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We've dog sat for several dogs in the past, but have never owned our own. We've had our name down at a couple of local shelters for a few months waiting for the right dog. Well, we met him on Saturday and absolutely no question at all he's the right dog for us. He's a collie cross, 5 years old, has lived in 1 house the entire time but was given up due to a freak fight with the other dog in the house, where he came off quite a lot worse.
He's coming home with us at the week (all going well), but he's very quiet and a little shy - which is more than understandable really.
Has anyone got any tips on how to help him settle well? Any thoughts welcome, as well as any advice on basic training and recall. We want him to be as comfortable as possible and while he won't be a working dog, he will have the option of plenty of exercise as and when he's ready.
Thanks!
Positive reinforcement.
Lots of time together.
Stimulate him loads.
We lost our 14 year old collie cross to cancer last weekend. She was perfect. She started as a painfully shy rescue puppy. Hard work to begin with, but repaid it in spades for years and years. I hope you get the same experience as us.
(We also have a younger very anxious collie, who is - er - not perfect. Could we have done anything differently? Yes - take her anxiety more seriously earlier and work within its limits rather than try to overcome it or fix her.)
Patience, lots of patience. He'll not change over night.
Do you know any well socialised dogs he can walk with? Calm on lead walking a few dogs in the same direction would be a great help.
Be the most valuable thing in his life is the key to recall and obedience. Find out his motivation, play, fuss or food.
Set him up for success, when training, always quit while you're ahead.
Lots and lots of mental stimulation. Exercise isn't just about running their tits off. Also keep a close eye on ball games. Make sure you are the focus rather than the ball, they can easily become ball obsessed.
Take it really, really, slowly in the first month. Just let him settle in, get to know you, get know the house, and get to know his food/walk routine. Limit visitors if you can, especially in the first couple of weeks.
Really sorry to hear you lost her recently @savoyad.
WfH permanently was the turning point in our discussions about adoption. I'm now home full time long term so I will be with him nearly all day everyday, with over 90mins a day of potential walking time on open moorland.
We're cautious of overloading him after a very turbulent month or so for him, so was planning to go down the lots of attention and learning him route before going to town on toys, to try and let him come out of his shell at his own pace. With that being said, we want to make sure he's got enough to keep him engaged when he's ready.
+1 to what @onzadog and @ihn said about patience, taking things slowly, stimulation being more than just exercise, mental as well as physical, and giving him space from strangers.
Constant presence can be a good thing, and will certainly help with bonding, training etc. but if you are full time wfh with the potential to always be together make sure you also teach him to spend periods apart from you.
Do you know any well socialised dogs he can walk with? Calm on lead walking a few dogs in the same direction would be a great help.
@onzadog, that's a nice one - hadn't thought of that! Yes, I have a good friend and we've looked after their dog before and he's SUPER chilled so could well arrange some time together.
He'll have small increments of time alone to start with (when I'm out on school runs), but I really don't anticipate him spending much more than 3 or 4 hours alone at any given point to be honest. That being said, we want to make sure he'd be fine if we needed to leave him for a while. At the shelter they are alone in their kennels from 1700 to 0930.
Yeah, on the time alone thing, if you're WFH (like we are), make sure he spends some of the day on his own. It sounds like you're aware of this though, and working up to about four hours in the day is perfect.
Worthwhile having some kind of "if he's on his bed, leave him be" rule too, especially if you have children, so he has somewhere to go if everything's a bit much.
Full disclosure - some of this is learned through bitter experience: we adopted a dog and didn't recognise the signs of fear/anxiety soon enough, and did too much training/discipline/visitors/trips etc too soon. When problems started emerging we tried too hard to 'sort' them rather than just letting him be, which just made matters worse, until in the end he was, frankly, a mess, and after he bit the cleaner and had a go at my mum we had to give him up.
The dog after that we took much, much more slowly, and he's a complete treasure.
