shell shock?
By goodbear
Tags: animal behavior, animal rescue, animals, daily photo, dog training, dogs, pet adoption, pets
Category: 365 photo, animals, daily photo, dogs, pets, photo blog
lately, the few non-dog owning friends i know have been adopting dogs!
number 1: this is great! a new family member. they’re learning how great it can be to have a dog in the mix.
number 2: even without my harping, it seems like everyone is adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue group!
a few of the new rescue dogs have been…well…deceptively mellow upon arrival. it turns out, in some cases they have been in multiple foster homes or even adopted and returned a couple times. once these dogs rebuild their confidence (which is what we want!) they will become more animated.
i remember when i brought cody bear home years ago, everyone was so impressed that i had such a mellow puppy! um…yeah…that didn’t last too long. once he realized he was here to stay….all puppy hell broke loose!
so yes, a dog can appear mellow, or…to a more experienced eye….stressed…shut down.
they need extra love. extra confidence building. it will be worth it in the end. once they realize you are keeping them in your pack permanently, they will love you exuberantly!
3 Responses to “shell shock?”
Leave a Reply
Blog at WordPress.com.
Theme: Monotone by Automattic.
I have fostered many dogs for the HSSA. I am also a certified dog trainer and the owner of three rescue dogs. This article really drives it home. Don’t assume that just because a dog is not animated, that they are calm. Lack of movement is often a sign of significant stress.
It is normal to see a dog become somewhat more “naughty” after the first 2 weeks of bringing it home- after about 3 months you will see personality quirks, that you had no idea were there! And thank goodness, around 6 months the dog is usually acting like itself (warts and all!). The dog who took the longest to acclimate to my house was my first one- Lola. Being her 3rd home, it took her 9 months to finally relax and realize that we weren’t going to spontaneously give her up. I remember how everyone kept telling me how wonderfully well behaved she was- yeah right! Lola is dog reactive and requires very special training- had we understood how stressed she was when we first got her, we could have prevented some of the behavioral issues that she carries with her now.
This is a great post.
Great woof. SO…..true about behavior, wait till the true colors are displayed. However, so fun to watch the growth that becomes apparent as confidence grows.