Taking a dog to your home is always a noble and generous decision you can make. Whether you found a stray or adopted the dog directly from its previous owner, it can be pretty stressful for your pet to get used to the new environment.
Adoption entails giving a new chance, new life, new environment to a rescue dog; sadly, it comes with its struggles. Likely, they didn’t feel any love before meeting you. To fully help a rescue dog feel joy again, consider the tips mentioned below to establish trust with your dog.
Try hand-feeding your pet.
Hand-feeding your pet is one of the fastest ways to establish trust. The dog has to come to you to get fed. By constantly doing this, the dog understands that you’re the one that provides them. Thus, the dog would know that you care for the dog’s needs and love them.
Allot a time to personally hand-feed your dog since this can significantly increase the chances of a rescue dog trusting you. You can purchase your dog food, chewable, and snacks over at Vitapet. Vitapet offers numerous products that can improve your dog’s health.
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Stay calm and be understanding.
Never yell at your rescue dog since this is one of the worst things you can do to a traumatized living being. Even if they did something wrong, just calmly show them that it is wrong. There’s a high chance that your dog has been beaten up, yelled at, ignored, and hurt numerous times in the past, so raising your voice is never a good thing.
While you may want to greet them excitedly with high energy, this can have adverse effects. Be sure to stay calm when interacting with your rescue dog and keep such temptations to yourself.
Typically, when you greet a dog with excitement, they jump on you. A rescue dog on the other hand, may not be as receptive. Try to learn about the rescue dog’s history. You can learn so much about this, like effective ways to get them to trust you, what they’re afraid of, what actions you should avoid, etc.
Show that you only have good intentions.
There should be mutual trust between the human and the dog. The dog should feel that you trust, love, cherish, and feel comfortable with them. You need to first protect them from harm when they’re afraid and from anything that makes them uncomfortable.
Take your pet for a walk and observe the things they’re afraid of. When you see that they’re uneasy, step in between the stimuli and your dog and show that you’re protecting them.
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Give your dogs space.
Like humans, dogs need their space, too, especially rescue dogs. It’s understandable as a pet owner to be around your dog indoors every time. However, the reality is these dogs may not have had the chance to run around outside. Some might have been in cages all their lives and may have never even seen the outside world.
Making your dog feel safe is the most important thing you should first focus on. The dog needs to feel comfortable inside your home, and giving them space can help with this. When first bringing him into his new home, immediately introduce him to an area that’s only theirs. This way, you’re helping your dog develop trust towards you.
Be sure to comfort them when they’re scared.
Think of your dog as a baby. Of course, when a baby is scared, the obvious thing to do is to comfort them. It won’t take that much effort to settle a dog; a simple pet and a few words are enough for them to calm down. Of course, you should be attentive enough to notice when they’re afraid so that you can comfort them during these times.
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Try to reduce separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety is common amongst rescue dogs. You should always ensure that you make your dog feel secure and wanted. It takes a great deal of effort and time to reduce your pet’s separation anxiety since it’s impossible to be with them all the time, but it will be worth it.
An effective way to reduce this anxiety is by letting the dog have healthy interactions with other people, dogs, and other animals. It helps the dog get used to other people and understand that you will always come back.
Let the dog sleep in your bedroom.
Sleeping beside a dog is a necessity to establish trust with a dog. It gives a dog a sense of reassurance that this new place is a home where someone loves them. You can add a dog bed into your bed or just let them sleep in your bedroom.
Takeaway
Be sure that you have more than enough patience, compassion, and willingness to provide a safe and loving home for your rescue dog. Always trust the process and be consistent since they are still adjusting to a new environment.
Adoption is a huge responsibility, and one shouldn’t take it lightly. Engage yourself in reading more about how you can take care of dogs, how to show your love, and many more.
