Marcus – arrived into a home of 3 adults and an almost teenager, along with another rescue dog (15 months old). Marcus and the resident dog got on well. He very quickly realised that “his” human was his dad, especially after peeing all over him when he was first handed to dad.
A fortnight after his arrival, the other humans that lived with dad decided they no longer wanted to stay around. Nothing to do with Marcus – just bad timing. Totally unexpected from dad’s side. Shit happens; dad’s main focus was making sure that Marcus was OK and a good daily routine was formed.
It takes time for a rescue dog to adapt to their new life, people say it’s initially like a kid in the candy shop – all excitement and far too much fun for them to take in and manage in a sensible way. I’d go one step further and say it’s more like the kid in the candy factory! It also takes time for their personality to show.
Good advice and terms like 3-3-3 and decompression were mentioned. I did my reading and listening – the underlying messages that were being delivered were:
- let the dog dictate the pace and when they are ready to do things.
- do not rush them.
- manage for them (and help them to manage) the drastic change in lifestyle and environment.
Poor Marcus’s world changed once when he arrived in the UK, then again a few weeks later. Two huge changes in just over as many weeks were not ideal! Poor little sod!
What was obvious initially was that Marcus was a very nervous pooch; once it was just the two of us his “attachment” issues and not wanting to be left alone came to light. Having the mindset that these weren’t life threatening things – they were just opportunities that I hadn’t sorted yet – we went forward with the right attitude and a plan was forming. I also took the view that any future changes required to help him settle needed to be gradually introduced one by one. Change the components slowly and surely rather than turning his world upside / inside out and shaking it all about at the same time. You don’t know what you are dealing with until you have experienced it and realised it needs tweaking. Remember – rescue dogs aren’t bad dogs!
When you take on a dog you become their world; they rely on you for food, water, shelter, care, company and entertainment. Make them a huge part of your world! You owe it to your dog to be the best dog guardian you can – no excuses.
Marcus and dad 