A dog from the shelter is moving in! The first days or weeks with the new shelter dog may not always go as smoothly as anticipated. The shelter dog may not have had an optimal start in life, bringing with it a more or less significant baggage of negative or missing experiences. From day one, you play a crucial role in determining whether your new family member develops in a positive or negative direction.

Socialization Phase of the Dog

Every dog goes through the so-called socialization phase in the first 3 to 4 months of its life, laying the foundation for future behavior. This phase establishes the basis for a fearless and carefree interaction with other people, animals, and various environmental and everyday stimuli. As the owner of a puppy, you have the power to shape whether your puppy becomes a confident and fearless dog or not.

Shelter Dog and Socialization Phase

When you adopt a dog from the shelter, you face the disadvantage that the critical socialization phase has typically already concluded. Additionally, the dog may have had negative experiences during this phase that have shaped them. However, not only negative experiences but also the absence of experiences can lead to problems.

A shelter dog from abroad (e.g., a street dog) is only familiar with its rural environment. Moving to a large city with all its unfamiliar stimuli will likely overwhelm the dog. Due to your shelter dog’s mostly unknown history, a more or less significant surprise package comes with them when they move in. Be prepared for this in advance.

Mistake 1: On the Way Home from the Shelter

You’ve known for days or weeks that a new dog from the shelter is moving in. All preparations have been made, and the dog’s equipment has been ready for a long time. Full of anticipation, you drive to the shelter to pick up your dog.

While you’ve been able to prepare for the day of arrival for weeks, your shelter dog cannot. He is suddenly pulled out of his familiar environment and transplanted into a new one. He may have been in several foster homes before. For your dog, this (repeated) move is pure stress!

Shelter Dog – Stress-Free Entry:

Help your dog reduce stress by taking an extensive walk once you arrive home. Only after this walk should you enter the apartment for the first time. If you live in the midst of a large city and the many stimuli overwhelm your dog, move the initial walk to a quieter environment. A nearby park is a suitable option.

The movement during the walk helps your shelter dog release negative energy. You both explore the new environment, and you can establish some leash rules right away. Many dog owners let the shelter dog determine the pace and direction from the beginning, passively hanging at the other end of the tight leash. This is not a good start because the dog is leading the owner on the walk.

Leash Control from Day One:

Starting from a leading position, a dog quickly develops a false sense of duty towards emerging stimuli. Your dog then feels responsible for these stimuli, such as strangers or other dogs. However, very few dogs can handle this responsibility with confidence. The result is a dog barking on the leash.

You see that leash control is a crucial element in training your dog. Don’t let yourself be pulled around in zigzags on a long leash during the first walk. Determine the path and promote orientation towards you right from the start.

Of course, despite all your efforts, your dog will not walk completely relaxed on a loose leash next to you. His stress level is too high for that. However, your dog should still sense that you are leading him, not the other way around. Walking with a dog oriented towards the person is much more enjoyable than the other way around.

Mistake 2: Shelter Dog – Upon Arrival at Home

Returning from the walk and arriving at the apartment, please keep your dog on a leash. Let him explore the apartment with you, not restlessly and overwhelmed, dragging you from room to room on a long leash. Ensure that your dog does not pull you at a tight leash from room to room but that you dictate the path and pace.

Some shelter dogs may not want to enter the apartment out of uncertainty or fear. Never drag your dog into the apartment on a tight leash due to fear or uncertainty. In our article “Help, my dog is stubborn!” I explain, among other things, how to best deal with a dog that is stubborn due to fear or uncertainty.

Alternatively, with a second person present, there is the following option: Hand the leash to the second person standing behind you and your dog. Now, without a leash in hand, enter the apartment. Your dog should feel like following you voluntarily and without the leash’s compulsion.

Shelter Dog and Freedom of Movement:

After the apartment tour, offer water to your dog. Then, for his first resting phase in the new home, take him directly to his designated resting place. The resting place should be in a quiet corner of the apartment. Your dog should be able to participate in family life, but the place should be where not everyone passes by.

