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It was about a month for ours to settle in the house. We used a playpen/baby gates to expand his space and that really seemed to help him.
We have slowly expanded his outside socialization because he would get overwhelmed really easy. And I feel like in the last month he has really gotten comfortable when we go somewhere new.
He spent the first 5 months of his life in the shelter and had never been outside so we may not be a good thermometer for average experience.
My dude took a little longer. Closer to 5 months to really settle in and chill out and get comfortably settled in, but he's had a pretty rough history. Abandoned 6 times, and I'm the 7th owner. I'm sure most other dogs settle in much faster. At around the 8-9 months mark, that's when I felt like he really started to believe this was his new permanent home because that's when he started to get comfortable enough to not always need to be in the same room as me... Or maybe he just got annoyed of me, idk. Either way, we've been together 4.5 years now, our household has expanded members since then, and now he's got multiple people he can hang out with whenever he pleases, although he still prefers to spend majority of his time with me.
Congrats! Is he a heeler? Just guessing based on the face - my ex had them you really have to train them to calm down (post-adjusting to new home of course). I hope you two have the bestest life together!!
I got my rescue when she was five with clear signs of a history of abuse and neglect. the 3:3:3 rule was definitely a good guide, but even once she decided she liked me and could relax around me, it took a few more months for her to stop flinching when I touched her on the head.
still, she never became cuddly or anything like that. (she's not an affectionate breed)
but then about a year in she started vomiting bile and I had to change her diet and shift to several small meals every day. when we made the dietary shift and the vomiting stopped, she suddenly started seeking out closer contact with me. putting her head on my knee on the couch. napping with her whole body against me. she never did anything like that before. I guess I earned her trust? now even if it's too hot to cuddle, she likes to stick her paws out and press them into my leg while she naps.
so I guess my answer is, I think the relationship can just develop over time in complex ways. congrats on your rescue he's a cutie!!
Famotidine might also help your dog. We had a girl who had acid reflux like symptoms if she didn't eat frequently enough and it helped overnight with her nausea
Our boy was bounced around so much. We are coming up to one year with him and he’s still “becoming himself”, letting guards down, etc. It’s so worth it:)
It's been nearly 2 yrs, and I would say she's still not fully comfortable 24/7. I also think that she's super eager to be a good girl, which helps a lot I think. Plus she's food motivated.
Edited to add that my girl is covered in burn scars. She has A LOT to recover from.
She's the sweetest soul. Whomever hurt her deserves whatever is coming to them. She really has come such a long way. We're moving, so she's nervous right now. But we took her to the new house, she spent all day there to get comfortable. She even took a nap. I keep reassuring her that she's coming too! No dog left behind!
My most recent took over a year, but there were some pretty extreme extenuating circumstances lol. We adopted him as a buddy for our then-youngest dog Loki who was 5, and our 11 year old Laika was selectively reactive BUT was neutral to Milo when we did the meet and greet (completely uninterested actually) which we knew was the best we could hope for… except 4 months or so after adopting poor Milo, Laika decided she hated his guts BUT only inside the house. They could coexist in the yard and happily go on walks together, but as soon as both were in the house it was open season on Milo. Luckily, our house is uniquely set up which meant we could confine Laika to my parents room (which is actually two rooms with a wall knocked out so it’s literally half the upstairs, although comically she spent most of her time in the closet even before we adopted Milo) and that separation continued until Laika passed away of pancreatitis a year later. Obviously, had he been in genuinely danger, we would have returned Milo but again, we had a unique situation that meant we could manage them both, even if it absolutely sucked lol. Milo and Loki are the first true bonded pair of dogs I’ve ever had and I am genuinely obsessed with them lol (Milo on the left, Loki on the right. Loki’s nickname has always been Mischief, and I immediately started called Milo “Mayhem” when he came home so honestly, pretty sure this was fate lol)
Mine fit the 3-3-3 rule almost to a T. We’re still working a bit on separation anxiety but at like three months it was almost like a switch flipped. The first month was pretty rough, and the second was a little better, but after the third she just completely changed and settled.
My dog has been with us for 9 months. She was transported from a rescue in Texas. She has a lot of reactivity and fear and we are working with a trainer. Slowly getting better.
My previous dog that passed away years ago took a good 5-6 months. He was scared to death of everything and everyone but me. He was around 3 months when I found him.
My current one was relaxed and settled in on night one but she was also only 5-6 weeks when I found her.
of my current dogs, one came relaxed (surrendered at 3 months and came home with me pretty much immediately) one took at least 3-4 months. she was found running down the interstate as a puppy, balding from mange, and the shelter was not equipped for quarantine so for four months she was confined to a dog crate, in a room with no windows, and you weren't allowed to touch them or let them out in the whole 5 minutes twice a say you were in there to clean and feed. now I would say she is quite literally the most perfect dog I've met and people marvel over her behavior. I take credit but I did absolutely nothing except let her live
We’ve had our rescue pup almost 4 months and while he has definitely made progress, he is still anxious and limits himself to staying in our bedroom. We’re just letting him do his thing at his pace.
