Over Anxious Rescue Dog Owners

Taking on a rescue dog is a big decision. I admire people willing to take on a dog with an unknown history, that would otherwise be stuck in a rescue centre or even destroyed. However, I do encounter a lot of anxious rescue dog owners. The unknowns and the fear of the dog reacting makes for anxious owners. This nervousness is then passed on to the dogs.

Rehab For Rescue Dogs

I saw two such cases on the same day. Bandit is a 51kg German Shepherd. He’s been with his new owner for over a year but is still a young dog. As is often the case with rescue dogs, the new owner has overloved Bandit. It’s thought lots of love will solve the issues caused in the past. However, a powerful dog like this with no structure and boundaries is a liability.

Within an hour, I had Bandit walking next to me on a loose lead, calm and relaxed. His reactiveness to other dogs is being caused by the anxiety of the owner. This anxiety passes down through the lead to the dog, who then reacts to everything around them as a cause for concern.

Joel is a similar story. This Saluki X Whippet (Lurcher) is also a rescue dog. He previously lived with travellers and has bite scars  – he has possibly been used in hare coursing or some other cruel sport. He is aggressive and needs a lot of training and patience. Once again, I had the dog walking nicely on the lead with me by the end of the lesson. I have given the owners strategies to use when handling Joel to replace anxiety with confidence.

Both of these dogs experienced significant rehabilitation within one hour of training. There is of course a long way to go but these anxious rescue dog owners can now see a way to enjoying the dogs they have taken in.

Posted: June 22, 2020