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Breathing and Panting !?!

19 16:22:18

Question
QUESTION: I just adopted a 1yr old Old English Bulldog. She was kept in an outdoor kennel for a yr. I dont think she has ever been in a house and has had limited people contact. She breathes heavy alot and I MEAN ALOT.  For example she will breath heavy for an hour mostly when people come around or she sees something new but sometimes just over nothing.  Im wondering if this is normal ? Ive only had her for a few days so Im sure shes excited about the freedom and attention. I was just wondering what your thoughts were. Thank You
ANSWER: The transition from kennel dog to house dog is really traumatic and stressful.  You need to keep the traffic down until she realizes she has a new home.  Let her meet new people in a very relaxed atmosphere and the fewer at a time the better.

Take her for short walks. Let her see what the real world is like in small doses. It may take her several weeks to figure out that her world has just gotten better. Please be patient and kind to her. You did a good thing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank You. It feels good helping out something that is so helpless.Im currently living at my parents house they have a nice backyard so she spends some of her day out there and some inside. Alot of the time she is outside til I get home. Mom has 2 small dogs and although she has displayed no aggressive behavior I cant be too careful. Anyways I will be moving into a Condo in less than a month and she will come with. There will be no backyard for her to run around  but there is a nice path to walk on and she will have her time outside . Do you think she will have a hard time becoming a inside dog ? I feel bad because thats all she knows is outside. Also she doesnt know how to walk on a leash and she wont budge when we put her on one. I only tried once cause i wanted her to get settled before worrying about that. Any tips on how to train for leash ? Thanks again this site is great !!!!  

Answer
She's only a year old.  She'll adjust. Treat her as you would a puppy that has no training at all.

Use a harness and not a collar to teach her to walk on a leash. Hook the leash on her in the house and just let her drag it around all the time.  Don't hesitate to give her a tug when she refuses, once she knows you're one of the good guys.

If you can take her to a park on a long leash and just let her poke around, that would be great.  Good luck.