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Bringing a New Dog Home

4/14/2021

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We’ve all seen the stories of the shelter dog who finally finds his person and they live happily ever after in perfect harmony.  Unfortunately, this is not the norm.  When a dog ends up in a shelter they have suddenly lost their family with no idea why.  The reason doesn’t matter because the dog does not know that reason, just that his home and family are gone.  The rescue or shelter may be amazing but it is not their home. 

It can be very hard for a dog to adjust to shelter life.  Staff and volunteers come and go, as do the dogs around them.  They can hear other dogs barking, sometimes in fear, as well as smell the disinfectants.  They don’t know what is going to happen from one moment to the next as they are moved from one kennel to another to a play yard with strange dogs.  When a person or family makes the decision to adopt the dog they are then thrown in to another new place with new people and maybe even new dogs.  This also applies to the "rehomed" dog.  
 
Be patient.  You will want to show off our new family member but please remember that Fido’s world has been turned upside down and he needs time to decompress and adjust.  Supervision is very important to make sure he doesn’t escape his new home and is safe with the new people and pets in his life.
 
Dogs do not generalize behaviors to all locations unless taught.  They may have been house trained but that doesn’t mean they are trained to your house.  They may have had a doggy door which allowed them free access.  Set up a way for the dog to tell you they have to go by using a bell hanging from the door.  Take them out frequently, ringing the bell before you open the door.  Soon Fido will be ringing the bell to let you know.
 
For the first three weeks your new dog is building his trust in you and learning some of the family rules.  Separate Fido from children and other pets when you are not there to actively supervise.  What may be normal activity in your home may not be something he is familiar with and may cause fear.  He needs time to process and learn the family rules.  Now is not the time to take him to the dog park.  You will start to see his personality come out. You may also see some challenges that need to be addressed with a positive reinforcement trainer.
 
It takes about 3 months for most dogs to fully adjust.  Fido may need a trainer to help him learn how to follow family rules, social skills, leash training and safely introducing to new dogs and environments.  Adding lots of enrichment can help him learn to settle and keep him out of trouble.

A great resource for bringing home an adult dog is Patricia McConnell, PhD  book Love Has No Age Limit, Welcoming an Adult Dog Into Your Home.  She discusses the Rule of 3s and how to apply it to making your new family member feel welcome and wanted.   


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The Adolescent Dog

4/27/2020

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“Where did my puppy go” is often the first hint that your dog is an adolescent.  We aren’t just talking size but behavior, attitude, self control challenges.  That puppy who was so desperate for attention you only had to think about him and there he was.  So many times I hear “well, our puppy is so well behaved we don’t need training or socialization.  Then the dog gets to about six months of age, give or take, and they appear to go nuts.  

Why does this happen?  Well, there are a lot of reasons.  Biologically they are in puberty.  Even if desexed their brain is still developing until around the age of 2.  And just like humans, the last part of the brain to finish developing is the frontal cortex.  Guess what area of the brain controls impulse control?  Somewhere between 18 months and 36 months (typically around 24 months) the frontal cortex is complete. 

Many dog owners don’t think about this time period.  Somewhere around 6 months, when the dog’s appears is less puppy and more adult, they begin expecting adult behaviors.  To best explain this, just because a 13 year old human can reach the pedals of the car does not mean they are mentally mature enough to be able to handle the responsibility of driving.   This is also why many adolescent “out of control” dogs are turned into shelters.
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The first step in this is to remember that your adolescent dog is not an adult, nor are they a puppy.  They do, however, need training.  Much of their puppy training goes out the window as they start to express behavior typical of an animal getting ready to leave the nest.  Go back to the basics, build your relationship with your dog.  Be sure to engage in play with your dog as part of the training.  Don’t spend hours training do spend a few minutes here and there. 

The puppy who never jumped may suddenly decide to jump. Why? To get your attention. Suddenly they aren’t the cute puppy that everyone wanted to  engage.  Now they are bigger, louder and kind of obnoxious. Most of the attention they receive is for bad, in your face, behavior. It’s important not to give that type of behavior any reinforcement, which includes your attention. From that first jump turn sideways, say “sit” and ignore the dog until that behavior happens. Remind them that only good manners should get them attention.  Spending time training reinforces that good behaviors = rewards. 

Even your dog’s sleep habits may change so they need more positive mental stimulation to help them sleep consistently.  Physical exercise is good (check with your vet on what your dog needs) but if you only focus on physical exercise you will have a well conditioned athlete that constantly needs more activity to maintain.  You want a good balance of mental to physical exercise. 

Adolescent dogs have up and down behavior.  One day on point and the next day checked out.  This is perfectly normal.  On bad days try to do shorter training sessions, more random requests for a behavior in exchange for a life reward. 

Although you still want to keep socializing your dog to new experiences, animals and people understand that some days they may not want to be social, even fearful.  Do not force them into a situation.  If you are on a walk just turn around and go the other direction, talking softly and finally offering a reward when the dog’s attention is back on you.  Let your dog set the pace.  Most issues at this point are a result of not listening to your dog and pushing them into a situation they weren’t comfortable with  which means the next time may be even worse.

The encountered dog on the walk may be a perfectly lovely dog but now an imprint has happened. Now your dog may be thinking “I was scared the last time I saw that dog and I had to go right up to it and that scared me even more. Maybe if I bark louder or meaner sounding that dog will go away and leave me alone.”   We want him to remember nothing happened.  He saw the dog, became uncomfortable and his handler turned him around and walked away from that scary thing.  Guess what happens now?  Your dog goes at his own pace, gradually getting closer until he’s able to be confident in his greeting.

Training and recall are going to be hit and miss during this time.  Always EXPECT the right behavior but be PREPARED for the challenging behavior.  I expect my dog to come when I call but I am prepared to have a special yummy treat and am ready to engage the dog in a game of chase the handler or a special tug toy if I need to. Remember, in the animal kingdom adolescence is the time that prepares an animal to leave the nest by learning the skills they need to survive.  Teaching them new behaviors and fun tricks are ideal for this time.  It keeps their brain active and learning.  And it’s hard to  get mad at a dog doing a silly trick. 
 

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House Training 

1/1/2017

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Potty training? Remember the rule of thumb. 1 hour for 1 month of age.

I like to set a timer so that I remember to take them out regularly in case I get busy with other things and might forget. Limit where the dog can go during these early days of potty training.

Watch for sniffing, circling or hiding. If you have an accident do NOT rub the dogs nose in it or punish. This will encourage the dog to hide and fear you as they will most likely connect potty to punishment rather than potty to "I should do this outside" and it will delay your goal.

Hang a bell near or on the door leading outside. Every time you take the dog outside ring the bell. Soon the dog will ring the bell to let you know it needs to go outside.

I prefer to leash in the beginning. This way you can take the dog out, keep an eye on what is happening and reward with big praise and petting immediately upon success. And having a dog that will readily do their business on a leash is good if you have to travel with them.

If he doesn't go within a few minutes take the puppy back inside, but keep the leash on so they can't go far. Take them back out after a few minutes and try again. Repeat until you have success.

Give it a cue. At our house it's "business". If I am in a hurry I can tell the dogs to "do business" and they do it quickly without getting distracted by play.

Note: I am not a fan of pee pads. These can teach the dog that it is ok to go inside and make it that much harder to transition to outside.
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    Ronda Warywoda

    CPDT-KA, UW-AAB

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