Still not convinced? See our top 10 reasons to adopt:. You truly give them the keys to start anew in a life where second chances can often be hard to come by.
Either way, a new four-legged friend gives you a reason to get outdoors more and stretch your legs! You can enjoy all the retail therapy you want while making sure your new rescue dog is living in the lap of luxury.
Aggression towards other dogs A lot of rescue dogs are poorly socialised. They may not have had much interaction with other dogs or been allowed to play with their canine companions.
This means they have to learn doggy social skills at an older age, with the help of a dog trainer. They also need a patient owner who will work on their socialisation by teaching them how to interact nicely with other dogs. Again, some rescue dogs may never get along with other dogs and might have to be kept apart from them or wear a muzzle when on walks.
However, a lot of dogs can be successfully rehabilitated given the right training. No recall Some rescue dogs will have absolutely no recall. However, this is definitely something you can work on over time. They just need to build a bond with you and undertake some recall training.
They may have previously been allowed to roam free and do what they want, and have no idea that they are expected to return to their owners on command. Some breeds struggle with recall more than others, and often have to be kept on a lead for example, Siberian Huskies. For some owners that isn't such a problem as they can find other ways to exercise and stimulate their dog.
Complete lack of training A small minority of rescue dogs have had absolutely no training. You can have them doing a sit and a paw in no time, as long as you have some tasty treats of course. These type of dogs do need a special home, where someone is around most of the time. They can then be gradually taught to be left on their own.
Destructive Unfortunately some rescue dogs are destructive. They might chew and scratch things when they are bored, left unattended or stressed. Again, this behaviour can be managed by the right owner with the help of a canine behaviourist. Taking on a rescue dog can be a difficult challenge, especially if they have existing issues. You need to build up trust and help to improve their confidence.
Settling into a new environment is always going to be daunting for a dog, the first few weeks will be the toughest while they adjust to their new surroundings. If you have a new rescue dog then here are some tips to help you to get them to trust you. The first thing you need to do is settle into a routine. Be predictable and stick closely to your new dog's daily routine.
They will become more at ease once they know what is expected of them on a daily basis. This means having set feeding times and walking times. Always let them out to the toilet first thing in the morning, when you return home, after eating and last thing at night so they know when they will be able to go. Settling into a routine will help to build trust between you and your new rescue dog.
One of the best ways you can get any dog to trust you is to give them food. However, if your rescue dog is not very food orientated you may have to try other rewards such as giving them a toy. Simply giving your dog their daily meals will help to improve your relationship. Give them tasty treats regularly and they will gradually begin to trust you.
If there are a few people living in your household make sure everyone spends time with your new dog and gives them treats. Play is an excellent way to build a bond with your dog. Spend lots of time with your new rescue dog playing different games such as fetch and tug of war. Find out what sort of toys your dog likes the most by trying out a range of toys.
Dogs tend to trust and respect the person that takes them out on walks. Take your dog out for regular walks to different places. Don't get agitated to show that your are annoyed if your dog is taking a long time to get to know you. Some rescue dogs have been through awful ordeals and it can take years for them to get back to normal. You will see small improvements but don't expect a miracle.
If you put too much pressure on your new rescue dog you could make them worse. Every dog is different , it depends on their background and temperament as to how long it will take them to trust you. The worst thing you can do when trying to build trust is be over the top. Sometimes giving too much affection can make your dog feel uncomfortable. Remember not all dogs like to be hugged as it can make them feel confined. Give them some space to start off with until you know each other better.
Try not to leave your new rescue dog on their own for too long when you first get them. Leaving them alone in a new environment could cause them to become very anxious. Help them to trust you by gradually extending the time you leave them for and never leave them for longer than four hours.
Doing some training and spending time teaching your dog some simple tricks is great for building your relationship. Your new dog will get used to your tone of voice and begin to read your body language. My family have always had Weimaraners from puppies. We had one dog called Silber who was around when I was a baby. Then, at the age of six a new Weimaraner puppy was brought home, we named him Riki.
