New dog, unique challenges.

We have a 9 month old boxer who we love to pieces. She was a rescue, she had been raised in an environment where they were trying to fight her. We got her when she was about 5 months old. She had scabs all over and scars. She has recovered very well.

At first she would try to eat anything with fur, especially if it was five times bigger than her. She was also malnurished so we gave her lots of treats and good vitamins. She is so intelligent. But that's also part of the problem. She gets so bored she digs and eats all the plants, and chews up papers and sticks on the frontroom floor.

We have been working hard to socialize her, and she's come a long way, so far in fact that she's been asking for a companion in a way.

So in enters the new dog. He is older than we were expecting (my husband read the ad wrong), but there are other things too. He is extremely underfed. A good 20 pounds underweight. He's a boxer/pit mix and our 9 month old pure boxer puppy stands taller than he does, so we are convinced he's been malnurished for a very long time. He has bad hips as well, they shake as he tries to stand up. Something the previous owners conveinently forgot to tell us.

He is also extremely scared and has serious control issues over food. Not that he's food agressive but rather will not eat food at all unless he has our explicit permission and will back away if our other dog gets anywhere near the bowl even if he's starving. I'd rather this than agression because it's far easier to overcome the timidness than agression.

We were told he's very outgoing, energetic, loves to play, not that he's decrepit and will duck and hide at the slightest noise or male presence.

We've only had him for two days now and I realize that it will take him time to adjust, but I really wish they would have been more honest with us, we paid for him, so it's not like he was just a give away.

We were informed after the fact that he was a shelter rescue, is extremely timid, and has hip problems, after we had paid for him and took him home. He also hasn't had his rabies shot either, and refuses to play with our puppy, the whole reason we wanted another dog in the first place.

He has never been allowed outside without a leash, so when he goes into our backyard he runs around and whines, not sure what to even do with himself. The latest foray outside though has showed improvement in that area.

He's a beautiful dog, and he is starting to show signs that we can pull him out of it, but we didn't want another rescue dog, we wanted a well adjusted happy go lucky playmate for the one we already have. We never can seem to find that, it's like we're a magnet to pets who need serious therapy to enjoy a normal life. He is a very beautiful boy though sadly underweight. The picture doesn't show all the bones though. We can see four nobs of his spine, all of the details of his hip bones, and all of his ribs. Poor boy is going to get some meat on him ASAP.

There's really no way to report them, they got him as a rescue in December and he gained about 7 pounds while with them. It's kind of scary that he was even skinnier before we got him.

They only got rid of him because their town did an across the board pit ban and anything that even resembles a pit had to go. I think they were concerned about finding a home for him if they were upfront about everything, but it's still irritating. I know we would have gone for another dog had they been completely honest.

He is fantastic with our kids, though, and loves to cuddle, so it's not like he's unlovable, he just wasn't quite what we were after.

My main concern is that I'm in school full time, though I have the summer off, and I wanted my dog who I love so much to have a playmate so she wouldn't feel so lonely when I was out. But if this other one won't have anything to do with her, then it sort of defeats the purpose.

He is showing rapid progress though, so it makes me hopeful. He actually followed her around the yard without whining. He's still terrified of my husband, so my husband is making sure to be the one who walks him, and gives him extra treats and cuddle time.

I think it's a waiting game for now. We are also giving him vitamins to help boost his nutrient load, we only buy really good quality dog food with no grains or fillers or beef (boxers are notoriously allergic to both) and we are also starting him on a joint care supplement routine. He's showing more life and energy than when we got him and he doesn't seem so utterly miserable.

Oh yeah, she definitely wants to play, and his influence has already been really good on her. She was overly energetic and loved to bowl over my kids just so she could lick their faces, but since getting him she's stopped doing that and gone for the gentler approach. My kids loved the attention before, but she's only going to get bigger so I have been trying to teach her not to jump up on people. This other dog worked it out of her in two days.

He has started to chase after her in the yard now that he's not so scared of the yard and getting more and more used to her.

They even took a nap together about fifteen minutes ago and I successfully walked both of them together, also a good influence from him to her, as she liked to do her own thing on the walks and now she's starting to be more lax on the leash.

She is also teaching him some things, like how to be more sociable, and she's teaching him to relax and be more comfortable around people, especially men. She's teaching him the proper way to approach us, with head held high instead of slinking around.

The other family said he always slinked with them, so I know it's a definite impact she is having on him.

GingerGunlock said:

It sounds like your dogs are a really good fit for one another. He a calming influence on her, she able to draw him out of his shell. How sad that he came from a situation like that, but you're right, he is gorgeous!

Have you talked to your vet yet about his hips? Will supplements or glucosamine or something help?

Click to expand...

I have an appointment with the vet for his rabies shot, and a special one we have for this area if they drink out of the canal or lake water, and for his hips. We have already purchased glucosamine.

