u/RedHeelRaven

We got another dog 3 weeks after my sweet was euthanized. She died from cancer. I still grieve my passed dog. We picked for lack of a better term a project dog from a puppy mill.

It’s helped a lot. I talk about my passed dog with my new dog. We visit the places that were special to my dog when she was alive. I no longer fill a water bowl for a dog that isn’t there to drink it. I now fill it with purpose.

The only thing I can recommend is to not compare the new dog with your dog that passed. You will not yet have the bond you shared with your other dog and sometimes it’s kind of hard to have a new dog without a bond yet. It can make you miss the dog more at times. But there’s a dog out there that needs a home. Needs safety, love and comfort. You will become that dog’s everything.

I’ve never had an issue. I wonder if the issue is they aren’t keeping up with their emails or applications. If they have one person in charge of this and they aren’t doing a good job it can be a problem.

I’d try reaching out by phone. Or see when they are holding an adoption event in which they are bringing their dogs out to a Petsmart or other venue, and meet the volunteers and dogs.

As for the application we have always indicated we won’t crate the dog. And that the dog does not typically get left alone for more than 4 hours. Hope that helps.

Haha. I remember the days of “potty treats” for my kids when potty training. My one loved Ande’s chocolate mints.

We’ve had 2 rescue dogs that never lived in a home. They are very challenging. The “troubled past” comment makes me a little concerned. Hopefully that does not include aggression or a bite history. A staffy mix is a dog that can do a lot of damage so I understand why people may not recommend this type of dog for an inexperienced dog owner. That doesn’t mean it’s not doable, just extra caution needs to be used.

But dedication, patience and the willingness to learn go a long way in dog rehabilitation as well as utilizing all resources at your disposal.

The first thing the dog will need is calm, confident leadership. The dog must feel that you are in charge so they don’t respond to their anxiety and decide they make the decisions. Positive reinforcement is imperative, as well as long dog walks that create and strengthen bonds.

You will need to pay attention to your dog’s cues. Catch them getting anxious/excited before they are ramped up and redirect behavior and show them they don’t need to be scared unless you are scared. In short you want them to learn to mostly mirror your energy. Not always of course, but mostly.

Safety measures should be in place. Shelter dogs, outdoor dogs are big flight risks. Make sure to identify how and where your dog may try to escape and take measures to prevent this. Do not allow the dog off leash with children or with other animals until they have proven they can be trusted. Some dogs will always need to be on leash for this.

Get a good dog behavioral expert. Not a dog trainer who calls themself an expert. Get that in place before you bring the dog home and the dog should be evaluated by them as soon as possible.

Separation anxiety work starts on day one. Make sure you are prepared for this before you bring the dog home.

We had our “aggressive” border collie/chow mix for 14 years. She was estimated to be 2 when we got her. Very high energy. A good behaviorist made all the difference in rehabilitating her. She no longer showed signs of aggression after 6 months. But I never trusted her alone or off leash with small children. She was an absolute joy. A very loved family member who trained my other dogs when we brought them home.

Good luck. Please post updates.

Sorry about the loss of your Bear. That’s very hard on you and Houdini. Right now it appears Houdini doesn’t feel safe on walks without Bear. Houdini likely thinks he has to protect himself and you during walks.

I think it would help if you work with Houdini. He’s grieving so take it slow. He needs to believe that you are the calm, confident leader who protects him. So I’d work on that aspect of the relationship. A competent dog behaviorist can help. Make sure they’re competent though and not just a dog trainer who advertises themself as an expert on dog behavior.

You can also work on desensitizing your dog to other dogs. Our new guy developed leash aggression after being approached by unleashed dogs who weren’t friendly.

I spent weeks desensitizing him before I saw progress. The key was getting his attention to “watch me” as soon as we saw another dog. He was then given a high value treat. Eventually he associated seeing other dogs as a good thing. We can walk by almost all dogs now except other leash aggressive dogs. When we see a dog lunging and barking we turn around before they get close to each other.

Good luck. You can turn this behavior around. It’s just going to take time and effort and lots of high value treats.

My new guy is a nibbler. That’s how he got my attention at the rescue. No way did I want a young, puppy mill, project dog after losing the most easy and mellow dog in the world to cancer. But that nibble, that damned nibble….

I don’t have 3 dogs now but I spent many years with a 3 dog household. How the dogs get along will determine if it’s feasible for your home. In our case we had a female dog “the enforcer” who made it her job to keep the other dogs in line. She was a mix of working/herding dog and guardian dog breeds so it was in her blood. Never had any issues. When she died the 2 remaining dogs got in a few scuffles until they figured out who got to be in charge after her death. After that they were peaceful together.

The dog we lost in February from cancer grieved the loss of her family for 6 months. We adopted her from a rescue group but she missed her family so badly. She acted happy at times but needed alone time and had nightmares. She literally cried out in her sleep. She came around and gave us the goofy, happy side of her after she processed her loss. Maybe just act excited to see him first thing in the morning and during the day. So he knows he is loved while he grieves. Hang in there, it will get much better.

Pug, or most bully breeds due to the health concerns. I lost a dog to chemodectoma cancer which is very rare and usually affects these breeds. Plus the girl I lost was heat intolerant. Our AC went out right before the temps hit 100 degrees almost 2 years ago. I panicked and lucky my husband was able to call in a favor to get it fixed that day. I in no way want to worry my dog might die if the AC fails and be scrambling to find a way to keep them cool and breathing.

Also keep in mind she now loves you and is also taking on the role of your protector. We had a dog like that and worked with a behaviorist to stop the aggression. Part of the rehab was making the dog confident in me. That she didn’t need to worry unless I was worried. A lot went into that which is why I recommend a very good behaviorist. Not just someone who had experience with dog obedience training and calls themself a behaviorist. Good luck. This reactivity can be curbed.