I was reminded yesterday as I consulted with a rescue dog owner, how little guidance there is out there for dog owners that adopt a rescue dog. When they bring their new dog home, they do what they think is right to help them aclimate to their new forever home, but often do exactly the WRONG things.
What makes a dog – any dog – feel secure is predictability and structure in their life. This goes double for a rescue dog. What has been missing in their life is predictability and routine. They have lost their original family (if they ever had one), and often have been bounced from shelter to shelter, foster home to foster home, and so on. When they arrive at their new “real” home, they are often shell-shocked, nervous and full of emotional baggage. In response to their new dog’s emotionally challenged state (real or perceived), the new owner often falls over themself to accommodate and lavish the good life on their new dog. They avoid telling them “no” to anything, they make life as undemanding as possible, they avoid putting them in a crate or dog run for fear it will conjure up old nightmares, and generally walk on proverbial eggshells around them.
WRONG! It may seem like the right thing to do, but what these rescue dogs really need is NOT more freedom – freedom worries a dog. They want rules, they want a leader to assume their previous burden of survival and self-reliance and they yearn for clear understanding of where they fit in the new family hierarchy. (In the natural world of dogs, a clearly established pack hierarchy is one of the keys to a dog’s very survival). A rescue dog does not WANT the pressure of freedom, nor the burden of independence and self-reliance. They just want to know who’s driving the bus, and what their seat assignment is. LOL!
Lots of reasonable rules, consistently and compassionately enforced, will comfort and calm a rescue dog, because it takes the burden of choices and responsibility off of him. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries for behavior at home! Immediately enroll in training, enthusiastically take charge, and you will see your rescue dog blossom in the understanding that he has a strong and competent leader at the wheel, and a clearly defined place in the family where expectations are clear, rules are enforced, and he knows that his tomorrows will be the same as his today.
Do you have questions about YOUR rescue dog and his behaviors? Just ask!
-Diva
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Camilla,
It’s Lexie, Izzy’s the german shepherds owner. So I got a rescue chi/min pin mix about a month ago(Dooley O’doul). Izzy loves him and is doing great.
Anyways, he hasn’t had much socialization (only 9 months now) due to his prior owners who kept him locked up in the bathroom. I take him EVERYWHERE and have enrolled him in training and daycare(when I’m at work). He’s definately doing so much better around people and dogs but I still have some issues. I found out the key with him is to have my friend take him on a walk and then he’ll trust people. However, do I get him to stop barking at strangers who want to come and pet him when we’re walking? I correct the barking but he still doesn’t really let people he doesn’t know near him. I think it’s mostly time but do you have any suggestions?
i have a papillion that was a rescue dog… my biggest problem is his barking every time someone enters the room…. not the house but the room that he is in at the time its driving the family crazy since they are the ones he constantly barks at.. any suggestions? thanks in advance chris
Hi, Christine:
Not knowing if your dog is barking because he’s timid, or because he’s territorial over his property, it’s hard to give exact advice.
One thing I find helpful with a barky dog is limiting their movement. I know it may sound odd, but when a dog is not allowed to run around a room, or back and forth…he tends to bark less. Sometimes, just putting a leash on a dog and requiring him to stay by your side will be enough to curtail excess barking. If your little dog still insists on barking, add an unexpected “spritz” from a squirt bottle to distract him.
Once again, I believe there is a direct connection between the degree of owner control and the sense of security a dog feels. As you limit and control your dog’s behavior, a timid dog will begin to feel less vulnerable, and a territorial dog will feel less “in charge” himself. Either way, barking should decrease as a result.
I hope that helps!
-Diva
Lexie:
Whether or not your Dooley will ever become comfortable with new people is not predictable or controllable by you. Some dogs are just born Nervous Nellies, and their timidity is hard-wired. For these dogs, their early experiences are inconsequential. Socialization can change the threshold of what frightens them, but they are still and will always be, at their core, timid dogs.
The real issue is whether a timid dog will bite as a result of his fearful feelings. Some do, some don’t. Again, it’s how they are wired. If your little Dooley is not a fear biter, you can continue to have your friend walk him. Do not, however, encourage people to pet him. At this stage, just getting him out and about will be enough. More than that could be unnecessarily stressful for him – even traumatic. Part of trusting people will be his belief that not everyone will try to touch him.
