Calling all couch potatoes

[MaggieMaysMommy]

So, little miss Maggie May (3yr old rescue) has been with us for about a month now (what did we ever do without her?!). If she had it her way she would NEVER leave the couch. I know part of it is the security...she seems the most relaxed up on the couch, snuggled next to a throw pillow. She is anxious down on the floor. She never leaves the family room - heck she never leaves the area where the couch is. Her day is as follows: She sleeps in her crate at night in our family room, door shut. I come down in the morning, open door, put her food outside the crate, she comes out and eats, and then sits next to the couch and waits for me to lift her up onto it. She happily settles in...for the rest of the DAY...I take her out to go potty 4 times a day (she doesnt tell me, I just take her from the couch to the yard every few hours). When we come in I take off her harness and she runs from the back door to the couch and paces waiting to be lifted. She wont use couch stairs (I am trying) but for now she cant get up and down herself, so I am her elevator. I am totally fine with her on the couch, and enjoy her cozy company - and she is safe there. But I worry she's not drinking enough water, because her water bowl is on the floor...and she is usually too fixated on "destination couch" to stop for a drink, so I find myslef bring her water to her, I put the bowl in front of her a few times a day and she drinks - sigh... I just dont want her to be dehydrated. I leave water in her crate at night too but I dont think she drinks it. SO...I have to imagine there are other yorkies who cant get off the couch themselves and prefer not all together...right? If thats your situation, please chime in Do you just let them stay up there all day? I am working on leaving her on the floor and trying to engage her in play for 5-10 min before lifting her up... (sorry for the long winded post, you should hear me leave a voicemail! lol)

[matese]

Welcome to YT, sorry I have no real advise for lil miss Maggie the couch potato, some suggestions that you may not have tried . Her being a rescue and afraid of being on the floor, something bad must have happened to her that she prefers to be up high. I think some socializing like short car rides couldn't hurt, trips to Pet Smart / Pet Supplies where she'll other ppl also. Find out what type of toys she prefers and play with her and them for short periods during the day. The couch sounds like her security blanket. Having her just one month, you and her are getting to know each other, she may need more time to gain 100% trust in you. I adopted a rescue 10 months ago, he was not abused, he was loved much. He attached himself to me really fast. Others will stop by and offer up suggestions.

[MaggieMaysMommy]

Thanks Joan! She does very well in the car, so thats a good idea to do little field trips for socialization. Toys are a bit confusing to her, but she does love her kong, so I give her one each afternoon as an "activity" lol - shes just a little sweetie. I think slowly working on confidence in general will resolve many things, we will work at her pace!

[matese]

Originally Posted by MaggieMaysMommy

Thanks Joan! She does very well in the car, so thats a good idea to do little field trips for socialization. Toys are a bit confusing to her, but she does love her kong, so I give her one each afternoon as an "activity" lol - shes just a little sweetie. I think slowly working on confidence in general will resolve many things, we will work at her pace!

Rescues are so easily spoiled, we want to make up to them for possibly a bad past. Working at her pace is best, not force things on her.

[MauiGirl]

I can't speak from experience here, as I have never had a rescue, but from what I've read, I think it takes a while for them to feel safe and to trust, and to develop their new little personalities. I just imagine this is how it will go for her, and that she will expand her comfort zone in the months to come.

Some rescues take years to adapt, but it sounds like she has found her "sweet spot" and wants to stick to it. I am sure you will gently find ways to get her to be more adventurous but for now, it is nice to know where she is.

I spend a lot of time every day looking for my girls, doing a head count to make sure all 3 are safe. So happy to hear you are enjoying her.

[MarkFromSea]

If time allows, I highly encourage taking her on walks. Seems to me a 3 year old should have more physical activity. It seems to have helped my old guy quite a bit. He was given to us about a year and a half ago. At that time he couldn't/wouldn't walk 100 yards with out needing to be carried. We walk about three miles, a few times a week now. He's still old but he's in way better shape.

