Help - rescue dog problems

[Catzeyess]

We have recently rehomed a gorgeous mongrel dog and he is really hard work. We feel a bit duped by the rescue as they told us he was a sweet boy who's only issue was pulling a bit on the lead and had no special requirements (we made it clear we were novice dog owners and didn't want a dog with too many issues).

Once we had taken him on it transpired he was a Romanian stray who has most definitely never been in a home. He is jumpy and terrified of everything, not used to being in a house and normal home noises are stressing him out. He likes being stroked and is gentle and friendly to everyone he meets but whines if left to sit on his own for a bit. He is not housetrained. He knows absolutely no commands at all. He doesn't understand toys and is not interested in food (tried to bury it) and so we are struggling to teach him anything apart from come.

Help! What do we do! We are close to just sending him back but don't want to let him down. Has anyone else had a dog like this and did they turn into a good family pet with a bit of training! What do we do!

24 hours is nothing. Patience and time is needed here...poor thing expected to be perfect from day one.

Our dog reverted to accidents and howling for a few days when we first got her. It only lasted a few weeks and now she is an angel.

Less likely to be a stray and more likely to be a much loved pet brought over here by someone who has found they cannot afford to keep him anymore, especially as he comes with all his paperwork.

I just tealised my post sounded fairly negative so thought I'd outline why street dogs make awesome dogs:

They've never had their own person. Once you become their person they'll love you like you've never been loved

They're usually brilliantly socialised in terms of other dogs, traffic awareness etc and seeing them run rings in play with the local fat Labrador is heart-melting

Potential pitfalls to watch out for:
Resource guarding
Separation anxiety
Fear of irrational objects

Again happy for you to PM me if you need more advice at any point

I wasn't expecting him to be perfect from day one tiger

I just wasn't anticipating him to be a stray dog who had never been in a home and stresses at the TV and toilet flushes and the kettle without - any warning at all from the rescue.

She has never been in a home, it took is forever to coax her into our house.

He rather

The day we brought DDog home it took us 20 minutes to get her out of the car, then she ran into the garden, pitch black, pouring with rain and it took DH and I 45 minutes to corner her and get her inside!

Now she pushes past me to get in. Really should teach her some manners!

They do get used to things though. We could use a TV remote for about 8 months, and I had to brush my hair when she wasn't looking. Mobile phones had to be used on speaker as the action of lifting them up to your ear freaked her out. She doesn't bat an eyelid at any of these things now.

Catz its extremely bad of the rescue not to let you know, very unfair to both you and the dog, don't ever feel bad about getting disillusioned or down about your dog not being what you expected. I think everyone who's ever rescued dogs has moments like that, and its easy to doubt yourself. You say you're a novice but think of it like this, you've already done something pretty amazing for your dog, you've given him a loving home, and that a great starting point, now it's just a case of building on it, one brick at a time.

With any dog you have to learn as you go along, they're all different. Ddog2, for example (our male Caucasian) went through five tvs in 48 hours once () as he thought they were threatening us, and this was after we'd had him a while, he'd just decided that they must be a threat and because he'd then bonded with us, a threat to his family couldn't be tolerated. Each time we thought we'd reassured him sufficiently that the TVs weren't plotting a hostile takeover, but apparently he had to make sure . He is absolutely fine with them now. Then there was the weed I tripped over which had to die for trying to attack me .

I think with rescues, you have to be prepared for the unexpected to be seen as either a threat or scary, and the more time you spend with your dog, the more you will be able to predict what will bother him. Rescues are the most loving and loyal of all dogs IMHO, and especially those, as a pp said who have never known a loving home.

God my dog used to be scared of the following rustling of every bag, the ironing board sneezing mine especially he would slink away, books newspapers (suspect he had been hit) the blinds opening/closing the tumble drier and thats the things off the top of my head. And he still tries to chase cars

Then there was the weed that had to die

You guys are making me feel so much better! Thank you for being so kind and making me laugh and giving me confidence that we can do this!

Btw i get that oh god what have we done feeling mine was being sent back to the rescue every other day the rescue behaviourist was great though had loads of phone and email support he still isnt fixed but he has improved so much, and there is no shame in handing him back if you are finding it to much.

It's great that you're feeling more confident and I agree that you should give it some more time. However, I also think that you have been handed a lot more than you asked for and there is no shame in saying it is too much.

We were in a very similar situation with a dog who may well have been wonderful eventually but getting to that point would have required an enormous amount of work and in the context of a very busy family and very urban environment it was proving extremely difficult. The world outside the house was terrifying for this dog but we had a small garden at the time and couldn't just stay in indefinitely. We were also novice dog owners and decided that we were not equipped to deal with this.

Also, as our dog became less fearful (marginally) in the house and more attached to some family members he became increasingly unreceptive to others meaning they could play no part in his care as he would growl at them. We couldn't manage this and this was the deciding factor.

There is generally an overwhelming view that you should stick it out but at the same time you have to think of what is best for your family and what you can cope with. It may well be that the dog would be better off elsewhere.