We have a 3 yo collie/whippet x rescue ,had her about 18 months.She is still a nervous dog, but with time and patience, she is miles better to live with, very inteligent and loving, loves to herd people or dogs,at hyper whippet speed,for hours,then can sleep all day long.
Recall was a big issue, she isn’t food or toy driven when outside, but over time, in safe envoirments with friendly playfull dogs, recall is pretty much sorted, she still has her moments, will easily sprint off if she spots another dog,on a beach and off its lead.For a game of chase, but if the dog is too boring for her she will trot back to report.
Keep an eye on his back teeth, need to clean them weekly, they also have super cheesy feet👍🏼
Oh yes, the safe space thing is a good one. When Bella goes to her bed, she wants to be left alone. If we want her, we call her out of her bed.
Worthwhile having some kind of “if he’s on his bed, leave him be” rule too, especially if you have children, so he has somewhere to go if everything’s a bit much.
I like this one @IHN. We do have kids (8 and 13 - both pretty mature), so that's a good shout and not something I'd thought of. We'll do that.
Recall was a big issue, she isn’t food or toy driven when outside, but over time, in safe environments with friendly playful dogs, recall is pretty much sorted.
We have some secure dog exercise fields locally where I was planning to take him when he's ready to start practicing. Until he's ready though, we have open fields, woods and the moor within walking distance so was going to keep him on the lead but let him kind of do his own thing while he settles in - is as much about me learning his tendencies, sensitivities and instincts as it is him learning to trust me/us too.
A long lead is a useful thing to have (obviously easily bodgeable with a piece of line/rope too), say fifteen foot or so, gives him a bit of space to wander.
And the secure fields are good anyway in the early days, as he can have a good run around off lead and you don't have to worry about any recall stuff.
Point of Order*
STW Forum rule number 1. Posters shall never, under any circumstances, post a thread about getting a new /puppy/dog without posting a photo of the dog. Excuses about complexity of posting photos will not be accepted.
Post a photo then carry on.
@franksinatra - duly noted and obliging. He's called Alvin but the eldest quipped in the car on the way home from the visit "they should have called him Ziggy". Very proud to have raised a 13 year old Bowie fan!
Arry dog says she wants a blue eyeball too😉
@sparkyrhino, she is gorgeous - I bet she makes sure you get enough fresh air in the day!
Re giving him a safe space, think about a well padded, welcoming crate or a bed with a hood. They really help some dogs, others (like mine) won't go near them!
I've got this one.
https://www.collaredcreatures.com/collections/cocoon-dog-beds/products/grey-deluxe-comfort-cocoon
You could try to make a little safe space for him to see if he took to it before committing to buying something.
Whatever bed you get, just a tip, dogs beds are often too small for the size they are marketed at. For a collie, I'd go for large or XL. A nice blanket in there too will help him feel safe.
Other than that, as has been said, patience, empathy, being super calm yourself will help. Also, I know it's an exciting time but don't try to have too much fun, play with him or stimulate him too much until he's really settled. It's all about settling them in at first.
Try to think about distracting him from all the changes. Long lasting dog chews might help.
He might be quite unfit too so build exercise up slowly.
Massage can help help if he's stressed.
Might be worth using a supplement for stress (I have done in the past):
https://ace-canine.com/product/settlers/
You might not notice any difference but it might help rebalance his system because he'll undoubtedly be stressed with all changes.
@ThePilot, I've been told by the shelter that he chews beds (could well be the stress and perhaps a touch of separation anxiety due to the situation after 5 years in a 'normal' home) so we have a large plastic one incoming, which is what he has in the shelter, and we'll give him plenty of old blankets to make himself comfortable.
That distraction tip is another I hadn't thought of. We honestly don't know if he's just a quiet dog, or if the situation has put him out of character a bit so it may well be a distraction chew is useful for him - appreciate it.
^^^^^^^
That's a good idea for now actually. You can see how he sleeps (stretched out or curled up) and then get another one in time if you think that would suit him better.
