I spent over a year looking for the ‘perfect’ rescue dog to join my family. I knew I wanted another collie, had to be a girl (JJ is more scared of boys) and I really wanted her to be my new canicross dog, so young and fit were a must.
Lots of my friends work with dogs, either as trainers, behaviourists or in rescue, so I was inundated with potentials. I also follow a couple of rescues on social media, Protecting Preloved Border Collies is one that I have supported for several years through donations, helping with homechecks and fostering little Willow (read about her here) so their dogs are always popping up on my social media. When I saw Ruby, I just had a feeling she was the one.
Ruby’s little bio was simple enough. 2 yr old collie girl, who’s owner had become too unwell to care for her. Good with other dogs (essential for living with JJ) and that was about it.
A little more info came through from the charity. Good recall, but had never been walked on a lead. Currently in boarding kennels or with the owners daughter. I later found out, Ruby had spent several months in kennels.
So when Ruby arrived I had some expectations about the training she would need, but there seemed to be nothing major and as a qualified canine behaviourist I thought I was more than equipped to deal with a little bit of training.
Training I thought Ruby would need
- How to walk nicely on a lead
- How to canicross (she’s a natural)
Training Ruby actually needed
- How to walk nicely on a lead
- Recall (she has a very high prey drive!)
- Not to jump up at people
- How to take food gently and not guard it from JJ
- Help realising doors will not open if you hit them hard enough with your front feet (she had a dog flap at her previous home)
- Jumping up at me and barking also doesn’t get doors to open
- Barking really loudly at 6am, because we are getting ready to go out, is not appropriate
- Dealing with her emotions e.g. frustration/excitement/anxiety more quietly as barking really loudly in all these scenarios will not make us popular with the neighbours
- Not to be afraid of unfamiliar noisy things e.g. coffee machines/hairdryers/hoovers/food processors/electric whisk
- Not to be afraid of cooking noises e.g. the extractor fan/a pan boiling
- Not to go out of the garden gate alone
- How to play tug nicely with me/JJ
- Toilet training (this may have been because she didn’t have a dog flap anymore, but we had a few night time accidents in the first couple of months)
- Being comfortable with being restrained/picked up when needed e.g. vets/getting over stiles
- Being comfortable being brushed
- Having injections at the vets
- Waiting quietly in the vets waiting room
- Being comfortable around children
- Being able to sit still and do nothing
Yes ,its a long list and 10 months into her time with me we are still working on the majority of that list with varying levels of accomplishment. Despite all of that, Ruby is perfect for my little family and I love her!
My first priority when Ruby arrived, was not figuring out how to train lots of things. I didn’t even know she needed all of that training in the beginning as she took a little while to show all her quirks and personality (Gobby and impatient sums her up!). My main concern was how JJ would take to having a little sister and how I could ensure they built a bond (you can read about that here).
I know that it will take a long time for Ruby to tick off everything on my list. I also know that my knowledge and experience as a canine behaviourist gives me an advantage in that I feel comfortable dealing with all of Ruby’s issues whereas any ‘normal’ family might be overwhelmed by the task ahead. This does not mean that you shouldn’t adopt a rescue dog! The reason I wrote this post is because so many dogs (particularly young dogs like Ruby) are adopted, then returned within days/weeks/months, because the adopters didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. Every time a dog is returned to a rescue, it makes it a bit harder for them to settle in the next home and a vicious cycle begins that could end in them spending months or even years in rescue or worse still, facing euthanasia because the rescues are inundated with new dogs daily and just can’t save anymore!
Every rescue dog needs time to settle in to a new home. Rescue charities cannot always provide a full account of the dog’s personality or history, because it may not be available from previous owners. For that reason its best not to have too many expectations of your new family member. Its best to expect that things may be difficult in the beginning and that you and your new dog will need help.
That help is often available from the charity you have adopted from so please contact them for advice before thinking about returning a dog. The APBC and APDT can also help you find qualified behaviourists and trainers in your area.
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