1. Translate kennel card descriptions.
Most shelters are great at providing detailed descriptions of their dogs. But sometimes you have to read between the lines.
“A one-person dog.” “Would make a good guard dog.” “Takes a while to warm up to people.” This is a shy or potentially fear-aggressive dog.
“Still has that puppy energy!” “Boisterous.” “Energetic.” “Easily excited.” Translation: this dog is a hyperactive pain in the ass. Probably best for someone looking for a working/sports dog.
“Best for an owner who is home all day.” Tendency toward separation anxiety? Destructive if left unsupervised?
There is usually no intent to mislead on the part of the people writing these descriptions. They may be completely accurate, and they may be perfectly good dogs, but always dig deeper. Ask exactly what they mean by “a one person dog.” Ask exactly what behavior has been observed.
2. How drugged up is that doggie in the window?
A crucial question to ask the shelter staff: has this dog been spayed or neutered? How recently? If she was spayed that same day, she may still be recovering – and pumped full of medication. It will be impossible to determine her real temperament. If you fall in love with such a dog, come back the next day to interact with her again before you sign any contracts.
3. Watch how the dog behaves when walking through the shelter on leash.
He’ll probably pull on leash. That’s fine – it’s not really fair to expect perfect leash manners in this chaotic environment.
What you’re looking for is any sign of aggression or fear. If he lunges, barks, cowers, or growls at passing people or dogs, he probably has some reactivity issues. This is a major issue that will take a lot of rehabilitative work and have a big impact on your life.
I’ve dealt with reactivity in my own dogs. As much as I love my crazy boy Merlin, I have no desire to do it again any time soon. Personally, next time I go dog-hunting, I’m doing everything I can to make sure I don’t end up with another reactive dog.
4. Rile him up and then settle down.
Do this after you’ve followed the meet-n-greet protocol described in How to Adopt the Perfect Shelter Dog. Grab a toy, run around the play yard, talk in a squeaky voice. Whatever it takes to get the dog excited and willing to chase you. After a minute of high-intensity play, stop abruptly. Sit down and observe. How quickly can he switch gears? Will he happily sit down next to you, or does he keep jumping and trying to rough house?
If he can’t settle, if he gets stuck in “on” mode, this is a sign that he’s going to be a handful.
5. Ignore the dog.
After some petting, move away from the dog and completely stop interacting with her. What does she do? A good, stable family dog will follow you for a minute, then, when she realizes you’re not playing, mosey off to do her own thing.
Beware the dog who gets pushy or whiny and demands more attention. This might be cute, but there’s probably some separation issues in your future. This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t get this dog, just be prepared to do a lot of work to prevent separation anxiety.
6. Look for a dog who likes your kids more than he likes you.
A few people recently asked me if there’s a way to tell if a dog is good with kids. The only way to really tell is to bring your kids with you. If you have children, or if you frequently have young visitors to your home (grandchildren, nieces/nephews, friends’ kids) do not adopt any dog without having them interact with the kids first.
The best family dogs will be thrilled to have the opportunity to play with children. In fact, the dog should rather play with the kids than you. Beware any dog who avoids or ignores the kids. Also beware any dog who just doesn’t interact with them enthusiastically. This might be his way of telling you he’s just not a kid person.
7. Use your new dog speak observation skills to judge the dog’s comfort level.
One of the big questions we’re trying to answer: is this dog relaxed enough to show her true personality? Or is she acting abnormally because she’s stressed?
Is she energetic… or is she frantic?
Is she mellow… or is she petrified into stillness?
This is why it’s so important to know how to read canine body language.
Throughout all your interactions with her, watch carefully for signs of stress. If she displays a lot of calming signals -yawning, lip licking, blinking, slowly turning away, etc- she’s uncomfortable. Once she gets into a home, there may be big changes in her behavior.
If you’re not seeing any stress signals, if all you see indicates a friendly, relaxed dog, congratulations! With this dog, what you see is probably what you’re gonna get.
8. Offer food.
One way to judge a dog’s stress level is to watch their reaction to food. Hand her a treat. Ideally, she’ll come over to sniff and then eat it. If she won’t take a delicious treat, she’s probably uncomfortable or anxious. A dog who frantically lunges for the food is probably also feeling some anxiety.
Drop some treats on the floor. Approach the dog as she eats, but don’t stick your hands near the food. If she stiffens up, freezes, covers the treat with her body, or walks away when you approach, beware.
9. Meet more than one dog.
Even if you think you’ve found The One on your first try, you should meet-n-greet with more than one dog. This will give you a better idea of how dogs behave in the shelter, what’s normal, what’s not, and what is a possible warning sign.
10. Identify the variables.
Some dogs will act completely diferent indoors than outdoors, or in a busy area of the shelter vs. a quiet one. Some dogs may be quiet in the mornings and crazy in the afternoon. Some dogs will behave differently with different people.
You want to know all of this.
If the shelter has more than one area for adopters to interact with the dogs -say, an indoor meet-n-greet room and an outdoor play yard- use them. Ask if you can take your candidate to a different area.
When you’re done with your meet-n-greet and the dog is put back in his kennel, spend some time observing from a distance. How does he interact with other people? Are there certain “types” he’s drawn to, and certain types that freak him out?
Once you meet a dog and decide you like him, try to come back in a few hours or even the next day to visit again before you adopt. If the shelter will allow you to put a dog on hold, do so. Because you don’t know what the dog was doing immediately before you interacted with him. He may have been woken from a nap and therefore been tired when meeting you, for example.
You want to see the dog during different moods, and minimize the chance you just caught him during a particularly good -or bad- one.