10 THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR RESCUED DOG Copyright Rachel Plotinski
1. These dogs usually have had no previous training, so its up to you to teach them household rules!
2. Set the rules immediatly..if you don't wnat your dog on the couch, NEVER allow it up there, even during the adjustment period.
3. Basic obedience classes give your new dog confidence in you and themselves, plus they will make better pets.
4. Expect accidents with your new dog...even if they were housebroken at their foster home, they are in a new environment and are under stress.
5. Despite the excitement of having a new dog, don't overwhelm them with attention....quiet time in their crate will give them a chance to relax and unwind.
6. Don't change your new dogs food suddenly...this can cause diarrhea. Instead, gradually mix in the new food over the course of a week.
7. Remember that most rescued dogs were strays at one point. Do not trust them to recognize your home as theirs for AT LEAST 6-12 months!!! This means NO off leash time unless in a securely fenced area.
8. Never leave your dog unattended with rawhide, stuffed animals or other easily edible toys...these items can choke your dog.
9. Keep a close watch on your new dog, especielly in the first two weeks. They are curious about their new surroundings and may chew things while they explore.
10.Tone of voice means a lot...if you expect your new dog to respond to a command(ex. "sit") use a commanding voice..and only say the word ONCE (ex. "sit" instead of "sit..no, sit...no, sit..") If your dog does not respond it usually means that they do not know this command yet and you should take them to obedience classes to teach them.
5 BASIC CRATING GUIDELINES Copyright Rachel Plotinski
1. Never crate your dog with any kind of collar or lesh on..they can get tangled in the bars and choke themselves.
2. Never let your dog out of their crate when they whine. That will teach them that making noise means they will get out of their crate.
3. Never disturb your dog while they are in their crate..it's their own space to be by themselves.
4. Never crate your dog for over 8 hours at a time...that's a long, boring day!!!
5. Never crate your dog as a punishment. That will teach them their crate is a bad thing.
12 TIPS FOR A WELL-BEHAVED DOG
copyright 1995-2000 Robin Kovary
1. Start training your puppy early on. While old dogs can learn new tricks, what's learned earliest is often learned quickest and easiest. Moreover, the older the dog, the more bad habits that will likely need to be "unlearned". When it comes to raising and training a dog, an ounce of prevention is certinaly worth a pound of cure.
2. Train your dog gently and humanely, and whenever possible, teach him using positive, motivational methods. Keep obedience sessions upbeat so that the training process is enjoyable for all parties involved. If training your pooch is a drudgery, rev things up a bit and try the "playtraining" approach: incorporate constructive, non-adversarial games(such as "go find", "hide and seek", retrieving, etc) into your training sessions.
3. Does your dog treat you like "hired help" at home? Does he treat you like a human gymnasium where you are sitting on the furniture? Demand your attention by annoying you to death? Ignore your commands? How well your dog responds to you at home affects his behavior outdoors as well. If your dog does not respond reliably to commands at home(where distractions are relatively minimal), he certinly won't respond to you properly outdoors where he may be tempted by other dogs, birds, passersby, sidwalk food scraps, etc.
4. AVOID GIVING YOUR DOG COMMANDS THAT YOU KNOW YOU CANNOT ENFORCE. Every time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional.
5. One command should equal one response, so give your dog only command, then gently enforce it. Repeating commands tunes your dog out(as does nagging) and teaches your dog tht the first several commands are a "bluff". For instance, telling your dog to "sit, sit, sit, sit sit!" is neither an efficient nor effective way to issue commands. Simply give your dog a single "sit" command and gently place or lure him into the sit position, then praise/reward.
6. Avoid giving your dog combined commands which are incompatable. Combined commands such as "sit-down" can confuse your dog. Using this example, say either "sit" or "down". The command "sit down" simply does not exist.
7. When giving your dog a command, aviod using a loud voice. Even if your dog is especielly independent/unresponsive, your tone of voice when issuing an obedience command such as "sit" or "down" should be calm and authoritative, rather than harsh or loud.
NOTE: Many owners complain that their dogs are "stubborn" and that they "refuse to listen" when given a command. Before balaming the dog when he does not respond to a command, one must determine wheter or not: a)the dog knows what the owner wants, b)he knows how to comply, and c) he is not simply being unresponsive due to fear, stress or confusion.
8. Whenever possible, use your dogs name positively, rather than using it in conjunction with reprimands, warnings or punishment. Your dog should trust that when it hears its name or is called to you, good things will happen. His name should always be a word he responds to with enthusiasm, never hesitancy or fear.
9. Correct, or better yet, prevent the (mis) behavior, dont punish the dog. Teaching and communication is what it's all about, not getting even with your dog. If you're taking an "it's you against the dog, whip 'em into shape" approach, you will undermine your relationship and miss out on all the fun that a motivational training approach can offer. Additionally, after-the-fact discipline does NOT work.
10.When training one's dog, whether praising or correcting, good timing is essential. Take the following example: You have prepared a platter of hors d'oeuvres for a small dinner party, which you have left on your kitchen counter. Your dog walks into the room and smells the food. He air-sniffs, then eyes the food, and is poised to jump up. This is the BEST, EASIEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE time to correct your dog: before he has misbehaved, while he is thinking about jumping to get the food.
11.Often dog owners indavertently reinforce their dogs' misbehavior by giving their dogs lots of attention(albeit negative attention) when they misbehave. Needless to say, if your dog receives lots of attention and handling when he jumps on you, that behavior is being reinforced, and therefore likely to be repeated.
12.Keep a lid on your anger. Never train your dog when you're feeling grouchy or impatient. Earning your dogs respect is never accomplished by yelling, hitting or handling your dog in a harsh manner. Moreover, studies have shown that fear and stress inhibit the learning process.
