The Puppy Mill Rescues and How to Help Them Adapt

I think it's very important to understand what you are getting into when you adopt a puppy mill dog.

Problems:

• Locked in a very small cage crowded with multiple dogs
• Constantly standing in own pee and poop
• Cages are mostly stacked on top of each other to save space, so dogs may be getting peed and pooped on
• There is barely to NO human interaction with these dogs/pups
• There may not be adequate or appropriate vetting
• Dogs are interbred over and over again and may have illnesses due to environment or genetics

If you are aware you're adopting a dog from a puppy mill assess for these things:

• How shy your dog is
• Is there fear aggression? (tail down, backing up in a corner, growling, gritting teeth when you continue to walk toward her/him)
• Does the pup pee when you look or walk toward or pet him/her? (which is submissive peeing)
• Does him/her yelp, cry, or curl up in fear when you pet it?
• Does there seem to be health issues?
• Breathing
• Deformities (short snout, glossed over eye or blind, leg/arm deformities, etc)
• Stomach, digestive issues (diarrhea, blood in poop)
• Completely new to home life
• Does not seem potty trained, no matter what age
• Fears human touch, scared when you reach to pet him/her 
• Appears to love other dogs but no idea what a human is
• Pulls away from leash having never been walked on leash before
• Scared to explore spaces in your home (never seen a place so big!)
  

TIPS for adopting the puppy mill dog:

• The KEY is PATIENCE!!! (If you want a normal, happy go lucky dog, this may not be the option for you)
• The key to potty training is consistency. Since they come from a neglectful environment scolding and negative feedback doesn't help their already "shy/scared" behaviors.
• Clean up their messes (best not to let them see it when you're doing it)
• Create a consistent potty schedule within the family
• Positive reinforcement when they potty outside (ie treats, high pitch "good girl/boy", loads of petting)
• The leash:
• Give small treats while introducing the leash
• Lay the leash nearby, gently graze the leash along their neckline and treat if they don't back away
• When you click leash on and they don't pull away, treat
• Every time it becomes more of a norm, give verbal praise until it's a regular thing
• Introduce the human touch
• Where ever they find comfort, let them settle in the first couple hours and leave them be
• I find if there are other dogs available, they mingle better and observe how you interact with the other dogs
• Sit down where they are with treats in your hand and just ignore them unless they sniff (then treat or verbal praise)
• Slowly start leaving your hand nearby palm up and see if they will engage
• Pet them if they allow and slowly pet them longer and longer periods of time
• Progress (may take days or weeks) to belly rubs, hugging, holding, picking up
• New spaces
• A house and/or a big yard can be overwhelming!!
• Keep them to one room at a time and let them explore. 
• If they are completely shut down, leave them be and walk away and wait til they come to you or start exploring themselves
• Let them find a safe spot in each room
• Reinforce their safe spot with a doggy bed or blanket so they can associate comfort
• Normalizing
• Once they understand the leash, find the love of human touch (they ALL will love it once they discover it!), and realize a house is a home, the REAL training begins
• Apply walking, heeling, pulling disciplines
• Play with their paws and mouth often to adjust them for vet checkups and nail clipping
• If they insist on staying in one spot, do away with the bed or blanket and make they comfortable with a bigger area 

** Of note, all the photos on this page weren't of puppy mill dogs. They were quick snapshots of dogs in the crates on one of their journeys in the car awaiting to arrive at their furever homes. That's why they all look clean and happy. :)