Tips and tricks for handling a rescue
The quickest overview I could put together. Based primarily on my own experiences, plus reading of others'. Always be open to the possibility that you'll need extra help and support, however.
Bella came to us as a bit of a refugee from an unpleasant situation.
Many livestock guardian dogs come from such situations; active, ongoing abuse is not uncommon, because of a dreadful mismatch in expectations (“dog will protect anything as soon as it arrives, even as a pup” or “Maremmas don’t need handling”) and reality (“dog is killing livestock and can’t be handled and I won’t tolerate that here”).
Over the years, she’s taught us a lot about handling Maremmas (in particular) that need support.
This article covers a few tips and tricks we’ve learnt along the way.
This article will not help you with dogs needing real help for deep-seated, long-term, fear-driven, aggressive, or other potentially-dangerous behaviours. If you have a dog with these behaviours, please seek professional help.
I’ve provided a list of resources to start, but the best advice is to source specialised trainers in your area who only use positive re-inforcement methods to help re-shape behaviours.
Important: it takes time!!
Re-training Maremmas requires a pretty significant investment of time and effort - mental, physical, and emotional - from you. There are no short-cuts, no magic drugs or food combinations or environments or setups, no memes or snappy catchphrases.
Love on its own is, in fact, not enough.
You can expect a minimum of 1-2 hours’ work a day, every day, every week, every month.
You need to be prepared to:
wake up at odd hours of the night to manage situations
manage your own emotions first
be patient
celebrate improvement in tiny increments over weeks, months, and years.
Because that’s what it takes to change the direction of a rescue Maremma’s life.
Contents
3-3-3
I recently learnt about the 3:3:3 concept. It applies to any new animal in your household. Heck, it broadly seems applicable to any animal in a new environment - including humans in (say) a new house or job or location.
It applies triply so to dogs that may have some from less-ideal circumstances.
I created an adapted version of this infographic specifically for Maremmas and other LGDs, using photos of my own Bella to illustrate each phase.
3-3-3 for LGDs
3-3-3 is a general guideline for the adjustment period of a dog after adoption or rescue.
All animals need time to adjust to change. Each animal is unique and will adjust differently.
LGDs, additionally, need to adjust their threat definitions and responses.
This is slow and deliberate in any LGD, and doubly so in rehomed/rescued ones.
3 Days: to decompress
Overwhelmed, scared, unsure
Everything is new and a potential threat
Hides true personality
May not want to eat or drink
Hides or runs away
Tests boundaries - including fencing
May not understand kindness
May guard resources
May not be much barking
Behavioural issues can be attributed to stress
3 Weeks: to learn routines
Starts settling in
Responds to kindness
Learning this could be the forever home
Starts bonding with you, family, and livestock
Gets into a routine
Lets guard down, may begin to show true personality
Behavioural issues may be either rehome stress or inherent
Lots and lots of barking
Starts responding to training
3 Months: to relax at home
Memories of previous life fade
Begins to build trust and a true bond
Feels secure with new situation
Settles into a routine
Guardian behaviour becomes reliable
Learns when not to bark
Becomes reliable with training
Behavioural issues can start being managed
Tips and tricks
First and foremost: a rescue or rehomed dog primarily wants predictability. Much of their fear and worry comes from never knowing what’s going to happen next, and having to be on constant alert to deal with the next strange thing.
So don’t chop and change quickly. 3-3-3 applies here, too: you need at least three days before a dog will respond to anything new, and a minimum of a week before they internalise it and turn it into “normal”.
Whatever habits you create, get them settled and then try to use them reliably, predictably, and consistently.
Patting. Do NOT pass your hands over their head. Put them into an upturned "cupping" shape and slowly stroke their jaw, from the front of the lower muzzle and up behind their ears. In fact, all dogs prefer this to the over-the-top pat humans tend to subject then to.
Avoiding the cringe. Don't go over the top of the head - most abused dogs will cringe automatically when you do that, and you just keep re-inforcing the cringe behaviour.
Move calmly and confidently. Don't be hesitant, but don't be violent, either. The same movements you'd use on a newborn baby who needs to be held firmly and gently.
Keep movements low. Sit down as often as you can; try not to loom or stand over them.
Don't put your face in their space.
Avoid unusually loud, soft, or sudden noises. Train your voice to be normal and natural.
Speak constantly; just a constant babble of nonsense, in a cheerful and happy normal tone. It's the tone you need, more than the words. Say their name and warmth and love and affection and humour and joy and glee - all the happy emotions - even if you, personally, are feeling like 14 kinds of horrible.
Bribery. Even Maremmas like tasty cheese and Devon and bacon rinds and cooked chicken, on the whole. Find what they like and shamelessly use it to gently, ever-so-gently, shape new and positive behaviours, such as coming to you when you arrive.
Managing the startle. When they startle at something - as they will - don't change your voice or your movements. THAT'S an absolutely key part of the process - not responding to their fear. They take their cue from you and when you don’t react, they learn that they don’t have to, either.
When you’re startled. If you do react to a sudden situation around your dog - and they happen, of course - use baby-talk-surprise to minimise the dog’s response. “Oh! What a funny noise that was! I quite jumped out of my skin!”. You’ll feel like a fool but who cares? You’re reassuring a dog and, again, it’s the tone of voice you’re after, not the words.
No negativity in your voice. Try not to have conversations with other people at the same time where there's any risk of strong or negative tones coming into your voice. This includes stress, anger, serious upset, and even extreme happiness. To a dog, serious anger and serious joy can sound the same - too loud, too sudden, too extreme.
Be normal. Adjust your behaviour to a certain extent, but don't retreat too far into being tentative, excessively gentle, or reactive to her perceived fears. Dogs need to know that regardless of what's going on in their head, you'll keep being there, and your boundaries will always be the same.
Be positive. Get your OWN head in the right place. You need to be calm, amused, firm-but-gentle, and know the boundaries to be put in place.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to From Abruzzese to Zombies: an Australian Maremma resource to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.