What Rescue Dogs Need Most

[DOGPERSON]

Hi,

I am a dog walker, and often get to walk rescue dogs, whether it is long after they were rescued or soon after.

If there is one piece of advice that is invaluable to all dog owners but especially rescue dog owners is SOCIALISE YOUR DOG DAILY.

What I have found is that many rescue dogs have socialization issues, either because of their hard core breed (fighting or guard dog types) or abuse, or from their experience in the shelters with lots of fearful dogs. The excuse I regularly get for dogs not being exposed to other dogs, is that they want to reduce the suffering, their dog is scared or their dog is aggressive.

Unless it is a red zone dog (very high aggression) on-lead in an off lead area, with a good restraint and muzzle if necessary, is infinitely better than restricting such a dog to the back yard every day. You may have to work harder to bring these kinds of 'damaged' dogs around, but hey, didn't you rescue them for a reason? Human pity or compassion, misunderstands what most dogs need - to be social again. If you cant do it yourself, get a dog trainer or a dog walker. The longer you delay walking them daily, the more you reinforce their antisocial behavior.

This is not judgement, its just practical advice for people to start giving dogs what they need, not what humans think is easiest or best (from a human viewpoint). Most rescue dogs I have walked do come around to being good off lead, but again its a process for many. Good exercise, and good food resolves 90% of the problems of 99% of the dogs out there.

I hope that helps!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I don't agree with some of what you have said, you are speaking to experienced rescuers here in some cases, including myself.

On no account should an unknown dog be taken off leash in a dog park to socialise - fighting, guard dog types etc especially. This is where people go wrong - by thinking they must socialise their dog in an offleash situation when they are not qualified to understand a dog's body language (their own or someone else's) or what to do if things go wrong. Things can go badly wrong if their dog attacks a smaller animal. Any interactions need to be supervised by a dog expert. You are a dog walker, it's not the same thing.

[mixeduppup]

Preaching to the choir :D

[BJean]

Hi,

I am a dog walker, and often get to walk rescue dogs, whether it is long after they were rescued or soon after.

If there is one piece of advice that is invaluable to all dog owners but especially rescue dog owners is SOCIALISE YOUR DOG DAILY.

What I have found is that many rescue dogs have socialization issues, either because of their hard core breed (fighting or guard dog types) or abuse, or from their experience in the shelters with lots of fearful dogs. The excuse I regularly get for dogs not being exposed to other dogs, is that they want to reduce the suffering, their dog is scared or their dog is aggressive.

Unless it is a red zone dog (very high aggression) on-lead in an off lead area, with a good restraint and muzzle if necessary, is infinitely better than restricting such a dog to the back yard every day. You may have to work harder to bring these kinds of 'damaged' dogs around, but hey, didn't you rescue them for a reason? Human pity or compassion, misunderstands what most dogs need - to be social again. If you cant do it yourself, get a dog trainer or a dog walker. The longer you delay walking them daily, the more you reinforce their antisocial behavior.

This is not judgement, its just practical advice for people to start giving dogs what they need, not what humans think is easiest or best (from a human viewpoint). Most rescue dogs I have walked do come around to being good off lead, but again its a process for many. Good exercise, and good food resolves 90% of the problems of 99% of the dogs out there.

I hope that helps!

Not really.

It's humans who think dogs need to socialise and be friends with every other dog.

There's nothing wrong with DA either; its difficult but does not mean the dog has an underlying 'problem' or damage.

ETA: I do agree with one on one time with the dog each day, and if that is walking, even better :)

But I dont think the socialisation part is necessary or valuable to a dog that gains no value from interacting with unknown dogs.

Edited August 21, 2012 by lilli

[mixeduppup]

Some dogs are inherently DA it doesn't mean they need to be fixed or faulty, they're just bred that way. Also where did you get the term "Red zone" from, just out of interest. I think I can guess, but I might be wrong.

[Weasels]

I think reactivity, fear and agression are a lot more complicated than is being suggested in the OP.

Also, there are a whole lot of exercise options between keeping a dog in a backyard and letting them run offleash with unknown dogs.

