# Training an Adult Dog



## MyRealMcRoy (Dec 17, 2008)

Fair Warning: This is going to be long so you might wanna get yourself a cup of coffee!! 

OK... first a little background. On Saturday we took in a 4-5 y/o intact male - full blooded, NOT registered. He's a beautiful zipper nosed, dark red boy with absolutely the sweetest, most loving personality. We never intended to keep him. We have a new puppy coming in a few weeks and this was just supposed to be a foster long enough to get him out of a less than ideal situation. I’m hopeful my FIL will take him but if not we will likely end up keeping him. At the very least, we'll keep him long enough to train him and get him neutered before we take him to my FIL. 

We haven't been to the vet yet, but he is from all appearances perfectly healthy. His coat is gorgeous, he's active, his weight is good and his ears are clean. His shots have not been kept up and he's not been on heart worm preventative so ya'll say a prayer he's heartworm free! :crossfing

From the way the previous owner described it, he has spent his entire life in the backyard on a cable and they couldn't understand why when he got off the chain he ran away. Or why, when they put him on a leash he pulled so hard that they couldn't hold him! :doh:. He's extremely skittish. He cowers in fear at any sudden movement making me suspect he’s been hit as a means of discipline. Right now we're just working on housebreaking and getting him to feel safe and comfortable with us. 

He’s never lived inside before and he’s taking to it like a duck to water. He adores being with people and has attached himself to my husband and I like a shadow. If we’re up moving he’s pacing right beside us but once we settle down he’ll lay down at our feet like he’s done it all his life. 

This first few days has been a battle of wills over food. He will NOT eat his kibble and begs for table food anytime we're cooking/eating. The previous owner sent a bag of 'Ol Roy with him and said he was spoiled and wouldn't eat it unless you mixed a little water in. I tried the water ... he won't eat. I called the previous owner, who says 'well he really doesn't eat much anyway, mostly he just buries it'!  I bought Purina Pro Plan (best I can do until I can make a trip to the big city!) .... he won't eat it. I tried giving him a kong stuffed with peanut butter to chew on; still nothing. Dog biscuits? NOPE! Treats?? NADA!! 

He’s drinking plenty of water so I’m not real worried. I've always lived by the philosophy that dogs/kids will eat when they get hungry enough, so I've held firm on no table food so as not to reinforce the begging. Finally after three days we brought his bowl into the living room with us last night and coaxed him into eating about 1 1/2 cups of kibble. It was almost as if he didn’t want to be away from us long enough to go to the kitchen to eat. That’s the only food he’s had since Saturday. He wanted nothing to do with the kibble this morning or when I went home to let him out at lunch. We’ll try bringing his bowl back to the living room with us again tonight just to get some food in him but I really don’t want to make a habit of feeding him there. Maybe if I sit down on the kitchen floor while he eats???

He's had NO training at all (and apparently very little human interaction) so essentially we're looking at training 65 lb puppy. He responds well to praise/positive reinforcement and I think he is going to be really easy to train. It has been amazing to watch the transformation after just 3 days in the hands of someone who cares about him. It's like all the world is new. He’d never seen TV before and it is hilarious to watch him, watch TV. The sounds intrigue him and he’ll stop and stare at the screen. He doesn't know how to play. He won't chase a ball. He doesn’t know what to do with chew toys. He won’t carry/fetch sticks in the yard. He does like stuffed toys (don’t guess he’d be a golden if he didn’t) and he will fetch those if you throw them. 

We’ve always crate trained, but this is the first time we’ve ever attempted it with an adult dog. He’s in his crate at night and while we’re at work (M-F from 9:00 until around 4:30 with about an hour break at lunchtime). He absolutely HATES going in the crate and there is no food based treat (even people food) that will entice him to go in. You literally have to push him in there. I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth the fight, but I don’t know how else to go about house training him. We don’t have an area I feel comfortable leaving him unsupervised and I refuse to have him put out on a cable in the yard ever again. 

So… if you’ve made this far and you're still with me … my questions are these:

-How do I get him to eat HIS food? And how long should I let this battle of wills continue until I have to be concerned about him getting enough nutrients?
-How can I get him to see the crate a safe place and not a form of punishment? Or is there another way I can house train him?
-Once we get to obedience type training – what on earth am I going to use for a dog who doesn’t value treats/food??

Thanks for takin' the time to read through it all. :wavey:


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

WOW! Those are tough questions. I'll let the trainers handle those but he sounds just like the dogs we get in rescue.
My first foster had never been out of his outside kennel . He was afraid to come through a doorway, walk on a wood or tile floor. We had to teach him everything!

I recommend getting him to the vet ASAP. It could be something medical is why he doesn't eat.
Is he very thin? If not, he's obviously been eating something.

