Taking a dog under your roof is always a bigger or smaller challenge.
Adopting an adult dog we know little about is also a great unknown.
You have to be patient. The first goal should be to get to know the dog and build a relationship based on mutual understanding and trust.
Without knowing the dog’s past, we do not know what he went through or what his life looked like so far, what he went through. One thing is sure: it was not rosy. The loss of a home, a family, a safe place, and staying in a shelter certainly left some marks.
Don’t be surprised if your dog doesn’t go crazy with joy and doesn’t trust you. You don’t know how many people have already abandoned him or harmed him in some other way. You will have to work to earn his trust. There is nothing strange about it. An adopted dog is a bit like a child who has been taken away from his parents and has gone through several foster families or experienced a stay in a care centre. Such people, both human and canine, find it difficult to trust an unknown person again. So don’t expect your dog to give you his heart immediately, although it might happen.
Be gentle and understanding. Give your new friend time to get used to the new situation. Avoid looking him in the eye, and don’t try to stroke him—it’s better to wait until he starts looking for contact.
Even if he smells bad, don’t start building your relationship by washing him, which most dogs hate. If you can stand it, postpone the shower for later. It may even be possible to avoid it altogether. The dog will ventilate during walks, wipe himself in the grass, and lie on the bed—all this will help.
An important thing: You will find out what kind of dog it is after about 3 months. This is how much time the adoptee needs to recover emotionally. Then, you may discover that the dog behaves differently than at first. Better or worse. If you have made your pet trust you by then, you already have excellent grounds to help him solve HIS problems. Don’t focus on what you don’t like about your dog’s behaviour. Think about what bothers him, worries him, stresses him. If you need clarification on your dog’s problem, look for a behaviourist to help you. If he focuses on your problem (e.g. he works on your dog’s aggression and tries to teach him not to bark), look for someone else. You need someone to find the source of your mentee’s problem. Suppose you identify the source of your dog’s stress and deal with your dog’s problem. In that case, he will lose the reason to repeat the behaviours that are problematic for you.
Please read the previous post on this blog. There, you will find many useful tips on how to proceed. The difference is that you will need more patience for everything than a puppy guardian.
Invest time in mastering the basics of dog body language. It’s easier to work with someone you understand 😊 By picking up on the first signs of stress, you’ll be able to avoid difficult situations more efficiently and help your friend faster.
Dogs communicate with us all the time. They inform us that they are afraid of something or someone, do not want to approach the dog they meet, etc. If we understand their message, we can help them. Without knowing the basics of body language, we often put the dog in situations that overwhelm him. Then we get angry with him that, for example, he reacted aggressively. And he was warning! Only… The man did not understand the message.
Most caregivers believe that well-conducted training will solve all problems. Unfortunately, it does not, but I will write about it soon.
No comments