Just Adopted A Shellter Dog? Some Problems To Expect And How To Fix Them

You've just adopted a shelter dog, and you're excited to bring him home and get to know each other. Your new dog is excited too, but he may not be excited in the same way you are. After all, shelters are stressful places, and his life before that may not have been all that great either. Now he's at your house–just another place where he doesn't know the rules or the people, and feels very insecure. You have a rosy idea of the future for you and your new dog, but he has little other than a friendly, but short, relationship with you to reassure him. If he's young, younger than 6 months, he may still have his happy puppy exuberance and be just happy-happy-happy to be home with you. If that's the case, he'll fit right in, at least as smoothly as a maybe-not-quite-housebroken pup who knows no rules at all can fit in. If your dog is such a youngster, then you have the best situation you can hope for. Your new dog is open to a relationship with you and willing to give his new home a real try.

If your newly adopted shelter dog is no longer a puppy, he may see going home with you as just another move in a long line of things that haven't worked out all that well. He may see you just another human in a long line of humans who have not allowed him to have a relationship with them, and at this point, he may not be all that open to a relationship with you. He's likely to be very stressed, and once you're home you may find yourself wondering what happened to the playful dog you met at the shelter.

It will take some time, effort, and a lot of patience to convince him that his new forever home is a place he can relax, and that you are "the" person in his life–the one who will feed him, play with him, pet him, keep him safe, and help him adjust to his new surroundings. This isn't as large a task as it sounds if you understand the signs of stress your dog is giving you, know what behaviors to expect, and understand what to do about them. The key is giving him time and focus on your relationship with him. Here's how to respond to some common new dog behaviors.

The behavior: Your new dog doesn't look at you. This is a common dog to dog behavior between dogs who don't know each other, and is one of the behaviors dogs exhibit when they do not want to start a fight. (A dog intent on a fight looks straight at the other dog and moves straight towards him.) They may lie fairly close to each other each looking away from the other. They are saying, "I'm a little stressed, and do not want to get into a confrontation with you. I want to get to know you, but in a slow, safe way."

What to Do: Without eye contact, you can't teach the dog anything, so logically this is the first step in training. This is a good place to start building the relationship between the two of you because it's easy for the dog to figure out, and he gets lots of treats. First have a handful of treats ready, and the dog in front of you. Wait for eye contact. When your dog looks at you, even if it is just accidentally, click and treat. You can do this without a clicker, but using one makes it go much faster. Then stand still and wait again. It may take several tries before the dog figures out that the button that makes treats happen is looking at you. Do this for a minute or two several times a day.

The behavior: Your new dog doesn't eat.
It's normal for a stressed dog to eat less. This may not be a bad thing because stress plus a change of diet can cause an upset tummy. But, what if he doesn't start eating fairly soon? Your New dog may be "off his feed" for 2 or 3 days, and as long as he is drinking, there really isn't any cause for worry. But, if like our recently adopted Raymond, he doesn't eat for 10 days, this is definitely a serious problem. If he hasn't started eating after 3 days, try enticing him with something he'll really be ga-ga over. Like beef gravy, or hamburger. Just a small amount at first. The idea is just to get his mind back on food. He may be so stressed that he has retreated to a place where he doesn't even notice hunger. Find some especially yummy treat like a cut up hot dog. In the unlikely event this doesn't work (I haven't heard of a case that couldn't be coaxed into eating with hamburger, hotdogs and gravy), get to a vet.

The behavior: Your dog doesn't like petting
Your dog may have enjoyed being petted at the shelter. (I'm having a hard time understanding why someone would adopt a dog who doesn't like petting), but when he gets to your house, he may be so stressed that he sees petting as aggressive and avoids it, or maybe even growls at you or tries to bite.
The Fix: First, realize that most dogs don't like to be petted on the head, the face, or between the shoulder blades. If your dog doesn't like petting then, guess what? he's completely normal. However, the fact is that we humans like to pet our dogs on the head and it is really easy to help him realize that it can be quite enjoyable. Just pair up a light touch, on the body first, with a treat. Do this for a few minutes a couple of times a day, and after a couple of weeks, your dog will be asking you to pet him.

The Behavior: Your new dog dashes out the door and heads for the next county at every opportunity.
The Fix: Escaping behavior is a sign of stress. Never ever punish him for trying to leave. Punishment isn't going to make him not afraid or want to hang around for the next beating. Your dog is afraid and he thinks his only option is to head for the hills. When he gets out, go after him. Reward him when he finally comes to you. The cure for escaping behavior is to give the dog time to become comfortable in his environment, and work at building a relationship with him. In the meantime, make sure he's on a leash when the door is opened.

The Behavior: Your dog doesn't notice his toys, or perhaps doesn't want to play with you.
The Fix: This can be disappointing to us humans, but give him time in his new environment. Keep stress to a minimum Make sure you have lots of easy-for-him-to-succeed-at opportunities to give him treats. Dogs are naturally playful animals. When he's no longer stressed, he'll play.

How long can you expect your newly adopted dog to exhibit signs of stress? That depends on the dog, how stressed he is, and on how good you are at creating both a non stressful environment, and helping him to get over his stress. It isn't unusual for a dog to be in his new environment for several months before he starts showing his true fun loving personality. Give it time. Be patient, and focus on building your relationship with him.