When Did Your Rescue Dog Turn Normal?

[vandynole]

I adopted Archie, probably a dachshund-bassett mix, six weeks ago from a shelter that said he was an owner surrender. He's about eight months old. In general he's a sweet, mild-mannered, submissive dog. He likes other dogs, and is very friendly towards women (men, not so much). He's about 75% housebroken.

However, he exhibits anxious, skittish behavior that I'm sure is rooted is his past (about which I know very little). For example:

--He barks at the slightest sound in the condo building, sometimes in the middle of the night while he's in his crate.

--He frequently digs at my carpet and wooden deck while making a low, groaning sound.

--When we go for walks outside his comfort zone (which is basically the front and backyard), he bucks like a bronco on his way out and then pulls on the leash when we get close to home.

--When we get back from said walks, he looks very stressed even though he should be tuckered out.

--He's scared of most male strangers.

--Strange, loud noises spook him, especially outdoors.

Other than that, he's pretty good--eats normally, doesn't fuss in the crate, no signs of separation anxiety (yet) and usually leaves shoes and laundry alone.

I'm curious to hear if others had similar issues with their rescue dogs, and how long they persisted. I'm hoping some of this disappears with adulthood, but I also understand some of it may never go away. I'd love to hear your comments/advice if you've been in the same boat. Thanks!

 

[Juicy]

when i first got didi (not a rescue, a give away) she was soo hyper and she turned out to be a very mellow dog. pepe (shetler dog) was a very timid, mellow dog, and turned out to be a playful pup.

 

[doberkim]

he doesnt sound so much like a broken "rescue" as he does an untrained "puppy".

these are things puppies go through. he needs training and socialization - its not that he is an abnormal puppy.

 

[filarotten]

I agree, a lot of your puppy behavior problems, sound normal and can be resolved with training.

A good place to start would be enrolling your pup in obedience school. Good Luck.

 

[Aussie Red]

Allie, who we have had for 1 month now exhibited much of the same behavior.She is slowly coming around to our ways but this is a process that takes time. Allie also had dog agression.
I have taken her with me to petsmart where she recieves ohhs and awes from other people which she is finding pleasurable and this is encouraging her social skills. I would not take my newly adopted pet out where it may recieve neg. response from people only places where it will be positive. ie. dog park, pet smart etc.
When she starts pacing around I try to use those times to train her with rewards such as , sit ( give treat) stay ( treat ) and work the nervousness out. I can not say that it will work in all cases but it is working with Allie.
Allie too barked at every noise and I would tell her ahah and take her into another room and get her attention on something else like a chew toy. The barking has lessened.She also had been housebroken but during her stay at the shelter she forgot her manners and we had several accidents in the house.
For this I would take her out into the yard and play with her and treat to get her comfortable with the yard first then we began retrainning. This was done by taking her out every 30 minutes and rewarding her with the good girl and treat when she pottied and just bringing her in when she didn't. I am pleased to say that after a week or so she has not had any indoor incidents and lets us know that she needs to go outside and now all she gets is a pet and told that she is such a good girl. That seems to be enough for her too.
I have never known a dog that dosen't want to be a companion and please their owner. So if unwanted behavior is redirected to pleasing behavior you and your pet will become very bonded and form a lifelong relationship.

 

[micro202]

Some of it may diminish as he gets more acclimated to the surroundings, but I think there's probably a chance that you will have to put some time and effort into dealing with a lot of those behaviors too.

Did the shelter say why the owner surrendered him? That may give you some insight into what will be a long term problem and what may just be uneasiness of being rehomed.

My Delia was adopted about 3 months ago and exibits some of the same behaviors that your dog does like barking at any strange noise, uncomfortable around strange men, nervous disposition, etc... I would say that she is fully used to her environment now, but still displays those behaviors. It's probably safe to assume that much of that is due to her upbrining before we got her.

There are several things you can do to help the situation.

Some basic obedience training can help increase confidence as well as you and your dog's bond. NILIF (look it up on google) can help with that too and establishes you in a leadership role that the dog can respect and rely on.

There is also counter-conditioning and desensitization that helps the dog overcome its fears (like strange men).

We are incorporating those things and have been seeing slow be steady improvement.

