My scared rescue dog won't drink or potty. How to leash train?

Poor Lillian. Make every effort to get her outside to potty. Also work on making her more comfortable. It's a big change for her. Once she is comfortable in the house, you can begin trying to get her comfortable outside. It's possible something has scared her in the past and now she has developed a negative association. You may try to counteract this by creating a positive association. Begin by having a high value treat or toy. Start playing/a training session inside the house by the door way. Do this for a few days. Once Lillian seems comfortable playing by the door way, toss the toy or treat outside and allow her to retrieve it and come back inside. Do this until Lillian is comfortable. Then move outside by the doorway way. Gradually move further and further away from the door way. Then begin gradually decreasing the play time and just hanging outside with her. Try not to leave her outside unattended until she seems comfortable. I hope this helps.

She may have been trained to potty inside, you can try leaving out potty pads for her to go inside. She may also not be used to having to go potty in a busy, loud, or concrete-filled environment. Give her more time. Keep treats in your pocket and take her out often. Use a command like "go potty" and repeat it when you first get outside. When she does go outside, give her treats and LOTS of praise (people should be thinking you are a wackadoo!). Eventually she will figure out that going outside is a good thing that makes you very happy.

Lots of questions! Good for you wanting to make the world a better place for dogs :) Always be willing to learn! Keep an open mind and soak up all the knowledge you can. The dogs will thank you for that. OK. Staying home alone is something that needs to be build up over time. If you are 3-4 hours and she is behaving and quiet and relaxed you're on the right track! Just keep building by adding 10-15 minute increments each time. My rule for kennel is their age in months plus 1=how many hours they should be able to be kenneled (after working up to it), to the max of 8 hours. Any longer than that and they need a break. Loose leash walking can be taught easiest on a harness. You can use treats or toys to encourage them to stay close to your side and focus on you. If they get pulling to hard I stop, wait till they look at me then take a step backward. This usually invites them into you, and they quit pulling. They also didn't gain any forward momentum, so they didn't accomplish anything by pulling. Keep working on this and the pulling should lessen. If you're in public and she is pulling, there is probably too much excitement and its overwhelming. Try giving more space and add distance between you and all the people. If she is bowing when she meets dogs, its usually a play bow or invitation to play. I would try to sign up for some puppy classes or find a group of friendly dogs to play with. Socializing is important for our dogs, just as much as us. And lastly, the grass. Keep her on a leash and simply restrict her access to people's lawns. Shorten the leash up when passing by and if you have to, pick up your pace walking. She will come right along with you. Of course, you can start her walk after she relieves herself at home and then hopefully she won't have to go again on her walk.

Dogs are situational learners and can sometimes make some very weird connections. I recommend to start clicker training her. You will also need some very high value treats or a high value toy. Whichever she thinks is better. Basically start in the house near the doorway with you and reward her for coming near you. Gradually work your way out the door. What you are trying to do is produce a positive association. It is very important that you remain calm and try not to get frustrated her as she will pick up on negative energy. You can also start feeding her in the back yard or playing out there to continue the positive association. Also give her positive reinforcement for looking at you frequently or when she is afraid. This will teach her to look to you for action. This will be a slow process. Be patient and keep her on the medication for now. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like Lily is still adjusting! You may want to temporarily add a second water bowl to give her options (and make sure she gets enough to drink) until she gets used to sharing. It may be once she's comfortable she'll go back to using the other bowl as well. As for pottying, taking her out on a leash to the area you'd like her to go and asking her to "go potty" can help show her that it's still OK to go out there. You may also want to bring along a few of her absolute favorite treats and reward her for successes to encourage her to continue going potty there, and make sure to clean up anything left behind by the puppy in case that is making her wary. As for her ball, playing with a different one, or encouraging play by going out there a bit more often/offering treats may help while she adjusts. It's likely that she'll return to normal play behavior in a few weeks once she is more used to the puppy, as well.

Congratulations on your new addition! I'm glad to hear that Champ is very well-behaved. It's never a big surprise when a new pet refuses to eat or drink well when they're first brought to a new home. This change can be quite stressful and intimidating to them, and can evoke a bit of anxiety, leading to this refusal to eat or drink. First of all, try to give Champ as much space as he wants. You can offer him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice for a few days to try to tempt him to eat, then gradually mix in his regular dog food. When you offer him food, try to do so in a quiet, calm environment where he can eat undisturbed by people or other pets. Initially, he'll probably be more willing to eat and drink when he's alone. My guess is that he's drinking some water when you aren't watching - particularly if he's urinating normally. Try to work on giving Champ a safe space where he can always go if he wants to be alone, such as a crate or a bed in the corner of a quiet room, and respect his boundaries by always leaving him alone if he's in that space. Building up on this safe space can help a dog feel more comfortable and confident in their surroundings, which in turn will likely facilitate normal behaviors, including eating and drinking. Best of luck with everything!

I would not be overly concerned about this just yet. Dogs can hold it for a pretty long period of time. It is not great for them to do so but it should not be harmful at this stage. Are you sure she hasn't gone somewhere in the house? If you are taking her out on a leash, she may not be used to going on a leash - this happens a lot. So you may have to have her off leash. Don't make too much of a big deal when you take her out. Only say whatever word you want to cue her to use the bathroom like "go potty". Do not say or do anything else. Once she goes give her a good treat of something she likes. If you don't have an off leash area then I suggest you do the same as above just on leash instead of off. Try to take her to a spot where other dogs have gone as this usually stimulates them to go. Urination is most important. If she goes 24 hours without urinating you need to get her to a vet. It may be days before she defecates and that is not as concerning. Hope this helps. Best wishes.