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Awaiting Abyss
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Location: South Carolina, USA
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08-04-2015, 01:35 AM

Several different questions about training a rescue

I recently adopted my wolfdog and he was previously a rescue.

I was curious if anyone has any advice to give on getting him to stop marking? He is potty trained, but he has marked a few times in the house. He hasn't been doing it as much since he's gotten settled in.

Also, any advice on stopping him from biting? He has honestly only bitten my husband one time.
When it happened, my cat (who is outdoor only, but sometimes runs inside when the door is open because he used to live indoors) ran inside. The wolfdog saw him under the table before we did and when my husband when to grab the cat, the dog grabbed the cat's throat and shook. It freaked my husband out so he shouted. The dog let go and the cat ran back outside. After the cat went out the dog marked the spot where the cat was, so my husband reached for his collar to take him outside and the dog nipped his hand.
Then on another occasion, there was a brown wasp in the doorway so I didn't shut the door because I was waiting for it to move and the dog slipped out the door. So I grabbed him, and he grabbed my wrist in his teeth, but then released without applying any pressure.

He also has food aggression, but we have made progress with him on teaching him to wait and be calm before he is allowed to eat.


And is it too late to change his name? He knows his name and comes by it. We've been calling him by it for the past couple weeks, but I don't like it.
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brenda1
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08-04-2015, 05:59 AM
For the time being I would leave a light line on his collar so that you can use this instead of grabbing him. Sounds to me as if he has been grabbed a lot and he objects which can be quite normal with some rescues. Being a wolf breed he also probably has either been grabbed by another dog round the neck and this has made him wary. You need to build his trust by using treats and a kind voice. For toileting use a word to indicate when he goes in the right place. Wash down where he is not to go with white vinegar. Hope that helps.
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SarahJade
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08-04-2015, 02:08 PM
I remember when my parents brought their adult rescue labrador home. He was supposed to be 100% toilet trained, suitable to be left for periods with any problems.
First time he walked in the house he lifted his leg and peed on the radiator cover right next to the front door.
Later he peed next to the bottom step (where Cookie would often lay and our previous dog laid) and peed next to the conservatory door.
It was sort of a case of once he got it out of his system he was happy and hasn't gone indoors since.
If it's repeated in the house and still going on then you need to go back to basics with him, and train him like you would a puppy.

As for the biting/mouthing sounds like he's very much against being manhandled and expects you to force him around.
I'd work on increasing his recall, use directions to move him around rather than physically moving him. My OH physically moves me and our furry family, drives me crazy. Cookie would always move when I asked him, but would sort of freeze when it was my OH because he was waiting for him to actually move him. Don't get me wrong, my OH never dragged him or anything, just a gentle nudge. But Cookie learnt that if he didn't nudge him he didn't have to move.
Work on gaining his trust and making a bond with him, once you're there you can work on desensitising him to touching him all over, working towards the neck slowly, using calm movements, calm praise and lots of yummy treats.

Hope the poor cat was okay?
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Gnasher
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08-04-2015, 07:59 PM
Originally Posted by Awaiting Abyss View Post
I recently adopted my wolfdog and he was previously a rescue.

I was curious if anyone has any advice to give on getting him to stop marking? He is potty trained, but he has marked a few times in the house. He hasn't been doing it as much since he's gotten settled in.

Also, any advice on stopping him from biting? He has honestly only bitten my husband one time.
When it happened, my cat (who is outdoor only, but sometimes runs inside when the door is open because he used to live indoors) ran inside. The wolfdog saw him under the table before we did and when my husband when to grab the cat, the dog grabbed the cat's throat and shook. It freaked my husband out so he shouted. The dog let go and the cat ran back outside. After the cat went out the dog marked the spot where the cat was, so my husband reached for his collar to take him outside and the dog nipped his hand.
Then on another occasion, there was a brown wasp in the doorway so I didn't shut the door because I was waiting for it to move and the dog slipped out the door. So I grabbed him, and he grabbed my wrist in his teeth, but then released without applying any pressure.

He also has food aggression, but we have made progress with him on teaching him to wait and be calm before he is allowed to eat.


