this is bubbles. 10/10

I've noticed a pattern surrounding our foster dogs dog selectivity, and was curious if anyone has any experience with something similar and/or could confirm this (:

Background: My husband and I have had our foster for about five months. She's amazing with people and truly has never met a stranger. I would consider her dog selective. She's great with our two resident dogs (they play, nap together, and coexist well), but she's reactive toward unfamiliar dogs both on and off leash. She'll bark, growl, lunge, and raise her hackles. We've made a lot of progress with training, but the reactivity is still there.

We don't know anything about her past because she was found abandoned in a park. Based on her anatomy, we suspect she may have been used for breeding and spent much of her life kenneled, though that's only speculation.

The pattern: Every dog she's successfully met has been with someone she already knows and trusts. One of my friends, whom she absolutely loves, has brought over several dogs of different ages, sizes, and temperaments. She's had no reactivity toward any of them, is able to walk around and lounge with them, and has even played off leash with some. The same thing happened when she met a dog belonging to the founder of the rescue, another person she knows well.

On the other hand, if the dog is being handled by a "stranger", she reacts immediately. This included our neighbors.

My theory: Since she genuinely loves people, I don't think the issue is with strangers themselves. I wonder if she lacks confidence around unfamiliar dogs and uses the handler as a "trust filter." If she trusts the person holding the leash, she assumes their dog is safe too. I also wonder if she's simply had very little healthy socialization with other dogs. She has an unusual play style, seems to miss some canine social cues, and has escalated appropriate corrections from our resident dogs into fights- which makes me think she may never have learned normal dog communication.

Has anyone worked with a dog like this before? Is there a behavioral explanation for why she seems to trust dogs based on who they're with, or am I reading too much into it?

Also, if this theory has any merit, how would you go about introducing her to a potential adopter's resident dog? Thank you in advance, im curious to know what everyone thinks (:

We live in a very suburban setting. Loose friends of ours (our sons are in the same grade at the same school) who live two doors down from us told us that they have made the hard decision to re-home their dog.

My largest concern here is re-homing a dog so close to its original family -- for both the dog and the previous owners. I feel like the dog would be confused, maybe feel betrayed? I feel like both the dog and previous owners might have a hard time fully letting go. I know we could give her a good home, but I'm not convinced it's what's best for everyone.

Does anyone have any kind of experience/thoughts on this situation?

Hi, everyone. We’re fostering a dog for the first time and it’s not going well. We’re on day 4. I know he’s still setting in and learning the schedule. I’m so overwhelmed. He has bad separation anxiety and we aren’t home enough for proper crate training. He growled at our resident cat last night. He’s such a good dog with amazing potential. Is it wrong to admit we’re not the right fit? Does it ever get better?

I haven't been too picky on my fosters ages or sizes, but the last couple of adult fosters I have had have been returned quickly. And it's very frustrating because the rescue is small and new and doesn't have many resources or backups. But it makes me feel responsible even after fully vetting the adopters that I've failed the dog. So I'm considering just switching to puppies only because people expect to have to train them and I feel less responsible I feel guilty because my area is in the southern US and high rate of euthansia, so adult dogs are the most in need. But I just don't know if I can carry that stress or deal with adopters anymore.

Ivy was found abandoned behind a dumpster, locked inside a kennel and left to die. She was heartbreakingly emaciated, weak, and had endured more than any animal ever should. While in our care she received so much love, comfort, and medical care she deserved. We quickly learned she was suffering from cancer. The kindest gift we could give her was a peaceful goodbye.
Although Ivy’s time with us was far too short, her impact was immeasurable. She reminded us why we fight so hard for the forgotten, the neglected, and the animals who have no one else.

❤️ Ivy’s story may have ended, but her legacy is just beginning.

Our foster turkey (excuse me, dog) is getting a professional in home trainer eval tomorrow! I’m paying for it (and any subsequent training) out of pocket both because I’m kind and because I think he might just be a foster fail.