ETA: Incidentally, I had a dog growing up who only ever saw one other dog after she'd left her litter, and that was my grandmother's JRT (who she tolerated fine). Socialisation wasn't important for her because she had acres to run happily in, sheep to get off the fence, mice to chase out of the hay and horses to bring in. I don't think she was missing out on anything :)

Edited August 21, 2012 by Weasels

[Aphra]

Having rescued a fair number of dogs over the last few years I have to disagree that most rescue dogs have socialization issues in any real sense. 99 percent of the dogs we've had, given time to settle, have been fine with other dogs. Not necessarily every single dog, but in a non-threatening situation with calm introductions, they've all made friends with other dogs. The major issue I face are dogs which lack good manners with other dogs; it's not that they're not friendly. It they don't know how to make friends politely. I suspect many of those dogs left their mums too early as puppies, or didn't have exposure to sensible, older dogs. Rescue dogs are not a special category of dogs, they are just dogs, with all the different kinds of behaviour that other dogs in the community display.

I do agree that exercise and good food are important, but consistent leadership to build confidence and calm routines and training are important too. But for very reactive or fearful dogs exposure to other dogs needs to be very careful and controlled. I can't really imagine much scarier for a fearful dog than being muzzled or restrained in a dog park.

1345552176[/url]' post='5936067']

Hi,

I am a dog walker, and often get to walk rescue dogs, whether it is long after they were rescued or soon after.

If there is one piece of advice that is invaluable to all dog owners but especially rescue dog owners is SOCIALISE YOUR DOG DAILY.

What I have found is that many rescue dogs have socialization issues, either because of their hard core breed (fighting or guard dog types) or abuse, or from their experience in the shelters with lots of fearful dogs. The excuse I regularly get for dogs not being exposed to other dogs, is that they want to reduce the suffering, their dog is scared or their dog is aggressive.

This is not judgement, its just practical advice for people to start giving dogs what they need, not what humans think is easiest or best (from a human viewpoint). Most rescue dogs I have walked do come around to being good off lead, but again its a process for many. Good exercise, and good food resolves 90% of the problems of 99% of the dogs out there.

[Greytmate]

By the time a dog is an adult it's temperament is already set. The critical age for socialisation is between 5 and 16 weeks of age, socialisation after that age can be much less effective. Training is important with older dogs, but it is a mistake to think that 'damage' can be undone. Often it cannot be undone despite people's best efforts.

If a dog has anti-social behaviour as an adult, allowing that dog to interact with other random dogs can be very dangerous. It's something that should only happen with the advice of a trainer. Taking a dog that has problems out to 'socialise' it is pretty unwise when you consider the possible consequences. Aggression isn't an excuse, it's a very good reason to keep a dog away from other dogs, and the owner is being responsible.

If people want to adopt a dog they should look for an ethical rescue organisation who will match them with the dog that they need. If they need a social dog they can adopt one, if they want a dog that's happy to be on it's own, they can adopt one like that.

Dogs don't need to be social with strange dogs, although they would benefit from the exercise of being walked. I would agree that daily walking will benefit most dogs, but would advise anyone having problems with a rescue dog to ask the organisation they bought the dog from for assistance.

[indigirl]

I have owned a "red zone" dog as you like to call them, in the past. Spud weighed around 50kgs and was VERY strong. Had I taken him to a dog park the result would have been carnage. Suggesting highly aggressive dogs be walked on a lead and muzzled in a dog park shows your complete lack of understanding of highly DA dogs.

At a dog park Spud would have thrown all his weight into charging the nearest dog, he would have slipped or chewed through his muzzle and it would have been a bloodbath. If you have a 50 kg dog in a rage, bent on destroying anther dog do you really think a paltry leash and muzzle is going to stop him? It would be like trying to hold back a train. Should someone else ave gotten in the way of him and his intended target, I shudder to think what the result would have been.

Spud did not need socialisation, he had other dogs he lived with who he was fine with. He was simply very dog aggressive. He was also human aggressive unless I introduced ppl in a certain way. The problem with Spud was not lack of socialisation it was the combination of his breed mix (ridgeback/rotti/bullmastiff) and his particular temperament. With my other dogs his interactions were appropriate and he played with them with no issues. He was also extremely protective of my other dogs.

Spuds human aggression wasn't as extreme as his DA. With humans his goal was to bite not kill. With me he was affectionate, loyal, gentle and protective and he was the same with all my friends. He was well behaved around the house and always took food so gently from my hand. Once he knew you, you could do anything with him. He was not under socialized at all, all my friends loved him as he had so much personality.

