Dogs are masters of body language, it’s the way they communicate. Dog body language involves a series of unique methods for communicating emotions and intentions. It is very different from how humans communicate. When you read a dog’s communication, you must look at every signal the dog is using from the tail height to the eye shape. Your dog is “talking” to you all the time. If you learn what your dog is saying, you will develop a deeper bond of trust and respect. Plus, you will learn to understand your life dog’s emotional state which can help you predict your dog’s behavior and prevent problems before they occur.
Dogs vocalize and gesture using their face and body just as us humans do in order to express their feelings. While some of these gestures can appear similar to ours, they can have very different meanings. When we greet someone, we look them in the eye, we stand up straight, move in close, smile, and reach out our hand to shake the other person’s hand. It’s no wonder we humans mis-communicate with our dogs! From a dog’s perspective, if another stares at them, leans forward, bares teeth, and reaches out to them it is very threatening behavior, rude, and puts the receiving dog on the defensive. But to humans these postures indicated a greeting.
Today, we are re-featuring the handsome Finnley! Finn is an adorable, 5 year young boy who just wants to be loved. Finn spent his young life chained up in a pen and was in terrible condition. He was thankfully rescued from this horrible situation and brought to the Babylon Animal Shelter in September of 2019 where he has been waiting over a year and a half for that one special person to come take him home.
Finn is a super sweet and very affectionate boy once he trusts you. Trust is an essential component of the human canine relationship; unsocialized dogs like Finn have had few experiences to help them predict what life should be like, and they lack the simple foundation for building trust. Dogs that have been poorly treated or had bad experiences may react with suspicion to strangers, and dogs that have suffered traumatic events, can be suspicious of everything related to that event. Finn has come a long way since his arrival at the shelter, he is learning to trust the world that surrounds him and how to simply be a dog.
Finn loves laying in the sun, splashing in the pool, playing fetch, taking walks and cuddling. He is very smart; he loves learning, and learns commands quickly. Although Finn walks nicely on a leash, he is very reactive to other dogs passing by – he suffers from fear based reactivity. For those not familiar, fear based reactivity is a feeling of apprehension associated with the presence or proximity of a person, dog/animal, or situation – either social or environmental. The number one reason for this behavior is a lack of quality and positive socialization. Socialization is very important to dogs, especially when they are young. Puppies that don’t have a chance to meet a wide variety of people or even other dogs are more likely to develop a fear of those they don’t know. Dogs who are not socialized when they are young never learn how to approach or handle new situations, people, animals, or environments.
Since Finn is fearful of other dogs, he needs to learn that dogs aren’t scary and there’s no need to be afraid. If you pair the sight of other dogs with the dispensing of treats enough times, he’ll learn that other dogs aren’t so scary. In fact, seeing another dog means that a treat is coming. The key is to change how Finn feels when he sees another dog. Finn is working on this issue at the shelter and will need to continue management and training in his new home.
Finn is searching for a very special Mom or Dad: savvy, experienced, patient individuals who are committed to him and will put in the time needed to gain his trust and continue to work with his insecurities. Individuals who understand dogs, their behavior and can read body language. A quiet home, with not a lot of people traffic going in and out. A loving family that will give him the time he needs to decompress, adjust to home life, and warm up to strangers.
The shelter is recommending households where Finn will be the one and only pet with children who are at least in their teens. A fenced in yard is a must, and Finn requires multiple meet and greets at the shelter so he has the opportunity to warm up to new people. These meet and greets are very important for Finn to get to know you, and your family for a successful adoption.
Adopting a dog that has been mistreated can be a very rewarding experience. In most cases, the effects of the can be reversed over time. However, it is important to remember that the dog comes to you with a history in which humans were not very kind. It can take a lot of time and patience to prove to the dog that not all humans are mean. You need to focus on recovering their trust in humans and self-esteem. Remember that dogs like Finn have gone through truly traumatic experiences, and needs understanding, patience and lots of love. It may be a long journey, but with perseverance and support you can restore his trust in humans.
There is always an adjustment period when any new pet is brought into a home, and taking the time to ensure things run smoothly is of the utmost importance. Fearful animals like Finn require additional care to help them adjust to their new environments. It takes time to help an abused animal learn to look at the world differently and develop trust in humans again. Whatever amount of time it takes, the time and investment in Finn will be worth it! Helping Finn build confidence and trust to overcome his fears is not only one of the greatest gifts you can give him, it is a very rewarding experience for you too. With love, patience and training, you’ll have an extremely loyal, loving new best friend.
Finn is patiently waiting for that special person who will understand and cherish him forever. This boy is looking for the love of his life, could it be you? Let’s not allow him to wait any longer, open your heart and give him a chance. Make arrangements to meet him, spend time with him, we guarantee you’ll fall in love.
Babylon Animal Shelter
80 New Highway
Amityville, New York
(631) 643-9270
Be sure to head over to Adoption Central right here on Paws Give Me Purpose, share Finn and all the other Featured Dog Friday pups still in search of their forever homes.
Who sings that song? It’s wonderful.
The song is called “Forever Home” by Dan May – Heartland Album