If you’ve rescued a dog

[AstroPete]

For those who’ve rescued/rehomed a dog, what was the initial period like? Was there much change in their stress level over the first few weeks? Did you see much change in reactivity after the first week?

Last week we rescued an adolescent dog who’s been in foster for a few months in the UK, before that he was in an overseas shelter. He’s shown some hesitancy around my youngest DC, it’s massively improved from when he first arrived but he will still bark at my DC if he makes strange movements (running man set him off earlier!) Rescue pup is also being reactive to other dogs on walks, we’ve only taken him out on short lead walks so far. He’s very big so it’s quite intimidating when he reacts. In foster he had loads of exposure to kids and other dogs with no reactivity (almost never walked on lead though). He gets very anxious when I leave him at home with my adult DCs. So I am trying to work out how I let my resident dog have her long runs off lead, do school runs, errands, play dates with DC’s friends etc when I have a dog who’s reacting to kids, other dogs and being left at home. But he wasn’t like this in foster. It’s been less than a week though. Am I being ridiculous to worry at this point?

It took my rescue a good few months to come out of his shell and fully decompress after a very long time in kennels (although my dog is a much older dog). I would say its really early days and to give your pup time to adjust to his new life. I made sure that everything was very calm and quiet with my dog and he had a safe space to retreat to when he needed his own space.

It takes at least 3 months for them to settle

Thanks @Chaosandmadness it helps to hear that, we’ve been trying to keep things calm ie no visitors and no walks for the first few days. Youngest DC has been good about letting rescue pup come to him and not making sudden moves/noises, but he sometimes doesn’t think

Thanks @FictionalCharacter

Our DDog settled a bit after a month when it twigged that mealtimes were regular and we were kind to her. She settled more again at 3 months, 6 months and a year.

I should have said that’s what some of the rescue places say as a rule of thumb. Our old boy was pretty good from the start but it did take a few months before we could see he really knew he was home and part of the family. It’s like @PritiPatelsMaker said - they go through stages. And every one is different. But less than one week is very very early days. He doesn’t speak English, so he doesn’t know he’s been adopted! For all he knows, he could be going to another home tomorrow!

About 3-6 months - lots of routine and cuddles.

collar that explains that they are nervous etc

The 3-3-3 rule....

We had our large breed rescue for 14 years in the end but we saw distinct shifts in behaviour at 8 weeks, 6 months and then again at 12 months. It took a solid 18 months before he fully settled in and realised that this was his home forever. pp mentions a safe space and that was definitely needed. We used a crate with a blanket over the top for the first 12 months and eventually we replaced it with a bed. He used to wander off and hide with toys in his space and if he was overwhelmed he could go and be quiet. Good luck, it took lots of patience and lots of cuddles

I should probably say also that he had been treated quite badly by previous owner so was extra sensitive hence the longer settling in timeline

I have two rescues. Both took months to settle. My older one probably took about a year to relax and trust. My younger one is still stressed and worried at times at 4 months in. Let her take her time, be patient, it will be worth it. You don’t know what she has been though.

Thanks everyone, this has been really reassuring. I’ve tentatively started crate training, not wanting to push it at this stage, he will get in and stay there for a short period with a steady stream of treats. Our resident dog is crate trained and she is definitely seeking it out a bit more at the mo for space.
We obviously don’t know what happened before he arrived at the shelter, he’s completely bonkers around food so it’s clearly been scarce, he barks and growls when anyone moves through the house at night, he barks at DH for whistling (secretly pleased about this one), I don’t think he’s had it easy.

We obviously don’t know what happened before he arrived at the shelter, he’s completely bonkers around food so it’s clearly been scarce, he barks and growls when anyone moves through the house at night, he barks at DH for whistling (secretly pleased about this one), I don’t think he’s had it easy.

It took a while to work out our DDogs triggers. Tall, thin women on crutches are absolutely feared. Van doors, high viz and oddly Liverpudlian accents.

