Not all rescue dogs have difficult behavior issues. But it’s common enough that it’s worth thinking about before you start visiting shelters.
Common issues include separation anxiety, reactivity, and fearfulness. Some dogs are aggressive with other dogs and need an adopter who can commit to being a one-dog household. There are a lot of teenage dogs whose previous owners bought when they were eight weeks old, didn’t socialize them, and surrendered them when they became rude, un-socialized adolescents.
Adopting a dog with “issues” can be very rewarding, but you need to make sure you can handle it
Some issues, like mild shyness or adolescent rudeness, can be worked through with a lot of patience. But others, like severe separation anxiety or reactivity, will completely change the way you live your life.
So before you commit to a dog like this, do some research into the kind of training and behavior modification they’ll need.
A starting point: our behavior problems archives
Can you afford to invest in professional behavior help? Are you willing to consult with multiple trainers/behaviorists until you find the right one?
Do you have a support network of friends/family who can dogsit sometimes? Because dogs with clinical separation anxiety cannot be left alone until they’ve gone through months of behavior modification. And with any challenging dog, it’s important to get breaks now and then, for your own sanity.
Do you want this? Do you want to become basically an amateur dog trainer? Because most owners of challenging dogs have to.
What kind of life do you actually want?
Some people dream of a dog who can tag along to dog-friendly cafes, socialize at the dog park, happily greet houseguests, travel easily, or feel comfortable in busy, unpredictable environments.
And that’s amazing! It only becomes a problem when we adopt a dog without taking a hard look at whether they’re likely to enjoy those things.
The kindest thing you can do for many rescue dogs is accept their limitations
I realize that statement goes against the cultural narrative that love and training can help any dog “rise above” their tragic backstory. Become the calm coffee shop dog, the therapy dog, the agility champion.
But how much of that is actually for the dog’s benefit, and how much is for our own egos?
Many dogs will never thrive around crowds, strangers, strange dogs, or constant novelty. Hell, it’s the same with humans. I’m a huge introvert. You could drag me to fancy parties every weekend, and I’d do my best. I’d put on my happy social mask. But would I enjoy it? Nah.
And hey, something important to keep in mind about those “overcoming the odds” before-and-after rescue stories:
Many of those dogs were adopted by professional dog trainers with a lot of resources. A mechanic might decide to buy a broken-down car that needs a million things fixed before it can even run. But there’s no way I, the very much not-a-mechanic, would take on a project like that.
A real (and real common) example
We once worked with a client who had a very full social life. They loved hosting parties and going to lunch with friends. They wanted a dog to join them in that.
But the dog they actually adopted came from a pretty serious hoarding situation. At minimum, this little guy was poorly bred, poorly socialized, and neglected. At worst, he may have been abused.
When the client brought him home, they discovered he was fear-aggressive toward strangers. They sent him to an expensive board-and-train program. Which suppressed his barking and other outward signs of fear for a while, but it couldn’t change who he was.
The client first reached out to us few months later. After the dog had started lashing out “unpredictably” at doggie daycare workers, party guests, and restaurant servers.
Don’t get me wrong – these folks were great clients whom we respected a lot. They loved their dog deeply and were willing to put in a lot of work to help him.
They just hadn’t really thought about what adopting a dog with severe trauma would mean for them before they committed.
The choice to make
None of this means you should never adopt a dog with serious behavioral challenges. It just means you have to be reeeaaally honest with yourself. About the life you want, about your capacity, and about what you are (and are not) willing to sacrifice.
If you think you could do it, great! If not, that’s great, too. There is no shame in recognizing that you’re not what a particular dog needs, and moving on to find a dog you can help.
Another option is to join a shelter as a foster home, so you can temporarily take in challenging dogs without the lifelong commitment.
