My Dad has just adopted a rather large rescue dog. Quite a dominant breed. The dog has been in rescue twice through no fault of his own. He just seems so sad. How do you reassure a dog,make him secure. He's obviously very intelligent. My Dad needs to make it clear he's the alpha male whilst avoiding confrontation. Any ideas? This poor dog is so depressed.
Obviously he's getting alot of love,affection and attention but you sense the dog is distrustful of people and appears to be going through the motions. I have never seen a dog look so let down. I would be grateful for any words of advice.
Julie

Julie, *Time* and stability are all you can give him in my experience. He will not have a clue what is going on, so the sooner you can get him into a routine the better. Start as you mean to go on. Do not fall into the trap of letting him get away with anything now, that you may not want him to do in the future, just because you feel sorry for him. Hard I know, but the quickest way to settle him in is to give him *boundaries* and routine :-) What breed is he and how old? Do you know the reasons that he came into rescue in the first place?

I realise it'll take time, it's just the dog has been with 2 different owners,both kept him for two years. I know he could be the biggest delinquent on the block and there is no way my parents would give up on him,but obviously the dog doesn't know that. I guess at the minute it would be nice to spoil him make him happy without giving him alpha status. I'd rather not say what breed he is as it's a very small community and I don't want to offend anyone. It is not a breed likely to end up in rescue. Very large breed, they love people but not over dogs and as I said are a very dominant breed. Definitely pack orientated. Usually breeders will scrutinise people before putting them onto their puppy lists as these dogs find it very hard to readjust,they bond very closely with their families. It's very rare that this breed end up in rescue once let alone twice. Human error,not dog error.

Well without knowing the breed, then I can't be more specific :-) All I can say is what I have already said. Maybe someone else will be able to offer you more advice. Good Luck

hi taffyparker - like leigh says its difficult to give advise unless we know the breed concerned as obviously all breeds are different - but that said - I got a rescue pup at the age of twelve weeks, he is now 6 months old - he had already been found a home by the 'people '(use that word loosely here) that bred him but was returned a week later. I had recently lost my golden retriever to cancer and was devastated, by chance I saw an ad for GSD/Collie puppies very close to where I live and told my hubby I wanted to go and look. I couldn't believe what I saw, that bitch (GSD) was emaciated and the living conditions horrendous, there were four pups left who were so thin it was appalling, I asked what they were feeding and was told the bitch feeds them (they were 12 weeks old:() running alive with fleas and lice. the sire came up to see me to be stroked, he too was terribly thin. They told me that one of the pups had been homed once and then bought back (I think the people must have had second thoughts once they visited their vet) I felt so sorry for him, to have got out of there once and to be returned - I only had enough money for one, so I bought him (Heart ruling head) and got out of there, the place stank, the pups were in their back room, the whole house was filthy (like you see on 'Life of Grime'). I left with the pup, took him home and rang the RSPCA to report them. I cleaned my pup up, deflea'd and deloused him and took him to see my vet. It took him quite a while to settle in with us, he would not come into the lounge with the family and other dogs, he preferred to lay in the kitchen on his own, he was really really really snappy around food (understandably as he was so undernourished) It was so tempting to baby him and try to compensate for his bad start in life, to feed him steak and let him do whatever he wanted, but I had to start as I would have done with any other pup. The same ground rules I have for my other dogs had to also applied to him. Making the kids comply was tough as they wanted to give him extra treats and feed him their dinner as he was so thin - I had to be careful with him around the kids if they were eating as he did steal food on occasion, but he had to learn it wasnt acceptable to steal or to guard food - because we knew why he did it, it did not make it acceptable behaviour. After a week or so he followed me everywhere, he still does. He is really bonded to me and doesn't like to be walked by anyone else. He will walk with the kids or hubby if I am with them, but refuses to budge if someone tries to walk him away from me, (he screams his head off at the same time!) I am still trying hard with him and he is only 6 months, I used to carry him everywhere, to school, to the town centre before he was allowed to walk on the pavement to try to get in some socialisation ,as at 12 weeks he hadn't experienced much at all. I take him to obedience training, and he is doing great. My main concern other than his health was the socialisation, and luckily he is not phased by anything at all yet. We absolutely adore him, and it was realy hard not to treat him differently and spoil him to make up for his life before we got him, but we decided it was better to treat him normally and set out the boundaries early. We can now eat with our plates on our laps and he just lies down and takes no notice. He doesn't bite your whole hand off when you offer him anything now - always a bonus:) As far as breed goes, I though he looked like a GSD when we got him, but now looks like a collie, with his ancestry in mind, both dogs need stimulation hence the obedience, I hope to do agility with him later when he is older. I must apologise for the length of the reply, but wanted to illustrate how tempting it is to treat rescues differently and my advice would be for your father to treat him the same as any other dog, and to pay particular attention to the socialisation of the dog with people and other dogs. Once cookie realised that he was here to stay and that he would always have food, shelter and love and know his place in our pack he seemed to feel secure and happier. Hope it helps julie:)

Muddydogs,
That is really heartwarming, I hope all the pups and the parents were as lucky as your dog. I've just been to visit the folks and the dog seemed abit happier. I gave him a massage, then a good brush and finished off with a long chest rub. I think Leigh is right and maybe it is just a matter of time. You just wish that you knew how to talk dog :)

Julie, I have had many rescue dogs over the years & what Leigh says it right, trust & bonding will come with time. Firm, gentle, consistent handling and lots of TLC will get you there. But do make sure the training starts from day one, much like a puppy, the dog will be much happier & life will be easier all round if it knows the boundaries and what is expected. I know the temptation is there to spoil the dog and make up for it's past life, but remember it is living with your father now and what's happened is the past is over, you have to forget it and move on.
Good Luck
Ingrid

It's good to know this dog now has a permanent and loving home; as others have said it is easy to be extra soppy with a rescue ('specially a sad one) but a little training every day, consistency etc is the key.

If the dog is depressed, is there any chance at all it could be due to a health problem, or do you feel the mood is simply due to what has happened to it? If at all in doubt, do get a full health check done for your peace of mind.

There are some excellent books about rexcue dogs, and the sort of problems that can be expected, by Gwen Bailey, and by Carol Price. I keep forgetting the titles!!! but they are called "The Rescue Dog" or similar and are recent publications. They both give sensible advice and I would recommend them as a general good read and back up.

Lots of luck
Lindsay

Hi,

Have you tried contacting some-one from welfare for the specific breed? Most breeds have rescue and welfare dedicated to them with experienced volunteers who would be able to give you the best advice
:-)
kitty

Thankyou everyone.
Good news, went around this morning and resumed with the grooming and chestrub. After half an hour he stood up, flopped a paw over my leg leaned against me and gave me a fantastic slobbering lick and a lovely wag of the tail. As it got nearer to my Dad's lunch hour, the dog leapt up everytime a car passed wagging his tail and when my Dad eventually walked through the door both of them were thrilled to see eachother. Apparently his behaviour on his last two walks had improved dramatically as well. Early days but I think it's looking good. The breed welfare are in constant touch and are doing an excellent job. I think he's going to be just fine...:D

brilliant news:):):)julie

Aw that sounds like good news - him taking interest in his surroundings and giving kisses :)

He's probably got the home now he was waiting for......:)

LIndsay