We are a foster failure. We received a new foster Red Heeler last week and immediately fell in love with her. She came on a transport from Mississippi to our home in Pa. The only story that I know about her is that she lost her parent and no family could or would keep her. So she was sent to a kill shelter who worked with a local group in my area,who brought her to us. She is a wonderfully quiet girl and has great house manners and is peacefully coexisting with our other dog. The problem is that she seems to be mourning her missing parent. I know that in time this will change, but meanwhile she is depressed, sleeps a lot and when out in the yard, attempts to escape through the fence, so we have to keep her on a leash at all times. In addition, it is almost impossible to get her to poop or pee. I have never seen a dog with such a strong resolve to hold her urges between 24 and 48 hours! It seems like she is shy, and only wants to go at night and possibly in tall grass so that she can hide her activity. (Unfortunately, we don't have any tall grass in the yard!) We have tried every potty word in our lexicon and can't seem to find any trigger words to encourage her to go. No amount of walks, both short and long will work either. She waits until it must hurt before going. A trip to the vet didn't help either. They told us to give her more time to adjust. Are these dogs so sensitive that they need a therapist when missing a loved one? Any help is appreciated. Thank you for reading our story.
Hello Ruth - you are not a failure. You do not say how old your foster girl is but it sounds like she just has not gotten used to all the changes she has gone through, and holding her pee and poo is possibly her way of showing she is still confused. Trying to escape from the yard is also her way of trying to get back to what she knew as home. I think your vet is correct. Give her time - and lots of love.
My first thought is, Is she eating and drinking OK? If so, it has to come through her. Second thought, are you cleaning up what she does do? Maybe not the poo, but leave urine scent for the time being. If she can establish a place where she feels it is OK and safe to use, you are almost there. Don't hover over her to watch, do it discreetly and reward her good efforts - verbally and with a treat if she will take it. As said by Malka and your vet - just give her the time and space to accept that this is her home. It's hard when you want to give and receive love and they don't appear to respond, but it will come. You could also try a natural calmer, or a pheromone product like Adaptil which helps some dogs. I have found non sedating products containing the amino acid L-Tryptophan or 5HTP to be helpful for stress.
