12/17/2023
I am posting this article by Martha Hoffman as I know some of you have really struggled with adopted dogs. Also it gets one thinking that we are not the only complex animal :)
"The rapid eruption of problem behavior in adopted rescue dogs is a frequent issue.
Itâs often blamed on the new adoptor, the clueless person who seemingly transforms a perfect shelter rescue who passed all evaluations, into a territorial, resource guarding dog who is very bonded to the adoptor but also desplays separation anxiety and extreme fear or aggression to strangers.
I've seen this phenomenon hundreds of times in shelter situations.
Dogs that were previously tightly bonded to an original owner might grieve and ignore people for up to 3 weeks in a shelter. During this period, they might be evaluated as unsocialised, aloof, or fearful of people. This might not be accurate.
Then they recover, and become open to a new bond. Suddenly, they seem to love everyone, because they are ready to bond, but have not yet bonded with one person. This means the shelter interprets them as very social, and adoptable to most situations.
These dogs often don't show any territoriality that might be a part of their temperament, because they no longer have a territory.
They don't show any separation anxiety they might previously had, because they like everyone equally and get comfort from multiple people who they don't live with 24/7.
Some dogs like this are naturally social with strangers, but many are not. But their behavior in the shelter environment doesn't always show the difference. With no social group, all strangers are equally likable.
These unbonded dogs soon latch onto a volunteer or adoptor or foster person.
After as short a time as a few hours, but usually a week or more, the dog starts to fear or distrust or act aggressive to all other people.
Now bonded, it can perceive the difference between it's social group and outsiders.
Depending on its temperament, it may suddenly become fearful, territorial, or aggressive to strangers or to non-bonded family members.
Territoriality that was previously almost undetectable increases as the dog gets accustomed to its new home.
Now that the dog has resources, any previous resource-guarding issues it had, soon re-appear.
Breeds that are typically one-person dogs, such as Cattle Dogs, Chihuahuas and Malinois, often show this to extremes. They and many other breeds have been selected to only bond with a small social group.
Breeds selected to have a large flexible social group, with lifelong ability to bond or accept new people, donât usually have as many issues when adopted from shelters. For instance, Goldens, Poodles, and Labradors.
Separation anxiety shows up as the dog bonds, and the new owner needs to immediately establish routines to help the dog feel secure when alone. But they don't. They are in love with the loving dog, and they don't see where the bonding behavior is leading to.
I have rescued many hundreds of amazing superstar dogs from shelters. I donât want to discourage anyone from doing so. But in spite of this, I find it easier to evaluate dogs that are in foster homes. The dog often shows its temperament and past issues more clearly.
Evaluating about 20,000 shelter dogs over my career, I've been mistaken many times about temperament and suitability for Hearing Dog careers. My extensive evaluation protocols are designed to flush out and detect any unwanted traits or behaviors, but a test often only exposes the outer aspects of the dog in its present state of mind. Itâs necessary to dig deeper.
The superstars in a shelter deserve adoption. And the adopters need intensive support for a good transition. Otherwise, the shelter is breaking hearts of loving people. When evaluating shelter dogs, even the slightest red flag needs to be taken seriously. Tests do not give answers: they can only stimulate asking more questions with further evaluations. "
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Photos of dogs and people in Bali.
