Advice when taking in a rescue dog

grind gremlin

I am more than likely going to be getting a rescue dog in the coming days. This dog has spent the majority of the past 3 years outdoors with little attention, poor care and no training. The dog is in foster care at the moment. I'll be visiting the dog with my own little guy to ensure they get on before I decide to take on this poor little mite.
Can anyone give me some tips or advice on what I need to take into consideration when taking in a rescue dog.
Will housetraining be a nightmare at this stage? I'm sure there's plenty of people here with experience with rescue dogs. I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me

ISDW

grind gremlin wrote: »

I am more than likely going to be getting a rescue dog in the coming days. This dog has spent the majority of the past 3 years outdoors with little attention, poor care and no training. The dog is in foster care at the moment. I'll be visiting the dog with my own little guy to ensure they get on before I decide to take on this poor little mite.
Can anyone give me some tips or advice on what I need to take into consideration when taking in a rescue dog.
Will housetraining be a nightmare at this stage? I'm sure there's plenty of people here with experience with rescue dogs. I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me

First of all, well done for giving the dog a chance.

If the dog has been in foster care, they will have started the housetraining side of it, so ask them how he's coming along. It may take a good while, or he may pick it up very quickly, I've always found that having another dog helps, they teach the new one whats what.

All I'd say to you is just relax, the poor dog probably doesn't know if its coming or going, into a foster home, and then onto you, especially with a bad background. Let the dog find his paws, don't rush into obedience training straight away, let him trust you first.

If he's scared, he may react badly at first, please don't be put off by some growls or even snapping, it is just fear. If something happens like that, obviously you don't want it to continue or escalate, so I usually try and get the dog to do something positive instead of telling it off, even if its just to get him to sit, then you can praise that behaviour.

Best of luck, I hope that your dog and the new fella get on well, but don't worry if they aren't best friends at the first meeting, as long as they're not trying to kill each other, I always think thats positive:D

LucyBliss

I would second the advice to relax and take it easy because if you're calm, then the dog should soon settle.

When we got our rescue dog, she was a bit nervous though friendly and because I didn't know her quirks, I decided to sit beside her on the big dog bed we had downstairs, though at the opposite end of it and we just hung out for a bit while I watched TV. She watched me a bit and then fell asleep. I thought it was important that she get used to me without any excessive touching or handling, I wanted her to get comfortable with my presence.
My own take on it is that when it's a dog like that and you don't know everything about their background, sometimes it's just nice to have some quiet time where you're together, no training, just the two of you getting a sense of one another. That may sound trite but it worked for our dog. Within a day, she'd come over and snuggle up beside me and I think it helped her trust me quickly so we did really well with training and walking.

Best of luck with it! I hope it all goes well.

grind gremlin

Thanks for the advice!! I was a little concerned as to how to handle / not handle the new arrival. I don't want to make him nervous or anxious. My own dog is a total lap dog who spends most of his time at my heel or lying beside me in the most awkward of places. I was kinda thinking a second dog would be good company for him and they could tire each other out
Apparently the foster carers are currently trying to house train him so hopefully it shouldn't be too tougha challenge.... although three years is a long time to develop bad habits

LucyBliss

Any book I've read has mentioned crate training for adult dogs who need help with house training. My own cousin bought a three year old beagle last year and went with crate training. She was expecting some trouble, but the dog took to it very quickly and is excellent at yowling in order to be let out into the garden! I would expect that it's the same as working with a pup: consistency, repetition, keeping an eye on them to watch for signals and a large dollop of humour!

What kind of dog is it? I hope you'll post some pictures, assuming all goes well and the dog comes home with you.

grind gremlin

It's a Shih Tzu. I already have one and I was toying with the idea of getting another dog to keep him company for some time. I was not overly bothered with the breed I was looking for other than it had to be a small dog as my garden is not that big. I just happened to meet someone who was fostering another little guy while out walking my own dog this evening. At least I'll have an understanding what to expect maintenance wise with the new guy. I am just apprehensive as to how to handle him when he's settling in. They are headstrong little dogs. Mine can be really grumpy when he wants to be It's all part of their charm though

LucyBliss

Oooh, a friend of mine has a Shih Tzu. They're beautiful dogs.

As for being headstrong and grumpy, I always find it amusing that we'll put up with traits in our dogs that would have us deleting a person out of our phone contacts! Maybe it's because despite the grumpiness, they don't get peeved when we come home without the bread they like or the dry cleaning.

portgirl123

my sis in law has just takin in a shih tzu x who for the last 10 yrs, she thought he was 8 but found out otherwise, been an out door dog basically just left to defend for himself running all over her estate. He has settled great. Humping was a problem but as he has settled it has stopped. she was worried about toilet training but for a dog that was never inside apart from when neighbours felt sorry for him and brought in, he is a super clean dog and will not dirty or wee inside.
so i think what im trying to say is, hopefully there will prob be a few little problems at first but hopefully the little dog will learn to love been inside. Goodluck

crally

hi, give it its place to sleep/chill and when it goes there just leave it in peace. let the dog come to you, it will as it feels more comfortable. it takes i think about 2 days for a dog to get used to its surroundings. taking it out/letting it have access to outside will make toilet training easier as dogs get into habits very quickly. eg never feed it from the table or it will pester you forever!:) otherwise, enjoy, and it is great that you are giving a rescue a home. i have one, she is a super dog! A calm you is a calm dog, they pick up on your energy...