If he does show signs of nipping in response to his fear, you should be the only one that walks him in public, and you will need to take great care that no one is allowed to pet him. Having strangers pet a fear-aggressive dog will not cure his fear, and the physical and legal risks are obvious.
Keep me posted, Lexie!
-Diva
I have a dog who barks in the strangest places, she barks when I have no control – example – dog park, she barks at people and dogs coming in, she is happy to see the dogs and wants to play and for them to hurry, not everyone sees that, I think they are concerned about the barking. She makes sure she stays out of my reach so I can not get her collar to make her stop barking. She barks in the car and I am driving and can not stop her. She does not bark in the house at home. I do not want to just keep her at home which would not be fair to her
Help,
Gerianne
Gerianne:
You have one smart dog! She KNOWS when you can and can’t control her, and takes advantage of the latter. What she is doing is testing the quality and depth of your leadership, and assessing just how much power you REALLY have. Because a dog’s very survival depends on a clear and effective chain of command, their instinct is to always test it to clarify it.
Try spending more time with your dog on leash (where you can be the undisputed leader) and less time off leash for a while (where she can call the shots). In the car, train her to sit beside you in a doggie seat belt, instead of letting her bounce around freely (and unreachable) in the back seat. With her in a seat belt, you can simply reach over to stop her barking if it starts – demonstrating to her, once again, that you DO have control over her. Power, when all is said and done, is determined by the ability to control – not the ability to yell.
Diva
I did the car thing and that is working – the dog on a lease in the dog park is a little harder – but I will still working on it. Just wanted to say thanks.
Gerianne:
You’re welcome!
I have four rescue dogs at the moment and I have already found a home for one. Three of which are my permanent (hopefully) ‘babies’. I was wondering the laws pertaining to rescuing without owner permission.
Alyssa:
Sounds like something for an attorney to answer. Also check books on local “Dog Law” – you may find your answer there.
-Diva
Lexie:
I think this question got by my radar! I don’t see that I ever responded
Anyway, how is your little rescue dog doing these days? Shyness in a dog is a tough trait for owners to deal with and accept. A shy dog will most likely always be a shy dog – no matter how much socialization and human contact you give them. Shy dogs are generally born shy. Their early life experiences can exacerbate the shyness that’s already there…but they rarely cause it. One exception might be if a young dog was traumatized severely during a “fear imprint” window of time in early development. Either way, once the shyness is there, it’s there.
Keep working with your little guy. You CAN get him accustomed to your regular friends and family members over time. It is “new” people that will always make him a little nervous. Correcting for nervous barking is a hard call. If you correct barking before the dog believes that he can trust you to watch his back, you’ll actually make him more nervous.
One thing you can try to calm him down, hence reduce nervous barking, is a product that uses gentle pressure around the head and muzzle to quiet and comfort a bark-y dog. I’ve seen it in catalogs, but don’t remember what it is called. It’s simply a band of 1″ elastic than wraps in a figure-8 around the dog’s muzzle and fastens behind his ears. Made by the same folks that make the Anxiety Wrap, I believe. The working theory is that the gentle “hug” of the elasticized material makes a nervous dog feel more secure. Hey! It’s worth a try.
Let me know how it goes, Lexi.
-Diva Camilla
Camilla:
Thanks for the reminder that Austin is a shy dog and always will be and it is not me. I forget he is so shy until he is put into a situation with strangers. But we continue to move forward and are make baby steps
Pat
Pat:
As I always love to say, “Lose the guilt!” Some things are just out of our control and we’re just along for the ride.
camilla
Alyssa:
I cannot believe your comment passed under my radar so long ago! I’m so sorry!
In terms of your question, I would imagine that there are, indeed, laws preventing “rescuing” a dog without owner permission unless you are a law enforcement official. I think the courts might call that “stealing”. It’s wonderful that you are obviously concerned for the well-being of dogs. Rather than rescuing without permission, however, try just talking pleasantly with the owner, and asking them what you might do to help their dog have some fun – maybe offering to walk their dog, brush it and play with it, etc. Give that a try; it’s a much kinder, more productive approach, I think.