Every time my pack and I head out for a walk, someone eventually smiles and asks if I’m a dog walker.
When I tell them I foster dogs, the conversation usually changes. They ask about the foster, how long they’ve been with me, or how I get everyone to walk together so calmly. I often hear comments like, “What a beautiful pack,” or “They’re so well behaved.”
What they don’t see is the work behind those walks. There are still moments when a member of the pack makes a decision that isn’t the best for our walk. It takes practice, patience, and plenty of repetition to create a calm pack. Sometimes what people see is the finished product without knowing everything that happened along the way.
Learning Through the Unexpected Moments of Fostering
Every foster arrives with their own experiences, their own way of communicating, and their own understanding of the world. They don’t immediately know what I expect from them or how my pack operates, and I don’t expect them to.
My goal is to give them the time they need to decompress while helping them learn the structure and expectations that I hope will prepare them for a successful adoption.
I didn’t always understand how important each part of that process could be.
My first foster removed any doubt I had about the importance of using a crate. I wasn’t familiar with how valuable it could be during decompression, but that experience showed me how the crate could reinforce safety and create boundaries while everyone adjusts to one another.
That lesson stayed with me, and every foster since then has continued teaching me something new.
Even now, I don’t assume I have everything figured out. Every dog has their own story, and learning how they communicate requires me to pay attention before deciding what comes next.
Progress Doesn’t Always Look the Way We Expect
My current foster was timid and easily startled by sudden movements and loud noises when she first arrived. Because of that, I’ve had to consider her sensitivities when interacting with her and even when correcting other members of the pack.
For example, I may clap my hands to redirect one of my resident dogs before an unwanted behavior escalates. With my current foster, that same clap can startle her enough that she runs outside. I’ve learned to check where she is before using a louder correction because even when the correction isn’t meant for her, she doesn’t know that.
As the weeks passed, I watched her become more comfortable with me and the pack. At the same time, I started noticing behaviors that weren’t noticeable during her first few weeks.
Recently, she started charging a fence when dogs behind it barked at the pack. Instead of assuming I understood why she reacted, I wanted to see whether the same behavior would happen without the pack around her.
I took her for a walk by herself and intentionally passed another home with barking dogs behind the fence. She didn’t react. I moved closer so she could clearly see the dogs, and she remained calm.
That made me stop and think.
I don’t know exactly why her behavior changes when she’s walking with the pack. She may feel more confident with them around her, but that’s only my assumption. What I do know is that walking her separately gave me an opportunity to see another side of the behavior.
Whatever the reason may be, it reminded me that a dog can make tremendous progress in one area while still needing guidance in another.
Understanding the Situation Around the Behavior
One evening during dinner, my current foster taught me another lesson.
She was in her crate with her food bowl in front of her while I had her waiting for the release command to eat. As I waited, I noticed her looking intently over my left shoulder before she gave a low growl.
I knew the growl wasn’t directed at me because her attention wasn’t on me. I immediately interrupted the behavior with an “Ah Ah” verbal correction and continued watching her. She stopped growling, and I told my resident dog behind me to back up while I remained focused on my foster.
Once everything seemed more under control and my foster was calm, I gave her the release command to eat and closed the crate door.
The following morning, I recreated the same situation. One of my resident dogs was again behind me while my foster waited for her food. This time, she remained calm and didn’t show the same behavior before I released her to eat.
That experience reminded me how important it is to understand what I’m seeing before deciding how to respond. If I rush to react without paying attention to the entire situation, I may misunderstand what caused the behavior and respond based on the wrong assumption.
Every Dog Continues Learning
Something else surprised me as my current foster continued adjusting to the pack. I noticed one of my resident dogs beginning to fall back into behaviors that I thought we had already worked through.
During our walks, my foster and resident dog began reacting together when dogs barked at them from behind fences. There was even a moment when they both charged toward a fence because they anticipated the dogs would be there. I had to interrupt the behavior, have them sit, and wait until they were focused on us before continuing the walk.
I temporarily switched both dogs from their martingale collars to prong collars to help reinforce the corrections they were already familiar with. I prefer using martingale collars, so the goal isn’t to keep them on prong collars. I’m using them as a temporary tool while we continue working through the behavior and build enough consistency to transition back.
Watching one of my resident dogs fall back into an unwanted behavior reminded me that learning doesn’t only apply to the newest foster. The arrival of another dog can change the dynamics of the pack, and sometimes a resident dog needs additional guidance too. My expectations don’t change simply because a dog has lived with me longer. I’m still paying attention to everyone and interrupting unwanted behaviors when needed so the entire pack can continue learning together.
Reflection
Fostering has taught me that things aren’t always going to go the way I expect. A dog can be doing great and suddenly show a behavior I haven’t seen before. A resident dog could fall back into an old behavior when I thought we had already worked through it. Those unexpected moments used to require more thought, but over time I’ve learned to remain calm and assess what’s happening before I react.
Patience and consistency have become a big part of how I approach those moments. I can’t expect the dogs to make better decisions if I’m not willing to give them the opportunity to learn from the ones I don’t want repeated. I’ve learned to interrupt unwanted behaviors while creating an environment where they have the opportunity to make better decisions.
Dogs aren’t the only ones learning. Every foster continues to challenge what I think I know and gives me another opportunity to learn. I don’t expect that to change, and I wouldn’t want it to.
Related reading:
- Welcoming a New Foster into My Pack
- Understanding Dog Body Language on Walks
- Why Rescue Dogs Benefit from Structure and Routine
Disclaimer
This article is based on personal experience, observations, and general research. It is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary, medical, training, or behavioral advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding concerns specific to your dog.
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