Who has rescued a dog ( not a puppy)? What advice would you give?

[FiveHoursSleep]

The first bit of this is for BurningBridges, who asked for the back story.

Just over a month ago we lost our 4 1/2 year old Lurcher unexpectedly. She's the grey one in the photo below.
She ran out onto a road chasing a fox and got hit by a car. She borke her leg and suffered chest injuries so spent 3 days in doggy ICU before having her leg fixed. At first her leg seemed to be doing well, but 2 weeks after the operation she stopped using it and it was discovered that one of her tendons was damaged.
The broken tendon was her patella tendon, and the specialist told us the best way to repair it was with an implant from the States. So it was ordered in and we waited for it to arrive, then held our breath that C&E would allow it through.
Eventually they did, and on the Friday of half term the kids and I took her up the A40 to have her second operation. The vet rang about 5 to say it had gone really well, she was awake, he was pleased etc etc, then 15 mins later he rang back to say he was very sorry but she had collapsed, stopped breathing for herself and what did we want to do?
We elected to let her go as it wasn't possible to ventilate forever, Obviously it was a big shock to everyone and left us with a bill for 8K worth of treatment ( Check your insurance policies !)

Our other dog has been very sad since the loss of his friend. If only we could explain things to them :(
And we've felt the loss of a second dog as well as missing our girl specifically, so made the decision to take on a rescue sooner rather than later.
We've looked at lots of dogs, all of them lovely but our boy really liked a young collie X from Heathlands and they played together for almost 90 minutes when they met. So we said we'd like him to come and live with us. We had looked for a bitch but our existing dog seems to prefer boys! I'm going to pick him up tomorrow.

He's an unwanted stray from Ireland, about 1 year old, fine with cats, kids and other dogs.

Sorry for the waffle above, but the point is that we've only ever had rescue puppies before, not dogs. He's been with a fosterer for 3 months now so she knows him pretty well and he seemed very calm and friendly when we met him last week. I have his food, a collar and lead, a crate and bed for him as well as toys but what else do I need to know?
The fosterer has sent us his schedule, so we'll try and stick with that to begin with and gradually change it to our usual one. It will be useful with the Easter holidays coming up.

Has anyone who has had a dog from a rescue got any advice for us? We are expecting toilet training to possibly lapse and maybe some crying at night.

I'm a bit nervous!

Hi we took on a Border Collie X 10 years ago - he was 8 months - from the local rescue centre. He is the most amazing dog and we love him to bits. At that age he did still chew things and didn't have any road sense but was pretty much house trained - I don't remember too many accidents. Sounds like you are expecting all the right things as he will need time to adjust to a new home. Don't be nervous - you will be fine - he sounds wonderful! Good luck.

I have a collie cross rescue from foster. Really just be the boss. Your dog will miss his fosterer. Ours did. She took about 6 weeks to start playing. The crate is important. Your dog will have its own place. We were very lucky as all the training was in place, we just followed on with it. Because of the crate there was no crying. Toileting didn't regress.
Actually ours was a bit upset about night 4, as I think of it, I only went down once for a quick reassurance.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

I have rescued and fostered lots of dogs and I also help run a rescue, so we see lots of people going through getting a new rescue dog and I've been through it myself. I currently have two dogs as we recently lost the third at only 8 years old.

I think it's really important to give dogs time and space to get used to an environment. It can take a while for their character to come through and whilst they may be on their best behaviour to begin with, when they settle and start testing the water that's when most end up being returned (peope have no patience at times). This article is really very good for tactics to use when bringing a new rescue dog home.

www.localbark.com/bark-all-about-it/2015/01/5-common-mistakes-adopters-make-when-bringing-home-new-dog/

They're all different, one of mine waltzed in and settled right in. The other took a long time to trust us. I've put in a lot of training with my dogs and we do a few dog sports to occupy their minds - anything you can do to work their mental muscles as well as walking will make a huge difference. A tired dog is a well behaved dog!

We have a rescue dog from Ireland. She's the most lovely natured dog, but she is very anxious. She's clearly been mistreated. The rescue described her as "confident" and when she's with other dogs she is, but as soon as we got her home we realised she's a nervous wreck. We've had her a year (she's about 18 months old) and she's still terrified of strangers, particularly men (which we also didn't know about as she was fostered in an all female house). We've done what we can and tried loads of things and she has improved but she's always going to have issues. Luckily we live in a rural area and she's quite happy at home with the family, walking in the countryside around us or going on caravan holidays, so I think she has a nice life. However, she should really have been rehomed with another dog - she's a different dog in canine company and her quality of life would have been better. By the time we realise her issues weren't just "settling in " nerves she was one of the family so we couldn't take her back to be rehomed in a house with another dog, but if we had realised sooner I think this would have been kindest.