And is it too late to change his name? He knows his name and comes by it. We've been calling him by it for the past couple weeks, but I don't like it.
I have had low content wolf crosses for 15 years plus, and for a few months we fostered a young F1 wolf crossed with czech wolfdog. What you describe is exactly what happened to my husband when we adopted our Ben nearly 4 years ago. Coincidentally, he had urinated in our conservatory and my husband took him firmly by the collar to put him outside in the garden, when Ben turned on him and bit his hand quite badly; he has had a bad past life of abuse and rough handling, so we gave him another chance and he has never done it again. My advice would be to stick with your boy ... do not be frightened to take him by the collar if you need to but do it fluently yet gently and in such a way that he knows what you are about to do. The worst thing you can do in my opinion with any dog, but particularly a wolf cross is to show fear ... this will worry and upset the dog and make him feel fearful himself. Wolf crosses are very mouthy, our Ben is, and can be very aggressive with other dogs. He pins them and seemingly is giving them a savaging, but there is never a mark on them, just a lot of saliva; these dogs know bite inhibition better than any other breed, so although of course they need to know that mouthing is off limits, nonetheless you need to roll with the punches a bit more than one would with a no-wolf content dog.

Brenda's advice re using a line is good especially if you are understandably a bit wary of taking him by the collar. It is absolutely essential that you trust him and can show no fear, so this might be a good way forward until you have learned to trust him better. Our first wolf cross we had from 8 weeks, and so there were no issues there with rehoming. Sadly these dogs almost always get rehomed because many people cannot handle them. They often suffer from separation anxiety - all mine have done - our first one, Hal, was an inveterate digger... our garden resembled the Somme after the worst of the fighting! They are not easy dogs but are terrificly rewarding if you can cope with the lifestyle change!

Ben used to be called Henry. His last owner before us changed his name to Ben and it caused no problems whatsoever apparently- these dogs are so intelligent, a little thing like a name change is no problem for them!

Best of luck ... look forward to hearing more about your wolfie boy!
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Dibbythedog
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08-04-2015, 10:38 PM
How old is your dog and how long have you had him for .? Do you know anything of his background?

It can take a while for a dog to settle into a new home. He must be feeling all over the place and marking is one way of reassuring himself. he is doing it less now so thats a good sign that he doesnt feel the need to mark so much.. I would clean up the urine with a special cleaner from a pet store .

About the biting , dogs often respond that way when placed in certain situations , its understandable but obviously not desirable ! A short line attached to his collar would be best for now until you feel you can trust him and he can trust you .

I have changed dogs names before , just say the name and give him a treat. he'll soon learn his new name .

Can you describe his food aggression ? Is he guarding his dish or trying to grab the food from you ?
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Awaiting Abyss
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09-04-2015, 01:37 AM
Yes, the cat is fine. We went outside and found him afterward. He didn't have any marks on him; he was just frightened.

He will be a year old next week, and I've had him for two weeks.
The lady who rescued him is the relative of the person who bred him. The breeder normally only gives pups to people he knows, but my boy went to an acquaintance of the breeder's friend. The breeder keeps the puppies until 12 weeks and then does follow up visits. The first follow up visit went okay and the people were home and had the pup inside. The people were not home for the second follow up visit, so the breeder found the pup in a pen outside with no food or water. He was skin and bones and had injured ears, so they took him back and the lady got him back to health and socialized him. The lady said she got him when he was 5 months.
They suspect the injured ears were from fly bites, but I've had dogs stay outside before and I've never seen ears like his from flies. His ears are still not fully healed. They are nicks missing and there is scar tissue. There's tufts of fur like the fur may grow back, but it hasn't grown back yet.
He's still thin. His hip bones poke out, but since I've switched him to raw he has gained some meat on his bones.
The lady told me she thinks the owners might have abused him, but she had no proof for this. I see what she means though. Any time we have our hands raised slightly for any reason he flinches like he thinks we're going to hit him.


He does try to snatch food from me, and he does guard the bowl. The lady who rescued him said he has food aggression with meat but not with kibble. I'm no longer feeding him any kibble, but for the first few days when I would give him kibble he did not act aggressive with it and I could take the bowl away if I wanted.
When I'm taking the bag of meat from the refrigerator, he sometimes grabs onto it though after telling him "no" and "drop it" several times he does let go, and he has been getting better with waiting.


Two more incidents happened last night. It was pouring rain, and we had to wipe his paws when he came inside. My husband wiped his front paws and he had no issue, but when he got to his back paws, he didn't like like that. when my husband picked up his back paw, he turned and bit his wrist. My husband shouted, more in pain and surprise than at the dog, and the dog apologized to my husband immediately and submitted. In return my husband petted him.
The second incident happened a little later with me. I had just brought him back inside so he still had his leash on. He jumped up on the counter because he could smell the dish of meat for my ferrets that I had out of his reach. So I told him "down" and when he didn't listen I tugged on the leash... At this point I'm not really sure what happened. I'm not sure if he tried to nip me or if he just fell on me, but his muzzle collided with my collar bone and he gave me a knot and bruise.


