Your shelter dog may be happy and start adjusting to you and your family right away -- or not.

Some shelter dogs can take a little time to adjust to their new life. Your dog may be shy at first and seem very quiet. That’s okay. Give him some time to observe things and slowly fit into the family. This period may last for a few days. As long as he is eating and drinking, even a little, keep giving him the time he needs.

Your shelter dog may also react by being a little clingy. Some shelter dogs may latch on to you and see you as a savior. If you spend time petting your dog and taking care of him, this kind of dog will probably be devoted to you forever. In fact, he may have problems with separation anxiety later so, when possible, you should encourage him to interact with other family members and take him for walks outside. Let him see other things and meet friendly strangers. This will help discourage the tendency to focus completely on you which, as flattering as it may be, is not good for your dog.

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Regardless of how your new shelter dog acts in the beginning, he will begin to relax a little and you will be able to get a better idea of his real personality.

You can start finding out if he’s outgoing and friendly, if he’s always shy, if he’s active or neurotic. Some dogs end up in animal shelters through no fault of their own. Their owners may not be able to keep them when they move or the dog may not get along with the cat. Other dogs, however, may have some behavior problems then lead to them being in the shelter.

You will probably find out if your dog has any of these behavior problems after a few days. These problems can include house soiling, excessive barking, jumping on people, nipping -- the usual behavior problems. If your dog is an adolescent dog he may be particularly prone to exhibiting these problems. There are solutions to all of these problems but they will take work on our part.

Getting a dog from a shelter can be a great thing to do. As exciting as it always is to get a new dog you should take your time and try to choose a dog that will fit you and your lifestyle.

Try to find out as much as you can about the dogs from the shelter staff. Admittedly, this isn’t always easy because the staff is eager to get the dogs into new homes. They aren’t always forthcoming about a dog’s issues. Good shelters will try to help you choose the right dog because they don’t want you to have to return the dog.

Take your time with your new dog and get to know each other. You may have discovered a diamond in the ruff.