Read your new dog’s body language before showering her with affection she may not want (Photo: a woman puckers up while holding a pug’s face in her hands)
One of the biggest mistakes people make when they pick up their new rescue dog is to rush.
They rush up to the new dog talking in loud excited voices. When the dog backs away from all the baby talk and fast-moving limbs, humans sometimes use even MORE baby talk and move toward them yet again — even though the dog just said in “dog language” please give me space.
When you first pick up your new rescue dog, practice “no touch, no talk, no eye contact” until the dog is calm and shows you that he wants to be petted.
Dogs don’t greet in the same way humans do, so it’s really important to remember that on pick-up day and do what is natural for them. It’s not about you.
Your new rescue dog may have just travelled for days in a car. For some dogs this has been their first exposure to a crate and a car. Talk about stressful.
Other rescue dogs may have been on a very long flight.
Before you pick up your new rescue pup, look up “Whale eye.” (Photo: a brown and white puppy exhibiting whale eye.)
They need to decompress. They don’t need you to feel sorry, they just need you to be an anchor in their storm of a day.
My new clients are always remarking:
“Wow! My dog is never this calm when someone comes to our home. It’s amazing!!!” and “Oh my goodness. He didn’t pee. He pees on everyone!”
The reason the dog is calm is because I do not shower them with affection. This is not what an excited/fearful/tense/scared dog needs. They need to greet in the way that is natural for them: nose, then eyes, then ears.
So I practice: no touch, no talk, no eye contact until the dog is calm.
If you use this strategy when you pick up your new rescue dog, you will gain their trust much more quickly. They trust people who speak their language. They don’t trust people who rush at them, use baby talk, or pet them before they are ready.
Once you have gained their trust, now you can begin to teach them. Lead them. Have them follow you to some grass so they can sniff, eliminate, be a dog.
Invite them to follow you on leash to the car. Invite them to sniff the car. Allow them to be the one to jump in. Don’t shut the doors right away, just hang out and share calm vibes for awhile.
Your new rescue dog needs you to slow down. (Photo: Duck Toller sitting in a hatchback with the door open. She is wearing a leash and has a nice soft expression.)
A lot of people talk baby talk the whole drive home. This only makes the dog more nervous. They sense your energy which is soft and feeling sorry. They have no idea what you’re saying, they just sense that cars make you act weird and throw treats at them. They learn from this car ride that car rides are something to be nervous about, because you acted nervous and rewarded them for acting nervous (by petting them and tossing them all those treats.)
No touch, no talk, no eye contact is:
-what your dog needs
-helps humans to speak dog
-natural to dogs
Give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments below.
Wishing you a wonderful pick-up day with your new rescue dog!
Alyssa
Photos by: Upsplash (a woman puckers up while holding a pug’s face in her hands,) Upsplash (a brown and white puppy exhibiting whale eye,) James Frewin
@jamesfrewin (Duck Toller sitting in a hatchback with the door open. She is wearing a leash.)