New here, wits end! Questions

Hello everyone
I'm new here and a new dog owner.
I've been fostering dogs for a year now and decided it was time to own one after my 19 year old cat recently passed away.
I adopted a year old Doxie/min pin named Daisy. She's the sweetest little thing but also a tiny terror.
She was rescued from a puppy mill and doesnt have any aggressive behavior issues, just non stop excessive barking at EVERYTHING.
She is trained to do her business outside, we go for walks 4 times a day, I work from home so we are doing alot of one on one (I've had her a few weeks now) she is in heat but is getting spayed as soon as she's done. (Hoping this calms her a bit) I have tried the egg thing that you press the button and it makes a high pitched noise when she barks, doesn't even phase her. I use positive praise when she stops barking, we get lots of exercise since she's of course a high energy dog. But the moment a car drives by or a pin drops she absolutely loses her marbles. And for a good 4-5 minutes of ear piercing barks. I tried to calm her quietly, we have been trying to tell her quiet, tried to shake something loud to snap her out of the mindset, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Anyone gets up for the bathroom at 4am, gets a flip out of a lifetime. Someone walks in the door and she loses it. Nothing calms her and I'm so afraid that maybe her age she's too stuck in her ways to train? I haven't given up but I refuse to use any sort of shock collar, I would never use force on her and I'm trying to be assertive without being aggressive. She chases my two poor cats all over the house because I'm sure it's her nature to chase. My house mates are getting really annoyed at me and my poor daisy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I'm new too, and your post title could probably be mine. I'm an absolute dog looover, but I've never been as challenged than with inheriting what we think is probably a Manchester Terrier and min pin mix (I'm hoping to get some diagnostic opinions here, lol) I uploaded a couple of pics (hard to get as she's rarely still.) She managed to make friends w/ our neighbor Great Dane puppy. Yes, puppy.

She is 5 Mos old now, and has become kind of tolerably stressful. She is craaazy. Maws and nips all the time, altho she now knows how hard is too hard. She's obviously very smart, but I haven't yet discovered how it's a benefit yet..lol. She sees/hears everything, steals everything and runs away, boings around the living room (at times) like a kangaroo, and I can't count the times she's knocked the air out of one of us, as we're lying on sofa and get zero notice of a pounce on the stomach.

I hate to add this to your thread, but I share your pain. I broke down in tears the night I was so exhausted from her I simply wanted to spend 10 min in hot bath. She does the non-stop barking anytime she sees something she's never seen before, and it was my first try at a bath since getting her. She sat right at the edge of my tub, barking at me as if I were an intruder. Bath lasted 45 seconds as I got out with a huff and then just cried. Lol. Good luck!

Thank god I'm not feeling like the only new mom in town!
I can't even close the bathroom door for three minutes while she FREAKS out and tries to take the door down.
I know she clearly has a little bit of separation anxiety but it's just too much!

Giving you a sister girl high five. It's good to commiserate!

Hello and welcome to Breedia. I have a Doxie/Minpin and yes, she is a mini-monster at all of 5.5kg although small and skinny as a rake. She is skin, bones and muscles. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old - far too young but it was take her now, with the unspoken "or else" so I had to bottle feed her with puppy milk substitute and then wean her. She is 11 months old and still noisy but her different barks tell me different things - as if she knows that I am hard of hearing so she tells me if it is friend or foe, if a car is outside, etc. But she is growing out of the barking for no reason at all. Mostly.

But - when I want a shower she has to go back in her crate, which I pull towards the ensuite so she can see me. Otherwise she would be under my shower chair which is not very convenient. I do not have any interior doors so I cannot close her in a room or close the non-existent bathroom door.

She was spayed at 6 months-old. I would normally have waited until after her first season but her vet [and her vet's boss] thought better to spay her at that age. Not that it bothered her.

She is great with everyone who she thinks is a friend - fantastic with children even when a neighbour's numerous grandchildren who are visiting for the weekend come over to see her - one small puppy and half a dozen little children all over her - and yet she is so difficult to train. House training is just about OK as now that the weather is good she is clipped onto a 12 metre tether and the door is open nearly all day so she has sorted out her pee and poo areas [both different].

I guess what I am trying to say is that things do get better. Eventually.

Thank you for this!
I'm trying to get her as comfortable with people as possible. She's still using the same threatening bark with everything and I'm hoping we can learn some communication with eachother.
I tried to crate her last night but she wouldn't go past 10 minutes without the squealing and screeching like someone was trying to strangle her. It couldn't be ignored she kept up for almost two hours with no break.
Every morning at 430am when my roommate wakes up she's flying through the house like a maniac flipping her lid.
I haven't seen my poor cats in almost two days, she treats them like they are chasing material. I'm concerned my poor cats will eventually leave.
It's a very stressful situation. She's trying to gain full dominance of the house and has zero want to bend for any training.

