You may be surprised at how many stories I hear about dogs not being at all what adopters thought they would be after coming home.
Think about this, shelter dogs are quickly assessed in a cold and loud building with strange people and dozens of other dogs.
Most times, staff do their best to perform behavior tests. But honestly, how can any dog be comfortable enough to relax and show their true personality?
[Q&A] #AskingForMyDog
“We adopted a 3-legged chihuahua on 12/08 (4 weeks ago) and it has been a whirlwind. The dog was described as great with people and hardly barks.
Well, I’m here to say that we can no longer have visitors, struggle to go on walks and our neighbors hate us due to the complete 180 she’s done.
She is barking, growling, and lunging at everyone visiting the home, in other homes, on walks, and also is barking at my fiancé who has lived with us from the beginning!
I hired a dog trainer and she couldn’t even work directly with the dog because she (our dog) was so upset.
I’m wondering if these behaviors are temporary or are going to worsen.
I work with kids with disabilities and I had hoped she would be great to work with them showing that she is a great dog even though she only has 3 legs.
The rescue said she would be great with kids but currently, there’s no way I would feel comfortable bringing her to work with me.
She is also really not food motivated so I’m also struggling to use the trainer’s strategies. Please help, we’re desperate.”
Have a question of your own? Email me with the subject line #AskingForMyDog and I may choose to feature it in our next Q&A!
Changes in behavior from shelter to forever home
It’s very difficult to assess a dog’s true personality when he is in a shelter. A dog is never going to be completely comfortable in that environment.
So when the rescue dog does go home, many owners are surprised by new behavior issues that arise.
Even when dogs are in a foster home, personalities can change based on the human. If the foster is an experienced dog owner and a strong leader and then the dog is adopted by a less experienced owner, the dog senses this right away.
Another possibility is that the foster home had other dogs that kept your new dog company which increased her confidence.
Without knowing all the circumstances, the possibilities are endless.
Dogs need time adjusting to a new home
It’s very common for rescue dogs to display varying behavior while transitioning to a new home.
Your dog is likely stressed in her new environment simply because it’s new and she is afraid of the unknown. Rescued dogs go through three stages of adjustment, sometimes called the honeymoon period or the 3-3-3 rule.
It can take 3 months or more for a dog to become completely comfortable in a new home.
To learn more, please read Bringing Home a Rescue Dog and the 3-3-3 Rule
With that said, if you ignore the behavior, it can get worse.
The dog is barking, growling, and lunging
Barking, growling, and lunging are all fear-based behaviors. You will need to work on increasing your dogs confidence. Time will help, as you will start to create a stronger bond the longer you are together.
So be patient, give your dog time to decompress, get comfortable and learn to trust you.
Read Adopting a fearful dog and how to help
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Finding the right dog behavior trainer
I do feel you may need to find a new trainer, someone that is willing to put in the time to get your dog more comfortable around him/her. I also feel your dog could benefit from a balanced trainer vs. a positive only/treat trainer.
Please read How to Find the Perfect Dog Trainer
I also recommend you read the book The Cautious Canine-How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears by Patricia B. McConnell.
If you and your dog have struggled with fear-based Barking, growling, and lunging, please let me know in the comments below. Share how you have helped your dog adjust her new home, it will very likely help someone else in a similar situation.
I’m curious why a balanced trainer was recommended versus a positive reinforcement trainer? Balanced Training uses positive punishment as well as positive reinforcement. If this dog is not responding to food he is and/or over threshold or they need extremely yummy treats. Positive reinforcement is not all about the food, but I would never recommend punishment based training used on any dog especially this poor dog. The risk of an increase in behaviors by the use of punishment based training techniques is to great for any dog. I would recommend trying a different trainer and making sure that trainer is certified and has behavioral assessment experience.
Nan Long
Now and Zen Dog Training
We just adopted a shih tzu 3.5 years old. Told he was surrendered for aggressive tendencies. Since he’s been with us he’s been great other then when we pet him at times he growls. We are cautious to not pet him on his head but still growls at times. Lots of people have petted him and he won’t growl also. He won’t let us brush him. If he has something stuck in his fur and we try to remove it he growls. I’m worried he may bite one day without warning. Any suggestions to stop the growling?
The growling is a warning sign, so be thankful he growls and doesn’t go into biting right away. Learning and watch his body language leading up to what makes him growl, either avoid those situations or desensitize him to them. So for the times he has something stuck in his fur, you should be working on desensitizing him to brushings daily, not just when he needs it. Consult a trainer that help you if you are uncomfortable learning on your own.
When I have adopted my second rescue greyhound from Ireland we experienced your problems.
Rory was so scared by men we need one year before he stopped to growl to my husband.
I needed to invest in one lesson a week with a dog trainer for 2 years to teach Rory that people running are not a danger, he is safe at home, he is safe with my husband, he doesn’t need to growl and bark to every dog we meet during a walk.
What can I say more? Love and care have changed Rory, hope the same will happen with your three legs chihuahua.
Elena
We adopted our Dutch Shepherd mix last September. He was listed as shy, not much else. He was indeed shy, and very quiet. This was the initial impression as we brought him home to meet the family and observe him. Once he was ours a whole new side showed up. From shy it became obvious that he was fearful of everything and Undersocialized. He had no manners and no listening skills. On walks he would cower but quickly showed a reactive side with other dogs. We hired a balanced trainer after a few weeks. He was outfitted with a prong collar for walks and training, and graduated to an e-collar. That worried me for lack of knowledge however it is the best tool. Chip (our Dog) has made tremendous progress. He listens, behaves, can be around the house unleashed. It is such a huge difference. His reactivity is still high so we are working with him everyday. All I can say is it is a commitment to give him the best life possible. We have to remain consistent, that is very important to be successful. We have a long road ahead of us but each little progress feels like a major accomplishment. Patience, consistency, leadership, training are instrumental.
Thank you so much for talking about finding a balanced trainer!!!!!!! Please people keep an open mind – using tools when training your dog – especially one that is fearful, not food or reward motivated is really tricky — it opens so many doors of communication with your dog — you back up everything with commands so you will not always be using the tools as most people think. Hoping that makes sense! Working with a balanced trainer — with a pack where we go to pack lessons every week if we want has been a game changer!!!
My husband and I rescued a 5 year old chihuahua. When we brought him home he had no self confidence and was scared of just about everything. We also had 4 other dogs that we’ve had. Ages from 2 to 4 2 boxers and 2 other chihuahua’s. After a couple of months he started barking and peeing on everything. So we decided to start from scratch just like u would with a puppy. We created trained him and worked on teaching him new things and I can say we’ve had him a little over a year now and his self confidence has been amazing and rewarding to see him grow into the sweetest most kindest little guy and he and all our pets get along so well it’s like their all one big happy family and he’s also great with other people and small kids. He loves to go on walks, even the vet checks and groomers!! It’s been such an amazing experience to see your hard work save such little lives transform.. don’t give up on them. You may be their only chance at how it feels to truly be loved and in time you’ll find comfort in their unconditional love for u!!!!!!!!