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The Journey of Adopting a Dog: Navigating the Challenges and Celebrating the Wins


Living with an adopted dog is a wonderful journey full of surprises and rewards.


After bringing your new companion home, it’s crucial to allow them time to decompress. Once your dog begins to feel safe and settled in their new home, you’ll start to see their true personality emerge which is so fun! This period takes anywhere from a week to a month, although after a week you should start seeing peeks into your dog's true self. This time can be both exciting and challenging—exciting because you’ll discover your dog’s fun and silly sides & challenging because you may also encounter some unexpected behavior issues.


Understanding the Adjustment Period


After a few weeks in your home, your adopted dog will begin to feel more comfortable. They’ll start to think, “Maybe I’m staying here,” which can lead to more exploration and the establishment of a routine. The real fun begins when your dog’s true personality starts to shine as they let their guard down. However, this is also when you might notice some “naughty” behavior, which is completely normal. There may have been different rules where your dog used to stay or it's possible they've never been taught how to successfully live with humans.


During this adjustment period, many new pet parents feel overwhelmed by their dog’s “sudden” misbehavior. For instance, your dog might have been meek and mild during the first few weeks (often referred to as the “honeymoon” period), but now they’re barking excessively or chewing on furniture. You might feel like you’re losing your patience. This is a critical moment because it's the time when many dogs are unfortunately surrendered back to shelters. The overwhelm is temporary & all your dog really needs is training and your love.


Remind yourself that this is a temporary transitional period. There's good news & good behavior at the end of it! Hire a positive reinforcement trainer or enroll your dog in a basic manners class to teach your dog the behavior you expect of them. This will resolve the issues and allow the overwhelm to fade away.



The Silver Lining: Your Dog is Getting Comfortable


No matter what shenanigans your dog is currently getting up to, the silver lining in this challenging period is that your dog is beginning to feel at home. They trust you and are showing you their true self. Your dog just does dog stuff and, right now, they have no idea what is and isn't appropriate behavior in your home.


While this can be frustrating (especially when your favorite shoes get destroyed), keep reminding yourself it’s a sign your dog is starting to trust you and relax. The honeymoon period is over! There's no reason to panic as any unwanted behaviors are changeable.


The solution to unwanted dog behavior is simple: training. Studies show the majority of dogs surrendered to shelters for “bad” behavior have not received any formal training. That's shocking to me! We educate ourselves, teach our children and then expect a dog to just figure out how to behave perfectly on their own. That's just ridiculous.


Here’s something you may not know about dogs: everything they do is motivated by gaining pleasure or avoiding pain. They aren't stubborn and don’t act out of spite or a desire to dominate you. Your dog's top priority is to love you and stay with you forever. Just like any parent, it’s your responsibility to teach them how to behave.



The Benefits of Training Your Adopted Dog Go Well Beyond Just Good Behavior, too!


Training your dog not only resolves behavior issues but also offers several additional important benefits:


  • Training teaches your dog how you want them to behave.

  • Training strengthens the bond between you and your dog.

  • Training builds your dog's confidence (& yours!)

  • Training together deepens & strengthens your relationship.


Pretty great, right?


When engaging in private or group training, it’s crucial to only work with trainers who use modern, science-backed methods. Look for phrases like "positive reinforcement," "force-free," "pain-free" and "click & treat" in their descriptions. Positive trainers are very open about their training methods. If it isn't clear a trainer uses positive reinforcement, it's quite possible they don't.


Avoid trainers who use outdated methods like shock collars or prong collars, which may seem effective in the short term but can harm your dog and damage your relationship with them. Trainer who refer to themselves as "balanced" use a combination of positive and punishment based training and should be avoided as well.


Positive reinforcement training focuses on teaching dogs what you want them to do rather than punishing them for “wrong” behaviors. Your dog enjoys the training process because it feels like a game and the results last a lifetime.



Getting Started with Positive Training


Step 1: Implement a Management Plan


The first step in dog training is to employ management to help your dog avoid making mistakes. Essentially, management is a fancy dog trainer term for keeping your important stuff out of your dog’s reach so they can't get themselves in trouble by making bad choices. For example: put away anything you don’t want your dog to destroy. If the item can’t be moved, block your dog’s access to it with furniture or baby gates.


Management gives you two main benefits: (1) it keeps your dog from destroying your things, and (2) it reduces the chances of reinforcing unwanted behaviors, making it easier to train your dog to behave differently. You can use management as a permanent or temporary solution to a behavior problem.


Step 2: Train Your Dog to Do Something Different


At the basis of positive training is the concept of teaching good behavior (rather than punishing unwanted behavior). The goal is to teach your dog a desirable behavior that is incompatible with the unwanted behavior.


For example: say your dog barks when guests enter your home. You can train them to go to their bed and hang out instead. You might want to hire a professional positive trainer to help with this, especially if your dog shows signs of reactivity or aggression (which are generally fear based responses). Remember, your dog isn’t trying to dominate or disrespect you—they simply haven’t been taught how to behave appropriately yet. That’s your job now.


As you continue to train and bond with your dog, you’ll discover their favorite treats, games & walks routes. You’ll also learn how much exercise they need and what new behaviors you want to teach them. Every day will bring new joys and you’ll build one of the best relationships a human can have.


My name is Ruth Hegarty and I'm a certified positive dog trainer specializing in fearful/anxious dog behaviors like separation anxiety, reactivity & aggression. I'm also the mom of an adopted dog with trauma-based reactivity. I'm certified in dog bite safety education, pet loss support, life coaching for families with reactive dogs and am a Fear Free certified professional. I'm the owner of Creature Good Dog Training where we are known for being compassionate, non-judgmental, fun, expert & easy to work with dog trainers. I’m passionate about helping fearful dogs and their people thrive by offering in-person and online training options.


Click here for a free online dog training consultation with me! I'm excited to speak with you about your adopted dog.



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