Adopted my first Rescue - Need some advice!!

[CPH]

So I brought my new adopted rescue dog, Jade, home yesterday! This is my first rescue so this whole process is very new to me. Jade was found on the street in Taiwan and brought to live here with her foster family a month ago.

I knew she would be scared last night but was really surprised at how scared she was. She sat by the door for the longest time and then hid in the other room. She did slowly come out and even layed on her back for a tummy rub! When my boyfriend came over she growled and ran away in to the other room and wouldn't come out. After about an hour we took her for a walk and she was great, even sat near us after. She was still very hesitant of him when he left though.

So is this totally normal for a rescue dog? I saw her with her foster mom and she never growled or was scared of anyone so i found it really strange. Could she have just growled because she was scared and over whelmed?

What has your experiences been with bringing a rescue home?

How long did the adjustment process take?

Anyways just looking for some advice on the adjustment process i guess!

Thanks!

[Mac's Mom]

Thanks for rescuing Jade. Thats awesome. You'll get a lot of great advice here from some very experienced people.

[Good_Karma]

I think it's perfectly normal for a possibly under confident dog whose whole world just shifted to need a few days or even weeks to fully adjust to her new home. When we adopted Rosa, we had met her several times for "play dates" so I think that helped the transition (plus she was a puppy and I think that helped with the adjustment). Just take it slow, try to make things fun, don't baby her or reward the shyness (do your best to ignore it, let her come back out on her own when she is ready). Make sure your boyfriend doesn't push her to interact with him. He could just sit quietly on the floor at a distance from her and randomly toss yummy treats. Watch her body language to see her start to relax and reward her for that.

How long it will take for her to be comfortable depends on her. It's encouraging that she went for a walk with you and was fine.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Keep in close contact with the foster with questions - they are generally that dog's "expert" and while they typically do not see the behaviors that adopters do (for whatever reason) they can give you some good information on how to deal with them best.

The more meetings before adoption the better - I agree, Leah!

There is a Yahoo group called: shy-k9s : shy-k9s that is very helpful, archives alone are worth the membership.

This is a good basic article: BrightStar German*Shepherd Rescue, Rochester, NY

I would start NILIF Nothing in Life is Free and like Leah said do not push her, let her come around on her own by providing her opportunities to succeed and not setting her up to fail.

[Mary Jane]

Let Jade determine her own schedule. If she is crate trained, let her use the crate as a 'safe spot' to retreat when there is too much social pressure. With my shy Wolf I quickly learned his body language and that helped a lot to see what he really liked and what he just tolerates. His mouth says it all.

Keep us posted about your sweet girl.

MJ

[Petrarch]

I bet by now your new adopted dog has come out of her shell. Just don't reward or pay attention to her when she acts shy or hides because that'll only reinforce that behavior.

Dogs want to be part of a family pack. When she realizes herself as a full member of this pack, with you as the leader of the pack, her natural happiness will show through.

By the way, as a person who adopted from a rescue and has the heart to do so, you are now accepted as a member of a much larger group (saints).