When we went to pick up Bear he was in a home with 4 other dogs, 7 cats, and who knows what else. He was terrified to touch the grass. They used a shock collar, and we are pretty sure abused him as well. It took us days for him to warm up to us and to walk on to the grass on his own.
Fast forward just over a year, we have had to use a crate during the day because about 4 months after we got him he started going to the bathroom in the house while we were gone. It's not that he hates his crate, but he certainly doesn't like it. I have to pick him up to put him in it. And now he's taken to trying to hide in a corner so I think I can't get him. He shakes like crazy. I hate it. I need help getting him to be OK with the crate or to not use the bathroom in the home. I work full time, my kids are in school all day. What can I do? I feel so bad.
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Poor Bear, but he's lucky to have such a loving family now. Best to train him not to poop inside. Get a clicker and some treats, and click/reward him when he goes outside. I'm sure your children would love to help with this. When he poops inside, clean up without comment. Within a few days of praise and click/rewards he will begin to make the associations, and soon after that he will understand what he has to do to earn the love and the treat.
I had a similar problem with a rescued dog that needed to be in a crate when we were not home.
What worked for me is keeping a jar of treats near the crate. Every time you put bear in the crate make sure he gets praise and a treat. After not too long, our dog would run into the crate herself when she heard the sound of the lid being removed from the jar.
How very fortunate for Bear to have found such a loving family.
While you are trying to train your dog proper bathroom habits you may still need to keep him in the crate while you are gone.
My son had a similar problem (but to a much lesser degree) and he found that by placing a couple of pieces of the family's (slightly worn) clothing in the cage helped his dog to adjust.
I sincerely hope you can help your Bear, but, even though professional help can be expensive, it may be necessary for an animal coming from such a terrible background.
We have a caring Humane Society and they have helped us solve problems by either assisting us or giving information on where/what we should try/go.
Maybe you could try something like this before you give up on this wonderful addition to your family.
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