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Help with new Foster!
Hey all, I don't post here much, but we just got a new foster and he is having some trouble adjusting.
Background: Rhett is 6 months old, was rescued 1 week ago, before that was at animal control, was found living outside. For the last week he has been living at the vet being treated for roundworm.
Yesterday when we got it him it became pretty apparent that he had probably never been in a house, everything seemed new, pillows, toys, stairs. He would prefer to be outside as much as possible.
The two issues we are having (and I will contact the rescue on Monday if they don't get better): He seems to have very little mouth control and NO jaw strength. When we give him treats (which he has little interest in) they fall out of his mouth multiple times before he is successful in eating them. If he has a toy in his mouth you can grab it with NO effort.
Other issue is that he literally didn't sleep at all last night, maybe an hour. We tried the crate and he was trying to get out and we were scared he would get hurt so we let him out in our bedroom with the door closed (our other dog doesn't sleep in a crate). He paced and tried to eat dirty laundry until 4am, at which point I moved with him into the guest bedroom which is empty save from the bed. He laid on the bed with me, but never closed his eyes. Is he in pain (got neutered 4 days ago)? Is he just anxious? We are going to try to crate train him, but its also hard when I haven't established any "reinforcer" for him.
TTC since Feb 2012
Diagnosed with PCOS and anovulation
2 round clomid 1 round femara--no response
1st round injectables/IUI 1/31---BFP!
Re: Help with new Foster!
Two words: hot dogs!
They are soft and I can't imagine a dog that doesn't like them. Give him a couple days to mellow out, though. Some degree of anxiety is normal.
Emerald Nuts Midnight Run (4m) 1/1/12
Coogan's Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks Run (5k) 3/4/12
Colon Cancer Challenge (15k) 4/1/12
Purple Stride NYC (5k) 4/21/12
Run to Combat Autism (5k) 4/29/12
RnR Philadelphia (Half Marathon) 9/16/12
My best advice is to be patient. It can take them a little while to settle in. For now, try to keep everything as consistent and routine as possible. The sleeping issue will get better if he gets some exercise during the day. For anxiety you could try a DAP collar and rescue remedy.
Hot dogs and cheese are usually good for dogs who don't like treats. That said, when we adopted our second she wanted nothing to do with food or treats for a few days. Even once she started eating it took her awhile to get the hang of treats and now we're working on toys. Everything is new to him. Also pay attention to him and his cues and learn to use them, it always takes me awhile to remember with fosters that what works for my dogs and what my dogs like will not be true of all dogs.