Behavioural adaptation of 158 rescued dogs from abroad during the first six months after adoption in Germany.

In several European countries, adopting rescued dogs from abroad is common, but the dogs' behaviour has rarely been studied. This first prospective study involved five telephone interviews with 151 owners of 158 dogs from 18 countries. The first interview, collecting each dog's preliminary data given to the owner by the animal welfare organisation, took place before or few days after adoption to households in Germany, the subsequent ones at one, six and twelve weeks and six months post-adoption. Specific behaviour categories were classified into behaviour scales, and a personality score consisting of 18 behaviour scales was created for each dog and time point. The personality score improved significantly over six months. Age, sex, size, region of origin and type of placement (direct, via shelter/foster home) of the dog and dog experience and residential area of the owner did not significantly influence the personality score. Significantly higher personality scores were determined for dogs housed with conspecific and those without external dog training. Six months after adoption, 79.9% of 149 owners said they would adopt another dog from abroad in future. Our study shows that most dogs adapted well to their new lives, but owners should anticipate behavioural problems, particularly fear-related behaviour.