Having the same mix [momma being the largest standard Doxie I have ever seen, and poppa being a Minpin] they are two breeds which can be stubborn and independent by themselves, put the two together and... well, you get a puppy who wants to dominate everyone and it is very difficult not to give in when they scream their heads off.

Making noises by shaking something to stop her barking will not help - if anything she will think it is a cue to carry on. Tikva is a lot better now about her previous barking at everything going past, but I found that just calling her is the best thing. It has not stopped her completely but when she is outside barking for no reason, calling her seems to work as she comes in. Which does not mean that she does not shoot outside again and if whatever has bothered her, usually a car parked [even across the road] is still there, it sets her off again.

Regarding the crate. I had never used one before but after I had to have my beloved epileptic girl euthanised on 1 April last year - she always slept on my bed, as did my Little One before [and with her until LO died in her sleep] - I was given a very young mutt puppy, and I bought the crate for her. Unfortunately I had an emergency hospital admission when I had only had Baby Ziva for 11 days, and the person she came from agreed to look after her.

And "lost" her.

Then came Tikva and she was so very tiny, and has slept in the crate every night. When she was so very young she would "eep" to wake me and let me know it was feeding time. Now it is "bikkie and bed" and she shoots into my bedroom and into her crate. The only other times she is crated is when I have a shower and also if I go across to the local store. I dare not leave her loose - not that she is destructive but... this is the puppy who bit through the cables to one of the lights on my chair, while I was sitting on it!

It would also be impossible for me to get out of the door while keeping her in. So crate it is, but that is only a couple of times a week for about half an hour.

Patience. That is what you need with a Doxie/Minpin mix, because unless a person has/has had one, they have no idea how difficult they can be.

It's been a hellish day and night.
She's non stop barking and whining, like whining so hard in a panic voice that she's losing her breath almost to a whisper. She tries to rip apart the doors if she's anywhere away from me, and does NOT let up. She HAS to follow me around everywhere, constantly jumping and jumping and jumping and jumping at me. She won't take "down" or "off" as anything no matter how consistant I am. She doesnt honestly seem to give a heck as long as she's beside me and jumping all over me 24/7. TheN chasing the cats and flipping her lid ALLLLL day and night. I do everything I can to wear her out but I believe she has a serious separation anxiety issue.

Have you spoken to your vet about the problems you are having with Daisy? As she came from a puppy mill there is obviously no point in contacting her "breeder".

What would happen if you left all doors open so she feels that wherever you are, she can also be? And what do you do with her when you have to go out?

A few questions for you.

1 - How long have you had Daisy.
2 - Did the puppy mill "breeder" give any reason why she did not want to keep Daisy any more.
3 - Was Daisy in season when you got her or did she come into season shortly after. I know you say she is a year old, but is it possible that the puppy mill bred her, either deliberately or accidentally, during her first season.
4 - What are you feeding her on.
5 - Has she had all her necessary shots and worming, and a full vet check.

OK, these are normal questions for most rescue dogs, especially those from puppy mills, but this particular mix of crossbreeds has to be lived with to understand their mentality.

Whatever you do, please do not give up on her. It might take time [and ear-plugs] but she will, eventually, learn that she is safe, has a forever home, and does not need to have hysterics when she is not with you.

It is very early days, but I agree with Malka about consulting the vet. What you are going through must be exhausting, and your vet may think that a short course of something similar to Prozac could help Daisy to get through these initial panic-stricken stages. I would also suggest getting in touch with a behaviourist. Go for one who states that they use positive reinforcement, and has a recognised qualification. Best wishes.

I won't give my advice here because it will conflict with the stance of this site somewhat, but I will wish you luck with your girl. Usually perseverance does pay off.

@CaroleC and @mjfromga

Carole, it is quite possible that a short course of Prozac could help Daisy. Not a long course but a short course until she learns to relax.

Myra - this particular cross can, and frequently does, bring out the worst of both breeds. For Daisy, who was a year old when adopted, she already has certain traits ingrained into her, and it will take time and patience - and possibly a small amount of medication to initially help her.

Do not forget that I have had Tikva since she was three-weeks-old and you would think that the bottle feeding and then teaching her how to slurp from a saucer would make her oh so lovey dovey with me. Well she is now just gone 11 months and only just stopped attacking me just because she feels like it. She still attacks my feet although she ignores shoes that I am not wearing.