I employed a dog walker for most of Spuds life. He was walked every second day for 45 mins. He was NEVER taken to a dog park. He was exercised around the lake I lived near, away from ppl houses and other dogs.

Aggression is not simply a result of poor socialisation. Some dogs are just wired that way and no amount of socialisation will change it.

Perhaps you have encountered many highly reactive dogs, but not truly aggressive "red zone" dogs. To suggest a highly DA dog is taken to a dog park for any reason at all, let alone for "socialisation" just does my head in. A "red zone" dog at a dog park is a fatality waiting to happen.

[tdierikx]

I have watched many "dog walkers" roll up to dog parks and unload their vans to let large numbers of dogs run free... and the results have mostly been mayhem. For the most part, the "dog walkers" have had little or no control over the dogs in their care - they just let them run amok and stand around either smoking or talking on their phones, with very little actual supervision of the dogs they have unleashed on the park.

Personally, if I was to hire someone to walk my dogs, I'd expect the dog to be walked and interacted with properly... not bundled off to the nearest dog park to do as it pleases while the "dog walker" did their own thing.

Back in the days where there were no dog parks, dog walkers did exactly that - walk the dogs. Quite frankly I wouldn't pay the fees charged by walkers today for them to do what I've witnessed at various dog parks. It's a total rip-off IMHO...

T.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

In NSW, it was the mayhem caused by dog walkers and unsafe practices with multiple dogs that changed the law that you could only legally have 4 dogs under your control in a public area and speaking as someone who normally has more dogs than that, 4 at one time outside the home is more than enough and too many with larger, stronger breeds.

I love my dogs very much, they are walked daily and socialise with each other. My last foster dog was more active and needed more exercise so I went to the dog park (he was extremely sociable). It was fine, most of the time until last time when he was (at 11 kilos) monstered by two German Shorthaired Pointers. Someone came and told me they were undesexed so I immediately grabbed him and removed him from the park, couldn't see the owners anywhere as I was trying to yank their dogs away from mine. If he'd responded to their appalling behaviour I felt he'd have been in trouble. Just the next day these two same dogs attacked another dog in the same park.

And that is a typical example of why I hate dog parks and why they are really unsafe much of the time.

Edited August 21, 2012 by dogmad

[Kavik]

While I agree that exercise and stimulation is important every day, I don't think dogs need to interact offlead with strange dogs. Some dogs simply don't like that, there are many different play styles among dogs and not all suit being rushed at and bowled over as often happens at offlead dog parks. Also, as someone who competes in dogsports I would rather they pay attention to me than try to get to every dog for a play.

[mixeduppup]

Dog parks are just horrible. I'd never take my dogs to a dog park because the same people I see with their dogs pulling ahead of them and being dog reactive on the lead in the street are normally the ones that go to the dog park. Not to mention I don't like my dogs playing with dogs i don;t know for the simple fact that they could have worms, fleas, mange, ringworm or a bad attitude and how is that going to help a DA get over anything, if a DA dog gets attacked by a dog in the dog park (high possibly) then how will that be cathartic? Wouldn't it just feed into his current insecurities about other dogs?

[Guest lavendergirl]

Hi,

I am a dog walker, and often get to walk rescue dogs, whether it is long after they were rescued or soon after.

If there is one piece of advice that is invaluable to all dog owners but especially rescue dog owners is SOCIALISE YOUR DOG DAILY.

What I have found is that many rescue dogs have socialization issues, either because of their hard core breed (fighting or guard dog types) or abuse, or from their experience in the shelters with lots of fearful dogs. The excuse I regularly get for dogs not being exposed to other dogs, is that they want to reduce the suffering, their dog is scared or their dog is aggressive.

Unless it is a red zone dog (very high aggression) on-lead in an off lead area, with a good restraint and muzzle if necessary, is infinitely better than restricting such a dog to the back yard every day. You may have to work harder to bring these kinds of 'damaged' dogs around, but hey, didn't you rescue them for a reason? Human pity or compassion, misunderstands what most dogs need - to be social again. If you cant do it yourself, get a dog trainer or a dog walker. The longer you delay walking them daily, the more you reinforce their antisocial behavior.