I also always recommend talking to your vet about Prozac (fluoxetine) if needed, and gabapentin. Our last rescue dog and current rescue dog both took both medications to help them
Aww. Yes I recommend Prozac, depending on his behavior / symptoms. Gabapentin can sedate a little but not a ton that’s probably mostly the trazodone. The Prozac takes 4-8 weeks to fully kick in so we got Gabapentin to help during the period before it is in full effect, but then kept giving it to him daily at the same time as the Prozac.
I also recommend a crate and cover with a blanket or crate cover so he can feel his own little safe space for decompressing.
I am 16 days into ours. He’s pretty comfortable and confident.
Our last rescue was skittish. We had Her a year and unfortunately had to surrender her back to the rescue bc she would get excited when kids were running around. She bit my kids a couple times each. not mean, but reactive when there was a lot of excitement.. she didn’t break the skin but it caused bruising. Sigh.
Good luck - I hope you have many years of adventure ahead !
Our rescue was more like a barely animated stuffed animal, just watching wide eyed from the nearest dog bed, for a good 2 months. We have a special girl, who was a mama for a not great breeder for 5 years, and we are her first family. It took a lot of patience and snuggles for her to start to feel safe.
She still can't do stairs, up or down. She has gotten confident walking on all the slippery floor surfaces, but the first 6 months we joked that the floor was lava and she had her pathways of rug that made her feel safe. I am so proud that she really quickly overcame some bit scaries in order to be able to go to work with me. I work in memory care, and we had to learn to go through doorways while I was also pushing a wheelchair, elevators, and when it is ok to put paws up to say hello.
She is a bundle of love, but also has separation anxiety. We were our own special case at Obedience Training , but everyone cheered on our small successes like we cheered theirs.
The biggest success is that we eliminated the portal. We joked that she believed that the only way she could be picked up is if she is on one of her beds. (She has at least one in every room, they are her safe spot) We call them her portal. She would scamper away from us just to get to the bed and then wait for us to help her "ascend dimensions". Helping her be solid on a "sit" command has made it possible to tell her to sit, and pick her up right there without having to go to the nearest portal.
We have had her in our lives for 10 months. I don't think she will ever figure out stairs...and will genuinely prefer to be carried anywhere. That is fine for me. She is so happy, and she is my everything. (I should add that she is a 10 lb bichon, and can easily be carried, as she wishes.)
So I don't know when your dog will settle in lol! We were, and still are, a very special case.
I rescued my dog, Jack, when he was 11 months old, he’s never had a stable home. He has been in and out of the shelter since he was a puppy. When I first brought him home, he was very shifty and nervous about people going to pet him. He also got very overwhelmed in public. We have had him for seven months now, and around month five is when we started to see that he has calmed down and gained some confidence. His tail is no longer tucked in when we go out in public. He also lets dogs sniff his behind, and finally pees with his leg sticking up (signs of feeling safe and confident). I love him so much. He is very cuddly with me and feels very safe with me.
Until you step up and be a leader and provide routine and clear structure and stop humanizing your dog. more you treat your dog as if it is a human baby the dog will never find it safe with you.
It took my Aussie like 1.5 years. Now he’s my best buddy. You just never know what they went through before. I adopted an 8 year-old Catahoula two weeks before and she bonded with me immediately. They love each other.
Mine took 10 months almost exactly with consistency and lots of affection. She was fine with me but was terrified anytime my husband even breathed too loud. Now she loves him and sleeps next to him, but it honestly took what felt like forever.
This is really encouraging. Dakota has warmed up already in just over a week to my husband but it’s like in the morning it resets and he gets skittish again 😭
Thats how it was for us, no matter what, our dog would reset and be scared and skittish all over again the next day. We joked she was like Drew Barrymore's character in 51st dates lol. The first few months were really rough for us because she was so skittish and seemed unhappy with my husband especially. It made us second guess our decision to adopt her and question whether we could do it if she was just going to be scared forever. But we're sooo glad we stuck it out. It took 10 months and my husband feeling very shitty about it. But it’s incredible what lots of affection, consistency, routine and time will do. Our dog is like night and day from when we brought her home. It only took months, but now she loves my husband and im sure it'll get even better with more time. Just be patient and stick with it, it’s really worth it and very satisfying to see the transformation. We can’t imagine not having her in our lives now… even though there was a time when we felt like giving up because it was really hard.
One other thing that really helped was using a slip lead. Our dog was especially skittish during and after walks with my husband. We were using a harness originally, but a dog trainer who specializes in rescues with skittish behavior, recommended a slip lead. At first I was not a fan of the idea, but it made a major difference in how she walked with my husband on leash. It made her more confident with him leading and made it safer overall because she isn’t be able to back out of it. With the harness, she actually freaked out because a car scared her during a walk and she slipped out which caused a big regression for her and my husband. So I definitely think a slip lead is worth considering in your care too. We still use it and she’s no longer skittish on walks.
Just got to 3 months 🙂 I'd say the 3-3-3 guide is pretty accurate, with big leaps at week 9 (suddenly wanted belly rubs, stopped following me room to room, snoring in his sleep) and week 12 (became cheekier, pushing boundaries, more playful and generally very happy and more affectionate in a dozy way rather than a clingy scared way)
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