Question about dogs on breeding farms.

raindog.promo

Hey folks,

I have a Westie who is a rescue dog from a breeding farm (I don't know which one).
We have an issue, nothing major, with her where she will not push open doors that happen to be ajar. The one exception is the door to my room which she'll push open to get into.

Just wondering does anyone know whether breeding farms would use electric fences?
Although I don't see why they would need to, it's the only reason I can think of for why she would be afraid to do so.

Thanks

SillyMangoX

Well more so than electric fences, id image that if a dog tried to escape its cage when the breeder opens the door there would be no stipulations about the dog getting a boot in the nose...

raindog.promo

Cheers.

She doesn't like going through narrow spaces and when she does so, she does it quickly.

When we first got her, she would literally crawl past you cowering if you stood in a doorway which I put down to her getting booted from wherever she was to wherever the asshole in charge wanted her to go to.

So, it's just something she might get over in time I guess.

DBB

It could be as simple as she hasn't ever learned to go through tight spaces, nor learned to use her nose to push doors open. Ex-breeding/puppy farm bitches tend to be very inexperienced in the most basic things that we often take for granted with "normal" dogs. Very sweet-natured though, but nervous and not brave enough to try new things without gentle and patient persuasion.

You could teach her in small, successive steps using food treats. I'd start by perhaps smearing something yummy on the door at nose-height, and let her lick at it. This will help get her used to touching the door, and if she *happens* to move the door even a tiny amount whilst licking or nosing at it, have a party, giving her lots of gentle praise and treats.
Also, when I was teaching my own Westie to open/close the door on command, I started him off on the light cupboard doors in the kitchen, until he got the hang of how to get the doors to move.
Now he almost takes the heavy normal doors off their hinges when told to shut the door

kylith

It could well be nothing. One of mine won't push open doors, she just doesn't seem to make the deductive leap. To my knowledge she's not a puppy farm dog, though she was badly bred.

raindog.promo

Thanks.

She does know how to open doors though as she'll open the door to my room if it's a bit open. I know what you mean about them (rescue dogs) being inexperienced in the most basic things. My dog doesn't play with any toys which is a shame to see, she's terrified of anything that squeaks also.

In fairness to her, in just 18 months she's gone from never being out to walking alongside me off the leash and I now trust her to wander a bit. She has a good few commands and socializes well with other dogs.

boodlesdoodles

My Westie, who isn't from puppy farm, won't push open the living room door if it's ajar! But he will go through our bedroom door like a bulldozer. I've always put it down to a quirk in his nature, and he has quite a few Fair play to you though for giving her the life she deserves.

kylith

raindog.promo wrote: »

Thanks.

She does know how to open doors though as she'll open the door to my room if it's a bit open. I know what you mean about them (rescue dogs) being inexperienced in the most basic things. My dog doesn't play with any toys which is a shame to see, she's terrified of anything that squeaks also.

In fairness to her, in just 18 months she's gone from never being out to walking alongside me off the leash and I now trust her to wander a bit. She has a good few commands and socializes well with other dogs.

Neither do mine, one grabs the ball and won't return it, the other runs in the other direction. Neither of them know how to play with other dogs, one views any playing as aggression. Such are the foibles of rescue dogs.