It's interesting because the first day we got him his hips were really hurting him, but since we started him on glucosamine and ramped up his food intake, he's not acting like they hurt him at all. I'm not sure if it's the food or the glucosamine at work so quickly.

Backslashbaby, you are absolutely right. There's a saying something along the lines of what you want vs what you need. He wasn't exactly what we wanted but he was definitely what we needed.

We have set boundaries for both of them which I think is making the adjustment go faster. My husband is set up as the Alpha with me next in line, partially because he is so scared of men, this is giving him a figure to respect, but also to bond with.

She is extremely food agressive due to her early days as a dog fighter, but by feeding them in separate places, and making sure if he gets special food she does too and if he gets a treat she does too, she is already calming down. They're both really intelligent dogs and learn very quickly.

Our first dog was guiding him toward my husband for socialization, it was cute.

Here's a picture of them cuddling of their own volition yesterday...after they messed up my bed of course.

And yes, both of them are fixed.

Well dogs wrestled for the first time today. They sound so mean and vicious but their body language and movements are all play. My first dog, Brandi, is absolutely thrilled and so am I. Abe, the new one, seems to be enjoying a playmate too, his tail's up and wagging, he's active and he's not trembling every time he looks out the window anymore.

It's funny to watch them because it's much like a dance. They meet head to head, lick each other, grunt, then do a mock attack, then meet head to head again and lick each other, and repeat it until one of them is tired.

yeah, it's way early to let them eat unsupervised. He's full grown so when he gets the bulk he needs, we'll only be feeding him once a day which will be easy enough to supervise.

She relinquished control over the water bowl today which is a huge step, and one I'm so happy to see her taking. She seems to genuinely love the company of our new addition and wants to take care of him. They loved their walk together this morning and I was able to fully control both dogs at the same time. Not bad considering both are 50+ pounds each.

Also he has stopped shaking every time a person passes in front of the house. I think he's getting comfortable with the fact that he has a safe territory and just because there is a scary stranger outside doesn't mean he's in any danger.

randi.lee said:

It's wonderful that you would do this for a dog and I applaud you as well. And as a dog-rescuer myself I can tell you that the effort does pay off. Even if it's only a little bit at a time, positive re-inforcement will continue to help you and your love-pup on your way.

Kudos to you for taking on this effort! I wish you and the pup all the best!

Click to expand...

Almost every pet we've ever owned has been a rescue. We could avoid it if we'd buy from breeders, but we refuse to contribute to the over population of pets and figure our dollars and love can go to an otherwise unloved pet.

This particular rescue was marked unadoptable simply due to his tender hips, extreme timidness, and breed. I figure that's kind of sad since he's an amazing dog.

I survived said:

If your second dog continues to have anxiety problems you can use a couple of drops of rescue remedy when he's going to be in an anxiety producing position, thunderstorm, people coming over, trip etc. I have a service dog and that's what they recommend for our dogs. You can pick it up at a health food store. PS its safe for Humans too.!

Click to expand...

I've never heard of that. I'll check it out if he continues to have problems, we'll have to order it from the internet though because we live in a pretty remote area. We're trying to take things nice and slow and introduce him to stimulus in moderation. This morning when he was quivering in front of the window he had our first dog, Brandi on one side and one of my children snuggled up to him on the other. Since then he hasn't shaken while looking out the window, not even when kindergarten let out and there were lots of people passing.

I've been taking him on three walks a day, each time a different route, and it's been helping him gain confidence as well.

When my husband interacts with him I also stay next to him, it seems to make him feel a little more anchored and protected and he's more willing to interact with my husband. Once he's gone on a walk with my husband for the day he's even more open to attention from him. He even has started coming when called rather than ducking into the other room or crawling under a chair.

All good progress. I think it will take a few weeks for him to feel confident approaching my husband without any hesitation, but as long as we take it nice and slow and use soft voices and treats, I don't think we'll have a problem doing so.

frimble3 said:

A hopeful note re: hips. If Abe's hips have improved in the time you've had him, it might be that he's been so underweight that his hips have been unprotected. Your vet will be able to test for actual problems, but it might be that getting some meat on those bones will alleviate the problem.

Click to expand...

We took him to the vet today. He's already put on three pounds, mostly around his hips since we've had him. The vet thinks this weight stabilized his hips as he doesn't shake anymore when he tries to stand up. He checked him for hip dysplasia as that's what he was diagnosed with earlier. The new muscle and tissue he's developed has made all the difference. He has minor hip dysplasia, but the vet is hopeful that with joint care, daily exercise and healthy weight, he won't have the negative side effects of it and will be able to run and play normally. Today he proved that. He invited my husband to come play with him and he can really play. He's such a different dog in just three short days.

GingerGunlock said:

The picture of the two of them on the bed is adorable!

What is it about dogs and messing up beds? Last night, Elka hopped up on the bed and flipped all of the covers onto the floor with her nose!

Click to expand...

I think it's because covers are so manipulate-able, it makes it easy and fun for the dogs to mess with them.