Originally Posted by docmartin (Post 4257441)

Funny happenings today, last night I had to tell her off (for a carpet poo) and put her in the sin bin for ten minutes (no more). She normally sleeps in my wife's room and did so as normal last night. Well this morning a real change. My wife was out shopping all day, so I baby sat. Normally she's with me continuously. Today she never left my wife's room, eight hours without even a look in! Is this normal or have I been rejected? My wife (who feeds her) suggested I feed her with some treats, but I think there's something more radical that has come to pass - what do you think?

Originally Posted by docmartin (Post 4257441)

Funny happenings today, last night I had to tell her off (for a carpet poo) and put her in the sin bin for ten minutes (no more). She normally sleeps in my wife's room and did so as normal last night. Well this morning a real change. My wife was out shopping all day, so I baby sat. Normally she's with me continuously. Today she never left my wife's room, eight hours without even a look in! Is this normal or have I been rejected? My wife (who feeds her) suggested I give her some treats, but I think there's something more radical that has come to pass - what do you think?

Originally Posted by docmartin (Post 4256643)

What a wonderful response and thank you all so much America, really appreciated. My late wife and I repatriated a little beach mongrel stray from Spain in '81. He was only seven months when we found him, but due to our then quarantine laws and import procedure, it took 10 months to get him home. He taught us a lot about patience and love and lived a long and happy life passing when he was over 17.

We have had to have our Yorkie clipped because her coat was hopelessly tangled and matted with wood chippings, which obviously indicated she'd been kept in a pen or enclosure. She now sleeps in her little basket, either in my wife's room or mine. We are both retired, so she's never been alone since we got her, very important I feel, in the early days of a young re-homed dog.

We live right on the sea shore, so once she gains confidence the beach is only 30 yards from our door.

We live in a high rise Penthouse and currently we are toilet training, she was on pads, but kept missing the corners and pooing on the carpet near the paper! We got a 'Rascal' Little Squirt yesterday - early days but that's for another day.

Ps, She wags her tail a lot and is an enthusiastic licker, a real little treasure, who will probably be utterly swamped with affection.

Once again, lovely to read your kind responses and what a smashing place this forum is.

Originally Posted by docmartin (Post 4257769)

Thank you, 'Meet out' is perhaps a little harsh for placing her in a kiddies play pen for ten minutes, anyway I have tried the benefit motivation route and today we are completely back to normal now. Currently asleep on my shoulder and causing a great deal of ingenuity to make this post.

Originally Posted by gracielove (Post 4257785)

I didn't mean to imply that you were being too harsh with her. It's just that with her issues she just would probably respond much better to reward than punishment.

Originally Posted by docmartin (Post 4257811)

Please accept I took your point as both constructive and helpful, in fact today has proven your point. Already I love this little dog completely and her response was so upsetting to witness, that your reply made me feel even more perplexed. I have gained some information on her past from the people I got her from, who were very kind to rescue her. It seems the old lady whom she was bought for, was beyond even remembering her name. The careers, one in particular, were prone to smacking and then locking her in a small dark cupboard under the stairs, for 'hours on end'. Hence she lost her pad training and obviously harbours the fears of the past, which my unintentional response (lights were ready off in the room the pen was in) reignited?

We've just completed an hours exhaustive fun playing and now we're both comatose on the sofa with her curled up to me.

Thank you, your thoughts really are much appreciated.

Martin