grind gremlin

I called in with my own dog to visit the newbie in his foster home the other day. My dog was not impressed. He must have known something was up because he usually gets on well with other dogs..... but this time he COMPLETELY ignored the other little guy!!!! No matter how hard the new little lad tried to engage my dog he acted as if he wasn't there. After a while I noticed my dog was drooling. I was afraid he'd something trapped in his mouth but i couldn't see anything. As soon as we left it stopped. After some research online I discovered some dogs do this when stressed, particularly if a new puppy arrives home.
The new guy won't be with me for a while yet. Really hoping the two guys can learn to get on. Is it true that it is a bad idea to have two males? How long does it usually take for two dogs to get along? Should I try have the dogs sleeping in different rooms initially? I am worried that my dog may get jealous. He's so used to being the one and only dog in the house. I'm really hoping these two learn to get along as I really want my own dog to have more canine company.

ISDW

grind gremlin wrote: »

I called in with my own dog to visit the newbie in his foster home the other day. My dog was not impressed. He must have known something was up because he usually gets on well with other dogs..... but this time he COMPLETELY ignored the other little guy!!!! No matter how hard the new little lad tried to engage my dog he acted as if he wasn't there. After a while I noticed my dog was drooling. I was afraid he'd something trapped in his mouth but i couldn't see anything. As soon as we left it stopped. After some research online I discovered some dogs do this when stressed, particularly if a new puppy arrives home.
The new guy won't be with me for a while yet. Really hoping the two guys can learn to get on. Is it true that it is a bad idea to have two males? How long does it usually take for two dogs to get along? Should I try have the dogs sleeping in different rooms initially? I am worried that my dog may get jealous. He's so used to being the one and only dog in the house. I'm really hoping these two learn to get along as I really want my own dog to have more canine company.

When you say your dog usually gets on well with other dogs, has he ever been into another dog's home, or does he usually meet them out on walks? Its a totally different experience for him being in another dog's territory. I would always recommend new dogs meeting each other on neutral territory.

I wouldn't be worried at all by ignoring the other dog, I would see that as quite usual.

grind gremlin

My own dog is often in the homes of other dogs. I have a few friends with dogs and I often bring him with me to visit them. He gets on great with them. I have just never seen him act the way he did with this guy. It may have been the fact that there were 4 cats in the house at the time, although he did not see them I suppose I'm just nervous as I want things to work out

theme song

Hey Ya

Like all the others have said , well done on taking this dog in.

I rehomed 2 dogs from the ISPCA 3.5 yrs ago (for my sins!) . They were best pals & had been in shelter for a yr, one was soo relaxed , other was extremley nervous. My tip for you would be to give your future dog an old fleece/towel with either your scent or your dogs scent on it while he is with the foster home, so that when he comes to you he feels less stressed, & you could ask the foster home to give you one for your little lad.
Also if you were willing to get one of the teddy bears that they use on newborns that has the sound of mothers heartbeat( or could be another sound - not a mother!) This really helps them relax. Years of working with animals has taught me a few tips! Above all relax & enjoy your new venture & well done again

ISDW

grind gremlin wrote: »

My own dog is often in the homes of other dogs. I have a few friends with dogs and I often bring him with me to visit them. He gets on great with them. I have just never seen him act the way he did with this guy. It may have been the fact that there were 4 cats in the house at the time, although he did not see them I suppose I'm just nervous as I want things to work out

I'd say its because you're so desperate for it to work, that you noticed it. Your dog may well have reacted like this the first time he went into other dog's homes, but you didn't notice it, because it wasn't such a big deal.

Are you going back regularly to visit the other dog before you bring it home?

grind gremlin

Well my new little guy has been with me since Saturday. He is haing great fun tormenting my first dog. He keeps running up behind him, nipping his backside and running off. I think it's because he had no real experience with other dogs that he just wants to play all the time
As he was kept in the garden all the time he's very unsure on his feet when it comes to juming! I'm also not sure if he ever had a proper diet so I think it'll take a while to build him. It didn't take long for my first dog to cop on to this so he knows he can get some peace and quiet if he jumps on the back of the couch.
I'm delighted with how things are working out although i'd prefer if they could chill out together. They are either chasing each other like crazy or completely ignoring each other. I'm sure it'll come in time!

Laisurg

The poor fella might be a bit confused and uneasy at the start but just be as calm and relaxed and nice with him as you can, when he gets attached to you he'll start to listen and be a lot happier When i got my dog he warmed up to me within a few hours and looked like he was having a great time and before that he looked like the saddest little dog in the world, make sure you let him know if you disprove of something, eg chewing things, but don't use an aggressive tone, just an assertive one, as for house training it depends, i got lucky and my dog was already house trained, even if the dog is a few years old though you should be able to teach him without a huge amount of hassle. Oh and try not to leave him alone so much/outside in the garden for too long at a time for a week or two after you get him, if you spend a lot of time with him then he'll settle easier.

Dinky22

Congratulations!. I am delighted that you have given a rescue dog a forever home. Give him time and be very calm and loving. I do hope both your little dogs will have long, healthy and happy lives together.