My dog is a lounging lurcher and loves to stretch out of her massive memory foam bed. I bought her the other one because we live in a horribly draughty house. It's not for her though, bless her!
You're right re the chewing, it will likely be stress and boredom and anxiety.
Good luck with him, sounds like he's got himself a good home!
PS This is a good site for chews btw
https://www.natural-treats.co.uk/collections/wholesale
Just be careful you don't give too many as they can be rich and upset their tummies. Mine has got suspected ibs or ibd and much as she loves them, I've got to be really careful with her.
I've got border x from a shelter that was very badly treated. She will not and has never liked other dogs. Was allowed off her lead until one day she just bolted over fields we got her back in the end.
I'm certain she has PTSD
Ball obsessed even sleeps with one absolutely devoted to my wife and is amazing around kids.
You need a good eye around collies as they get stressed easier than most dogs.
Builds a den under my flowerbeds every year. Best dog ever.
Enjoy
That's a lovely looking dog and lots of great suggestions above.
I'd go back to the shelter and try to find out what the trigger was that resulted in the 'freak' fight. If you can find what triggered the fight you can help Alvin, AKA Ziggy avoid finding himself back in that situation.
On the bed front, ours for the first six months or more slept in a bed that was, to be honest, too small for him, but he liked to curl up in it. Then he started spreading out a bit and prefers a bigger bed. We reckon the initial curled-up phase was a safety/reassurance thing until he knew he could 'relax' and didn't need to sleep in a defensive position
Well done for adopting him
Patience, lots of patience. He’ll not change over night.
Indeedy this +1 (ontop of the others above), to add to this I was going to suggest a crate, but I'm not sure how he's respond at 5years old. Please don't look at this suggestion in horror, crates should be safe place for your dogs to go, and are not cages to lock the dog into. There a useful tool and if covered with a blanket, can seem less intimidating
We adopted a dog (Mila) that had, had a horrible start in life (from abroad, then two rejected adoptions) and three years on she much improved but still doesn't take much to shut her down. It really is a long term, life changing mission.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51526030797_a5818cc3cf_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51526030797_a5818cc3cf_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2mvbnPk ]Mila and Rupert in the snow[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/15253377@N00/ ]Paul[/url], on Flickr
(Mila has a triple coat, Rupert from spain does not, hence the coat)
Cheers @zippy, it was a no-brainer. I think he'll be a perfect fit for us, and we'll be able to give him what he needs.
In the future we may well get a crate for the van so that might kill 2 birds with 1 stone, but I think those kind of journeys are a good while away yet - just want to make sure he has what he needs and we're as educated as possible coming into it, without the benefit of loads of experience. We'll be making sure to keep an eye on him over the coming weeks and months and we're more than happy to buy whatever he needs, whether that's a crate, bed, toys, whatever.
We're well aware he may never 'come out of his shell', and that's fine - he still needs a loving home whatever the case!
Max out the insurance, we left ours capped at the lowest level = so full of regret.
When dogs meet on the lead they can be tense, if the leads are kept taught it adds to the tension, so try to relax the lead and your dog will be better with others.
Leave your dog alone often for small periods initially.
Socialise them with people and dogs as soon as you can, but be aware of overwhelming them as mentioned above.
Things my dog needs expose to to build up less of a hate for; skateboards, lawnmowers, bikes, German shepherds, wheels other than car wheels, large objects out of place like logs.
Dogs are mental, and reactive dogs even more mental.
Read lots and try and learn how to improve their behaviour.
My final tip based on my own experience is don't get a dog, but people seem to ignore this anyway!
toby1 said: "Dogs are mental, and reactive dogs even more mental."
They're really not. I used to have a 'mental' dog. Crackers she was. A funny thing. A real character. I've only recently realised, too late for her sadly, that she was actually stressed.
Seriously, if you've got a 'mental' dog, you're either doing something wrong or someone else has done something wrong and you haven't got the skills/experience to help them.
