Friday, May 8, 2009

Advice on caring for a bichon?

we just recently got a new addition to our family and its a bichon cross. im not sure what she is cross with. i really hate to say this but her old owners abused her and i think lots. she is such a sweet dog but everytime i go towards her too fast she cowars. shes even worse with my husband which makes me think that it was a male that abused her. she is 4 yrs old and just had a littler of kittens. what can we do to make her more trusting of us...or is the trust totally gone for her? is it really true about what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks because she doesnt even know how to sit or come nothing. i cant believe that anyone could be so mean. she was so negected her hair was so matted and long i could even see her cute eyes. and right now all of the dog groomers are full until june so i had to cut out as many of the mats that i could and gave her a bath but she needs a shave. so if anyone can give me some advice on making her more comfortable anything please...
Answers:
Bichons are wonderful people dogs. Fearful dogs usually always remain with fearful tendencies. But she will learn to trust you and love you. She may never be the dog that all the neighborhood can approach, but she will learn to love you. And the dog and cat will eventually work out a relationship of sorts. It just takes time. I wouldn't hesitate to let the dog sleep with me. She's a member of the pack now too. She should get to sleep in the den with the rest of the pack.
You can definetly improve things at home for your dog. You have a tricky situation and really, the best thing for you to do is to find a trainer that has worked with abused dogs. They may come to your home, or you go to class. But the trainer can teach you how to change your body language so that she will gain confidence and learn trust. But a professional will really be able to teach you the hands on way to go about it.

Cats are very territorial. Lots of them don't like dogs. You need to assess whether your cat could be aggressive with the dog before bringing her to your room at night. Your dog may even like being in a dog bed on the floor of your room if you want her with you. This may be a situation you just need to try to see if it would work. We have 2 dogs and a cat that sleep in our bed with us and they curl up together. They've figured out it's warmer that way! So, you may be surprised. But if your dog is very happy with her current sleeping situation, maybe a crate??, then don't feel guilty about it. As long as she feels safe and warm she will be fine.
I have 3 bichons and they are loving little boys. Try the below website and phone them. These people have rescued Bichons and brought them back to be healthy boys and girls. They will be able to steer you in the right direction. Good Luck

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