Puppy mill dog

[besamexo]

I just wanted to start off by saying I am by no means trying to start an argument, or offend anyone. I am just looking for help.

I am very aware of how terrible puppy mills are..etc..

the reason I am writing this post is because we recently adopted a yorkie.

We are her 3rd owner/home.

She is such a sweet loving dog and we love her to pieces.. She does have some odd behaviors and we do suspect she used to be a mill dog. We managed to track down her old vet and will be speaking with them later today.

I just wanted to know if anyone has/had experience with a puppy mill dog and what are some signs/behaviors things we can do to help.

[JennaPenny]

Please keep in mind I'm new at this. I don't know what you mean by behaviors, exactly, because mine is a puppy. Chewie came to us from a third party, highly recommended. She's a breeder of yorkies- sometimes mixing with a friend's maltese. She happens to take a few extra dogs on the big puppy holidays. I went in there particularly for a yorkiepoo and saw Chewie.

Chewie and her litter were described as being quiet and calm. I thought it was strange and observed her. She perked right up after seeing the other animals and members of the household. We brought her home. It's taken a long time to come out of her shell.

She was scared like all puppies, but she was excessive. Afraid of eating in front of us, and would pose with her back legs out to run. She trusts ME now, but hubby's one meal of the day she still does this. Her coat is unhealthy, and we have to work very hard at keeping it healthy. It still sheds and balds in one spot, and we found out why this week. She has a liver issue, GI issues, came to us with two types of worms. some of her baby teeth rotted- and we found out this particular breeder (just recently) has actual dings on his certificate with this very problem. I gave her bully sticks and Himalayan chews to get her teeth to fall out, and every one has but the canines- which will be pulled at spay time.

Let's see.... oh. She's prone to eye gunk, and it's excessive. We are keeping it under control. And, given how tall she is, I am reasonably sure she shouldn't be hovering at almost 8 months old between 2.96 and 3.88 pounds.

Now, there are very good things about my little sweetheart. She's SO sweet, and most of the time, except for some behavioral issues, so quiet. She's a doll face, and she's a huge cuddle bug. She's also extremely smart, and very athletic- we bought a tunnel and she's always running through it playing fetch. She also talks- clearly says no to dan when he tells HER no (it's hard not to give in, but we don't) is expressive with her ears, uses her cute little furry paws as hands, and loves every person and animal that she sees. She doesn't like chihuahuas, but it's because of a few bad experiences.

I don't know if Heather knew. There was a case about 4 years back on her BBB business name, about how when the puppy was shipped there were numerous issues, and along the lines of what chewie came with. No other issues, and lots of positive feedback. She was helpful and gave us a LOT of good advice. She did not have any info on the parents, and we knew we had to ask. They weren't there. She said she was AKC registered. I am NOT a snob, but it made me feel better, because I knew later I could look up the health issues.

She's not AKC registered. She's in a club that's complete crap. Chewie came from Arkansas, and we were told in Arizona. Once I got the guy's name I looked up every stitch of information I can, and then I knew exactly why, when her liver results came back, (we need to find out exactly what it is, and thank god it's probably MVD... which is hereditary, from my understanding. He knew is the issue) that he did NOT register the dam and sire on akc. He has a lot of dings on his record as I said- dental issues, and my favorite (and I say that with sarcasm) is the sold 238 puppies between 2013 and december 2015. That's my favorite. Those, POOR, dogs.

I hope I helped some.

[Lilbit123]

hello Besamexo! I rarely am on this site but 1 year ago took in a Mill rescue. Yes, behavior may seem a bit odd. Just remember that Mill dogs live in a very confined space with little personal attention, so the world is a big, bad, scary place. Trust, trust, time, and patience. Lots of TLC and more patience to build more trust! Good luck!

[yavenay]

Hello congrats on your new puppy and trust me no one here is going to be offended because you adopted a puppy from a mill.....we wish there were more like you. Anyway I found a thread on here I hope can help. When I adopted my Brandi (RIP) from a backyard breeder, this thread help me tremendously. Check it out, it may have some tips that can help.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...nt-advice.html

[besamexo]

Thank you all for sharing your stories! and being supportive. We spoke to her vet and they said they have their suspicions that she was a mill dog or from a hoarding situation.

When she arrived she was super shy. I let her sleep with me, during the night I left my bed to use the bathroom quickly and i guess i woke her, i was gone maybe 2 mins and she started crying, and quickly got off the bed and hid under the chair next to the bed all hunched like i was going to harm her.

i sat next to her and calmly spoke to her and waited for her to come out when she felt comfortable.

Speaking of bed, you know when you move in bed the mattress/bed will make a noise? she is TERRIFIED and will start barking (its like a crying bark not an aggressive one)

She is afraid of loud noises (cars, tv, when you speak loudly, if you move a chair) but wont bat an eye if dogs are barking at her.. she acts like they dont even exist.