I knew it wouldn't be easy. This is the first dog I've ever gotten that wasn't a puppy with a clean slate. So I'm new to rescued dogs, but it makes me feel good to give him a better life than what he has known previously.



(I just read back through my posts... I'm sorry for so many errors! That's the result of multitasking and typing too fast. :s)
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brenda1
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09-04-2015, 05:30 AM
I feel for him and you. I will reply in length later when I am on my computer as sometimes my tablet gets a strop on if I type too much. will be in touch later.
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Dibbythedog
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09-04-2015, 06:57 AM
Thanks for that lovely long reply. it helps to know the full story.
Well done to you and your husband for taking on this poor dog.
This is just a quick reply too . Although it must be scary for you both , I feel you have a great chnace of rehabilitating your dog.

it seems that most the bites and grabs are reflexive and he is appeasive after.
At this stage , you are finding out about each other. if you know what he dislikes or reacts against , you can avoid the situation or handle it another way for now.

Lots of dogs hate their paws being touched so maybe you cold just get him to walk on a towel for now.
The fact he loves food is good as food is a strong reinforcer and you can use it as rewards as long as he learns not to snatch .
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Gnasher
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09-04-2015, 08:02 AM
Gosh, this dog is so like my ben when we took him on. That was nearly 4 years ago and in that time through being consistent, firm and loving we have turned him into the lovable rogue who is lying on my bed as I type this bashing the keyboard with his paw!!

He has done all the things you describe and more, the road has been long and bloody, but you will get there with your boy. These wolfie guys are supremely intelligent and learn so quickly.

One word of advice ... try to avoid having to wipe his paws ... wolf crosses hate this! If you really have to do this, then muzzle him. One thing these types of dogs really seem to almost enjoy is wearing a muzzle when you have to do something to them they do not like. It is almost as if you have taken the pressure of them, taken away the need for them to bite you. We can wipe Ben's paws now, but he really does not like it.

Secondly, try to avoid looking him in the eye for anything longer than a second or two ... not so much when playing, stroking etc. but particularly when rebuking. Coupled with the grasping of the collar, your boy might view this as aggression on your part and react accordingly.

Do keep us informed of progress ... and the very best of luck with your boy; what is his name?
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brenda1
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09-04-2015, 08:28 AM
Most rescue dogs take sometime's between 6 months and a year before they settle down. Even if they are quite young and not had to bad an experience. With your lovely dog he has only been with you for two weeks. In that time he was born went to someone and then back to breeder and then onto rescue and you. Making around 5 changes of lifestyle. A lot in a years worth of living. In that time he has been starved and ill treated. Doesn't matter what the ill treatment was, it could be anything from just a smack to something really bad but that memory will stay with him until he learns to trust both of you and anyone else that comes into the house or grounds surrounding your property. So, being cautious is the word with anything that you try to do. Feeding means not leaving anything around that he thinks could be his to eat. He is ultra hungry at the moment so feed as often as you can in a peaceful place. If you can sit higher than him and preferably behind a counter so that you can toss the food into his bowl when he eats then you can throw food into the bowl so that he knows it comes from you. Safer than being near him. Only pick up the food bowl when he has finished eating and is out of the way. When he has been outside and is wet, as others have said, have a large absorbent towel on the floor so that he can walk in on it. By the time he has walked the length of it the feet will be dry. If you are worried about him shaking wet everywhere then try to gently put a towel across his back and that will encourage him to shake with it on. Mind you all wet shakes can be wiped off any surface later if you need to dry them. Dogs are notorious for not liking their back legs brushed or dried so take great care when you do this. Have someone to help if you need to do this now. But if you can wait until he trusts you more then wait for a few more weeks before you do that. He won't mind being scruffy for another couple of weeks. Time is the essence and in that time he will learn to trust and you will learn what he does and doesn't like. Make a list of what he is happy with and what he isn't. If he rolls over to show his belly don't stroke him. He will react, trust me in this. Always make him sit for a stroke. And be very careful around his ears and neck. Don't use food for treats. Use a toy if he will play with one but again don't try to take it off him at this stage. Hope that all helps. Please let us all know how you get on with him.
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