I had my ears pierced when I was 16 years old, and as I have long earlobes I had a second piercing done in 1983 [just before my son's Bar Mitzva] so since then I have worn two earrings in each ear. Now I cannot wear any, as when Tikva got near my face she would pull at them. And no amount of distraction would stop her. So I stopped wearing them. I do not think she deliberately went for them but at times when I had to get down - to change puppy pads etc - she was at my ears.

It really is not a good cross, unintentional or deliberate, and normal puppy training just does not work in a lot of cases. And oh can they be noisy.

As I have said, unless a person has owned a Doxie/Minpin cross, they have no idea how difficult it can be.

@Chickhawk - hang on in there girl - please do not give up on Daisy.

Another thing I should have mentioned is exercise. Give Daisy lots of opportunity to run on a long line (5metres) - don't let her off till you have a rock solid recall- or construct a mini agility course in a well fenced garden. A tired dog is a thing of beauty.

If you don't have a fenced yard, you can construct a mini course in a basement or large indoor room. That's what I did for my puppy before I learned that he's a HD puppy and wouldn't be able to do agility as an adult. Great fun for him, though! I heard Mini Pin HATE water, but swimming is good for them too.

Hi!
I've had her a couple of weeks so far, I'm giving her the house to explore and get used to all the sights and sounds of the place. The only time I try to be away from her is in the bathroom, I really don't like company while using it or taking a shower etc. So I close the door but she freaks out and tries to take it down.

I got her from a rescue, she was taken from a puppy mill that is under investigation because of a hoarding situation, so these little dogs were bred and caged. (Hence why she probably hates being in her crate by herself for more than a few minutes) we have been doing crate training and she's been great and found it a safe place to walk in and out of and eat her treats etc. Until the door is closed.

She is just finishing her hest cycle right now so I'm hoping she can calm down a little bit.

I'm feeding her I think it's called hills science diet, I'd have to check the bag for the actual name but it's recommended from the vet.

She has all her shots and a full vet check. Healthy as can be.

We go for lots of walks, play tons and she has lots of room to run around. I know that these little dogs are very energetic as my ex had a minpin who I was very attached to and learned a lot about them. I know the barking is alot of energy she's also trying to expel. I'd never stop her from barking but it gets to a point where the tone of the bark is sheer panic, when I let her outside to play she panics when I leave her in the backyard without me and tries to tear at the back door.
I'm assertive with her but her aggressive, and there's always positive praise when she does something good.
I want her to feel good not intimidated, but also know who the boss is as she tries to run the house.
I feel so bad for my cats as they seem to be things to be chased and her whining when she chases them it sounds like someone is strangling her. That worries me.
She's going in two weeks to get spayed, does it make a difference for these types of dogs? I have read up forums that say it does and others say it made no difference in behavior.
She's Going regardless of course, but I was curious on anyone else's experiences.

Sorry that meant to say assertive and *not aggressive.

You would be better to hold off on the spay. The optimum time is 12-13 weeks after the end of her season. All her hormones should have returned to normal by then.

When she had her vet check, did you specifically mention the problems you are having? Unless vets know the symptoms, they can't find a cause.

I am guessing though that this is more to do with the overload of new experiences rather than medical. In two weeks she's gone from cage to an absolute ton of new things that are all alien to her

She was vet checked by the rescue before I adopted her, the vet thinks because she's been in a cage her lifetime that she could have some emotional issues.
My only worry is, can she get over this and learn to trust? I hate seeing the poor girl constantly in fear of everything. She can't seem to relax or be away from me. When I leave the house I HAVE to put her in her kennel or she charges the door. She's so fast I can't close it fast enough and she rips it to shreds shrieking and screaming until the time I return.

Try going toilet or having shower with 9 dogs watching you.
I now have a baby's gate on ensuite bathroom door opening, my dogs can see into the bathroom (can't see toilet or shower) & know I am not in any danger, so they are happy & don't scream (howl) the place down.

After reading your last post, I think you have a good idea where you are going with Daisy. After a lifetime of breeding and showing, my last four dogs have been rescue or rehomes, so I am familiar with the, 'OMG, what have I taken on', feeling. My latest girl has a degree of sep. anx. having spent 6 years living in a semi pack environment in a show kennel. OK, this is nothing like Daisy's level, or her deprived background, except that Daisy may have also felt some security from having other dogs around her. This makes me wonder, would she be more relaxed with an older, placid friend?

I'm just reaching for my tin hat!