her on ine type of dog food , she likes it at first , then she refused, she then changed her food again, and then again she liked it then went off it. She then put her on raw , she loved that too , then , again, she went of it .
So the owner then reverted to just chicken , human treats as above , amd the dry kibble which she never never eats .

How can I progress? We travel a lot and i really cant rely on food that needs the fridge. We are also on a tight bugdet ( we can afford but just need to be careful) amd we dont want wastage .
I think that she is a picky eater but also she has ‘ trained’ her human to do her bidding!
Advice so appreciated .

Leaving alone
The lady said she grumbles when left but settles.
we left her for literally 2 mins today to collect something from the car . There was not grumbling but the most awful hi pitched screaming.
like pure panic.
Is it best to let her settle a week or so prior to practicing leaving her, or does it need to be done in v small moments right from now .
We have had pups before and i have successfully dealt with leaving them , but never heard anything like this . Please please help !

I am a dog sitter and mostly work weekends when dh here.
Today and tomorrow I had to have a dog who I kmow v well and who is v bonded with me .
I could not cancel as she had absolutely no care for her dog and it was agreed a long tome ago.
I know that this dog needs a quiet time to settle and feel absolutely terrible that on her first day with us she had the company of a dog that was not happy she was there- jealous , resource guarding, growlimg. My dh has actually taken time off work to help me care for them separately or in part together as I feel so bad about this as its not the thing to do - but the dog arrived with us with v little notice / timing.
please can anyone help me about this as i feel so upset and am dreading tomorrow as i feel so guilty and i dont want it to rub off on her .

Also how long does bonding with a dog normally take ? I know this may sound an odd question! But i am used to looking after other peoples dogs and not my own and i am feeling new owner anxieties.
I would really appreciate support . Thanks .

It will take her a few months to settle in properly that’s all I know, and I’ve heard that screaming it’s absolutely gut wrenching it sounds like a human.

Separation anxiety isn’t something I’ve had to deal with apart from one dog I was looking after and I wouldn’t want to hear that again.
Sorry no advice just wanted to say good luck you’ve done a lovely thing.

Thank you .
It was hard to see the elderly lady so upset having to gibe her up .
we named the dog the dogs name - then added the ladys name ( say like sandra - jane ) to let her know that she will always be part of her dogs life .

Anyone ?

I rehomed an elderly dog with separation anxiety. I have to get a dog sitter just to pop to the chemist.

I read that it takes six months for a dog to settle. I've had my old lady 14 months now and, SA aside, is a sweetheart.

Regarding food, could you try feeding really bland food for a while? White fish, butternut squash, scrambled egg? Then slowly introduce dog food. Sort of 'reset' her diet.

I have rescued a 7 month old and fostered a 9 year old. Both took months to settle in before they could be left alone. Even popping upstairs resulted in crying. You just have to take thing very slowly at the dog's pace. One of you pops out and the other one stays home with the dog.
My foster dog wouldn't even go out into the garden on her own for months and would panic if she lost sight of me out there.
As regards food - decide what type of food you want to feed and try it. I've only had one fussy dog and after trying everything under the sun, eventually found she'd eat a cold pressed food.

Honestly? This situation doesn't sound good for you - especially if you are a dog sitter. Do you mean you have dogs in your own home? Because this is going to be very unsettling for your new dog (and any incoming dogs). It sounds as if the better thing to do for the dog and her owner would have been to arrange for someone to walk the dog everyday. Could you do that instead if you want to help?

I agree with @champagnetrial
It sounds like you've tried to do a good thing but I am not sure you have. Walking her for her original owner if at all possible sounds a much better idea.

@champagnetrial and @redboxer321 The OP has already got the dog off freeads. The original owner lives three hours away.

I'm a bit concerned that you're an experienced dog sitter and have had a dog over so soon into rehoming this dog. That's a disaster waiting to happen and not fair on anyone. I would seriously question my dog sitters judgement if I dropped my dog off for a sit and there was a brand new rescue there. Do you have more dogs due in the short-medium term?

I was very aware that the timing of was not right , but the lady was needing to re home - i did ask to wait till after c mas but the lady was really struggling and it was a hard call.
i onl have one dog in my home- a mates- the rest i stay over with in owner s homes. On anticipating a dog i have cut my sits down drastically and habe one sit prior nto cmas were i cn either take her with me - gentle old dog or move between the two. Belive me i know this is not ideal , but other peoole seemed to want her we had to make Quick decision which i really did not want to do .
i absolutely know that it may have stressed her more - but was looking to the long term .
i have booked a home visit from a dog behaviourist tomorrow just to help me to help her , but the sits will be v limited after Christmas with just one night in fab and the next one oct !

amiadickhead
i agree with you - and i feel terrible about the timing. But the old lady was in distress and it feit a bit now or never
Totally get that it was so so bad timing but it was either leave a client in the lurch , leave the dog, or just try to cope
feel v v guilty about it .
i am trying to make best of situation. The dog is my only in house regular. We are going to meet weekly with the dogs on neu ground as she now has 3 weeks off work - thank goodness

SpanielsGalore
thanks! What sort of food please.

We took on a Rescue a few years ago that was obviously fed human food, was very out of shape.

I would make a rule of no human food from anyone then choose one goid and stick to it.

It does take them a good while to settle though. Ours can be left for a while now but for at least a year we just didn’t leave her and it affected her so badly.

My previous dog was a rescued Bichon mix. My current rescue has separation anxiety. It is really important to take things very slowly. It takes time for them to adjust to the change of circumstances, suddenly being taken away from their person and being deposited somewhere strange, with people they don't know or trust. It will be traumatic. I have followed advice given to me, to begin by leaving the dog for literally enough time to go out of the house, count to ten and return. Both leaving and returning should be very calm and matter of fact, kind of "nothing to see here. Nothing to worry about". Then increase the length of time you are out, by five minutes, then 10 minutes and so on. Never be tempted to suddenly increase the time or you will end up having to start from the beginning again. You need to go at their pace. It took me several months to be able to leave mine for two hours but it was worth the slow and steady pace and eventually I could leave her for three hours and a bit with no barking and no distress when I left and no hysteria when I returned. It can be done, with patience.

Regarding the food, I was less successful (with the Bichon cross) and she was always very fussy and if she refused to eat something, that was it, she wouldn't eventually eat it, because she was hungry, like other dogs I have had, she would go without. I tried lots of brands and types of foods and even consulted the vet and she said that she had seen so many owners of Bichon Frise and similar small breeds who ended up cooking or buying fresh chicken for their dogs in desperation, because they were so worried about them starving. I eventually found that she would eat Cesar complete wet food, in the small trays, with a gravy or sauce type consistency. I always gave her a small dish of biscuits on the side as well.

Things could look a lot better for you with a settled routine, time, love & patience. I have had seven rescue dogs, all different breeds, sizes & ages and I have found that after three months they learn to trust and to understand that they have found their forever home, after that things naturally seem to get easier because you will hopefully have formed a bond.

Bichon Frise mixes are very loving and very loyal and have a lot to offer, they are also usually excellent walking companions and are always up for a good walk.

Good luck OP.

Here she is .

..also here

indianrunnerduck
thank uou