When Michael* and his then girlfriend adopted their rescue dog, Bowie, it seemed like a great idea. The couple had already adopted another rescue dog; had taken in three other dogs for shorter care periods until permanent homes were found for them, knew a fair bit about dog training; and were passionate about animal welfare: if they knew a dog was going to be put down, they did the best they could to stop it – even if it meant taking it in themselves.
But life with Bowie didn’t pan out the way they’d hoped. Bowie, a kelpie, needed constant stimulation and walking, was prone to destructive behaviours and was “very highly strung”. Eventually, the couple made the difficult decision to move him on.
“We fell in love with Bowie [and] did our best to train and discipline [him],” Michael recalls. “We had him for about one-and-a-half to two years before we realised we [could not] cater to him in the way he needed. We cherished our time with him but as we get older and noticed his destructive behaviour, we realised were not the perfect fit for him.”
In the 2022-23 period, the RSCPA received a total of 18,778 dogs, of which 2,875 dogs were euthanised, predominantly for behavioural rather than health reasons.
Adopting a rescue dog is a noble thing, but it is not without challenges, and experts say a greater awareness of this can limit the number of dogs which are given up and reduce the emotional effect it has on owners who may feel as if they have failed in their care.
The dog trainer and behaviourist Lara Shannon says one “unfortunate” element of dog rescue is that often people want a rescue dog that fits into their lifestyle – one they can take to cafes, beaches and dog parks. They don’t always recognise the “subtle” language of dogs who are anxious or afraid and end up “imposing” activities on their dogs that increase their anxiety.
The resultant feeling of inability to care for the anxious dog can then mean they end up returning or rehoming them.
“Dog shelters are full of dogs at the 18- to 24-month mark that have been surrendered by their former owners,” she says. “They’re generally larger breeds whose owners say are ‘totally uncontrollable’, but adolescent dogs have hit the age range where their hormones are surging and where, in the wild, they would generally leave the pack.
“What’s generally happening with these dogs is that they were not socialised or trained in their younger [months], so their owners are missing an underlying anxiety. And research has shown that adolescent dogs play up more for the person they’re closest to than a complete stranger.
“It’s a phenomenon like the teenage years when you push back on authority, and it happens so often.”
Shannon says the obvious signs of a reactive or anxious dog include barking, lunging and growling towards other dogs or people, while less obvious ones include yawning while out on walks, walking on their hind legs, licking their lips, overexcited greetings, hypervigilance and difficulty settling down.
Reactions, she explains, often come from fear, and owners should limit exposing them to situations that are causing them to react, while also taking care not to “reward” them for their behaviour.
“When a dog barks or lunges or has a go at what they perceive to be a threat, the dog owner usually removes the dog from the situation,” she says. “The dog is then getting what they want, so in their brain, they go ‘Oh, that worked, I am going to do that again next time’, and the next time they will react with more intensity.”
She recommends recognising your dog’s threshold for interaction, and then keeping them below it: “Try not to keep putting them in the face of their triggers. We want to encourage and promote calm, so when they’re relaxed, that’s the time to really reward that desired behaviour. We need to be focusing on what our dogs are doing right, so they learn that behaviour gets them what they want.”
Instead, Shannon recommends exposing them to their triggers at a distance, then working to distract them so they can learn to look at you, and rewarding them for that behaviour so they learn that “good things can happen in that setting and scenario”. When you’re comfortable, you can reduce that distance between the dog and the trigger.
Working with a positive reinforcement trainer or a vet behaviourist can be especially helpful, she says. “It’s really important that we don’t punish them when they’re telling us they’re being fearful. Working with a positive reinforcement trainer makes such a difference to the dog – and the owner – in the later years.”
Tom* and his partner found themselves with older rescue dogs because they couldn’t stomach the thought of those dogs having no one by their side in their later years. Though the dogs had some issues, they both worked consistently on training, and found great improvement.
“We started with fostering senior dogs that had been surrendered to the rescue late in life,” he says. “It made sense to us to adopt an adult dog that already had some training and was more relaxed than a puppy.” Their first rescue was a 45kg Malamute.
Their most recent dog, which they rescued at just 10 months old, had been with four other owners by the time they took him on. Tom says he was extremely anxious and couldn’t be left alone.
“It took us a steady training program of four months before we could both leave the house,” he says. “We worked with our vet and a trainer to build a good life for him and we love him to bits, but he’s not going to be the kind of dog you can just take to a cafe or a dog park and expect him to just be chill. It’s [now] been two-and-a-half years of consistent work and he has steadily progressed into a lovely adult dog, [but] I continue to work with him on basic training every day.”
Jo Bates, a dog trainer and owner of Crazy Canines, says identifying whether the dog is indeed reactive (a term she says is overused) or anxious is very important.
“Reactivity is an out-of-context reaction or response to a specific environmental context,” she says. “Aggression is the intent to do harm – it is not the same as the often over-the-top behavioural response that is exhibited in reactive behaviours.
“Dogs can take at least six months to settle in to a new home and different behaviours will be exhibited through this time as they are placed into different lifestyle experiences of the owner,” Bates says. “The bond and relationship between the owner and the dog needs to develop over time and it is best not to overwhelm new dogs by placing them in to every lifestyle expectations too early in the journey together.”
She says a team of professionals – trainers, nutritionists and vets – could help establish the right approach, and recommends doing “nose work” games at home and in quiet environments to better train your dog.
Shannon says that relinquishing dogs can sometimes perpetuate the fear and anxiety that dogs have and can make it harder for them to be rehabilitated.
“The shelter environment is incredibly stressful and unfortunately for most dogs their mental health declines in that environment,” she says. “If you’re struggling, try to get that professional help. Not all dogs can be fixed, but it’s manageable. Do enrichment and exercise at home. Leave your expectations at the door and don’t give up.”
Tom encourages people to look to their rescue facilities for advice, and to consider a trial before they commit to a dog.
“Dogs are surrendered to rescues at all stages of their lives and for all different reasons, often it has nothing to do with the temperament or health of the dog, just the circumstance of their previous owner,” he says.
“Do your research on the dog and do some sort of research into how to work with a dog before you get one. There are simple things that people don’t know and if you’ve done the research beforehand you’re more likely to have a successful rehoming.”
*Names changed for privacy