Preventively attach a thin house leash to your dog, trailing behind him while you are present. If he gets up from his resting place, casually pick up the leash end and bring him back without words or commands.

Shelter Dog and Relaxation:

An insecure or reserved dog will gratefully accept this resting phase and the associated distance. It provides him with the opportunity to process you and the new environment from a safe distance without feeling pressured. Even a very energetic dog with ants in his pants benefits from resting periods. It helps him learn to ease off the gas pedal.

You see: peace and relaxation should be at the top of the list, especially in the first few days. Attention and entertainment, on the other hand, should be at the bottom, as this only means new excitement and associated stress for your dog. Also, you should not introduce your shelter dog to the entire circle of friends and relatives right away. Postpone this to a later time once your dog has settled in well.

Mistake 3: Grateful Shelter Dog

No dog is “grateful” in the human-transferred sense that it has been rescued. Unfortunately, a dog’s thinking is not that complex. Nevertheless, new owners of shelter dogs often say, “He’s so grateful, he follows me everywhere in the house!” Please let go of this idea of gratitude.

The shelter or foreign dog still realizes that there are people in the new home who treat him kindly and benevolently. A naturally calm and confident dog can handle the unusually high attention in the new home better than a fearful or insecure dog.

Shelter Dog with Fear Issues:

For a fearful or insecure dog, excessive attention is the absolute worst-case scenario. This concentrated care, which comes at him unsolicited, can overwhelm him far too much. Suddenly, he exhibits unwanted behavior such as growling or snapping, which was never an issue before. It is up to you to help your dog and respond correctly to his body language. We have already explained how to do this and what to avoid in our article “Help, my dog is afraid!”

Mistake 4: Shelter Dog – Training and Lack of Patience

Many new owners of shelter dogs expect too rapid progress in training. The dog is supposed to:

Shelter Dog and Everyday Life:

To make the transition from the shelter to the new home as stress-free as possible, you should maintain the routine your dog had in the shelter for about 2-3 weeks. This primarily means a lot of rest, as every dog should rest for 17 to 20 hours a day. This is especially important for your dog because the stress hormone cortisol takes about 6 stress-free days to be broken down by the body. And as long as it remains in the body, it may also affect your dog’s behavior.

Rest Periods and Alone Time Training:

Consistently observed rest periods in the basket from the beginning are also good preparation for training your shelter dog to be alone. Many dogs have a problem with being alone. This problem is unknowingly reinforced from the start by constant attention and entertainment. Through the designated rest periods, your dog learns from the beginning that he should not expect constant attention.

Walks with Your Shelter Dog:

The rest periods should be interrupted by about 3 to 4 short walks. Avoid long walks at the beginning, as your dog needs to process the stimuli he encounters on the walk. About 20 minutes per walk are sufficient initially.

Gradually increase the time once your dog is overall more relaxed.

And very importantly: do not unleash your dog until you can reliably assess his behavior, and he is recallable.

Find out in the next few weeks if he is motivated by hunting, how he reacts to other people, other dogs, or other road users. Does he have any fear of specific things or noises? Use a safety harness for an insecure type of dog so that he cannot escape if he gets scared.

Shelter Dog and New Stimuli:

Once you can accurately assess your dog and his behavior, gradually expose him to new stimuli. New stimuli include:

Conclusion

Be aware that a dog from the shelter may bring a collection of negative or missing experiences. Amy, for instance, came to me from a shelter at about one year old. She had a backpack filled with negative and missing experiences.

The first year together was very challenging and draining for me. However, the effort was absolutely worth it. Dogs with an unpleasant history can become loyal companions if the owner is willing to invest time and patience in their dog. The dog certainly deserves it. He is least responsible for ending up in the shelter or being “abducted” from abroad to Germany by us humans.