Rescue Dog Barking & Growling at DC

[DogMum3]

We have a 6 month old puppy, he is from Romania, he came home with us a few days ago. He showed no aggression or growling and barking on the 3 visits to anyone before we adopted. My dc are 12 and 11, 12 year old isn't interested in the dog particularly due to SEND but the 11 year old is now terrified of him and spent 24 hours not going in the kitchen.

She doesn't make unpredictable movements etc. This isn't happening during interaction. She knows to leave him be to settle in. It's simply when he sees her.

I have rang the rescue centre and they advised to contact the dog behaviourist. I await there advice.

Family pups and previous dogs didn't react like this to either child. I have followed the instructions and removed the dog and left it alone after the barking.

I'm now very worried that the dog could bite. It is definitely not playful barking and growling.

I don't want to be one of those idiots that rehomes a dog then takes them back. I've no problem with pee, poo, mess, sleepless nights etc. I just didn't expect this.

He is fine with me and my husband so it feels like if it was just us he would be fine but obviously it isn't. Any help is appreciated.

You'll get a lot of anti-dog posts on this thread telling you to immediately get rid of it. I don't think this is a great place to get advice on this topic. I would speak to the behaviourist, if you don't like them, try another one and keep working hard at it. Also speak to the vet - they may advise anti-anxiety type treatment or medication, or know of other behavioural specialists you can use.

Thanks for your reply @thisplaceisweird. This is my first time posting on this topic. I would have thought it was a good place to post.

I would feel so bad if he couldn't stay with us but at the same time I would feel worse if he bit one of the kids. I felt sick with worry for the last few days.

Of course. Adopting a dog is extremely difficult, you never know what's going to happen.

Just have a read of the last couple of threads about adopted dogs and you'll see the kind of responses you're likely to get, they can be quite extreme.

We have had our rescue for 6 weeks.
The first week he seemed fine, but as each week went by you could see him relax. He is now unrecognisable to the dog who we first met.
Bear in mind he was a rehome from a nice home, not a true rescue (older couple who were struggling to manage him as he is big), so no abuse.
After a week, he suddenly started playing with his toys and asking us to play with him.
After 2 weeks, he got interested in taking training treats from us, and learning new things.
After 3/4 weeks, he was happy to sleep on the landing/downstairs instead of on dd's bed.
Now, after 6 weeks, he is very chill around the house, and really wants to learn.
We have come on in leaps and bounds with the things he struggles with, eg barking at other dogs, and he is now getting bonded with us enough to want to please us.

What I am saying is, a few days is REALLY early days, and he is probably terrified.
Protect the kids, make sure everyone is safe and contact the behaviourist.
Above all give him time.

Hi OP.

I know you say the dog is from Romania but how did it come to you and do you know anything at all about its' past? For example - has it ever spent time in a home with children before? Did it live on the streets or come from a violent situation at all?

You're doing the right thing by contacting a behaviourist but unfortunately lots of these overseas rescues seem to arrive with "issues" due to a huge lack of socialisation and a very turbulent start to life.

It's probably absolutely nothing you're doing wrong and everything to do with your puppy's start in life. On average, it takes at least three months for a rescue to "settle" - often much longer. At the moment, he's probably absolutely terrified - he's come from overseas and endured a long journey, been kept in a rescue centre (at both ends?) and has possibly never been in a house in his life.

Definitely speak to the behaviourist but be prepared for lots of hard work and an incredible amount of patience. I walk an overseas rescue who is similarly reactive but to strange dogs instead of people - nearly a year later he's finally getting used to walking in pairs with other calm dogs, but I won't lie, it's been a lot of work getting him to that point!

There's no shame in admitting you've bitten off more than you can chew, but definitely speak to the behaviourist and the rescue before making any decisions. Good luck!

Definitely have the puppy assessed by a behaviourist as soon as you are able, but rescue dogs can very often act differently under the stress of living in kennels vs being placed in a home. It can take rescue dogs months before they fully decompress, but your pup is making your children feel terrified that they'll be bitten, that isn't something to take lightly.

Out of interest, what sort of puppy is it? Assuming it is some sort of Heinz 57, but is it a smallish crossbreed or larger? A lot of Romanian rescues tend to have some degree of livestock guardian breed in them (think Mioritic shepherds, Carpathian shepherds), big powerful and protective breeds that are kept outdoors as working dogs and not as pets.

