Rescue dog overly attached to owner...

Hullo.

I have a Westie bitch aged 6 that we adopted from a rescue centre 3 years ago. Poppy was an ex-breeding dog so completely unsocialised and in an all-round sorry state.

The good news is she's come on brilliantly to become a happy and confident pooch

This Saturday we adopted a second dog from the same rescue centre and with an almost identical background.

The bad news is that the new dog, Rosie, seems to have become overly attached to yours truly.

Rosie sleeps in a secure cubby by herself at night (with a stuffed Kong and plenty of non-destructable toys to keep her occupied) and there has been some whining and door-scratching. We expected this as Poppy was the same.

During the daytime she has been exhibiting anxiety behaviour if I so much as stand up, and the little lass follows me from room to room. She doesn't acknowledge Poppy at all, although Poppy has invited her to play several times (play bowing, etc.).

I know it's early days and that rescue dogs often obsess over one person, but has anyone tips on how to keep Rosie from becoming distressed when I'm not around? Or how to make her less distrustful of Poppy? I'm not the only human in the house, and everyone is very conscientious and affectionate towards Rosie.

Thanks in advance.

i wouldnt assume she is distrustful of poppy.
she may be just more interested in you?

if she has overbonded to you, then you need to bow out the picfture completely for a week or two and do nothing wiht her - aside from general acknowledgment, let everyone else cater to her needs such as feeding and walking.

but make sure they dont mollycoddle her (i have assumed you havent been doing this yourself?)
which means dont treat her as a lap dog, cuddle her all the time, have her in the bed etc.
fussing and affection is ok, but in a more balanced way.

you can also have an indoor line on her, so if she gets up and gollos you, the other person can distract her with a treat.
clicker training could be incorporated into this as well

Although it`s nice to think this is affection - it probably is just a sign of stress. The dog is anxious in a new place and is trying to placate the `boss`. This fairly normal for a new dog. It is very early days. I`d just ignore her and carry on. Give her time. It takes months if not years to turn a Rescue round.
This is the Honeymoon period when she is trying to ingratiate herself, fearful to put a paw wrong. In a few weeks her true character will begin to appear and hopefully her confidence will grow.

its true you do get the 2 week honeymoon period for nealry all rescue dogs.
and that ignoring her for this reason is also a good policy

but im inclined its to think it is what the OP says - an over-attachment issue.....dont know why, it just rings that way to me

PoppyinJuly, do you know if she has a history of this issue with previous owner and/or an assessment from the rescue for this?
was she especially mollycoddled by previous owner?

A secure cubby ? Can you explain what this is please ?

I would take turns in feeding, walking, grooming her. It could well be that the previous owner, mistreated her & she is overcompensating because you are looking after her properly.

I would treat her like a puppy & have everyone in the house be involved in her care & all be consistent & do the same things.

Thank you for the advice

Rosie's a little appeasing machine at the moment, so I'm hoping to see her more cheeky side if and when it appears. Thanks again!

Nope, no coddling here - just gentle reassurance and praise when she toilets outside. My mother has had her on her lap in an effort to bond, but Rosie still shadows me only.

Clicker training is a good idea, but she's afraid of sudden sounds at the moment. I'll definitely give it a try when she's more comfortable.

There was no previous owner in this case - Rosie came straight from the puppy-farm (along with an army of ticks).

The rescue centre told us there's been no human contact as she was basically kept in a farm-shed with other breeding bitches. It's no surprise she's so desperate for affection .

Thank you so much for your advice so far

I should have clarified the cubby part - it's basically a small utility room near the back door. It has room for her bed and space for her to move around and relieve herself if need be, but not enough room for her to panic about having too much space, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for the reply - much appreciated.

P.S. As a little update I was away from the house for a few hours this evening - my mother advised Rosie spent half an hour sniffing all the places I'd recently been (including this chair!) and didn't settle for a while. She also urinated on the carpet, so was definitely stressed as her house training's been going well and accidents are scarce.

I wouldn't ignore her,I'd give her lots of love and cuddles but also make sure she was left sometimes amd not given attention all the time.Its a fine line but she needs to know she is secure with you before she can learn to be secure and trust others.

One of mine got very attached very fast and actually panicked and attacked me once when i left the house. He still doesn't go far out of site on walks and he sleeps on my bed but he will trust others and has found his own level. So will your little one.

Different way of looking at things.

rune

Im just into week 2 of doing exactly the same thing as you. My latest Newfi is a 4 year old ex breed farm bitch. She has definitely bonded with me way more than anyone else in the house. I move she moves.
We have 3 other dogs all bitches. from night 3 we have put her in the utility with them, she doesnt mind their company, however she is very scared of men and loud noises. I have allowed her to stay close to me and encourage my kids and other half to pet her, but only if she wants to. Slowly we are getting her to feel more comfortable. She is still terrified of loud noises.
I think it just takes time for them to settle in and start to relax.
good luck in your task, I know exactly what you are going through.

I'm 'cool' with her when she's trying to get my attention, and giving her affection when she's lying quietly in her bed. Hopefully rewarding her calm behaviour will get the message through - thanks for the response!

So Newfi went in with the other dog quite soon? I'm worried about putting Rosie in with Poppy as Poppy's worked her way to sleeping in the bedroom - I'm concerned that being regulated to the utility room with a strange stressed dog will make her cross. I'd hate for either of them to get hurt if one gets snappy.

Glad to know I'm not alone

I figured that they had to get together at some point, so opted for sooner rather than later. Shelby was a nervous wreck when she first came, I thought that as she was used to being in barn/kennel with other bitches around she would feel more comfortable with company.
I still feed them all seperately, but that is my choice as Newfies are greed devils and Im conscious of their weight.
Right now as I sit here typing I have Ebony under my feet, Lola next to me, Shelby about 4 feet away and Lady has just moved cos of the kids.
Shelby is totally relaxed in her own space and not bothered by the others. She has been here 10 days now. Her personality is starting to appear, she likes to pinch items of clothing and shred them
I guess its just another hurdle to get over.