Foster Problems?! Anyone?!
So I had my first Corgi mix foster come into our home on Monday. She is super sweet, TINY, and really timid and quite. However, I'm starting to get concerned with the way my female Corgi, Carly, is starting to act. Truthfully I was a bit concerned about how she might react because even though I LOVE her guts, she is a bit neurotic. :)
The first day she was great and would sniff the new recruit and then go about her business. However the next morning I started noticing her acting a bit weird. If I would give the new dog attention she would sit across the room away from us and stair. She doesn't do that when I love on Finn, my other male six month old Corgi.
Then when I came home from work at lunch time to let everyone out Carly had had a major diarrhea blow out in her crate. I cleaned and disinfected her and the crate but the problem persisted all day yesterday. Luckily I was home and she asked quite clearly to go out. I can't figure out if she just was having stomach upset, happens sometimes, or if it is a sign that she is stressed out with the change to her routine.
I also have noticed that she has been much more aggressive toward the newbie. For instance the new girl does a happy dance whenever people walk toward her and Carly has started barking and charging her when she does this. Luckily the new dog is very tolerant and just ignores her; also I know now and head it off before it happens.
I would love to foster, but my primary responsibility and loyalty belongs to my dogs and making sure they are happy. Finnegan is fine with it all, besides the fact that he is a 22 pound 6 month old and I have to keep him from trying to play a bit too rough.
I'm so torn. This foster is moving to a long term home with a probable adoption this Saturday. I was asked if I could switch out and take a new one on that same day. I had to say that I only could if it was less than a week, because my dogs seem stressed and need a break so the rescue had to find a new foster home. Has anyone else had issues with their dogs and their reaction to being a foster home? I think I will try it again after I give them a break, but I may have to just be a short term (couple of nights) foster on their way to something more permanent.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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This is just my opinion, but I would wait until Finn is a at least a year old to foster. They can just be so impressionable when they're young and I wouldn't want to risk him picking up on any negative behaviors. Sometimes puppies don't have the greatest of doggie language skills either. I also agree with the suggestion of giving them some personal space with baby gates and individual personal time with you.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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The "stare" really scares me as I have Livvy and she will do this. Over the years with rescues I have always had them placed in seperate areas for at least the 1st week. Livvy intimidates the new ones and I don't trust her 100% but she has learned how she has to act.ALWAYS keep apart if you are gone also and not just crate your foster but in a different room. The best thing I do for Livvy (alone or with Sage or Wynn) is play ball outside at least twice a day till she is pooped and then she is much more relaxed with the recues.
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Permalink Reply by Tess, Carly and Finnegan on
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Dang my typo! *stare I make sure they are not left in a room alone together. The kids either come with me while the newbie is left in my room or they all come with me where ever I go in the house. I now (starting last night) take them out on their potty walks separatly from the foster as well.
I usually take the dogs to the dog park for 30-40 mins of fetch or go for a 30-40 min walk, but I don't know how to go about doing that now. If I have to do it separatly then that is another good chunk of time of me being away from the dog(s) that has/have to stay at home while the other(s) are/is out. How do individual people time manage fosters that they keep completely seperate?
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Can you have someone walk with you and take the foster? That would work because they would be together but yet far enough apart. Playing fetch...I would do seperatley because at least at my house Livvy thinks she owns the balls and will not share with a rescue. I use gates in my house at 1st.
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Friends or Family would have to drive to my house to help walk so I think that is a no go. So when you use gates do you just let the foster hang in one room while you and your resident Corgis are in other parts of the house doing things?
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Permalink Reply by Donna and Lilly on
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I fostered once, I was glad I did, but I cant do it again unless they are puppies. I had a mama corgi mix and 3 puppies. My Lilly and the mama got into it several times and since the mama hadnt had her shots since she was still nursing, I got between them. Got bit by my own dog twice. Im glad I was able to help out, but I dont think we can go thru that again!
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Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on
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I think a break is a good idea. I usually take breaks between dogs.
I don't have loads of foster experience but I have fostered 3 dogs with my 2 dog pack. Pazu got along with two of 3 for the most except a 2 year old male (Oreo) who was about the same size as him. Pazu and Oreo did not get along at all and I kept them separately. Whereas Lilo got along with all of them.
I think just like how humans have first impressions that may have long term impact, proper introductions on neutral territory are important. Walk them together in neutral territory. Have them all sit/stay together and reward their treats - basically giving all the dogs a sense that you are the true leader and if you accept this dog into the pack, they can too. But I don't rush it. The new dog doesn't get free reign.
When I moved to a new home, Lilo has massive diarrhea for like a day and a half. I didn't change anything in her diet. So yes I think dogs can stress out and have just really bad diarrhea.
It sounds like Carly is the #2 pack leader after you, especially since Finnegan is the puppy. And Carly probably thinks her responsibility, besides being jealous, is to instruct/correct the new members of all the rules in the household. Pazu would often do this for the first few weeks and then as the newcoming dog picked up the rules and behaved, Pazu was more relaxed. And I would probably choose a foster dog that is the opposite gender of your "top dog". In general, from my experience, those transitions seem to be smoother. So I only foster female dogs. Because if the newcoming dog gets along with the top dog, the follower dogs will do the same, but if the newcoming dog does not get along with the top dog, all the following dogs will follow the lead of the top dog. So when Oreo was with me for only a two short weeks, when Pazu would correct, Lilo would follow. So I would have two dogs against one.
Also behaviorally, I try not to choose foster dogs that are too close in "status" to your top dog. This is hard to tell because sometimes you don't really get to spend time with the foster dog before he/she is in your home. Like Pazu is more likely to accept a higher energy, or larger male dog's status (because he really can't compete and Pazu is really a beta dog trying to be alpha) rather than a lower energy, submissive, smaller dog. He'll push the lower energy dog around and keep fighting to stay #2 in the pack.
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