Just know that you're not an idiot if you decide to give the puppy back to the rescue, sometimes the dog advertised isn't a good fit for a multitude of reasons, and human aggression certainly isn't an issue that should be brushed under the carpet.

Thank you @steppemum and @fairylightsandwaxmelt. It is good to hear positives.

It just feels like I was happy to work through a multitude of issues but the one thing I didn't want was a dog that was aggressive with my kids.

I know he has never lived in a family home. He was in a centre in Romania, came to England and was in the English rescue for just over a month.

I have rang the rescue centre and they just said to speak to the behaviourist. So until then I will do my best to keep everyone safe.

Is the rescue PPTF? God I really wish these dogs weren’t brought over here in such a manner, and this is coming from someone who had a Romanian rescue (sadly passed now) from a stupid family member who did no research and one of her kids ended up getting bit so we took the dog in. He was old but needed years of work, and even when he passed at 12 (we got him when he was 9) he was still anxious and unpredictable and needed constant management in certain situations.

Firstly, you need to keep the children and the dog completely separate until you get to work with the behaviourist. He’s only been with you a few days. He needs a quiet safe space away from everyone to decompress. How have you found the behaviourist? If it’s one from the “rescue” I would demand to see their credentials. They’re often volunteers who are, sorry to say, fucking clueless (which is why they’ve allowed a family with small children to adopt a dog with absolutely no history).

Ideally you need a behaviourist that works with Romanian / street dogs. Even at 6 month they are a different breed to our domesticated rescue dogs. They’re unpredictable and highly anxious. You will have success stories but for every success story you will find a lot more horror stories.

The growling isn’t aggression but fear. Children are loud, fast and unpredictable and your dog will be terrified. He’s only been with you a few days and you cannot expect a dog plucked from the streets, slammed into filthy kennels and treated appallingly (and because they call themselves a rescue doesn’t mean they treat the dogs nicely) to blend in with family life.

This will be years and years of hard work. I’m also very surprised you say you weren’t prepared for this, they usually hammer home the need to be aware of issues like this.

In all honesty op, I would ask the dog to be rehomed. These dogs need calm, quiet environments where lots of time and money can be poured into them to “fix” them.

Exactly as Nonagon says. This animal is not easily, if ever, going to transform into a cheerful, gentle, friendly companion.

Unfortunately this is an extremely common issue with foreign rescue dogs. It can be a long slow road to make any progress.

In the short term let the dog have access to one room, do not let your daughter enter the room and keep everything as calm as possible.

Do not walk the dog and do not take the dog out and about. Let the dog have as much calm, sleep as possible and very little interaction unless the dog initiates it. Then this needs to be calm quiet interaction not hyped up play.

Give the dog time to settle in and see if a few days of calm help the dog to settle and relax (I wish it would be just this easy)

Do not blame yourself and do not think you can change the dog. The fault lies with the rescue centre and their rehoming policy. This will not be the first time it has been done incorrectly.

Put your kids safety first and Rehome it.

I would also consider OP if your daughter will be able to feel truly comfortable around the dog, particularly if it is a long slow process to progress.

it is one thing as an adult to make the choice to live with an animal who makes you uncomfortable, but your daughter deserves to feels safe and happy in her home. Similarly it is a big ask of your DC to modify their behaviour in their own home for potentially months. I would therefore strongly consider asking the rescue to take the dog back and rehome it to a more suitable environment.

Sorry I didn’t meant to sound preachy and not suggesting you don’t have your Dc best interests as most important!

I'm a crazy dog lady (have three, including an anxious rescue dog) and I am very wary about rescuing any dog now I have a child. My child is a toddler admittedly, but I just don't feel like you can be as confident in a rescue dog as you can a puppy. Even with a puppy you take a risk, but by tbeing an older one and from Romania you are adding more and more risk to the situation.

Seeking the advice of a behaviourist is a good step. Make sure they're into positive reinforcement and not dominance theory. Sadly I know many with Romanian rescues who have spent years trying to work with them and not always made much progress. It's a long haul, and not one I would be up for if I had children. I know you don't want to hand the dog back type of thing, but sometimes the right decision one day isn't the right one the next day. Just don't push the situation so far that harm comes to anyone (including the dog).

I know he has never lived in a family home. He was in a centre in Romania, came to England and was in the English rescue for just over a month.

Oh wow. That is huge.
Both our rescues came from family homes.
And it still took weeks for them to settle.