[gracielove]

Why do you feel she feels safe on the couch? Do you have another animal that is on the floor that might make her feel uncomfortable? A human?

Although adult dogs do tend to sleep a lot this seems extreme for a 3 year old dog. My Gracie is 4 and she loves going for walks and playing around the house.

Do you suppose her behavior was like this in her former home? Is she afraid? Maybe you could put her on a leash and walk he with you as you do tasks throughout your home so she feels more comfortable in different areas as well as on the couch.

My Gracie is little, not tiny, 5lbs. She can jump up and down off our couch. The couch is not terribly high but she can do it on her own. I would suspect that your little girl may have some issues with her joints if she is that fearful of jumping up or down. Some little ones cannot jump up but will jump down despite the height.

I encourage you to do activities with you little girl. Don't push her into a lot at once but maybe one new thing at a time each day. If she seems afraid then take it slowly but if she seems pained I would get her to a vet for a very detailed check up.

[MaggieMaysMommy]

Graciesmom, yep, her previous home was as a breeder in a puppy mill - so she is timid on the floor and relaxed/content on the couch near me. This is why i think she us "safe" there - but no, the floor is of no danger to her...no other pets or kids here

I do agree walks would be VERY good for her - we live on a quiet corner so i have been trying to get her to go from the back yard, along the side yard, and then along then front - and up the front door. We r making progress on that.

Thank you all for your responses - what i am hearing is reassuring that with patients and routine she will come around, and that she is indeed capable i just have to take a minute to share a HUGE milestone, Maggie May played with a toy today! She chewed and played with a small plush. I have been leaving a few around and suddenly today she must have been comfortable and trusting enough to let her walls down a bit!

[MarkFromSea]

Congrats!
You're right, time, patience, routine.... She's young... You should have a lot of wonderful years. Guccci, he's old, doesn't play with toys, but he does play games with his owners. LOL He's got us wrapped around HIS finger. LOL

[MaggieMaysMommy]

Oh! And yes, she has dislocated knee caps in both of her front legs since birth (vet said) - we r to watch and see how she does. She doesnt show pain or favoring when mobile. And she takes a joint supplement from our vet.

[MaggieMaysMommy]

Thanks mark! Yes, she is coming around - i know she is a smarty pants, just holding out on me

[yorkietalkjilly]

Thank you for giving this poor baby a loving, responsible forever home after what she's been living in! She's likely been damaged by her previous life so you have some work to do to help her rehabilitate from previous attitudes and associations she's formed but you can do it with enough love, patience, repetition, reward and determination.

If she was from a puppymill, she could be used to her living quarters being only in crates and being in captivity in a crate/cage all day and night so full freedom is new and unsettling to her, so true freedom of movement about your house could take her a few weeks or even months to achieve, given her history.

No telling what her previous life was like so allow her some more couch time for a couple of more weeks and then begin to engage her in some brief play sessions down on the floor using high-value treats, such as warm, boiled chicken placed in a Kong toy to draw her out a little bit. In time, when she is comfortable down on the floor, tease her a bit with your hand by closing some chicken in your fist and get down on the floor with her and bait her with your closed fist and make her really paw at your fist to get you to open it for that chicken. Make her chase your closed fist around as you move it back and forth and when she does, laugh a lot and show her that that type of play is good and makes you happy. And then, she will begin to associate the wonderful chicken with being down on the floor and in time will begin to see being on the floor as a good place to be.

Also, given her puppymill background, she is probably also used to drinking from a crate/guinea pig-type upside down crate-mounted water bottle so you might have to encourage her to drink her water from her bowl but believe me, no healthy dog will really get dangerously dehydrated when water is nearby in a bowl. Just show her the water bowl frequently and say "Good water bowl" when she looks at it, change the water and place the fresh water down for her and act very happy when she does drink from her water bowl and even treat her when she does to show her that drinking from the bowl is a good thing.

