[Jhelms55]

My wife and I recently found what appears to be a full min pin. She was freezing on our front porch, and we took her in to keep her from suffering damage from the cold (was below 20 degrees that night). I did not plan on keeping her at the time, thinking that I would have no problems finding the owner of such a fine looking dog, but now after putting up signs for a 3 or 4 weeks and giving the local shelter my information, I have had no one contact me. My wife has become some what attached to her and she gets along amazingly with the ferrets, so I am beginning to consider making this our first dog. The half problem comes from her being EXTREMELY TIMID. Everything I have read about this breed says that they are the opposite of timid, yet she will not come to us at anytime when asked, and she runs from us when she is not already lying down. If she is lying down then she loves the attention, and obviously likes us from her other behavior. However, this timidness has her unable to be walked on a leash or come to us when she is outside (luckily we have plenty of land here, and she has room to run and comes to the door when she is ready to come in), or inside. However, we could be moving soon and I will need her to be leash trained, and it would help if some of this timidness would decrease so that she is more trainable (she took to crate training and using the bathroom outside within a couple days but other then that she has been unresponsive). SO, after the book I seem to have written, I guess I am asking for help on how to leash train her, advise on how to not get her not so timid, and on how to rename her. I forgot to mention that she is old enough to have had puppies (her nipples show she has had puppies), and has not responded to the name we have been calling her. It is possible, living in this area, that I have a puppy farm breeder rescue =-(. I want her to relax.
Other then that we have been calling her Jezebel, she appears to be a chocolate min pin, and she is just lovely.
Any advise is welcome, thanks in advance.

[Yogi]

Have you taken her in to the vet to have her checked for a micro-chip? I did not see where you mentioned that.
Though the Miniature Pinscher is a terrier and generally displays traditional terrier behavior, her attitude is indicative of a dog that appears lost and still somewhat out of place. This should subside over time after she becomes more acclimated with her surrounding and a routine. If you are judging her having pups based on elongated nipples, this is somewhat common in this breed when it reaches maturity but does not indicate necessarily that she has had pups.
Check with a local vet and have her scanned for a chip. If negative and you elect to keep her, than give her the time to acclimate. As for leash training, this can in many cases with a mature Miniature Pinscher be somewhat of a problem at first but with patience they do catch on. Start in the house before outside so she gets use to it and do not use a collar and leash. She will require a harness and leash. Good Luck.

[Lunareclipse]

When you go to leash train her, leave a leash on her at all times and let her drag it around to get used to it. Don't try to take her out on it use it to lead her aroung until she has gotten used to it being on her. And go see if your doggie is microchipped.

[unstresst]

Our dogs watch and listen to us to keep informed about their world.
When a timid moment happens, don't react to it and don't say anything about it to the dog.
Go on about some business, or talk to others in the room.
Any sympathy-speak or sympathy reactions towards the dog, gives the dog the impression, that a problem exists and they dont know what, where or who the problem is.......they stay on edge.
That first day when found her.....as soon as she got warm and fed in your house, SHE was 100 percent "over" being a lost dog.....How you babyd her and conversed with her from that moment on, may have kept her in a state of uncertainty--[about her world]

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by unstresst

Our dogs watch and listen to us to keep informed about their world.
When a timid moment happens, don't react to it and don't say anything about it to the dog.
Go on about some business, or talk to others in the room.
Any sympathy-speak or sympathy reactions towards the dog, gives the dog the impression, that a problem exists and they dont know what, where or who the problem is.......they stay on edge.
That first day when found her.....as soon as she got warm and fed in your house, SHE was 100 percent "over" being a lost dog.....How you babyd her and conversed with her from that moment on, may have kept her in a state of uncertainty--[about her world]

Part of this is true but part is not. A lost dog found in no way from point of being fed and provided warmth no longer makes is a lost dog. A dog has memories and these memories can be long lasting. Unfortunately there is no way to tell what this dog has gone through prior or what may trigger a reaction. I have had hundreds of fosters over the years and it takes a great deal of time in most cases for them to acclimate themselves to the point of feeling that they actually belong. The dog is only over it 100% when it has bonded completely and this is rarely the case in an adult dog lost then found by others. Patience is the only cure and a great deal of it. Give it time.

[unstresst]

Patience is definitly a must......Things WERE bad for the dog, but that is no more. Sympathy is best shown by being a calm solid partner/leader/master calm upbeat chit-chat without the baby-talk impresses confidence in the dog. They "feel' your attitudes ....baby-talk tones are good for play time and treat time, but not needed when it comes to the past.
It's sort of like keeping the past alive.....like things are still going bad.
The dog IS in a good home with good people......keep that theme going through your communication and activity with the dog.
The dog may still retain some behaviors that are fearful, but don't 'play along' when she's doing them.
You could maybe sit with her when these things come up, but the chatter that goes on is better if it's not related to the fear. or what causes the fear.
My dog Maggie was afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
This is a fear that would have easily remained or gotten worse had I tried to soothe her or ease her fear with sympathetic words and tones.
From the very beginning I ignored her when she ran off to hide.
When the noise was done i'd walked over near her and without addressing HER, just chatter about something unrelated.....(like "where's my coffee cup") and walk away.
She IMMEDIATELY popped up and was her usual happy self.
Now, when the vaccuum starts, she slowly slinks away because she's annoyed, not afraid.

