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Bringing a new rescue dog into your home can have unique challenges since shelter dogs, older dogs, and even puppies often need help getting adjusted to their new home. There are some typical behavior problems that newly adopted dogs tend to struggle with such as
Excessive Barking Barking is an important form of communication, but excessive barking is problematic. This is often one of the main reasons dogs have been surrendered to a shelter and there are many reasons a dog barks. Tips:
The more time you spend together with your dog, building communication, (training), you will begin to see triggers and signs of his or her threshold rising. Be patient. Take your time. Enjoy the process. Treats Treats will be your friend as you apply important principals of positive reinforcement training. Treats are crucial to training your new dog and, you'll need to find what "currency" your dog prefers. Chicken? Biljac? Liver? Cheese? You want to find HIGH VALUE TREATS and use them to reward and encourage good behaviors and improve motivation and focus. Some dogs respond best to a good game of fetch or simple pat on the head but, typically, most dogs will respond to food and special treats. Place piles of treats all around the house, (top shelves of bookshelves, top of fridge, etc.) so you can have access to treats at a moment's notice. Feed your dog its food by hand to create an even stronger bond and also work on a soft bite (tuck your fingers back as your dog masters a soft bite). Find High Value Treats, food or snacks your dog really likes, and use them to reward and encourage good behaviors and improve motivation and focus. Why Treats are so Important for Successful Training:
Separation Anxiety Prevention Without proper preparation, your dog may get upset when you leave them alone. Some dogs get so anxious when left alone; they become destructive in the home, can panic, and even cause harm to themselves. Thankfully, there are many solutions to help prevent and improve Separation Anxiety. Separation Anxiety is a behavior that, with proper training, can improve quickly. If you are having trouble, contact a trainer or FHAR. Resource Guarding Resource guarding is when a dog values something (food, toy, bone, water bowl, person, etc.) and will protect it at all costs. Many newly rescued dogs might have had life experiences that have encouraged this protective instinct, so it’s important for new dog owners to know what might trigger resource guarding and know what to do when their dog starts acting protective. Shy/Fearful or Protective Behaviors Counter-conditioning and desensitization are proven ways to help dogs build confidence and are the keys to success for helping your shy dog overcome their fears. The key to making your shy or fearful dog less afraid is increased socialization. Exposure at comfortable levels to new people, places, and things along with a ton of treats, love, and patience. Build confidence. Go slowly. Use great treats! Help your dog learn how to relax enough to eat treats in the presence of new people, new environments, and things can do wonders in turning around a fearful situation! Don't raise your voice. Join us for our regular free training classes held on most Saturdays and open to all qualifying rescue dogs in foster homes and furever homes. We also have special workshops/seminars, special bake-offs and other fun fundraiser events, and will be creating a series of instructional videos prepared by a professional behavior vet. The classes are free to foster and furever canine parents of rescued dogs from ANY shelter who have a new, or old canine family member needing training and socialization. Remember, there is an entire life beyond "puppy class". Training and socialization is a lifelong process, especially for some of our challenged and more brilliant canine crew. Basic Skills Class; 2:00-3:00 PM The Basics class focuses on basic social skills of being polite -- sit, down, stay, come, and a few tricks like shake. The Showoff Class; 3:00-4:00 This class includes more advanced obedience skills plus varied weekly agendas ranging from Rally O, Canine Freestyle, and more advanced tricks and games. The Challenging Canine Class; 4:30-5:30 Held periodically (with dogs who have been previously evaluated in a private meeting), this session is sometimes replaced with a special workshop/seminar featuring a guest professional behavior vet or other expert in the field of behavior modification. Behavior Assessments Contact us for current schedule, to schedule a behavior assessment, or for more information. Here are 2 of our recent graduates sporting their graduation caps!
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