So - my comment is to take the dog out of the foster environment to see what it's like with you as a family (ours had only just been vaccinated so we couldn't take her for a walk). Good luck!

MelB, just wanted to say that fosterers do such a fantastic job. My girl had such a good start with foster that she survived being returned to kennels :( then quite a wait til she came to us. She is a work in progress but her behaviour and training made it so much easier for us to continue to help.

Just time, be patient. It took our adult dog months before she settled, having had lots of homes before us. It's really only now, a year on, I'd say she is completely settled and has fitted in. New things/changes still throw her- I went out in the evening last week which I don't normally do and she paced about for a bit before settling on the doormat to await my return!
Best of luck. I found this forum a godsend.

Our rescue GSD was a sweet wee mouse for the first couple of weeks - then once she realised she was home for keeps, we started to see more of her personality emerge (reactivity with other dogs, in her case)! I gather this 'honeymoon period' isn't uncommon with rescue dogs.

I'd second the advice you've already been given - be patient. You'll also get out what you put in, so spending time in the early months taking him to positive, reward-based training classes will repay you over and over again in years to come.

One mistake I remember making in the early days with our GSD was overestimating her ability in certain situations - so for example, she seemed to be getting along very well with another dog, and instead of leaving it on a high, I hung around too long and play tipped into a scuffle - which knocked my confidence (and hers). No harm done, and I'd be better at reading the signals these days, but possibly one to bear in mind.

We had a rescue when I was growing up she has issues from being abused/starved then from becoming a stray. She was incredibly loving towards females though. We currently foster dogs and honestly after this one never again. He's 22 months but has never been walked or socialised in my experience rescue dogs come with issues and depending on the person they're not for everyone. Would I have another one? No.

Hello FiveHours - looking forward to hearing about progress, some good advice here - I've never had a rescue dog but I am pretty sure I couldn't cope with one. I think the dogs you have had already mean you have much more experience than me. I do know it can take ages for them to settle in. Good luck for tomorrow [excited]!

Thanks everyone. MelB, that's a great article. I will update.

OP, it sounds as if you've had a rough ride
I'm sure new-dog will be so glad he's found you!
What's already been said - beware the honeymoon period, give time and space and lots of resources. Your dog is used to sharing (but not with this dog) and new dog isn't used to sharing at all, so make sure there are multiples of toys, lots of food etc so there are no conflict issues. Be consistent, don't disregard old-dog in your attempts to settle new-dog. Just like with kids.

You say you have a crate but is new-dog crate trained? Crates only work if the dog is able to choose to stay or leave. Never lock in without lots of training.

Be consistent, set ground rules, make sure all in the family are consistent. Give him a bit of time and space to act out when he realises he had a precious new family to defend. Reassure him you're not going anywhere and he'll settle. Love, strokes, and reassurance. Let him move at his own pace - it took 2 years to get my DDog comfortable with snuggles on the sofa. Now you can't get her off!
Good luck.

Yes, new dog is crate trained. I'm hoping we can shut him in at night as he'll have to share the lounge with the cats and other dog and I don't want them to have a party at 2am!
Apparently he's scared of cats but ours are very dog savvy and will stay out of his way.

CandyAppleFudge I'm sorry to hear you've had a foster dog with issues, but it's a great shame to make a very wide statement that may put other people off. There are many, many dogs in rescue through no fault of their own - due to family break-ups, changes in circumstances, not having enough time for the dog and so forth. Dogs will be put to sleep in pounds in their thousands each year if people continue to breed or buy instead of rescuing.

Be patient and allow things to progress at his pace. If he wants to hide leave him be, you can occasionally walk past and drop a treat.

Yes, there will be a honeymoon period, but if the fosterer is any good she'll have told you his true personality. Expect him to be quieter and better behaved for the first few weeks.

Please don't be boss. Being overbearing is the last thing you should do. Yes, set the rules from day one, but do it in a nice, gentle way. Don't try to be alpha. If, for example, the dog was allowed on the fosterer's furniture but won't be allowed on yours, don't allow him on yours. If he gets on, guide him off with a treat and tell him "off" when he's on his way down. There is no need to assert yourself as boss.

I'd not leave him unsupervised with the cats and the existing dog for a while. Have them sleep elsewhere for the time being. When we fostered I would have the new dog sleep in the dining room (whippy's usual place) but Whippy would be moved to the sitting room or room until they were more comfortable with each other.

