What does it take to cheer up a puppy mill mom? How can we help a depressed dog get past years of abuse and neglect?
Katie is a doodle puppy mill mom who was finally able to catch a break from breeding and looking after one litter of puppies after another. She came with many health issues, some minor and others persistent. She also came with psychological issues but we could not really call these “behavior issues” in the traditional sense, meaning Katie is not reactive. She does not guard anything. She does not bark in her crate. She does not pull on a leash. She is not anxious. She does not suffer from separation anxiety.
She was just happy to not be seen or heard. She was depressed, lacking in self-esteem, and not displaying enthusiasm for anything. My clients had her for a couple of months before she came to board with us. It was originally supposed to be a two-week boarding and it ended up being more than a month, and in that month, we were able to notice an incredible change. We shared with our clients the work we did, and which we know they have continued with zeal, as Katie would not be who is she today otherwise. Here are a few things we did with Katie:
~ Rev up her desire for food: Dogs that are depressed like Katie are not necessarily gobbling food down and yet food is such a valuable tool in our feel-better toolbox. So we took several avenues to rev up her food drive including physically exerting her and waking up her senses to different smells. I often had her with me while I cooked in the kitchen and put meals together. Making her smell things, see the dogs get excited as dinner was being prepared, being around sights and smells – all helped wake up her senses. Even though she is on a restricted diet, we were able to add a few fresh foods to make her kibble more appealing.
~ Strengthen the body: Years in a puppy mill took their toll. She could barely walk without quickly running out of steam, having so little muscle tone. By the time she was ready to go home, she’d lost a few pounds, gained considerably in fitness, and was enjoying the benefits of physical exertion – eating fully and resting deeply.
~ Provide structure and crate/kennel time: As with any dog, and regardless of what we’re working on, keeping the dog on a schedule with copious amounts of time in the crate is crucial. This helps the dog on many different levels. The crate was easy for Katie and I thought the outdoor kennel would be too until I heard her bark in there. Believe me, we want this kind of barking from a dog that until that point had been mute. The kennel outside, as opposed to the crate inside, was enough to get her a little nervous, barking and kicking the bowls around, until she conquered and adjusted. She enjoyed the outdoor kennel greatly, frequently seeking it out whenever I’d have her outside.
~ Keep a heavy presence of the other dogs: I don’t normally include boarding and foster dogs with my other dogs except in short spurts, as needed, and as appropriate. But in this case, Katie needed the presence of other sound and healthy dogs. Their attitude towards her, and generally their attitudes towards many of the dogs I bring home, informs my own attitude towards that dog. The main attitude of all my guys was a far cry from feeling sorry or sad for her. Their attitude of polite indifference did wonders to motivate her to feel better so that she could be accepted. It was Bob who was most influential for her because she genuinely liked him, drawn to his swagger and confidence, while he was the most dismissive of her. “Look lady,” he seemed to say, “Toughen up and I’ll talk to you.” By the time we were nearing the end of her stay, it was clear that Bob liked her, as she instigated him to chase after pigeons and squirrels with her. He rubbed off on her.
~ Display the right attitude: This can be the hardest thing for many people to do and that is display the right attitude towards the dog. Simply put, we need to be careful about the affection and inclusion shown a dog with this kind of psychology, a dog that is this low on self-esteem and confidence. The attitude of my dogs around Katie is the attitude I embodied and it was basically: “Katie, nobody cares.” No one feels sorry and no one feels bad. All my dogs were aware of the dark place she was in, but that did not change their joy and serenity. I too kept an upbeat attitude around her and paid attention to her proportional to her effort to step up her game.
As a result of these efforts, we saw many improvements including:
~ An almost immediate willingness to do her business with us around, which she’d never done with her owners prior to that. This was later followed by a willingness to eat and drink in our presence.
~ She had started off by hiding in the garden until her hiding area got closer to the house, until she no longer needed that hiding space and could just hang out at a distance from the others.
~ She began to show interest in food, finishing her meals and taking treats, and closer to the end, she showed interest in toys as well.
Most importantly, I could see it in the body language – the smiles, relaxed body, and wagging tails that we’d done our job and turned the page. Of course, much work remains to be done and healing will take time, but as I told my clients, “there is no turning back.”
Katie has been back home for several weeks now and continues to improve psychologically, despite the persistence of her medical issues. We wish her and her family continued healing and happiness. You can watch a video on sweet Katie here.