I don't know if just my dogs are the only dogs to do this but every single time I change the water in their bowls, my dogs have all - over the years - been immediately spurred to go get a drink of the fresh water as soon as I walk away from the bowl! So you might try changing her water frequently just to see if she is a fresh-water lover like every dog I've ever had has been.

Encourage her to use her doggie steps as tiny little Yorkies have fragile joints and the repeated jumping up and down from furniture is usually too much repetitive force on their joints and surrounding support structures and tissue and in time, bad things can happen. I had a little 13 year old Yorkie dislocate a shoulder joint merely jumping down off the couch using her stool. The vet said the dislocation happened from all the repetitive jumping she did in order to be up on the couch or bed with me so you can imagine if she'd been allowed to land with full force on the floor after jumping straight down off the couch or bed and imagine how much sooner her shoulder(or other) joint could have given way.

I used large cardboard boxes placed alongside the doggie steps for a couple of weeks while I was training Tibbe to use the doggie steps as he was 9 mos. old when I got him and wanted to just directly jump up and down off the couch himself or cheat and jump off the side of the top doggie step. And then I used the phrase "use doggie step jump" and a treat to run him up and down the steps repeatedly and would always say "uh oh" and scowl at him when he bypassed the stairs and then would go into a training session luring him up and down the steps with a high-value treat right afterward to replace the incorrect thing he'd just done in his mind with the correct action with lots of praise when he went up or down on the steps properly.

It all worked and after a couple of months, he was completely trained to use only his doggie steps. Ever since his early training, all along the way since and even now, 6 years later, I still praise and treat him for using his "good doggie step jump" to keep it fresh in his mind that they are good to use.

Eventually, when your baby is more settled into her new freedom and home, brief and frequent obedience training sessions that are made fun and kept upbeat and very rewarding for her will eventually help fill her with self-confidence and pride that she can learn to do what you say and do her commands on request and in the process, you two will form a tight bond of teamwork and she'll love the pride she sees you have in her and feel much more assured because of it. You can totally reshape a dog's behavior and confidence using behavior modification techniques and positive-reinforcement obedience training. There are also lessons you can give her to help her build up her self-confidence once she is ready. Likely she will always be a little reserved or fearful at times as damaged dogs never truly are 100% "cured" from the bad old associations but they can get awfully close to it. They may revert to old behavior from time to time, which is to be expected. Just re-direct her to something positive when she does by drawing her out of herself with an invitation to go walkies or play ball or chase you around and she'll snap out of it.

[MissPixi]

My girls prefer a ramp over stairs. Maybe try a ramp, it might be uncomfortable to her little knees.
One way to see if you can get her to try the stairs (if it's not a pain thing) is to put a treat just high enough so she has to put her front paws on the bottom step to get it. Keep putting one there every once in a while until she's confident, then one step higher...
good luck with your little sweetie!

[matese]