This is not judgement, its just practical advice for people to start giving dogs what they need, not what humans think is easiest or best (from a human viewpoint). Most rescue dogs I have walked do come around to being good off lead, but again its a process for many. Good exercise, and good food resolves 90% of the problems of 99% of the dogs out there.

I hope that helps!

I doubt it :laugh:

Rescue dogs for the most part are just the same as any other dog. Most are the product of incompetent owners. The issues that some have are varied and if the owners are looking for advice in addressing these issues they are looking for it from behaviourists, experienced rescuers and others who can advise from the personal experience of having owned such a dog.

[Guest donatella]

I would never take a rescue dog to a dog park :eek: I only take mine at off peak times and even then she's only been 4 times in her 16 months of life.

[wuffles]

I don't necessarily agree with much of what the OP has said, but I can at least see where they're coming from. There are a lot of people out there who just don't bother to socialise their dogs then wonder why they are reactive or excitable, and use that as an excuse to keep them at home.

I think that fenced dog parks are wonderful assets in our community. There are risks in owning a dog and I have had way more issues at sanctioned dog events, or walking around the streets on lead, than dog parks! I don't care if people don't want to go to them, but going to a dog park doesn't make you a bad/uninformed/stupid owner.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I don't necessarily agree with much of what the OP has said, but I can at least see where they're coming from. There are a lot of people out there who just don't bother to socialise their dogs then wonder why they are reactive or excitable, and use that as an excuse to keep them at home.

I think that fenced dog parks are wonderful assets in our community. There are risks in owning a dog and I have had way more issues at sanctioned dog events, or walking around the streets on lead, than dog parks! I don't care if people don't want to go to them, but going to a dog park doesn't make you a bad/uninformed/stupid owner.

No, not bad or stupid necessarily but uninformed, uneducated, inexperienced - yes, for much of the time. Most people frequenting dog parks are just normal dog owners. They may have owned 2, perhaps 3 dogs in their lives, they simply have little idea of dog body language and like to go to the park to chat to other owners.

I recently heard about an event in a dog park in Windsor, someone came in with an Amstaff which proceeded to get very excited in the pursuit of a small dog before it had a go. Luckily someone with experience was nearby and stopped things from getting worse. Turns out the Amstaff had just (literally that morning) been adopted from the pound nearby. The new owner had no idea whatsoever - knew nothing about the breed they had just picked up, the dangers they were putting other dogs in and so on. Of course it could have been just fine but the new owner could not have known that.

A dog is a very long term commitment, I can't understand people who don't research it properly, get some education and know what they are doing. Most people probably research a car brand far more than a dog breed/type and this is why dumpage is so enormous - that and the fact that if they were honest with themselves they would have been better getting a plant for their garden than a living being that was going to take some effort and expenditure on their part.

Edited August 21, 2012 by dogmad

[Guest donatella]

I recently just went on Monday (off peak time) and there were 3 dogs. 2 bull breed cross mixes (1 of which was a puppy) and a lab. The lab kept to itself but the 2 bully breeds were really interested in my dog! She said hello but its like the new dog to the park always gets accosted but when your dog is the new dog and is 3kg it can get a little bit offensive! The puppy was being really full on, growling, trying to hump her and getting in her face, she was not happy. I took her to the other side of the park but the dog followed, I had to ask the boy (yes boy) to please keep the puppy off her as she was starting to snap back at him! He ended up leaving after a while and then a havannese looking dog and a poodle came in and they all played happily. I do wonder if she knows her size sometimes but I know she does not appreciate being pawed at and having other dogs in her face.

Definitely not the place for us which is a shame because when she's with similar styled dogs she has a ball of a time!

Edited August 21, 2012 by donatella

[Guest lavendergirl]

Some of the owners who take their dogs to dog parks are stupid. Putting a tiny dog into a large area with numerous large powerful dogs running around is not smart.

Just the other day I saw a maltese squashed by a labrador and these occurrences happen every day at dog parks. I occasionally take my small dog to small dog only dog park - I would never risk taking him in amongst large dogs that I don't know.

[Guest donatella]

I have never had a problem with the larger breeds, they are mostly gentle and sweet to mine but I would never ever go in if they were playing boisterously or there was lots of them.

I couldn't believe it was the puppy that I was having problems with, he was a right little toad!