Reactive dogs are generally sh*t scared and it's up to you to make the world safe for them.
I only know this after making a right arse of things previously.
Reactive dogs are generally sh*t scared and it’s up to you to make the world safe for them.
I only know this after making a right arse of things previously.
I hear ya, sister.
^^^^
Sorry to hear, IHN. Although perhaps from a purely selfish point of view, it makes me feel not so bad that at least I'm not alone.
The name change would be a good idea. You get to avoid triggering a reaction by saying the name in just the wrong tone. A new name will have no associated baggage.
Bone chewing is the doggy equivalent of thumb sucking have a selection of real bones, filled bones and synthetic ones and find out what's best.
Finally look out the dried liver recipes and train with that. Recall by calling from another room and hand out the 'dog crack' when the dog arrives.
A fine looking girlie you'll hopefully have loads of fun with her once she's settled in. If our latest one is any gauge she'll cling like a limpet for 6 months or so and then start to detach as she settles.
Dried sprats are also amazing doggy crack.
Not sure about the name change - given he's a bit older (5) we thought that'd be too much for him, besides we quite like his current name. I think, given he has a pretty clean history and wasn't abused as far as we know, the name should probably be OK - we'll monitor it though...
We'll grab him a bone or two so he has something for when he arrives - anything to help him feel comfortable can only be a good thing I'd have thought.
Oldest dog for a name change here was 7 or 8 when we got her. The recent pup took the longest to catch onto the new moniker.
When our little collie got attacked and developed some fear-aggression, our behaviourist told us (among myriad other things) to try to always be the one to greet other animals (dogs) first when out walking.
That way, our dog could see that the new dog was OK, giving her confidence, and reinforced pack leadership, giving her less stress and avoiding her from feeling like it was up to her to ensure pack safety (a strong driver in collies).
That one little trick, carefully observed over a few years, helped no end. It's something I still do now with puppies, it's just one of those things I wouldn't have thought of myself that really helps to keep things smooth out in the field.
Good luck with your doggo, OP. 🙂
Try to always be the one to greet other animals (dogs) first when out walking...
That's a really good one - I'll add it to the list, thanks!
UPDATE
He's here, picked him up yesterday afternoon. While he might have been very quiet and shy at the shelter, it really hasn't taken long at all for him to come out of his shell. We had a great afternoon with him yesterday, and he went through the night last night in the kitchen/conservatory with barely a whimper and no accidents which was a really pleasant surprise this morning as I was expecting a clean up operation at 6am!
So far, he's be absolutely superb with the kids - excited to see them and more than happy to play, roll over and receive lots of fuss. He does like to try and herd the cat around, which the cat isn't standing for! Pretty sure he's just finding her new and interesting so we're making sure to keep exposing them to each other to (hopefully) get to the point where he finds her boring and leaves her alone.
Made my first mistake walking him this morning by forgetting the greet another bouncy dog first that come up. He was fine sniffing and being sniffed, but as soon as the other dog started to bounce around he started barking and stuck to my leg like glue. I realise I should have greeted the other dog to show him it was OK. Lesson learned there.
He also isn't bothered about treats. Maybe I've bought the wrong type but it out and about when I tried to use them to reward good behaviour he sniffs them and then carries on walking. It would seem he is much more motivated by praise than food, but time will tell.
I can't beleive that he's gone from the character described in the original post to what we're seeing now in 24hrs. We were all expecting to give him weeks and months to come out of himself but apparently not!
Excellent news, more photos needed!
Great news. Sounds like a really strong start.
Walking in the same direction as strange dogs is a big help. Less confrontational. Walking before meal time can increase interest in food. When/if you find a treat that works on a walk, save it just for walks. Strong cheese, hot dog sausage, or freeze dried shrimp can be good.
Where in the country are you? If you're near NE Derbyshire/South Yorkshire, we're happy to offer up our Bella as a stooge dog.
