3boyz
Rattie
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| 07/12/2007 9:49 AM |
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Good Morning! I need some advice! My family adopted a 4 year old female rattie four days ago. According to the breeder we bought her from she has been owned by several breeders and has always lived with a pack of ratties. On top of that she has always been the alpha dog. Our family has no dogs and for the first time she is without other dogs. Since we have gotten her she has not left my side for a minute. All she does is sleep and she has hardly eaten anything. She will eat treats though. I do not know much about dogs, but I can tell she is extremely unsure about what is going on and where she stands. We have been walking her daily and she has no interest in other dogs right now. In fact she will go out of her way to avoid them. This morning while walking some small black puff ball ran out of its house and started fighting with her. Poor Maylee was scared to death and is still shaking. I know I watched a Ceasr show about dogs sensing fear in other dogs and attacking. I don't know if this is the case, but the owner of the puff ball said she has never done that before. I know she is going to need time to adjust and figure out where she stands in our pack. I am just wondering if you guys have any suggestions of what we can do to help the transition. I want the confident dog with an attitude back! Thank You!
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Mom to 4 human boys - 5 if you count my hubbie!
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PamWh
Rattitude Problem
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| 07/12/2007 9:53 AM |
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| It's only been 4 days, so I'm sure she's still adjusting to the changes. Just be patient and I'm sure she will settle in soon. Post pictures of your Maylee when you can. |
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PamWh
aka Bob's Mom
If your rattie ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! |
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Izzy's mom
Ratastic
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| 07/12/2007 9:57 AM |
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| When we brought Izzy home it took her about 2 weeks to start to even feel comfortable. We have now had her for about 3 months and she is more then comfortable now. But give her some time she will be back to her old self with some time and patience. Izzy didn't really eat much either for the first few days. She should start eating more again soon. |
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DaisysMom
Moderator
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| 07/12/2007 10:01 AM |
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| I agree...after only 4 days, she probably just needs some more time especially since her new living situation is so very different from what she has always known. Keep us posted on how Maylee is doing. |
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Tracey - Darlin' Daisy's Mom
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nycmom
Ratastic
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| 07/12/2007 10:21 AM |
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I'm co-signing with everyone else. If she's been passed from one breeder to another, she's used to being uprooted (which stinks), but she's not used to her new home yet. In fact, she may not even be used to anyone showing her real affection.
Give her some time, she'll warm up and I bet she'll be able to fend for herself, with regards to other aggressive dogs, in no time. |
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rattytatty
Newbie
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| 07/12/2007 10:51 AM |
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| If she's been owned by "several breeders"... was she a breed dog? If so, she probably has been confined to a cage most of her life. I could be wrong, of course... but it's very common for them to pretty much live in their cages. Give her some time... be easy with her, and hopefully she'll come around. |
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ladyfern
Bratty Ratty
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| 07/12/2007 10:54 AM |
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poor baby
good luck with her. with love and patience you'll have a loyal loving companion in no time. |
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ladyfern & shiloh
If you want the best seat in the house ... move the dog!
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Russ' Pal
Rat-A-Tat-Tat
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| 07/12/2007 11:42 AM |
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You're describing exactly how Russ acted the first few weeks after we adopted him. I kinda miss having him on my heels every second. To encourage him to eat I would go over by his dish and take out two or three pieces of kibble at a time and hand feed him. After 3 or 4 little handfulls he would start eating out of the dish on his own.
You might start training her simple tricks, that might help build her self confidence.
She might not be used to being around dogs she's not related to if she was used for breeding. Do you have any friends with dogs where you could set up a doggie play date? |
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-Sarah, pal to Russ & Peca |
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3boyz
Rattie
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| 07/12/2007 12:41 PM |
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I am certain the breeder I bought her from did not have her crated all the time. She was a house pet with a bunch of other ratties. She is not afraid of people and seems to be well socialized, just very unsure of what is going on. So far she has been very patient with my kids. She met my neighbor's dog the other day and did not like him at all. It seems her instinct right now is to avoid them. I like the idea about teaching her some tricks. That may help her confidence a bit - and lots of positive reinforcement as well. Any more advice would be great! Thanks! |
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Mom to 4 human boys - 5 if you count my hubbie!
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swatson6
Attention Starved
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| 07/12/2007 12:51 PM |
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| Give her some time, these ratties are sensitive little things! She'll come around. Post pics when you can!! Congrats on your new rattie! |
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Sarah
Mom to Jack, Jeter and foster mom to Teagan
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tauney4
Alpha Feist
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