If at all possible, look into getting a good trainer with experience with nervous dogs to help you implement all this stuff.

 

[elegy]

keep in mind that dogs do not dwell in the past nearly as much as we do. just because the dog behaves in ways that are undesireable doesn't mean that dog was abused or mistreated.

i'm still waiting for my one shelter dog to turn "normal". i suspect i'll be waiting forever

 

[smkie]

I would say the first 6 months were the worst, the first year in all but that is because he is so high energy naturally. Now that he is 2 we are all good.

 

[casablanca1]

I think when you adopt a dog it takes about a year for the whole thing to come together. Most of the behaviors you described can be dealt with through training, obviously, but I think that it does take time to settle in with a new dog/new owner. Except with a first dog. I think people with their first dogs tend to bond very fast and hard.

I adopted Archie, probably a dachshund-bassett mix, six weeks ago from a shelter that said he was an owner surrender. He's about eight months old. In general he's a sweet, mild-mannered, submissive dog. He likes other dogs, and is very friendly towards women (men, not so much). He's about 75% housebroken.However, he exhibits anxious, skittish behavior that I'm sure is rooted is his past (about which I know very little

Age does eventually calm down many dogs, but you've still got to survive the teen years with Archie, who may not be so mild in a few months. I wouldn't worry too much about the past, but focus on perfecting his housebreaking, teaching him leash manners, and getting him to be ok with men. Those three things will improve both your lives immensely.

 

[Snark]

Sam was rescued from an animal collector (was in a house with 60 other dogs - all he learned to do was defend his territory.)
It took Sam a good three months to get used to deep-voiced men (my dad, in particular). He was okay if Dad was sitting in a chair, but when he stood up, Sam would hide and growl. It also took nearly six months to convince Sam NOT to kill the housecats. He was dog aggressive if either he or the other dog was on leash, he got along fine with the loose dogs at the stable where we boarded the horses. We worked hard on his obedience (took a couple of times to pass the basic obedience course but he did it.)
Abby was a 'rescue', sort of - she'd been dumped on the highway and was stopping traffic, looking for 'her' car; so we took her home. It took Abby about two months to not duck and run whenever she saw me start to throw something (usually a ball for one of the other dogs).

 

[travelpet]

I adopted Archie, probably a dachshund-bassett mix, six weeks ago from a shelter that said he was an owner surrender. He's about eight months old. In general he's a sweet, mild-mannered, submissive dog. He likes other dogs, and is very friendly towards women (men, not so much). He's about 75% housebroken.

However, he exhibits anxious, skittish behavior that I'm sure is rooted is his past (about which I know very little). For example:

--He barks at the slightest sound in the condo building, sometimes in the middle of the night while he's in his crate.

--He frequently digs at my carpet and wooden deck while making a low, groaning sound.

--When we go for walks outside his comfort zone (which is basically the front and backyard), he bucks like a bronco on his way out and then pulls on the leash when we get close to home.

--When we get back from said walks, he looks very stressed even though he should be tuckered out.

--He's scared of most male strangers.

--Strange, loud noises spook him, especially outdoors.

Other than that, he's pretty good--eats normally, doesn't fuss in the crate, no signs of separation anxiety (yet) and usually leaves shoes and laundry alone.

I'm curious to hear if others had similar issues with their rescue dogs, and how long they persisted. I'm hoping some of this disappears with adulthood, but I also understand some of it may never go away. I'd love to hear your comments/advice if you've been in the same boat. Thanks!

You mean they become normal Only kidding...

Trouble (shelter rescue, never abused) was always hyper as a pup and forever getting into one scrape or another, but she was never freightened or skedish around people or noises.

Coco (shelter rescue, dumped from a moving car with the rest of the litter and her mother) has always been cautious about people. Like most chow-chows, she bonded tightly with one person, my mom. When mom died suddenly less than a year later, she tail spun to the point of being completely out of control. I was afraid I was going to have to break my promise to my mom and give her up. Then I took her to a very good behavior expert who began working with both of us...we moved from mom's house to a new home and my bro put her on a tight schedule...she flourished and, now nearly 5 years later, she's an angel...gets along with people and other dogs beautiful. The techs at the vet's office are still acusing me of trying to pass off a ringer.