My resident dog is a nearly 11 year old female pittie and I believe we’re likely in her last 1-2 years on this earth. Our foster is a 3 year old male pittie and while he has some things he needs to work on (see photo), he has what deeply matters to me: Extremely friendly to all people/kids, loves other dogs, safe/friendly with cats, mostly good at home (I can’t bear to crate him as he was crated for 14 hours a day in his last foster), snuggle bug, calm in the car and loves to go on adventures.

Wish us luck! Photos of his goofy self in comments.

Hi all !! I am a first time foster and have had our boy Dingo for about a week. I knew this wasn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but do not know how to handle one behavior. He is constantly jumping on me and clawing my legs. Like constantly. It seems never ended. I have cuts and bruises all down my legs. I have tried the ignore and look away method and giving him a treat when we stops and relaxes but it hasn’t helped. He has now resorted to nipping and biting my legs if i ignore him when we jumps. I feel so frustrated and don’t know how to deal. Note to add: He looks very small but is 15 months old. Not potty trained, kennel trained, or collar and leash trained.

This is my new foster, Oreo! She came from a breeder but it’s clear everything is new to her. I’m an experienced foster but I’m noticing a behavior I’ve never seen before. She is constantly squatting and peeing if she’s in a large kennel or roaming. It’s usually a few drops at a time, not a puddle like she’s needing to release a full bladder. I put a female diaper on her but she’s still doing it. I moved her to a smaller kennel with a blanket covering the kennel in a quiet room to see if that helps her relax.

I have an appointment for the vet on Thursday to check for a UTI but I’m curious if anyone has been through this before and has any suggestions? She is nervous but not shut down like most of the females I get from a breeder release.

I have four foster puppies that had spay/neuter today. We’ve had them for about two weeks. One girl is fast asleep, another girl is spending the night with the vet due to complications. The two boys are completely unable to settle. very playful but also whining almost constantly and we have been unable to calm them. we’ve tried separate crates, crates together, cuddling, and light play. What can help get us through this night?!

Hello everyone!
I am picking up a 14week puppy tomorrow to foster. I have experience with dogs (we sadly said goodbye to our 8yr old a few months ago) but I just wanted to see if any experienced fosters had any tips for settling in and getting into a routine with a foster puppy. I know the rule of 3 so not expecting to set a routine straight away of course, just anything you think helps them to feel safe and comfortable

I am absolutely devestated to be writing this, please be gentle. He has made so much progress over the past month with us, and today's bite was unexpected and out of nowhere. No growl, no tense body, no lip lift. He went straight from soft, wagging body and tail to biting my hand while taking a hotdog from it. It was bad enough to need urgent care.

I have fostered many behavior dogs but this is my first bad bite. We knew when we took him on that he would be a risk, and this was a possible outcome. We have successfully rehabbed so many dogs that I assumed we could do the same for him. After spending 3 months with a trainer, we were his chance to see if he could safely integrate back into a home.

In a way he has integrated into our home beautifully, but we are extremely cautious about handling him, minding his "bad days", and giving him space. Even before the bite I was questioning what it would take to consider him adoptable.

Right now he cannot be safely adopted out, and I dont know if I would ever feel safe doing so. Adopting him myself is not an option. The rescue could potentially send him back to the trainer, but that feels like just prolonging the inevitable. I am fine to keep fostering him longer if they allow us, but to what end? If this happened to someone else posting here I would recommend BE, but he is in my home and its so much different.

Is this just a blip in the road? How much do we consider his history? (This is bite #3 and we are home #4 because he failed out of the other 3) Is BE the right choice?

Since the Dogger stroller isn't made anymore, what the best dog stroller for a senior it disabled dog?

