What are the main behavioral problems a young dog might have with being in a shelter too long?

Answer 1

Fear, aggression, fear biter or just plain biter. Anti social, hyper so on and so on. Be wary of shelter dogs! I paid the price and he was a "good dog" according to them.

Answer 2

If your puppy/dog was in a shelter for a long time, it might have been a no kill shelter. If so, volunteers and employees both go in and socialize with the animals. If that is the case, then the worst problem would be housebreaking and being excited. But, that's also a joy of having a pet... they are so excited to see you! You may have to teach your pet some manners, but you would have that with any new pet. I took in an 8-9 month old pup that my neighbors didn't want anymore because he wasn't housebroke. They let him run the streets, so he climbs the fence if I let him out with a cable. It will take time, love, and a lot of patience. But, depending on who had your puppy before, you may run into problems like that. I rescued a doxie that someone had left in a carrying cage for a long time... she just took off and left him. He had malnutrition and other problems when I got him. It's been years now, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. He is the most loyal, funny, sweet little guy I have ever had. The love and patience were definitely worth any problems we had in the beginning. Since he had been starved, his main problem was when anyone went hear his food. Can't blame him, though!

Answer 3

Hard to answer because it really depends on the individual dog's personality and experiences in life and at the shelter.

I've adopted all of the dogs I've had in my adult life from shelters. Two of the three had anxiety issues of some nature and one had full-blown separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is not uncommon in shelter dogs.

All three of mine (one has since passed on) were adopted as young adults, ranging from just under a year old to an estimated three years of age. One had been at the shelter for over three months and one had been there for only two weeks. All came out of the shelter with a whole lot of excess energy that needed to be burned off. Maybe part of it was sheer exuberance at being released and finding a home!

None of my dogs had any known history, other than they were found as strays, so the reason the dog is at the shelter could be a clue for you. In my case, was always a bit puzzled as both of my females became immediately attached and the male, while he did tend to love everyone and once did try to wander off, all responded to the "come" command.

I have learned that obedience training and continued working with the dog and enforcing good behavior through repeated training commnnds is a good bonding tool. The dog gains confidence and you learn to work with your dog.

Every dog is different, but if you're adopting from a shelter I urge you to take advantage of the discounts often offered with obedience trainig through an affiliated program or locate a reputable trainer or program thru the shelter or a vet. People sometime balk at the price (between $75 to $120 in my experience for a basic obedience class), but it's so worth it in trms of a well behaved and confident dog!

Good luck!

Answer 4

Your question makes me think of my dog ... she's 8 years old now ... but I found her as a stray. She's a lab-mix ... she was about 3 months old when I found her and only weighed 3 pounds. Nearly starved to death. She was so close to death that I couldn't get her to eat for 2-3 days. Bottom-line -- today she is very happy and healthy. But ... there are certain things about her personality that I think are attributable to her "beginnings".

I live on a 25-acre place in the mountains ... no fences ... but she never-ever-ever goes more than 100-200 yards beyond the house. I have a couple of other dogs that will run off and go swimming in the river, etc., etc. ... My other 2 dogs are full-blood labrador retrievers, and this one dog is a lab-mix. But this one dog will never go beyond the perimeter of the house. She also will follow me from room-to-room in the house ... she always wants to be wherever I am.

Anyway, my point is, I attribute this to the fact that she is so "grateful" to have found a home after having been abandoned and abused so early in her life.

But also, taking into consideration some of the comments from the other Answerers, she does have an "aggressiveness" about her that my other dogs don't have. She is very-very protective of the property ... and goes absolutely "ballistic" whenever there is a kid around. She has never bitten a kid, but I have never been able to break her of pseudo-attacking any kid that comes around. I have always wondered if maybe she was abused by a kid back before I found her.

Anyway, my point is that dogs are just like people ... they and we are all products of what happened to us during our formative "years". We can work toward overcoming it (and we can help our dogs to overcome it), but some of the stuff just doesn't go away.

Answer 5

Most of it will depend on the dog and on how the shelter cares for the dogs. I volunteer at a shelter and some of the dogs have been there over 2 years. The only issue is lack of obedience. The issues are all curable with training.

Answer 6

The dog wouldn't like the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter" very much.

Answer 7

They can be extremely energetic, hard to calm down, and if they have been in a VERY long time, somewhat agressive.
However, nothing that a lot of TLC won't cure. Keep in mind, they don't come potty trained, obedience trained, or anything else, it's a commitment. I recommend crate training for the "accident" thing, though.

Answer 8

mostly any dog that has been in a shelter to long would probably have many types of anixety.
They may be scared of humans more than usual.
Or they may just be shy.

Answer 9

Potty training, agression, fear, anxiety, attachment problems, Socialization is almost nil. these are just for starters. but there are good dogs that can be found in shelters, but don't just pick one because of their time in "jail"

Answer 10

did you recently adopt a dog? many things. extreme shyness, not really knowing what to do outside a crate. cage agression. being aggressive being put in or out of a crate. not knowing how to interact with people or other animals. many things. just what exactly, is your question?