He may value food more, once the stress/newness has worn off and he is more comfortable.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I agree with the Deb... the first step needs to be a complete physical and hw test. Other than the eating, he seems to have fit in quickly from being an outside pretty much ignored boy to an adored housemate. Once you know that all is well medically, I'd get him on a good balanced kibble.... and add some real food. It's good for them. Break an egg in his food (the perfect protein), add some of your meat from dinner ( no onions), add fish oil, occasionally some sardines, green tripe, canned pumpkin. If the poor dear has been raised on Ole Roy, his nutrition has been the pits.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

The only advice that i can offer at the moment is regarding rewarding with treats - not all dogs are food orientated(unusual i know), but perhaps for him a kind word and a scratch of the ears or whatever may be a super reward for him (hope that makes sense). Good luck


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## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

Maybe boil some chicken and mix that in with his food. Get some high value treats, like liver treats or something like that, or even hot dogs. Hopefully the more meat like the food is, the less he'll turn his nose up at it until he settles in. I agree with the others, vet is the first priority.

Once you find a treat he really likes then start rewarding him for going in the crate with it...Crate training an adult that won't take any kind of reward will be a nightmare. Hopefully it's just a lot of adjustment and he'll settle down.


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## MyRealMcRoy (Dec 17, 2008)

Debles said:


> WOW! Those are tough questions. I'll let the trainers handle those but he sounds just like the dogs we get in rescue.
> My first foster had never been out of his outside kennel . He was afraid to come through a doorway, walk on a wood or tile floor. We had to teach him everything!
> 
> I recommend getting him to the vet ASAP. It could be something medical is why he doesn't eat.
> ...





Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> I agree with the Deb... the first step needs to be a complete physical and hw test. Other than the eating, he seems to have fit in quickly from being an outside pretty much ignored boy to an adored housemate. Once you know that all is well medically, I'd get him on a good balanced kibble.... and add some real food. It's good for them. Break an egg in his food (the perfect protein), add some of your meat from dinner ( no onions), add fish oil, occasionally some sardines, green tripe, canned pumpkin. If the poor dear has been raised on Ole Roy, his nutrition has been the pits.


Getting him in for a full work up is high on our priority list, but unless he starts showing signs of needing to go sooner it'll be at least Saturday before I can get him in to the see the vet. At this point I'm not as concerned about a medical condition causing him not to eat because he is vigorous and energetic and not at all underweight. 

You may have a point about mixing in some real food though. I suspect he was fed primarily table scraps and the Ol Roy was used more as a supplement (no wonder he buried it!!!). :yuck: I might could add some real food to the kibble and put it in his bowl, at his feeding time without reinforcing the begging when we're eating.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I'd pretend he's a puppy and start from scratch with training. As for the not eating, my Cocker Spaniel was a very fussy eater. She would got two or three days without eating and when she got hungry enough, she ate! I wouldn't let him go too long without eating, but I'm not sure I would give in right away either. I later found out my in-laws mixed Sparky's food with baby food (meat) and this can be part of the reason she was so stubborn. She lived to be 17 and was healthy up until she died.


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## egcc (Feb 23, 2009)

It's amazing what some consider to be "spoiled." 

Hats off to you for all you are doing. 

Have you tried leaving the TV on while you are at work? Can he see/hear the tv from his crate?

This may not be very helpful, but have you tried mixing the kibble with canned wet food? This might also sound silly, but if you take his bowl and pretend like you want to eat it and get really excited about it, he might get excited about eating it. (You might have already tried this when you say you "coaxed" him into eating. We do not give our dog table food, either, but I feel comfortable giving her carrots and apples. Maybe you could do a hybrid approach where he sees you eat some apple and then you put some apple in his bowl with his kibble, and he might get more excited about it. I don't know if this will be helpful at all, but hopefully you will receive more helpful suggestions. I have never seen a dog turn down peanut butter before, so it sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Have you tried to put a little of the pb on your hand and letting him lick it before directing him to the Kong?

Our pup is only 14 weeks, and we have the opposite problem where she gulps her food so quickly that she was getting the hiccups! We have tried to improvise by dividing her food into 12 portions in a muffin tin so she has to take her time, as well as using kongs and busy buddies for her food.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Thanks for rescuing this guy! Sounds like a real sweetheart. 

Have you tried leaving him home alone without being kenneled for short periods of time? My parents just rescued a 3 year old farm golden and she is doing wonderful without the crate. Maybe increase the time you're away with him out of the crate gradually until he is out full time? It might be worth trying. 

ProPlan is a great food, I'm sure that the dog will enjoy eating it. (Especially after having grow up on Ol' Roy! ICK!) A stressed dog won't eat. Maybe once he's acclimated he will begin to become interested in the food again. Good luck to you!!