My experience of dogs as a child would always involve getting a pedigree dog from a puppy. When I was 18, Riki, the dog I grew up with passed away at the age of 14 this is a pretty good age for a Weimaraner. A few months later, my father also passed away. After many lonely months without a canine companion, my sister and I told our mum we wanted a dog. I started looking for rescue dogs online, searching far and wide to find a Weimaraner that needed rescuing.
Eventually we found Kaspur, a four year old Weimaraner in need of a home. I remember going to visit him at the rescue centre. He was in a complete state, clearly not coping very well with kennels and had serious digestion issues. He was very thin, but still had bags of energy and jumped up with excitement to greet us.
We took him out on a trial walk, and boy did he pull on the lead. The rescue centre said he had previously had four failed homes we should have picked up on that warning sign! It was clear that no one had been able to cope with him. Having had a lot of experience with Weimaraners and being used to strong dogs, we knew we could provide the right home for him.
It was the middle of winter and it has recently been snowing, even in his coat he was clearly freezing and not enjoying kennel life. He whined for most of the car journey home, unsure of what was going on. Little did we know what sort of challenge we were in for, even though we had experience of rescue dogs! Kaspur was a very difficult rescue dog. He had all sorts of issues.
For the first few weeks he would cry all through the night, have the odd accident here and there and managed to get into the bins several times. He was also bad with other dogs, and would go crazy on the lead if he saw another dog. We tried our best to help him settle in despite these problems. At one point my mum was considering taking him back he was so bad. He had had too many people give up on him. I was pretty sure we were his last chance, so I persuaded mum to let him stay.
Kaspur was extremely difficult in the beginning. It took a lot of work to correct his behaviour and build his trust in us. We had a behaviourist come in and help us and took him to dog training classes. It was only after a couple of years that he really improved.
Most rescue dogs will settle in quickly, but some take years to get over their problems. Nowadays, Kaspur is as good as gold.
I moved out a few years back and he lives with my mum. After taking on Kaspur, I realised I had an interest in canine behaviour. I have always loved dogs, but I wanted to take my fascination further and learn more about them. I started a canine behaviour course which took place one evening a week for a year. I really wanted to get another dog, and I knew it would help me with my canine behaviour studies if I had one. I convinced my boyfriend to get a dog, and of course it had to be a rescue dog.
We searched online and visited lots of dog rescue centres, looking for the right dog. We had both grown up with different dogs and wanted to get a breed that neither of us had had before.
At one of the rescue centres we immediately noticed a wolf like dog staring at us from her kennel. She jumped up and licked the glass, and when we went to walk away, she barked at us.
We knew instantly she was the one. Her name was Orla, and she was a pretty 1 year old Collie Husky cross with one blue and one brown eye. We took her for the standard test walk, and for half of it she was jumping around on her hind legs. Clearly she needed some training on the lead, but she was friendly and affectionate and very striking. All the reception staff loved her, and she would lay down and roll over for her belly to be rubbed.
The rescue centre told us some basics about her background, she did have owners, but they let her stray all day while they were at work. We adored her, so we took her home that day. Orla has been completely different to Kaspur. Our behaviourists are highly experienced and knowledgeable about specific breed traits, giving new owners complete peace of mind. We often have a wide range of dogs at our centres including pure and cross breeds.
We take in dogs of all types, so we never know who is coming through our gates. Please note: we currently have fewer dogs than usual. To help us manage the number of dogs and cats currently in our care, and to ensure we have the capacity to respond to emergency cases while following Government guidelines, we have reduced the number of animals we take in at our centres. New dogs and cats come into our care every day, so please keep visiting our site to see the dogs available for rehoming. Our vet checks include worming, flea treatment and vaccinations.
All animals rehomed from us may return to the Clinic for free treatment for conditions relating to their stay for up to three months. We find loving homes for our dogs in and around London and much further afield — even overseas.
All that we ask is that you can travel to one of our centres to meet them and we will then arrange a home visit if necessary. Even though some of our dogs would prefer a rural environment, we do have dogs who would happily live in a city home. Yes, many shelters do have puppies available for adoption. You get the same benefit of having an adorable puppy — and the same responsibility for training. In the case of mixed-breed puppies, the shelter might not be completely sure of their heritage — which could mean they end up bigger than expected when they grow up!
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