We have a very sweet (suspected) Dutch Shepherd that we are fostering for about 2.5 weeks! We have about 5 days left and are so happy with the progress she’s made. However, as a 1 year old working breed dog, she’s very high energy. She goes on runs, plays in the backyard, and has lots of time with various toys. She is so good about regulating when she’s outside, but when she is inside playing with toys she has moments of riling herself up and being unable to settle. This results in jumping and mouthing behaviors. The mouthing can almost always be redirected into a toy, but just with her size (she’s skinny but LONG when she stretches out to jump) the jumping/mouthing combo stresses me out. My sister recently had a dog that became very aggressive with multiple bites (above level 4) around week 2 of adoption. We have an adoption meet and greet a couple days from now and I’ve already encouraged her potential adopter to get a trainer to work on these specific traits (also she’s so smart, I think she’ll enjoy the training). So far she’s been extremely people and dog friendly (has apparently killed a cat before :/), and was used an assessor for other dogs at the shelter. Im still learning about Dutch Shepherds, but for those who know more, how concerning is jumping/mouthing in this age group? How likely is it that these behaviors will turn aggressive? Or is this just classic overstimulated puppy and we should continue the course? I want to set her up to succeed in her (hopeful) new home❤️

My boyfriend and I picked up our second foster today. We went to help out at an adoption event, my boyfriend got way too excited, and he decided we HAD to take one home. I should have put my foot down and said no, but here we are!

He's a good boy so far. Confused and not eating much (expected) but overall napping nicely in his crate and being fairly calm. That said...my boyfriend and I are still experiencing the absolutely crushing feeling of "what the hell have we done/why did we do this/our lives are over." I can barely eat and feel like I'm going to throw up.

I went through this with our last foster, too. I don't think my boyfriend did as much because we got the dog late at night, I slept in the guest bedroom with it, and he went to work the next two days while I was dealing with the dog. That one got adopted in just about 2.5 weeks. Even though the experience was emotionally difficult, about a week later I started to miss it and think about fostering again.

I know this will pass and it will be okay. I know we could be dealing with a MUCH more difficult dog. Is there anyone else who goes through this with their foster dogs? It's so overwhelming right now. Even though we're "good" fosters and the rescue was really happy with how we did with foster1, I just don't know if this is for me. I don't know if my anxiety can handle this if it's going to happen every time!

I’m looking for some help. Me and my husband work with a pug rescue and have fostered in the past, but realized we are ready to adopt instead.

The rescue reached out about a female pug surrender (3 years old) that was in the age range we were looking for so she offered us to try her out as a foster and see how she does and move forward with adoption if she’s a fit. If she’s not, we will still try and continue to foster her and try again with adoption for a different dog.

She was just surrendered yesterday and we are the first rescue people to encounter her.

She is struggling with resource guarding me and my husband from our resident dog (male pug, 6 years old). She will growl and lunge at him/attack him when he tries to sit with us or get near us. I’ve been getting up from where I’m sitting when she does this to try and diffuse the situation and i read we should ignore her for a few minutes after doing that to not reward the behavior. Our male pug is not aggressive but does defend himself when this happens and it usually lasts a few seconds. I’ve also been trying to put her in a small room for a short timeout after she does this. But I want to ensure we are doing to right thing and not have her associate our male pug with punishment. 

She has been visibly stressed (panting/pacing) so i assume she’s just in fight or flight from being let go and getting used to a new environment only yesterday. I’ve walked them together to help them bond and will continue this.

We definitely want to give her some time and work to see if she can overcome the behavior, but our resident pug is our absolute priority. I know it’s early and she needs time to adjust, I just want to understand the behavior and try to help her before throwing in the towel.

We’ve reached out to the rescue volunteer trainer but it will take her a couple of days to get back to us so I want to ensure we are not doing the wrong thing in the meantime.

I would greatly appreciate any tips or advice! 

**TLDR**: Foster dog is recourse guarding me and my husband from our resident dog. Need advice!

UPDATE!: 24 hours have gone by and after taking a lot of the advice in your replies, i have noticed a huge positive difference in the fosters behavior. I’ve been setting better boundaries (no lap sitting), not giving her as much attention, separating her when she starts showing the behavior, and taking them on bonding walks together.

We have not had a growl or attack at all today and it’s noon. They’ve even shared the dog bed together on their own with no signs of aggression. It’s crazy the difference 24 hours can make. I’ll keep it up, thank you all for the help!