If you cannot manage him for the time and attention he needs, please don;t feel bad about giving up on him.
Your kids must come first.

I have posted about my dog on here several times. I was very naive, had never owned a dog before and it was all a shock so what I have to say is only my experience and opinion- no haters please!
You say previous dogs did not have this problem- were they rescues too? As I have learned rescue dogs are very different you can’t compare apples with bananas so to speak.
You have only had him a few days- we are still having a bit of a rough ride after a year and our behaviourist said he will be a lifetime project but as he is making progress albeit slowly we have stuck with it so far. Do you want a project dog or an easy mutt?
You say he is OK with you and your partner so in the right situation he is relaxed but I know any concerns with kids and safety are and quite rightly should be your kids. My kids, adults but still living at home he was funny with at first but they are not young, loud & unpredictable like young kids are. Absolutely no judgement from me about you being ‘one of those idiots who send a dog back’. Many dogs do go back and it is more responsible and in a dog’s best interest to act upon the knowledge that you can not meet his particular needs than hang on to him and walk on eggshells.
Best wishes with whatever you decide.

He's new give him a chance!

I am an experienced dog owner and I would be returning that dog to rescue. It us growling as a warning. It may well bite. You can't take the risk with children in the house. Hopefully the rescue will sensible and rehome it to a home without children.

It would be advisable for your children's safety never to be in a room with that animal even with adults present, probably for months.
That will both severely curtail their freedom and peace in their home, and your ability to work on the dog's issues.
Not fair on anyone.

Thank you for all the replies. I spoke to the behaviourist and she has said to totally ignore the dog if it barks or growls and to put him in isolation if it continues.

She also mentioned my daughter holding a tray and pushing him away if he approaches her. There's no way I would be allowing that and I know she would be too scared. She teaches Amichien Bonding which from my research is a discredited theory based on pack theory and hierarchy etc.

He is too scared to leave the kitchen and that is where my back door is. My kids obviously want to eat meals and be able to use the garden. What a bloody nightmare. Feel so sorry for him.

It might be that the dog is better suited to an adult only environment. It must be full on to go from living in a rescue centre to being with children, no matter how well behaved the kids are

Personally I think these overseas rescues should be banned.

Firstly we have enough unwanted dogs here without the need to import more.

Secondly most of these dogs come with so many issues due to lack of socialisation that they are not really rehomeable, but the rescues apply so few criteria vs UK rescues such as allowing potentially aggressive dogs which have never lived in a family home to go to homes with children that people choose them and then these dogs end up in UK rescues who are unable or unwilling to rehome them due to afore-mentioned issues, and as such the UK rescues end up with more dogs which, had they not been imported from somewhere else in the first place, wouldn’t be taking up space which could be occupied by dogs from the UK needing homes.

I understand that the criteria for rehoming dogs in the UK is sometimes incredibly strict to the degree that it is impossible to rescue if you want to. But the answer shouldn’t be to be able to rescue an unsocialised dog from another country who it seems the “rescues” (and I use the term loosely) who bring them over don’t care who they go to, as long as they go to someone.

I wouldn’t return the dog to the rescue you got it from. They were irresponsible for rehoming the dog to you in the dirt place, and for expecting you to deal with their aggressive dog rather than take responsibility for helping you with it.

I would rehome it to a reputable UK rescue.

in the first place

I say this as a dog owner and lover, but in your shoes I’d be returning the dog to the rescue. If they are at all responsible they will take it back.

A home with children is not a suitable placement for a dog with behaviour issues which has never lived in a home before. I’m also shocked that the rescue didn’t prepare you better for the work that would be required.

I understand that the criteria for rehoming dogs in the UK is sometimes incredibly strict to the degree that it is impossible to rescue if you want to. But the answer shouldn’t be to be able to rescue an unsocialised dog from another country who it seems the “rescues” (and I use the term loosely) who bring them over don’t care who they go to, as long as they go to someone.

Absolutely this. UK rescues are strict for a reason- it’s not safe to put an unsocialised and unpredictable dog into a home with children.

I have a spanish rescue and i have kids and cats. Its not about all foreign rescue dogs. Most ive met ( which is a lot) are absolutely fine, but your dog has not spent time with children or families. Its not had enough socialisation and i think this dog should go back to foster and an adult only home found for it. This isnt fair on your dd or the dog. Most r