Jlacy Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 What kind of timetable have you experienced with rescue dogs before they know it's their permanent home? How did their behavior change when you knew it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzysdad Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Tobey took over two months to settle in and trust us. He came from a pretty bad home, so I'm surprised it only took two months. The main thing I learned is to not do too much too quick. Even though you're used to the dog, he/she may not be used to you. Tobey has been here for 3.5 months now and the past month/month and a half, he's really started connecting to us. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Good question! My dog was terrified on walks in my neighborhood for a few weeks: he would constantly look as if someone was waiting to attack him behind every bush. After a few weeks, we were walking, and he looked back at me and relaxed his ears and did that "Oh, hi!" smile thing, and I knew he had some vague sense that he was safe. As far as fully settled, though, I'm not sure that happened until he fully trusted me. I'm thinking 6 months to a year, honestly. Then I could pretty much direct the dog to do something ("Sit" when the scary dog approaches) and he would listen, be ause he trusted me to keep him safe. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierMike Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Both of my dogs are shelter dogs. Maggie settled in right away, but I'm pretty sure she was in a decent home, for a short period, before we got her. Dave, on the other hand, has been with us since April and and is still on limited access to the whole house, so he's still kind of exploring his home. I know that he trusts us and knows he's home though. He's not going anywhere now. As far as being "settled", he still has his quirks. I'm not sure exactly the situation he was in prior to us getting him, but he still doesn't trust / like any toddler he comes into contact with. We're working on that and he's getting better. If a child is about 4-5 or older, he's their best friend, but I'm guessing that a small child was a hair puller in his younger days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Good question! My dog was terrified on walks in my neighborhood for a few weeks: he would constantly look as if someone was waiting to attack him behind every bush. After a few weeks, we were walking, and he looked back at me and relaxed his ears and did that "Oh, hi!" smile thing, and I knew he had some vague sense that he was safe. As far as fully settled, though, I'm not sure that happened until he fully trusted me. I'm thinking 6 months to a year, honestly. Then I could pretty much direct the dog to do something ("Sit" when the scary dog approaches) and he would listen, be ause he trusted me to keep him safe. Mary I think Buddy is out of the ordinary though, don't you? Very intriguing smart and wonderful dog, but not normal regarding trust, huh? Vala trusted me to keep her safe after about three days, once I had: (1) pulled her out of the pound (2) removed her by *picking her up* from two confrontations with the cats in which they ganged up on her and she started crying (3) picked her up when another dog got loose and came running at her while in our front yard onleash (she was sick) After that, she seemed to totally trust me and started hiding behind my legs if she was scared, looking to me and grinning every 15-30 seconds when we were out walking and about to make sure everything was cool, and copying my attitude. Now that she feels better she stands her ground with other dogs but still when she sees them first she looks to me like, ok to go over, and then she does. But that happened really fast with her. We connected almost instantly, which was pretty awesome. Still it took her a while to come out of her shell regarding training - and play - she probably hadn't played before, and the only training she took to right away were directional commands, I mean we are still teaching her frisbee and fetch! I think every dog can be really different. But surely 3 weeks isn't long enough to expect to housetrain an adult dog, or to expect a personality to come out. More like two or three months from what people have told me I would guess. Although Vala is definitely starting to blossom now at a little over two months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 From my experience with Scotty and Ladybug, I would say at least three months if you have just one dog; when we brought Scotty in as the second dog it was at least six months before he settled in comfortably. The transformation is really amazing, so slow you don't realize it then all of a sudden, you think, wow, this dog has really come a long ways. For Scotty, the "wow" moment was when we realized that he no longer sulked in a corner in the evening but became very vocal about going to visit my mother-in-law. He was a clock watcher and knew what time Ken usually left. I think the same kind of learning relationship is happening with the puppies. As they grow and learn, they become more integrated into the ways of the household and know what reactions to expect from us for certain behaviors. Like children, they know how far to push and when to behave. It's an interesting dynamic. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 All three of my dogs have been rescues, the GSD mix was our first and she settled in very quickly. Our 2 border collies were different. Both seemed to be comfortable within a few weeks but it really took a year for their full personalities to come out. Brody our current dog has been with us a year and half, he came directly from a good home (death in the family) and although was a great well behaved dog (not perfect there are always issues and some anxiety about all the changes in his life) from the beginning he truly only became himself after being with us a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 When I was in (rough/smooth) Collie rescue I handled about 120 dogs in a twelve year period. The one consistent thing about them was that they seemed to go through a "honeymoon" period of about 10 days to 2 weeks. They would be quiet, well-behaved and pay attention to me. After that their "normal" behavior profile would start to emerge. This did not apply to dogs that had been physically abused. With them it was usually one of two things - withdrawn and "hidey" or really clingy. Those dogs took weeks to months before you started seeing who they really were. I tended to hang on to my rescues until they got through their honeymoon period and I had a chance to see what I was actually placing. Sometimes dogs that had a really great honeymoon would get really rowdy or reveal some hang-up that I needed to work on. But the longest I ever had a dog before I thought it was ready to place was two years. It was a tri bitch that had evidently been put through hell with her housebreaking. She would not poop if anyone could see her. She would literally hold it for days to avoid being seen pooping. Poor thing! The first time she pooped where I could see her I praised her to the skies and hugged her - the look on her face was indescribable. It wasn't too long after that that she started to relax - but I waited nine months for that "visible poop!