Testing dogs for rescue.

TheresaW

TheresaW

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Have been a lot posts on here regarding rescues and their strict requirements. A lot of the time, they are tested for food aggression/defensiveness, which I totally understand, but it’s had me thinking.

As most of you know, we got Aled at 11 after a family member died. He is not food aggressive in anyway, the couple of times I’ve forgotten to put his wormer/joint meds into his dinner, have quite happily picked up his bowl to add them proves this. He does however steal things, and that is when he will get aggressive. Tonight he took my phone (he does it so gently and sneakily), and then we had to do a massive distraction to get it back. Last night, I gave him a plastic pot that had leftovers in it so he could lick it clean. Once I knew it was clean, I went to take it away before he could chew it, and he quite happily let me take it.

My question is, how would dogs be tested for something like this? Obviously, in kennels, I can’t see that much is left lying around to be stolen. Aled is not a big deal, as there are no children here and we’ve learnt to deal with it, but if we had kids, and he snuck off with a toy or something?
 
Some of the bigger rescues have facilities (kitchens, social or training areas) where they can do certain tests.
However you absolutely cannot predict how a dog will react to all stimuli.
Some behaviours will only become apparent once the dog is settled in a new home. Some of these may be caused by previous experience but a lot is genetic.

I see a lot of pounds (not rescues) or people who post about pound dogs available for rehoming, in all fairness, stating that there is no information on how a dog is with cats/kids/other dogs, yet Facebook is still flooded with comments asking how the dog is with cats, kids and other dogs....
 
Thank you. He is great with my 2 nephews, obviously is watched closely when they visit. He is in fact good with everyone. I do think had he gone into a rescue, he would have easily been rehomed, but it could have ended badly for him.
 
As far as I know they emulate a 'typical' setting like CC said and then give the dog his dinner/a toy, and use one of those fake hands on a long wooden pole to test.

They do the same thing for testing to see how a dog is to be left alone - usually leave it in the office part of the kennel for a few hours. Although IMO that's no where near the same as actually being completely alone. Though they can't really take each dog home and test everything so they obviously make do with what they have.

Mine came from a pound so knew nothing about him at all - have to say the first time I tested to see if he was food possessive was a bit nerve-wracking! Luckily he's a star.
 
Some dogs don't fare well in kennels, however hard the staff try. It's why Battersea and other rescues try to get certain dogs out into foster ASAP. Rescues do try and can do a lot in terms of assesment but every dog owner, (and not purely those with rescue dogs) should assume nothing. I would say it is easier with an older dog to know what you are getting which is a side benefit of having a rehome or rescue as you have time to get to know a dog and make introductions.
 
I'm sorry but I don't really see what the fuss is with 'testing' in most circumstances. When taking on a rescued or rehomed animal all you can really be sure of is that the previous home didn't care for it for life. Everything else is a bit guess-work like.

Behaviour in the extremely stressful circumstances of kennels, or even foster homes, is unlikely to be entirely representative of long term behaviour patterns.

I had no prior conversation (except email/text) about my dog and only a few seconds really of meeting him before taking him on (rehomed from a private home). The info I gleaned in a few minutes (less than 5 minutes) after agreeing to take him was pretty basic.

If he'd been 'tested' in my home, as though it was a foster home, for behaviours within the first fortnight then several key areas (car travel, being left alone, eating habits,...) would have been very, very different to how they are now.

If someone isn't prepared for a unexpected few ups and downs they probably shouldn't be getting a dog IMO - rescued/rehomed/or puppy straight from breeder.
 
GirlFriday said:
I'm sorry but I don't really see what the fuss is with 'testing' in most circumstances. When taking on a rescued or rehomed animal all you can really be sure of is that the previous home didn't care for it for life. Everything else is a bit guess-work like.

Behaviour in the extremely stressful circumstances of kennels, or even foster homes, is unlikely to be entirely representative of long term behaviour patterns.

I had no prior conversation (except email/text) about my dog and only a few seconds really of meeting him before taking him on (rehomed from a private home). The info I gleaned in a few minutes (less than 5 minutes) after agreeing to take him was pretty basic.

If he'd been 'tested' in my home, as though it was a foster home, for behaviours within the first fortnight then several key areas (car travel, being left alone, eating habits,...) would have been very, very different to how they are now.

If someone isn't prepared for a unexpected few ups and downs they probably shouldn't be getting a dog IMO - rescued/rehomed/or puppy straight from breeder.
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I disagree-while its true that you dont see the real dog until you've had it a few months (about 6 imle) I think anyone with a bit of a clue can look for signs of resource guarding, fear aggression, seperation anxiety, dog-dog aggression etc I've had rescues from both situations and one I fostered myself for a couple of weeks. actually, these days, I'd not have a rescue that I couldnt foster first-having had one with every issue under the sun when I was alot younger and because I'd always have two dogs at the same time. Unexpected ups and downs are fine-unnacceptable issues or a level of issue that can be dealt with (whatever they are to that individual owner) are a different matter.
 
Fair enough about the fostering first when you have other (canine, human, whatever!) 'family' members living together. I'd have thought that was the most useful set-up really.

I guess a few basic observations aren't going to hurt either. I'd not take the info gleaned as gospel, nor expect tests that would tell me what happens if my phone gets pinched though.
 
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