We work with “problem” dogs quite often. Dog aggression, human aggression, anxiety, reactivity, fear—you name it.
Many dogs with behavioural issues are rescues. Even though people like to give credit for such issues to a dog’s unknown history, there are so many reasons for problematic behaviours that there is no point in even attempting to list all of them. However, there is one particularly prominent contributing factor, which is almost always overlooked by the owners. That is, failure to establish clear and comfortable communication with the dog during the first three months following its acquisition.
I like to call these three months a “honeymoon” period because a rescue dog’s behaviour is close to perfect during that time. The reason is quite simple and obvious: a dog ends up in an unfamiliar environment and, unless it naturally has an overwhelming amount of confidence (most dogs do not), it will tread carefully, slowly exploring the rules of the new territory. This usually lasts anywhere between one and three months, during which the new owners feel like they won the lottery because their new dog is so good. Many report that it listens to them, follows them everywhere, and loves their guests, kids, and other animals. This “perfection” does not seem to need any intervention or guidance, and the new owners relax and enjoy the blissfulness of having a great canine companion.
The “honeymoon” usually ends abruptly. One day you walked past that grandma with a walker with your rescue dog, and the dog was fine, and the next day it throws a fit, puts on an aggressive display, and attempts to eat that grandma. Or that new dog suddenly starts disliking other dogs, terrorizing your cat, growling at your kids—doing something it had never done before. This is the point at which the rescue dog accumulates enough confidence to really start coming out of its shell, and this is precisely the point at which people start seeking training help upon realizing that there is an issue.
The ironic truth is that this seeking needs to happen before there is an issue. As soon as you bring your new rescue dog home, enroll it in group obedience. It might seem like this specific dog does not need it, but the training is not just about “needs.” It is about shaping your relationship, establishing clear communication, building yours and dog’s confidence and, ultimately, reaching the coming-out-of-shell point earlier, without stress, and with all the appropriate knowledge.