We'd worked out that van doors set her off a few months after having her. We now have a new neighbour, with a van, who likes to slam shut his sliding van door around 10pm each night. Hoping they don't stay long 🤦‍♀️

Our dog was 4 when we adopted him. People told us it would take 6 months or even a year for him to properly settle in and decompress from the experience of living in kennels, I found it hard to believe at the time but it's now almost 8 months in and we are still seeing positive changes week on week. His progress has been steady but not linear, so do be patient! I also feel like it took us a while to properly bond with him, obviously we 'loved' him from the start but I did feel a bit intimidated and even a bit miserable from the weight of the commitment when things moved slowly in the beginning. Our dog didn't even have particular behavioural problems, he was just slightly nervous about the big wide world and took a while to come out of his shell. Persevere, it will be worth it :)

If you are on Twitter take a look at Rory Cellan-Jones who has adopted a rescue dog called Sophie from Romania to follow the ongoing heart warming journey.

I was going to mention the 3, 3, 3 rule which is what we were told to use as a baseline when adopting, but to realistically expect from 6 months for the dog to come out of it's shell and function as part of the family, particularly if there are any existing issues with anxiety.

Things that helped a great deal for us:

• providing a covered crate/dog cave type bed for him to retreat to if he needed, where no family or children would be bothering him.

-lots of durable chews (bully sticks etc) as chewing can be very relaxing for the dog and things like snuffle or licky mats to occupy his brain and tire him out.

Sticking to a routine whenever possible in terms of bedtimes, trips out the house, walks, dinner time etc

Having each family member routinely spend time bonding with the dog and providing positive experiences being approached by them (treats!)

Ambient noise if possible when the house was as its most quiet- we bought a cheap radio and left it on a low level downstairs with him at night and if we went out and this helped a lot with reactivity to noises in the house or outside of it.

Leaving family members clothes with him when he was left or at night also really calmed him. Obviously less of an option if the dog is destructive or a chewer (ours isn't) but in that instance you could always sleep with a blanket for the night and then give that to the dog, or a small piece of scrap/clothing for the charity shop.

Definitely took my rescue (from abroad) over a year to know he was “home.” When he started barking at the postman (18 months in!) we knew he’d settled! You’ll get little wins all along the way. Running men were a huge trigger for him too, he ignores them completely now! Stay in touch with your rescue organisation for advice, they’ll know if you need to address anything. It’s daunting though. I had the total doom for a few months thinking I’d never be able to walk him off lead, or even on-lead in busier places. They just need time. Good luck with new pooch!

Our dog was on her best behaviour for some weeks, it wasn't until she had settled in that she started being a pest. It was as though she decided she felt safe enough to let that stubborn diva personality out. I'd say that over four years down the line even when on her best behaviour she isn't as well behaved as she was initially.

Thanks everyone, this has been really helpful, I feel a lot calmer. I've been expecting way too much too soon. I suppose I was reassured by the fact he seemed so well adjusted in foster, but his routine there was quite different to our routine here and everything has changed for the poor pup at once. I had a bit of the puppy blues with our resident dog (she was and continues to be the most stubborn, prey driven working dog I've ever encountered). I was expecting to take this whole thing in my stride, very naive of me!
Today was the first day the younger DCs were back in school after half term. I took him for a short lead walk to get close enough to the school that DC could walk the rest of the way without us. Just a quiet 10 minutes where we avoided other dogs and people and let him sniff, you could see that things like car doors slamming were jangling his nerves. DH's alarm this morning set him off in a fit of barking. I'll keep things low and slow for now. He was getting a lot of exercise in foster (2 hours off lead running a day) and I was worried how he'd cope when that initially couldn't happen but he doesn't seem too amped up to me, and you can see less of his spine even in the short time he's been here mooching around all day.

@PritiPatelsMaker I thought I was strange when I picked up what triggered my dog….I’m glad you are the same. Mine was terrified of tall men wearing beanie hats.

OP I remember my neighbour saying how quiet our GSD was. She didn’t bark until she was with us about 3 weeks….and I remember we celebrated when we heard it lol. It took her months to feel safe and realise this was her home forever. You’re still in the early days.

Our Romanian rescue has been with us for 2yrs 3 months and she's still changing all the time. She was so wound up for the first few months that dropping a fork in the kitchen would see her sprint for cover and cower.

Lots of things we did helped, but it also transpired she'd not been spayed so much as butchered. A life saving operation later - basically a pyometra op - and she's a very different dog. Still jumpy and nervous, but soft as butter (unless you're a border collie in which case You Must Die).

Short version - give the dog space. Use gates to separate children from dog. Never leave dog where you can't see them and kids together - your dog is already telling you that kids worry them. High value treats. Walks don't need to be every day if they are worried by then - do brain games at home instead.