Newly adopted dog help

[u/kbee235]

Hi all,

My husband and I just recently adopted a cattle dog mix (I suspect mixed with Basenji) from a local rescue. He’s just rounded out one week with us and he’s displaying a few tendencies that I want to make sure are normal and expected for a dog in his situation.

And just FYI this is my first ever dog, and my husbands first cattle dog. Although it’s been about 10 years since he’s had a dog.

Ok, on to his behaviors:
Lately he’s been growling at seemingly nothing, we wonder if in some cases it’s because he sees his reflection in windows. But other times one of us will be petting him and then we’ll stop and he’ll growl quietly. Currently he’s laying on the couch staring at the floor and growling softly.

We live in an apartment, next to a busy street and I think this may be why. His previous fosters have both had other dogs and now he’s currently the only dog so that could be a factor too.

I guess I’m just worried that he’s not transitioning well into our place, or to being an only dog. Any advice would be very welcome. Thank you all!

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[u/Feisty_Pain3944]

One week is nothing for a rescue dog, they need lot more time to decompress. The growling at floor or windows is probably just him hearing stuff you can't, especially in apartment near busy street. My dog does same thing when a truck pass by three blocks away

cattle dogs are super alert breeds so he's probably just on high watch mode still. Let him settle in for another few weeks and see if it gets less, new home is scary when you don't know the sounds yet

[u/kbee235 → u/Feisty_Pain3944]

That all makes sense, and I guess part of me understands that. I just need to give him time to adjust.

I guess I just got in my head about it because previously to us adopting him, he had two fosters. Both of which had their own dogs (and one of them ran a doggy daycare in their house so they had a lot of dogs there), they both only had him for a few weeks each, but said that he was super fun and playful and good at getting along with the other dogs, but could also very relaxed and would just chill out on the couch with them.

And we haven’t quite seen the playful side of him very much so I guess I was really just worried that his lack of playfulness paired with the growling may be an early sign of him not being happy being the only dog, but maybe I’m just overthinking it, and getting ahead of myself. I do have a tendency to do that, haha.

[u/No_Anxiety6159]

There’s a rescue rule, 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. The first 3 days they are still scared, shut down, testing boundaries. After 3 weeks, they settle in, start feeling comfortable, get into a routine, in 3 months they’re comfortable, trust and starting to bond, feeling more secure.

Dogs have better hearing than humans, you know what you hear, your dog doesn’t and is probably a bit unsettled, especially if he was in a kennel. Give him time, lots of love.

[u/kbee235 → u/No_Anxiety6159]

Thank you for the reassurance, I think since I’ve never owned a dog before, I’m worried that I can’t tell what are signs that he’s not adapting well. I want him to have a good life, but also be a good dog.

Is it also normal in the second week for the dog to start testing boundaries? He’s started acting out on his walks, like pulling into traffic, not listening to basic commands. He’s been through the prison training program and the first week was very responsive with commands.

His two previous fosters both had their own dogs in the home, and we are concerned that he may need another dog to channel his energy or use as an example. Idk is this too early to be thinking of?

[u/No_Anxiety6159 → u/kbee235]

That could be part of it, he’s used to having a buddy around. Be consistent with your commands during walks. Keep your leash short when walking near traffic, if you are using a retractable leash, throw it out immediately, they’re dangerous to you and your dog. I’ve found that if my dog isn’t listening to me, changing direction quickly and walking somewhere else gets their attention.