I am dog sitting tonight, a senior German Shepherd foster dog. He had a super long car ride today, but I got him home safe this afternoon. We got a bath, new collar, air conditioning, dinner, calm and quiet. Now he is resting, and feeling a bit more at ease. I think I see a little smile? 🩵

I’m heartbroken. Am I doing the right thing?

My husband and I rescued a 3 year old lab mix 8 months ago. It’s our first dog and we have 2 cats. We were told he was fine with cats. We knew he was shy and needed patience.

He is a sweet boy, and bonded with me really well. However, he doesn’t trust my husband or cats. He resource guards his sleeping spots, his chews/toys, and food. I feel it has gotten worse with my husband despite my husband trying to leave the dog be and only provide positive things to him.

It’s gotten to the point where I have to constantly be in between my dog and the cats or my husband for everyone to move about safely.

My husband and I believe it’s most likely best to give him back to the rescue, but I am struggling and heartbroken. I know I have to put the safety of my husband and cats first, but I promised I’d never give up on an animal. So I’m heartbroken. How do I make the final decision and finally reach out? I feel like we know the answer and are just scared and sad for our dog to do it.

We’ve been working with a behavior vet (he’s on Buspirone) and a trainer. But I feel we are in over our heads and this dog needs someone more experienced and maybe no cats in the home.

Not to mention, he also is afraid of outside. He’s gotten better with this but still is inconsistent with going outside and using the bathroom outside. I could live with this and work on this, but the guarding is my biggest concern.

I’m just so scared we will give him back and he will never find another home or be put down.

Any advice? Anyone have to return their dog? Especially after almost a year.

I need some lifting up. In less than a week the foster I have has gone to the vet twice: once for scratches I found on him after leaving him alone for a bit, my guess is he used the doggy door despite never using it with me around and got into a fight with a raccoon (I do feel horrible for not closing it) and now because he ate a dried starfish and I’m concerned he might have big chunks in his belly.

It’s making me question if I’m being a good foster or not. I didn’t crate him because he came straight to me from previous owners and they mentioned he’s never been crated before. Big 7yr old German Sheppard.

I knew I would need very special adopters for my girl, and patience paid off. I am so happy for her! I love this picture of her looking like she's posing for an aspirational quote 😆

I’ve been fostering a little puppy. He’s a 10 week old staffy. He has bonded with my resident dog (15mnth female also a staffy) to the point that they basically sleep together in a cocoon of snuggles every night, and play all day. I can’t keep him, life is too crazy, and I want to continue fostering. But has anyone else dealt with this, and how did your resident dog cope??

You know those little red cans of compressed air called “Pet Corrector “? It’s just plain air that makes a startling hissing noise? I don’t have a yard, so I always keep a can handy when I’m out walking my fosters, just in case of an *emergency*, like an off leash dog charging. (I do not use it for training, *ever*.)

Anyhow, I had to go to court today as a witness for a case.
I forgot I had an extra Pet Corrector spray in my purse.
Court Security has apparently never heard of it, and they pulled it out like they’d found a suspicious device.

I’m frantically trying to explain it’s just air. Literally what we are breathing. not pepper spray, not mace, no chemicals.

They did NOT buy my explanation, that it’s harmless, it only hurts a dog’s feelings if he’s being naughty.
So they confiscated it.

I might be the first person detained for possessing air.

Pretty sure I’m on some watchlist now 🫠
Keep me in your thoughts 😁

I always feel weird saying I have 4 dogs because it sounds like I’m collecting them, but they’re all foster failures. Over the last 7 years we’ve fostered around 45 dogs, and the 4 we kept all had special needs or circumstances that made them difficult to adopt.

After taking a break from fostering for about a year, we started again 3 weeks ago. The first dog found a home in 5 days, and today the second one, a sweet little puppy who had been abandoned by a breeder, got adopted too.

I know this is the best possible outcome, and I’m so happy he has a forever family. But I can’t stop crying. I'm feeling so emotional. He followed me everywhere, and I got attached so quickly. Watching him leave today completely broke my heart, and the house feels so empty without him.

I’m genuinely happy for him. I just miss him so much already. Feeling really down and sad today