[dogwarmer]

I couldn't agree more with the comments from UNSTRESST !! Additionally, I don't believe dogs necessarily understand what we are saying, (certainly not your new pet) but they sure understand our body language. If I were in your situation I would simply make myself available in a loving way, not playful, carry on normal conversations in a normal voice and let her come to you. She'll get there and it will be amazingly gratifying when it happens. She's lucky to be with you and she'll realize it. Good luck!

D

[Jhelms55]

Sorry it took me so long to chime back in. I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice, and let everyone know how things are going. We did have her checked for a micro-chip and we got nothing, so we proceed to get her all of her shots and spayed. It has taken some time but she has finally warmed up to us. There is still room for improvement, she still only comes to us about 50% of the time when off a leash, but she has gotten use to the leash. She is still extremely timid around strangers but luckily not aggressive with people and she is fantastic with other dogs and our ferrets. Other then the timidness of strangers and the stubbornness to come I am not sure that I could have ask for a more perfect dog. However, I think that these things to will pass with time.
Now the tough question, potty training. She does well most of the time but we are still getting 2 or so poops a week on the floor and a couple pees. Normally at different times. When we crate her she does great, but my wife wants her to be able to sleep in the bed with us (i am never enough, and she says the dog smells better), and this is when most of the accidents are happening. Since she is a little dog I wondered if it was her just not caring, or if it was because we just sleep longer then she can go without going potty. How do I know, and how could I go about fixing this?
Thanks for the tips and any others you have.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Jhelms55

Sorry it took me so long to chime back in. I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice, and let everyone know how things are going. We did have her checked for a micro-chip and we got nothing, so we proceed to get her all of her shots and spayed. It has taken some time but she has finally warmed up to us. There is still room for improvement, she still only comes to us about 50% of the time when off a leash, but she has gotten use to the leash. She is still extremely timid around strangers but luckily not aggressive with people and she is fantastic with other dogs and our ferrets. Other then the timidness of strangers and the stubbornness to come I am not sure that I could have ask for a more perfect dog. However, I think that these things to will pass with time.
Now the tough question, potty training. She does well most of the time but we are still getting 2 or so poops a week on the floor and a couple pees. Normally at different times. When we crate her she does great, but my wife wants her to be able to sleep in the bed with us (i am never enough, and she says the dog smells better), and this is when most of the accidents are happening. Since she is a little dog I wondered if it was her just not caring, or if it was because we just sleep longer then she can go without going potty. How do I know, and how could I go about fixing this?
Thanks for the tips and any others you have.

Glad you decided to keep the pup! I'm sure the dog will love it there!

Glad to hear she's improving. You say she comes to you 50% of the time. Maybe you should try using a sound and reward system to try and get up tp 100%. Consider getting a clicker, whistle, or even just your voice. When she hears that sound give her a treat. Start on leash so you initially have more control over the situation then go off leash and everytime she comes reward her with a lot of praise and a food reward. As time goes on there eventually will be no need for a food reward every time but still occasionaly to reinforce her positive behavior. Always praise though.

If she is still a bit timid around humans continue to desensitize her to them. Try and make every experience with humans a positive one so she creates a positive association with them. When ever she meets another human have that human be a positive and praising as possible even if you need to set some meeting up with friends yourself. Provide plenty of treats, toys, and praise. Have the stranger give her food rewards as well.

As far as occasional accidents go, you say they happen mostly at night when she sleeps in your bed. It is very important to let her out to go potty several times before bed and once right before you go to bed to make sure she goes and get what she needs to get done so she can last for the night. What time is she eating her last meal? IThe food may not digest quickly enough to produce stool before going to bed so maybe feed her an hour or two earlier. and see if that seems to help. Limit water consumption too at least 2 hours before bed. If nothing helps maybe consider using pads they sell for dog to go on and put them in your room. This way if she has to go she can but be aware that pad training can potentially cause other house training problems like causing the dog to on the floor otherwise and not only outside. If that starts happening stop using pads immediately. I wouldn't use pads though unless you don't have any other options. before resorting to that try the feeding, potty time, and drinking suggestions I gave you and that may very well clear up the issues.

Good luck!

Good luck and keep us updated!

[collin2]

Hi! Anyone here from the Cap Coast, Queensland ??
My dog went missing around Christmas -