Lovely post! We deffo need pictures though 🙂
If greeting the other dog first works then that's best obviously (be careful not to create jealousy) but if that doesn't work, give the dogs a couple of seconds to sniff and then walk away giving loads of praise. Don't linger until something happens. Also, keep your eyes on him, even if the other dog walker is talking to you, so you can pick up on any signs that he's feeling uncomfortable.
Et voila. Apologies for the poor camera skills! As soon as I got the camera out he wanted to come and see what is was. As an aside we found out he's Collie and Lurcher, which we'd kind of guessed because of the tail.
You're very kind @onzadog, but we're SW Devon - luckily we have the southern corner of Dartmoor a short walk away so great place to find longer non-road walks, as well as next door neighbours with a pair of well socialised Lurchers. More on the socalising bit below. RE snacks, this morning it was before breakfast and he still wasn't bothered, even though he's already on half rations (on advice from the shelter) as he's a bit portly as you can probably see below. I'll try cheese to start with (as we have some here of course!) and see - our cats have all gone absolutely crazy for cheese so that'd be an easy win if Alvin does too!
@ThePilot, so I tried the 'greeting the other dog first thing' when we went out again earlier, but he still wasn't keen. It appears he much prefers just walking on and ignoring - which works for me. It's only if an off-lead dog comes back for more than a quick sniff that he gets nervous so I think walking and ignoring will be the plan for now.
He's a lovely looking fella! And I love his blue eye and black patch 🙂
It's really difficult with off-lead dogs and clueless owners. Not that I'm against dogs going off lead - mine does where it's safe to do so - but it's dogs with no recall or dogs that lack doggy etiquette skills. Not their fault at all of course, all the damn owners.
All you can do is take control of the situation and deal with the dog yourself. I mean, mine doesn't like dogs round her back end. So I stand behind her and push dogs away (usually while the owner is laughing about "boys being boys"). If he's clinging to you when uncomfortable rather than reacting to the dog, then that's good.
The other thing is, and this is easier said than done, is to avoid dogs off-lead. We see a man who has four dogs and also walks his daughter's four dogs at the same time. He is clearly very busy as he has to make his phone calls while he's walking the dogs. Anyway, we've had a couple of negative interactions where his pack of dogs have run at mine in an aggressive way and sent her scarpering with her tail between her legs. If we see them now, I put her on the lead and walk the other way. It's difficult, shouldn't need to be done but there's not much else you can do.
Just as an aside, don't expect to make any friends while out with your dog. A massive Dogue de Bordeaux started to make her way over to us the other day. I called to say, mine doesn't like bigger dogs. He said: "She's fine, she's fine." I didn't act quickly enough because I should have put her on the lead and taken her away. Anyway dog was not aggressive at all, just 'impolite'. Mine didn't like it and had a go at her. It wasn't terrible but not ideal. We both grabbed hold of our dogs. He took his away, mine laid down on the grass and I stroked her and talked to her as she was clearly stressed and upset. I knew she wasn't physically hurt because it hadn't come to that. He walked away and I looked back to make sure he was going and he gave a filthy look and was shaking his head. I think he thought I should hit her for reacting out of fear/not feeling comfortable with his massive dog. Again, we'll just have to avoid them if we see them again.
On a roll now! I'm also astonished how little people worry about their dogs. Mine was playing with a Cocker the other day. She knows her and they get on. But she was getting a bit rough. The Cocker was running from her with her tail down. She wasn't being aggressive but the Cocker clearly wasn't comfortable. I said to the woman that I didn't think her dog was happy. "Oh, she's fine," she said. I grabbed hold of mine and said we'll let you go first and we'll stay back a bit. Cocker went off, tail started wagging.
I'm no expert. I have learned a lot with my little terrier (and I should have known it/learned about it before I adopted her) but it doesn't seem like rocket science to me. But I am constantly astonished by people's behaviour with their dogs.