It’s always impressive to see well-behaved dogs at the local beer garden, dog park or just walking down the street. If your dog is not one of these obedient wonders, it doesn’t mean they are a bad dog, nor does it mean your dog isn’t a good family pet. But it might mean their human needs a reality check.
When we see well-behaved dogs, that is what we often picture when we imagine adding a dog to our lives. Many people do not realize that dogs are not born with the knowledge of how to walk on a leash or with instincts that tell them not to jump up on people or steal your sandwich. Socialization doesn’t happen automatically, regardless of breed. It takes training, consistency and commitment throughout a dog’s life.
As someone who does rescue work, my biggest concern is that I not only place the dog in a good home but also that the dog will remain part of that family for the rest of his or her life. Therefore, it is very important to me to make certain that adopters understand their commitment to their new dog includes training.
People who adopt dogs from rescues have their hearts in the right place, but they need to understand the reality of dog ownership. Let’s face it: Most rescue dogs don’t end up without a home because they were “too well-trained.” In fact, bad behavior is one of the most common reasons dogs end up in shelters – even pure-bred dogs. Far too frequently, owners surrender their dogs due to frustrating, unwanted behaviors – which sometimes don’t appear until they have owned the dog as long as a few years! – for which owners are not willing take the necessary corrective action and get the dog the training it needs.
Many rescue organizations, which often operate entirely on donated funds, don’t have the resources, tools or time to properly assess a dog’s temperament and behavior before a good-intentioned person or family adopts that dog. Shelters’ demand for help from rescues is so overwhelming that dogs are often in a rescue’s care for just a short period before they are adopted, and staff are unable to thoroughly determine whether the dog is truly good with other dogs, kids or cats, or assess what motivates the dog because the animal has been moved from the only environment he or she has ever known (no matter how horrible), and most dogs “shut down” for a time to cope with this change.
People must be honest with themselves about how willing they are to work with a rescue dog. Some dogs may have existing behavior issues that are brought to a potential adopter’s attention; others may seem fine at first, but issues surface as the dog matures, feels more comfortable and confident in their new environment, or as they encounter new life experiences. Loving, feeding and sheltering a dog isn’t enough; people must consider all the resources needed to properly care for a pet: veterinary care, healthy nutrition, proper exercise and socialization – and training.
Most dogs don’t even begin to show their real personalities or behaviors for at least four to six weeks after adoption, and some dogs take as long as three to six months to reach that comfort level, depending on the quality of their lives prior to their adoption.
I get many calls from people wanting to surrender their pet because the dog is suddenly behaving in a way the owner doesn’t understand. Some owners then just give away the dog, making it that much more difficult to rehabilitate the dog or correct the behavior. People don’t intend to fail their dogs, but that is what happens when they don’t recognize or will not address warning signals their dog is giving them. The bad behavior then escalates to the point that the owner no longer knows what else to do.
All dogs need training and enrichment. The extent of that training depends on the caretakers’ experience with dogs and their dog’s particular behaviors. A dog’s breed(s), natural temperament and behavior also influence the intensity of the training.
Many, many times training a dog has very little to do with actually teaching the dog; it is about educating the owner to read their dog’s behaviors and understand why their dog acts or reacts in certain ways. Understanding the importance of consistency is Training 101, so making sure that everyone in the household uses the same commands and sets the same boundaries is key to a happy and healthy dog – and happy humans!