If he starts showing aggressive tendencies no question he has to go back. I told the rescue we are not prepared to deal with that from the beginning. I'm willing to see how he improves in the next few weeks.

I think you - and he - are doing very, very well considering the short time you've had him!

Don't be hard on yourself, it sounds like you're doing all the right things, it just needs time. I know it's hard, but look at the positive things that have happened since he arrived.

Probably for the first time in his life, he is in a safe place, has food, water and shelter whenever he needs it. It's no wonder he can't quite understand what the hell's going on!

It's fantastic that he will come to you with encouragement, it's wonderful that he slept all night, keep it low key, calm and keep your expectations low and try not to worry! You're doing really well

I'd love to see a picture (when it won't freak him out by pointing a camera/phone at him

Yes, I agree with Mrsjayy and hemi there really is no shame if you can't cope, and if you do need to return him, try not to feel guilty about it, if he isn't the right dog for your family, you aren't the right home for him so its better for you all to find your perfect matches, so to speak .

Mrsjayy he is quite the character, and abnormally large for a Caucasian, he dwarfs our female. She's still his boss though .

This is him at the moment bless him

We have a romanian street dog rescue. Agree with poster upthread who said streetdogs have never had 'their' person or 'their' home. My rommie loves me, and I mean really, really loves me. She runs to me when she is scared, she stays by my side when we are out, and I know she would follow me to the ends of the earth. She took a few months to thaw towards my husband - she refused to leave the house with him at first even to go into the garden- would pull back towards me.

She was scared at first - terrified of any kind of broom/stick. She had been hit I assume, but she will lay and let me sweep the floor around her now without reacting. If a stranger had a broom she will cry and hide behind me still.

How long was your dog in the rescue? did he come from a shelter in romania? have you had a chance to do any research about his history?

If he wont eat try bread and butter - its what they feed them in romania. And chicken/rice.

My dog wouldn't eat at set meal times. If I left kibble down she would snack when no one was looking. I always had 2 bowls of kibble down so that she began to understand that food wasn't in short supply. Lots of water in 2/3 places too.

Feel free to PM me. What area are you/what rescue did your dog cone from? may be able to get you in touch with a lady who does Rommie rescues and has lots of experience.

stars I have just googled your dogs breed they are hooge and obviously bears

24 hours is no time at all - YOU are unsettled with this new presense in your house. So you will be nervous and apprehensive. It will honestly take him a few days to settle in then in a couple of weeks he might have another wobble.

You honestly don't want to be training him to do anything other than feel safe and secure for the next few days at least.

It is perfectly natural to have that "what have we done" feeling, even when there are no issues.

Am looking forward to hearing about his progress. ARe there pictures? :)

cross posts, hes lovely - give him time and space x

Catz ahh he is beautiful bless him .

Mrsjayy they certainly are! They dwarf all of the Irish wolfhounds we've ever had, our Fila looks like a dainty little thing compared to them! They are wonderful dogs, I luffs them so much. Our housekeeper was petrified of them ast first, she used to scream and wail in her native tongue that they weren't dogs they were "satan-bears" apparently! The dogs always looked very beningly puzzled by her wails . She loves them now, our female saved her daughter from being raped a couple of weeks ago, and that seemed to cement her adoration of them.
Sorry to hijack OP.

Satanbears they are beautiful dogs sorry i got sidetracked catz

24 hours is nothing, please give yourself and him some time. Get some zylkene ASAP - it's like doggy calms and is very good. DAP collar, plug in and sprays are good too. It is terrible that the rescue have given you an untrained outdoor stray dog without telling you you're it's first ever house, are you sure it's that and not just nervous messing (which is reasonably common)! Which rescue was that?

What a lovely looking dog! One of ours is from Ireland and when he came to us he was afraid to eat and afraid to bark and terrified of everyone. Before him, we had a dog from the loony bin who turned out to be the most fabulous dog in the world, but for the first 6 months he turned our lives upside down. We were not experienced dog owners but we had a very good trainer, so bit by bit we got him on our side. I find it difficult at the beginning when a new dog comes to join the family. There is always adjusting and readjusting, getting to know each other, training issues, and behavioural things that crop up as the dog gains confidence. You will get there.

You don't need to feel sorry for him. He is safe with you and with patience and tolerance you can move forward together. Recently we bought a puppy thinking ho hum that we could bring her up to be a good dog. Our vet and 2 trainers tell me we have a yappy snappy collie and need to be very careful. So far she hasn't sunk her teeth into anyone and she's let the judges at little dog shows touch her, which I think under the circumstances, she should get a prize for!

Zylkene is very good .

Oh no he was doing so well and then disaster on our lunchtime walk. He was doing so well not pulling lead, did a poo and was weeing. And then a little squirt of a dog with a useless owner ran up to him and started licking his willy and he went crazy growling and snarling and leaping around. He looked really feral was going mad. I was really scared and I tried to drag him away saying come but it didn't do much and I was worried about hurting his neck and the little dog kept following us everywhere and the owner did absolutely nothing apart from yell his name! Finally I managed to get him out of there and he seemed to relax and then went back to walking normally but it freaked me out. What do I do if that happens again? Xxx