I have a question, why do you put her in a crate, downstairs away from you?
If she came from a puppy mill, her primary existence was for breeding. No human contact other then feeding and cage cleaning. No playing or interacting with other animals other then the babies her had. Her world was a CAGE, with wire floor, no freedom. I agree with yorkietalkjilly, being FREE of the cage can be overwhelming to her, her life was a 3x3 (so to say) world, now it is wide open spaces, can be scary. So much space she chooses the confinement of the sofa. I think a month of the sofa it’s time for her to know the safety of the rest of the house, one room at a time. If you are going to spend time in the kitchen bring her in there with you. Block off the doorway so she cannot get to the couch. Praise, praise happy dance, reward treats at all little achievements, if she looks edgy in the kitchen bring in a doggie bed, show her that is a safe space for her, keep bringing her in the kitchen until you see that she is roaming around and feeling comfortable, it may take days or a few weeks for her to gain conference. Then start the same thing in another room. All baby steps. This is a new world for her. Playing with a little toy is a good sign. Yorkietalkjilly’s suggestion of the chicken is an excellent way to get her to play. She doesn’t know how to play, she was used to breed. Being confused by toys is because she had none, her toys were the babies she was forced to have. By a small selection of toys, soft plush to soft squeaky ones. Do as you did with the plush ones, lay them around the floor, she will select what she likes, it all takes time. Nice walks, another thing she is not use to, the outside world. Walk and sniff. Pick a time that is good for you for walk, make it the same time everyday. Dogs like routines, take short walks the first week then longer the next week, get her use to the world outside of a cage. Always praise, pet, hold, cuddle her when she does all these new things. Time and a lot of patience is what it will take, but the reward of seeing you reshaping the life of a confined dog to a dog that can enjoy the world of freedom is priceless. A little bit about my rescue and my reward. My boy was gotten 3 years ago for an 8 y/o child whose parents were getting divorced, to help the child over come that daddy will not be there, the grandparents thought getting the child a puppy to love and care for would take some of the pain of loosing her daddy. The puppy was to be the Child's toy and a diversion for her daddy not being in her life 24/7, so the puppy had no toys, the child was his toy. He was kept crated all day while the mom worked and the child was at school. When both came home the puppy was let out of the crate and the child took charge. This child trained him, taught him the basic commands, sit, stay etc, the puppy was the child’s world and visa versa. Due to the pup at age 2 y/o having serious medical issues, mom remarried had a infant her finances were limited, she could not afford the medical care the dog needed. She was going to have the dog euthanized. The rescue team my vet works with saw this dog on the kill list, they contacted the owner and volunteered to take him as a rescue and re-home him. The owner agreed but did not tell them of his medical issues, they loved the dog, did not want to put him down, as first time dog owner the mom was not aware of rescue shelters. The mom told the rescue team she had to give him up because she had this infant and was afraid the dog would harm the baby. The dog was taken to my vet, when my vet saw him he reminded her of my lil girl that I had to put down 6 weeks earlier. She called me to come see the dog, in a nut shell I took him. I had gotten rid of all dog related things when my baby girl at age 17 y/o had to be put down, I had no intention of getting another dog, so I had nothing here. So off I went to buy toys, not knowing what he liked I got soft plush squeaky ones, soft rubber ones, balls of diff. Sizes. I was soooo excited with my 2 bags of toys. When I got home and gave him just one of each he walked way from them, not interested lol, big disappointment to me, but I got on the floor and I played with them lol, still no interest. So I left them in a basket on the floor. I also have a big back yard, he was leash walked only, was never off his leash. When I took him home the first thing I did was take him to the yard. He was like a greyhound, he ran and ran and ran. I could hear him singing the singing the song “born free” lol. It took him about 2 weeks before he went to the toy basket on his own, he would dray out a toy and play with it, then a diff toy, until he discovered which type he liked best. Soft squeaky rubber ones. Now he is a toy freak, tosses them all over the house. That was my reward, introducing him to toys, minor to what you have to work with, just giving you an example of giving them time and being consistent, not giving up on the training, praise, reward. I am still being rewarded by things he was not allowed to do with prev. owner, but I encourage him to do with me. You will see what your time spent in reshaping this sweet lil girl will affect you. You will have a great sense of pride and accomplishment, and an over whelming amount of love for this lil baby. Please keep us up-dated on her progress.

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by MaggieMaysMommy

Oh! And yes, she has dislocated knee caps in both of her front legs since birth (vet said) - we r to watch and see how she does. She doesnt show pain or favoring when mobile. And she takes a joint supplement from our vet.

Well, that explains why she won't go up the steps. Poor dear. I would say you are doing really well since she is a puppy mill lady. I'm so glad you gave her a good home.

I would just be concerned about her if you ever had to be away from home for any length of time.She can't get off the couch but it is the only place she is comfortable. Maybe you could get her a nice comfy bed and blanket and put it on the floor by the couch and slowly try to get her interested in it. Put her in it and sit with her for a few minutes at a time. I would not force her or make her stay off the couch but hopefully over time she might accept the bed as a safe warm place for when you can't be with her.