She startles really easily and you have to pick her up a certain way otherwise she hunches over in fear like you are going to hit her.

She is afraid of being in a room with the door closed, she will bark at the door until you open it, even if you are in the inside with her and when you open it she wont even leave the room, she just doesnt like it closed..

she is missing most of her bottom teeth (she just turned 4)

it took 3 months but she will FINALLY lick me (never my face, just my hands). She is definitely comfortable with us now and is doing a lot better and I can tell she does love us and is a happy dog.. after a month her tail started to wag (we were actually under the impression she didnt have one since we NEVER saw it).

Now i know these things aren't bad behaviors and i by no means am complaining, she is such a good baby, and so so sweet i love her more than anything, I just wanted to know if there were things I could do to help with her fear and make her less scared of these everyday things (like the noises and what not). I just feel so bad and it breaks my heart to see her upset.

Thank you!

[canana]

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I'm so touched and so happy for you guys to have adopted your sweet Yorkie! It's so nice to hear how she slowly warmed up to you. It makes me smile to read how patient you are with her to make sure she feels safe and comfortable! It's just so wonderful...

As for her getting over her fears...
Do you have a clicker? Does she have certain treats she's okay to eat without getting an upset stomach? I would suggest doing some daily positive conditioning on her with all the things/sounds she fears.

For example, with the closed door situation:

- Sit with her with the door open - if quiet, click and treat
- then door halfway closed - if quiet, click and treat
- then door slightly ajar - if quiet, click and treat
- close the door - if quiet, click and treat

She might get nervous once you have the door almost closed. That means it's too much, so open it back up a little and click 'n treat. You could either say comforting things to her, pet her, do something that comforts her, or just sit in silence during this training. The point is to associate good things with the door opened or closed. Once she's okay with the door closed for a few seconds, quickly open it again and click 'n treat. Then close again for longer, open the door again, and click 'n treat. Until she can sit with the door closed for a few minutes, then click 'n treat with the door closed. You get the picture You might have to do this over a span of many days or a couple weeks. Very important: make sure you don't click or treat if she barks - this will reinforce her to bark. If she barks, stay calm, open the door back and wait until she's calm and quiet again.

You can also use this gradual conditioning technique to everything else she fears, even noises.

You can read more on clicker training here (it's amazing how much dogs can learn this way!): What Is Clicker Training? | Karen Pryor Clicker Training
It takes a lot of time and patience to get over fears. But I think you got the loving, caring, patience thing down already! You might learn that she's actually really smart! She might get over her fears quicker than you expected and you can move on to training her tricks using the clicker too

[besamexo]

Originally Posted by canana

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I'm so touched and so happy for you guys to have adopted your sweet Yorkie! It's so nice to hear how she slowly warmed up to you. It makes me smile to read how patient you are with her to make sure she feels safe and comfortable! It's just so wonderful...

As for her getting over her fears...
Do you have a clicker? Does she have certain treats she's okay to eat without getting an upset stomach? I would suggest doing some daily positive conditioning on her with all the things/sounds she fears.

For example, with the closed door situation:

- Sit with her with the door open - if quiet, click and treat
- then door halfway closed - if quiet, click and treat
- then door slightly ajar - if quiet, click and treat
- close the door - if quiet, click and treat

She might get nervous once you have the door almost closed. That means it's too much, so open it back up a little and click 'n treat. You could either say comforting things to her, pet her, do something that comforts her, or just sit in silence during this training. The point is to associate good things with the door opened or closed. Once she's okay with the door closed for a few seconds, quickly open it again and click 'n treat. Then close again for longer, open the door again, and click 'n treat. Until she can sit with the door closed for a few minutes, then click 'n treat with the door closed. You get the picture You might have to do this over a span of many days or a couple weeks. Very important: make sure you don't click or treat if she barks - this will reinforce her to bark. If she barks, stay calm, open the door back and wait until she's calm and quiet again.

You can also use this gradual conditioning technique to everything else she fears, even noises.

You can read more on clicker training here (it's amazing how much dogs can learn this way!): What Is Clicker Training? | Karen Pryor Clicker Training
It takes a lot of time and patience to get over fears. But I think you got the loving, caring, patience thing down already! You might learn that she's actually really smart! She might get over her fears quicker than you expected and you can move on to training her tricks using the clicker too

Oh wow all of this information is wonderful! I will have to give this a try! Thank you kindly for taking the time to explain this, I am going to do this with her. This is such a wonderful community - I am so happy to have joined.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

[canana]

Just to add one more thing...

It's very helpful during training (whether for fear issues, obedience, or tricks) to have your Yorkie focused on you (i.e. have good eye contact with you). When they're focused on you (and not the treat or the feared thing), they will learn much faster!

The Dog Trainer : How to Get Your Dog's Attention :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?