Rehabilitation of Fearful Dogs in Shelters

Research at the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC)

The ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC) is a specialized facility dedicated to rehabilitating fearful, undersocialized dogs—most often those from puppy mills and hoarding situations—who are frequently considered unadoptable in shelter settings. 

Major Takeaways:

• There's Hope for Shelter Dogs Who Are Too Fearful to be Adopted: Despite exhibiting high levels of fear on intake, 86% of dogs treated at the BRC graduated from the program, and 99% of those graduates were successfully adopted (Collins et al., 2022). These findings highlight the potential for rehabilitation programs to transform outcomes for dogs previously thought to have a poor prognosis.
   
• The Best Time for Behavior Treatment is Now: Dogs who began behavior modification within 10 days of intake showed reductions in fear sooner than those whose treatment was delayed (Collins et al., 2025). A prolonged “settling-in” period without treatment did not improve fear-related behaviors, suggesting that—when resources allow—early intervention may be the most ethical option or fearful dogs' quality of life.
   
• Structured Behavior Treatment Programs Benefit Both Fearful Dogs and Animal Shelters: Behavior treatment increases fearful dogs' adoptability, reducing the risk of euthanasia and expanding shelters' capacity to care for dogs from challenging backgrounds.
   

Tips to Help Fearful Shelter Dogs

• Give dogs “fly by treats” to create a new, positive response to people: Staff members and volunteers can drop treats into dogs’ kennels as they walk past. Note that it does not matter what fearful dogs are doing. The goal is not to reinforce a certain behavior but to change the way the dog feels about seeing people. 
   
• Make potentially scary experiences predict treats: When dogs need veterinary exams or vaccinations, or experience anything else that might cause stress or fear, pair the experience with tasty high-value treats, such as canned food or cheese. With repetition, this practice can reduce fear and even reduce the risk of defensive aggression during handling.
   
• Provide robust environmental enrichment: Opportunities to enjoy food-stuffed enrichment toys, chews and olfactory enrichment items can help reduce stress and, potentially, fear of novel objects.
   
• Make housing choices that reduce stress: If dogs react fearfully to seeing other dogs and people in the kennel area, try housing them in quieter areas, using visual barriers outside their individual kennels and/or providing hiding spots inside the kennel (e.g., airline crates).
   
• Try co-housing with a confident friend: If shelter resources and policies allow, housing fearful dogs with friendly, confident dogs can go a long way in reducing stress and encouraging fearful dogs to interact with people.
   
• Try off-leash playgroups: Opportunities to play with other dogs while seeing and interacting with people can help fearful, undersocialized dogs relax, enjoy themselves, and make new people friends.
   
• Control acoustic stimulation: Teach staff to avoid making loud noises (e.g., slamming kennel doors, speaking or laughing loudly around fearful dogs) as much as possible. 
   
• Teach the team to use low-stress handling techniques.
   
• Implement “quiet time”: Designate a quiet time during the day, such as during staff lunch hour, when no one enters the kennel area. Play soothing music, dim the lights and hand out food-stuffed toys or chew items for dogs to enjoy. 
   

Additional Resources

• Watch: Check out Rest or Rehabilitate? The Impact of Early Behavioral Treatment on Shelter Dog Rehabilitation for details on why early intervention makes all the difference. Free ASPCA Learn account required.
   
• Learn: Watch 7 Ways to Reduce Stress When Handling Dogs and Cats to learn practical tips and ideas to better cater to the needs of dogs experiencing fear in a shelter setting. Free ASPCA Learn account required.
   
• Volunteer: Volunteer at the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center because nothing beats hands-on help (Asheville, NC area).