Don't be afraid to contact the fosterer and ask her things, even if they seem like stupid questions. She'll be happy to help and it will reassure her that her much loved foster dog has gone to a happy, loving home.

Laska- but not everyone wants a rescue dog, we got both of ours from reputable breeders who tested from health problems. We had a rescue when I was growing up and she had loads of health problems and had been abused in her past. The rescue we foster for says that rescue dogs come with baggage and are usually traumatised from past experience. At the end of the day not everyone is going to want a rescue dog are they?

It cannot be a very good rescue, in that case. I've had a fair few foster dogs and only one of them had any real issues. I even had a 28 week old pup who'd never been walked and was kept outside most of her life. She was really sweet and settled well into home life. Of course she needed lead training and toilet training, she didn't know how to interact with the children and rejoiced in chasing their bare toes on a morning, but the same applies to having any puppy. It was exactly the same as having an 8 week old puppy, just the puddles were bigger.

We only had her a week, she was quickly rehomed. I spent a week toilet training her and lead training her and then another family got to enjoy my hard work

Of course not every dog owner has to or wants to rescue, but for the most part it is the better option and to say that all or even most rescue dogs have baggage or issues is just nonsense. I'd not work with any rescue who perpetuated such myths. It smacks of unprofessionalism and inexperience.

I fostered 2 dogs from abroad, ex-street dogs. Neither of them caused a moment's problem (and much easier than a hyper puppy )

Both sweet, happy, friendly with dogs/people/kids. One had a few accidents inside, mainly due to dodgy tummy, second one was house trained from the first evening.

They were lovely - had them 2 months and found good homes for both of them.

DOoin, you are saying don't be the boss then going on to describe being the boss. You don't have to be overbearing to be in charge. You are very clearly describing rules and training. Which is only successful when you are in charge. Aka - being the boss.

Be the boss sounds harsh and reminiscent of the old school alpha/pack theory training.

I don't think I'm really "in charge" of my dogs. We respect each others space and they have boundaries and rules i.e don't jump on tables, but we also respect their boundaries i.e staying away from their beds and giving them space when they need it.

It's more a mutual respect and understanding type relationship than "me boss, you dog" iyswim? I stay off their beds and don't bin their bones and they stay off my dining table and don't drink from the loo mostly

Of course training and boundaries are important but they should be taught kindly and with a level of respect and understanding, you shouldn't be trying to assert yourself as the dominant one in the relationship, dogs have no concept of who is in charge in relation to humans, they do not view their relationship with us in that way, we are providers of treats, fun and comfort, not fellow dogs to compete with for leadership of the pack.

We've only had rescue dogs until the latest. They all have their own little idiosyncracies, and sometimes any formal training has to take a bit of a back seat while the dog learns better how to be a dog. I totally agree with Candy that rescue dogs can come with ishooos, and it's not until they are a bit more confident that you can establish what they are. I love doing whatever it takes, and it's lovely to see the changes. Masses of 2nd hand dogs are perfectly normal and have just fallen on hard times.

@ CandyAppleFudge - No, not everyone will choose a rescue dog, but I would be sad to think that people may read a thread like this and come away thinking that all rescue dogs are likely to come with problems - it's simply not the case. And buying a breeder (or pet shop aka puppy farmed) bought dog is no guarantee of an 'easy' dog anyway. I think I read on another thread that one of your dogs has issues around other male dogs - so buying from a reputable breeder hasn't eliminated that angst for you. Dogs are all different, and they all have their quirks. Going to an excellent rescue who does thorough behavioural assessments on their dogs, offers lifetime back-up etc is often a better option for owners - they know the dog's idiosyncrasies (if any) and have back-up for working with them.

Well, we have him home. He was fantastic in the car although I could tell he was a little nervous.
He was happy to come into the house as he has met our other dog before and went out into the garden and had a good game with him.
He's scared of the cats and went into the crate without a murmur when we went on the school run. He's now crashed out on the floor having a snooze so , so far, so good.
:)
Is there a rescue dog thread anywhere?

That sounds like a fabulous start - welcome home to your new addition! Do keep us updated

I've always had rescues (even as a child) all collie or collie x
Give them a month to find their peAce
Trust them
Train them
Understand then
They're not that different from a lurcher really. Have patience, you'll be rewarded in spades :)

I'm sorry about your old dog my love x

Well done! I think this is your rescue thread. We filled the dog spaced hole very quickly too. Ours is from Ireland as well, and has been with us for about a year. The change in his demeanour is just thrilling to see. Well done! Take as long as you need to. But you already know that. Hooray for your new hound!