Rescuing an abandoned and neglected dog is the most rewarding thing that one can probably do. Majority of these dogs have undergone so much mental and physical torture that results in developing behavioral issues in them. Due to all the ill-treatment and hurdles they have experienced, it becomes difficult for them to place their trust in anyone. If you are thinking about giving a better life to a rescue dog then you should always keep in mind that you need to provide proper training to them to filter their acquired bad behavior.
Let’s consider some of the common behavior issues in rescue dogs:
Anxiety
Due to all the ill-treatment, they have suffered so far which results in making them stressed out. For a rescue dog, it is completely a new environment, and he would require some time to get familiar with it. The dog owner needs to curb his anxiety issue by building trust and confidence in him. The dog owner should spend ample time with his furry companion to avoid separation anxiety in a dog. With constant effort and patience, you can easily rule out his anxiety.
Resource guarding
Resource guarding behavior occurs naturally to the shelter dogs as there they have to share everything with other dogs. The dog owner can simply fix this behavioral issue of his furry companion by providing his proper training. On noticing that your dog is guarding his resources then you need to stop his access to that resource, it will make him understand that if he guards his resource (toy or treat) then he no longer will be able to enjoy that.
Destructive behavior
Due to the lack of behavioral training, most rescue dogs display destructive behavior. Your rescue dog can display such behavior due to boredom or release his excessive energy so the dog owners should consider providing him ample exercise daily.
Food aggression
Most people do not understand why do dogs hide their treats. As for a stray dog, finding something to eat is a challenging task due to which they have food aggression or they tend to hide away the surplus food as they are not sure when they will be able to have food next time. Your rescued dog can also display aggression towards food so you need to train him well to filter his behavior.
Anti-social behavior
Due to a lack of confidence, rescued dogs find it difficult to socialize with other people or animals. The dog owner should provide him ample exposure so that he can learn to socialize with others. Training also plays a vital in developing social skills in your furry companion.
So, these are a few common behavior issues that your rescue dog will display, however, with lots of training and affection, you can easily fix all the issues. The dog owner needs to have patience while training his furry companion.
