My Pet World: Helping a dog from a hoarding background learn to trust his world

Dear Cathy,

In November, we adopted an eight-year-old chihuahua. He was from a hoarding situation and had spent the previous two months with a foster family. He is a nervous and reserved dog though. He is slowly making progress and will allow us to put a leash on him, but will cower when we remove it. If we try to get near him, he runs away. He won't eat in the kitchen until we leave. He didn't bark much, but he's suddenly barking at my adult grandson, who lives with me. Every few hours, we take him out to relieve himself, but he usually has an accident within an hour of those potty breaks. We give him a treat if he goes outside, but he will usually not take it. He's not food motivated. We have pee pads around the house, but we hope to eliminate them.

We knew it could take time before he trusts us, and we are okay with that. We praise him, rub his head, and try to reassure him. Hope you have some advice that can help.

– Linda, Middle Island, New York

Dear Linda,

Because hoarders hide the number of dogs they have, they often let their dogs relieve themselves inside their homes. They also don’t walk them, so the leash is a new thing for your dog. The good news is, it’s possible to potty train him, teach him how to walk on a leash, and help him trust the world again.

Continue with the scheduled potty breaks and praise him when he pees outside. Over time, remove the pee pads until you are down to just one. Give it a month with one pee pad, and then try moving it outside to see if he makes the connection. If he is still having accidents, continue the training with one pee pad in the house.

You and your grandson can reduce his nervousness and increase his trust by spending quiet time with your dog, like when watching television. This is a good time to place the leash nearby so he gets used to seeing it. If possible, also engage him in play and train him. Dogs from hoarding cases sometimes don’t know how to play so it can take time to find something he enjoys. With training, just praise him with a pat on the head and a kind word, if he likes that. Finally, keep a consistent routine, so he can learn to trust the world around him.

Because of his background, this may take considerable time, but it sounds like you are the right person to help him.

Dear Cathy,

In a letter from "V" in Baltimore, "V" was worried about her friend who lived alone with major health issues, including oxygen tanks with tubes running throughout the house. One suggestion you didn't give her was to contact the shelter and be sure they knew that the person who wants the dog has oxygen tubes running through the house and frequent hospitalizations. If the pet tripped over and disconnected a tube or was a chewer and bit through the tube, this could be life-threatening for the elderly widow.

– Dolores, Boynton Beach, Florida

Dear Dolores,

I can appreciate where you are coming from, but don't think people should call an animal shelter and tell them that someone coming to adopt a dog shouldn't be allowed to adopt or that the person has limitations that might impact their well-being or the pet's care. First, I don't think the staff would consider the advice since they don't know the relationship between the caller and the adopter and would not know the true motive behind the call. And second, V's friend is still an adult capable of making her own decisions, and we have to respect that.

I sense your worry over her adopting a dog, so let me alleviate those concerns by saying that every animal shelter and rescue group that I know of interviews and screens every adopter. (Good breeders do the same thing.) They will get a good feel from her answers about whether she is in the right place to adopt right now. If they don't feel she would be a suitable adopter, they will deny her and explain why. Hearing this from a shelter or rescue group is sometimes easier than hearing it from a friend.

There is one more option. The woman may be a good foster parent. Animal shelters support foster parents with pet food and pet care until a home can be found, and they can easily take the dog back if she has to be hospitalized.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)