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## MyRealMcRoy (Dec 17, 2008)

egcc said:


> It's amazing what some consider to be "spoiled."
> 
> Hats off to you for all you are doing.
> 
> ...



Isn't it though? He is so sweet and loving, my husband and I just look at each other and shake our heads at how someone could have wasted so much potential stuck in the yard on a runner. 

This dog that pulled so hard on the leash they couldn't control him, after just two days walks perfectly without pulling and I can hold the leash in two fingers and take him anywhere I want to go. 

We do leave the TV on for him. I have not tried leaving kongs or chew toys in the crate since he's shown absolutely NO interest in chewing on anything. 

I'm not opposed to him having some table food at the appropriate times but I WOULD like to stop his begging for our food. 

Good luck with your new baby. That in itself presents a whole other set of problems for us. I don't know what we'll do when the puppy get's here.


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

Good job in taking this boy in! He sounds wonderful.

You could try to mix pumpkin and yogurt or some fruits and vegatables to the kibble, that might help. But I agree, it might be stress and newness and he'll start eating pretty soon. I hope everything is OK at the vet.

I would continue to crate train, even at he objects, because of the new puppy coming in. Good luck!


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## MyRealMcRoy (Dec 17, 2008)

CarolinaCasey said:


> Thanks for rescuing this guy! Sounds like a real sweetheart.
> 
> Have you tried leaving him home alone without being kenneled for short periods of time? My parents just rescued a 3 year old farm golden and she is doing wonderful without the crate. Maybe increase the time you're away with him out of the crate gradually until he is out full time? It might be worth trying.
> 
> ProPlan is a great food, I'm sure that the dog will enjoy eating it. (Especially after having grow up on Ol' Roy! ICK!) A stressed dog won't eat. Maybe once he's acclimated he will begin to become interested in the food again. Good luck to you!!


Hopefully he just needs time to adjust. We haven't left him out unsupervised yet. We just picked him up Saturday so Sunday was the only day we've been home to see how he reacts. He does really well when we're there to supervise him. I was thinking we'd finish this week kenneled whenever we couldn't be with him. Spend Saturday and Sunday at home with him and then starting Monday kennel him in the mornings and when I came home at lunch walk him for a good pee/poo then leave him gated in the hall or mud room for the afternoon. 

It's been a long time since I've had to make those lunch time potty runs. Definitely getting me in shape for when the new puppy comes home.


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## MyGoldenCharlie (Dec 4, 2007)

Thank you for helping this guy!! 

I can relate to what you are going through I have had a couple of fosters that had many of the same issues. I find they often will not eat right away, sometimes it takes a few days. I will hand feed them and that seems to help. Mixing canned food with the dry does help sometimes.

My last 2 fosters had never been crated and I had to push them into the crate each time and once they were in I'd praise & treat. After a few days ( sometimes a week) they start going in on their own. 
They get used to the routine, then they become more comfortable & that is when their personality will really show.
I did have one foster that I tied to my belt loop and wherever I went, he went too, that way I could "catch him in the act" I'd yell NO and take him outside and praise the good behavior, He got the hang of it pretty quickly.

You can try a harness instead of a leash, they still pull, but not as hard.

If you have a GR rescue in your area, you could try calling them for some advice.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

A lot of dogs won't eat for at least 4-5 days when plunked into a new situation. I suspect he's just so stressed at the upheaval (remember stress isn't necessarily a bad thing) that he's not eating yet. To make matters worse, he's used to people food and is probably holding out for something better. When he realizes this is all that's coming, and gets good and hungry, he'll eat. 
He might surprise you with the treats when it comes to training. After he's settled into your routine, he may become a pretty good eater. When he's settled and showing some appetite, you can try very small pieces of string cheese or hot dog for training treats. A lot of dogs like both.
Bless you for taking him in!


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## bizzy (Mar 30, 2007)

I also woulden't be to concerned about the eating. Remember that his whole life has been turned on it head. In a good way yes but it is still a huge change. I know when I am in a new and stressful situation that I don't really feel like eating. So I would just keep things real regular and consistant so he can get use to his new life. I am sure you will be surprised at what he dose over the next few weeks as he settles in.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

He sounds like a real sweetheart. Since he was being fed Ol' Roy with table scraps, it's no wonder he wants people food. Ol' Roy doesn't even count as nutrition! It's not surprising for a rescue pup to take a few days to settle in before having an appetite. Nothing wrong with mixing in some veggies, fruits, cottage cheese, yogurt or pumpkin to his food. Don't use lots, just a bit to stimulate him to eat. I have a homemade peanut butter treat recipe that will get even the most stubborn dog to do what I ask. If you want it, PM me. That might be the ticket for getting him to crate up willingly


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Great advice from everyone, just wanted to thank you for rescuing him.


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