Behind the scenes: Animal keepers report
Everyday life with our dogs from Romania
As many of you know, we also place our rescued dogs in lifelong special foster places. Some of them come to us directly from our shelter in Romania. They are rescued from the streets there, rehomed, neutered and given lots of love and care by our local staff before being brought to us in Henndorf.
As soon as the dogs arrive, the first thing we have to do is get to know them. We have to take things very slowly and be careful, especially in the first few days. It is very important that we build up trust with the dogs straight away so that they approach us without fear and allow us to touch and stroke them. Many dogs react very anxiously to loud noises or voices in the first few days, so a great deal of sensitivity is required. Most dogs are also unfamiliar with a harness or walking on a lead. So-called safety harnesses are therefore extremely important, especially in the early days, to prevent the dogs from running away. We always practise putting the harness on with treats so that the dogs associate something positive with it. Unfortunately, there are also dogs for whom the situation of putting on a harness is so stressful that even treats don’t help. In this case, we have to gain the dog’s trust with a lot of calmness and after a few days, the harness is very easy to put on.
In the initial phase, doorsteps or different floors (e.g. tiles) are also a big hurdle for the dogs. They don’t know any of this and are often overwhelmed. Here, too, we try to get the dogs used to it with a lot of calm. We have to be very careful, especially when walking the dogs, and keep a firm grip on the lead, as many dogs are very jumpy and then display great flight behaviour. Some new arrivals are so scared of going outside that we often have to carry them out in the first few days. But after just a few days, they learn that nothing bad will happen to them outside and they go with us on their own. It is always very important that the dogs wear a tow line on the outdoor dog run so that we don’t have to “catch” them in fearful situations, but can easily solve this with the tow line. We always notice that the dogs really enjoy running and playing. All their fear is forgotten and they become curious and start sniffing and exploring everything. You could almost say that they enjoy a feeling of freedom for the first time without having to be afraid.
The first encounters with all our other animals are always particularly interesting, as donkeys, goats, geese, ponies & Co are completely new to the dogs. They are therefore a little anxious at first, but after a few days the dogs accept the other animals and walk past them completely relaxed. A great deal of empathy is also required when meeting other people on the farm, as many of the dogs have had bad experiences with people in the past and are therefore particularly sceptical. It is therefore necessary to keep a greater distance at first and gradually reduce this.
It is particularly exciting for us to see how the dogs become more confident and trusting day by day. If they are initially frightened and anxious when we enter the dog room, they gradually thaw out and after a short time are always very happy when they see us. As soon as they have built up the necessary trust, we also do desensitisation exercises with them to make everyday life easier for them in their future family. Of course, we can’t train the dogs “completely” for their new family, but we do our best and practise individually for each dog. Some take longer to gain confidence, others less time, and this is exactly the pace at which we train them. Important training exercises include, for example, climbing stairs, driving a car or general, unfamiliar noises (such as a car starting up or knocking on a door).
The best thing for us dog carers is always to see how the initial uncertainty and fear gives way and a lot of trust develops. The dogs give us so much in return and are so grateful – we are happy about that every day. We are even happier when the dogs find a place with a loving family where they can enjoy a wonderful and long life without fear. If you would like to give a dog from Romania a loving home, we would be delighted if you would contact us directly at hunde@gut-aiderbichl.com.