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlacy Posted October 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Thank you for the stories, this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninso Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 My first dog Lok took about 9 months to completely settle in and show me his personality as I now know it. He was at first extremely withdrawn, spent most of his time off by himself in a corner, was easily stressed, didn't play and didn't seem to know how to interact with people. These things all gradually changed over several months. He is still kind of an odd one, but he interacts with people, and plays. I kind of knew he had "arrived" when he started playing with toys. He turned into a bit of a maniac, but at least he started enjoying life once in awhile. My second dog Jun was the opposite. She was manic until she settled in. It didn't take as long, and she is a really busy dog, so she still runs circles quite a bit. I can't remember how long it took her to settle in, but probably not more than a month. The "settling in" was marked by better ability to relax and focus. My current foster, Elo, walked right in and decided it was home. I'm trying to convince him otherwise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Both of my dogs are shelter dogs. Maggie settled in right away,but I'm pretty sure she was in a decent home, for a short period, before we got her. Dave, on the other hand, has been with us since April and and is still on limited access to the whole house, so he's still kind of exploring his home. I know that he trusts us and knows he's home though. He's not going anywhere now. As far as being "settled", he still has his quirks. I'm not sure exactly the situation he was in prior to us getting him, but he still doesn't trust / like any toddler he comes into contact with. We're working on that and he's getting better. If a child is about 4-5 or older, he's their best friend, but I'm guessing that a small child was a hair puller in his younger days. My suggestion re: the toddlers would be to not push it. Ladybug landed in the pound for snapping at a toddler that was pulling her hair. We keep her away from very young children. On the other hand, Ladybug's perfect person is an 8 year old boy who will through a ball all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 How long to settle? Let me start with another question. My brothers both get their dogs from breeders when they are puppys. They wanted to know how I got my rescue dogs to bond with me. Answer- slowly. Try not to change everything quickly. If you allow the dogs to do their own self soothing quirks - I find they learn to trust you faster. Cody wouldn't go into the garage ( so we pulled the car out for him) had to walk next to walls most of the time - so if he was outside on leash we went out of our way to allow this. He really seemed to know we were his pack after about two months. We have had him for a year and a half - he still has quirks. He is afraid that he won't be allowed back in the house when there is inclement weather. This is never the case- he is always with us and let in, but he still plasters himself to the door to make sure that he is the first one in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Both of my dogs are rescues and I really think it depends on the situation they came from (i.e. stray, dog pound, long foster/short foster, abuse, etc.). Allie, I adopted from a rescue at about six months old and she was only in rescue for a month or so. She settled in almost immediately. Rusty, on the other hand, I got at age 2 and he had been in various shelters/rescues since he was about 3 or 4 months old. It took him almost a year before I think he felt totally at ease -- although he was a good pup right from the start. He is now 4 yrs. old and he is the biggest love-bug and has really blossomed. (I know that the last foster home that he was in for almost a year was a wonderful home and gave him attention and love, but it still took him a while to feel "settled".) Patience and consistency is the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammyd Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Depends on the dog, the age and the situation It took Mia over 6 months before for the first time I smiled at her and she caught my eye and wagged her tail in the last few months I have noticed her become more puppyish and playful In some ways she was settled in a few weeks but others it is taking a long time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I've had Skip since February. He was in a kill shelter where he'd been picked up as a stray. He is more of a pet bc than a working bc so he is a very pleasant to live with. However, he seemed to have no idea of how to play until just recently. He also has great anxiety at being tied so I suspect he was one of those 'chained to a box and ignored dogs" I'll never know, but it has been an odd experience living with a dog who doesn't know or want to interact with toys and chewy things. I'll feel that he finally is settled, when and if I ever see him initiate play with a toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblock Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I just want to say thank you for this thread. We've had our 5-year-old BC rescue since May. We went through a period this summer when he was afraid to leave the yard, but thankfully he got over that and is now going on long runs with us every day. If I had to do it all over, I might not have started working with a trainer right away and given him more time to adjust. It's still a challenge sometimes (recall ranges from about 70% to 0 if there are deer around, so we haven't let him off leash yet) but I think he now knows this is his forever home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierMike Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 My suggestion re: the toddlers would be to not push it. Ladybug landed in the pound for snapping at a toddler that was pulling her hair. We keep her away from very young children. On the other hand, Ladybug's perfect person is an 8 year old boy who will through a ball all day long. I should have explained a bit. When I said "working on it", I meant that it has taken us to this point to get a comb or a brush through him. At first, he wouldn't even let us touch him with anything on his back or tail. I can brush him now, can't say he enjoys it, but he tolerates it. As far as toddlers go, no we just don't let him anywhere near yet, that'll come later. It's hard to tell people that their 5 year old can play with him, but not the little ones. So unless it's just older kids around, I have to tell all the kids no and give them the " He's still being trained" speech. Amazing that kids understand that better than some adults I've run into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 really depends on the dog I think, I mean ladybug was in pretty bad shape when she came to me, but after 1 week she was waiting for me to get home from work at the gate, greeting me just an enthusaticly as the rest of my dogs, and following me around, after only the 1 week I was able to let her off leash without problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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