How to Be a Good Dog LLC.

(This newsletter was developed for a free going-home seminar at an animal shelter.  The seminar is held AFTER the dog has already gone home.  The seminar serves to answer any questions that new dog owners may have and to provide valuable information.  I decided to post it online as a source for adopting-families whose shelters may not provide information on the topic of adjusting to a new home.)

How to Be a Good Dog

Professional Training and Enrichment

www.freewebs.com/howtobeagooddog

                              Shelter-Dogs Newsletter                 

Rescuing a dog from a shelter and bringing him into your home can be an exciting experience!  However, you may have questions once you get home that shouldn't go unaswered.  I started this program to ensure that adopting-families would have access to some important information that will make the settling-in period as stress-free as possible for both you and your new dog!

How to Be a Good Dog

Owner/Trainer, LeeAnn Coldsmith

Stranger in a strange land...

No doubt your new dog is just as excited as you are about coming home, BUT please remember this is a completely new experience for him and it may be scary!  Just take a minute and imagine having to go somewhere completely foreign to you.  Even though the people there seem nice, you can't understand anything they say, and you don't know any of the rules or what's expected of you.  Scary place, huh?  It's easy to see how a dog could become disoriented and need some time to adjust!

How long will the adjustment period last?

It may take anywhere from two days  to a few months for you and your new canine friend to adjust to one another.  The key to stress-free adjustment is patience!  Know that your dog needs some time.  If you are loving and patient with him your bond will grow deeper automatically.  You can't force a dog to trust you!

A word on jealousy issues...

I'm sure you've all been taking lots of time to get to know your new dogs!  It's important to spend quality time bonding with you new dog, while being careful not to neglect any other pets or people in your household.  You don't want to make anyone jealous, not to mention jealousy issues between pets can become extremely serious.

Visiting the Vet

It's important to take your dog to the vet as soon as you can to be sure he's completely healthy.  Despite the amazing efforts of the kennel techs, it is still possible that your dog could have gone home with a virus.  A vet visit is especially important if you have other pets at home!  You don't want to accidentally infect any of your other pets!  Also, it is important that your dog gets to know his vet.  Be prepared for any type of reaction when you get to the office.  Some dogs barge in tail-wagging and jump up to the counter to kiss the receptionist, but other dogs may not have such a positive feeling towards check-ups.  Some dogs may actually quite scared.  Dogs like this may have had a bad experience, or this reaction could simply be due to the strange smells and atmosphere of the office.  You can help your dog get over his fears by visiting the vets office frequently for the sole purpose of saying hello and receiving a couple head pats and treats.  Once your dog forms a positive association with the vet's office he won't elicit that negative reaction.  After all, a place where you receive attention and yummy treats is much less scary than a place where all you ever get is poked with needles and prodded by strangers!

Rules of the House

Determine the rules of the house and stick with them!  Consistency is key!  Is Sparky allowed on the sofa, or not?  Are any rooms off limits?  Where does he sleep?  When does he eat?  Can he eat people-food?  Being consistent decreases the adjustment period significantly!  Sparky knows exactly which behaviors are acceptable and which behaviors are not.  On the other hand, inconsistencies produce anxiety in the dog and decrease his confidence.  If one family member lets Sparky up on the couch and another family member yells at him for it, he will never know what he is allowed to do.  Inconsistency can be surprisingly damaging to a dog.  Some dogs will become extremely lethargic and refuse to "behave" in any way at all for fear of doing the wrong thing.  So set your rules and stick to them!

Training and Discipline

Your dog needs to know that you are the boss!  Good human leaders are calm, assertive, and collected.  This holds true in the animal kingdom too, alpha wolves have a very relaxed, composed personality.  Or what about Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King?  He is the epitomy of cool and collected.  However, his brother Scar is a different story!  But enough about The Lion King, when you catch your dog being bad, don't lose your cool!  Take a deep breath (pretend you're Mufasa if you need to) and let your dog know in a firm, disappointing tone that he is misbehaving.  Don't ignore good behavior!  Praise your dog and reward him for behaving appropriately!  Have your dog complete some obedience training.  Training helps you better control your dog and gives you the opportunity to allow your dog to join you on outings without it being a hassle.  You'll have a much better relationship with your dog if he doesn't have to stay home when the family goes on a trip to the state park, or the country, or even downtown!  Dogs love outings, and they love being with you.  Pickles wants to feel like he's a part of the family too!

Housetraining

       Automatically assume your dog is NOT housetrained!  No matter what methods you choose, making a commitment to be consistent and keep a routine will result in much faster progress.  If you are interested in some of the different housetraining methods, I can give you information.

 

Crating

To your dog, a crate is his very own room!  It's a safe, cozy place where he can go when he's feeling overwhelmed or just needs to relax.  Crates make both housetraining and obedience training easier.  A crate is also an excellent preventative tool (we'll talk about prevention in a moment) to save your dog from the undue stress of being yelled at unnecessarily for problem behavior.  Crates shouldn't be used all day, just a few routine hours.  A good figure is no more than four consecutive hours at a time.  NEVER use a crate as punishment!  This defeats the purpose of crating.  Your dog will look at his crate as a jail cell instead of a comfy place, all his own.  However, if you're feeling overwhelmed you can put your dog in his crate with a yummy bone or chewie so that you have the chance to regain your cool.  A crate should only be large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around, and sit comfortably.  Also, be sure there is no way his collar could get caught (or any other safety hazards).

Exercise

Dogs need exercise just like people!  Adequate exercise in itself often eliminates many problem behaviors.  A tired dog is a good dog!  A common myth people have about dogs is that if you have a decent sized yard, your dog is getting enough exercise.  The truth is, dogs don't exercise themselves. While you're at work, Spot isn't out there running laps.  If you don't feel up to taking vigorous runs with your dog everyday, don't skip the exercise!  You can always take a walk, play ball, throw a stick, frizbee, etc.  You can also consider arranging play-dates for your dog or look into options like doggie daycare.  There are plenty of ways to help your dog achieve a healthy activity level.  I can't stress enough the importance of physical activity for your dog!

Prevention

Prevention is always preferred to correction.  If you can prevent problem behaviors from occurring in the first place, training will be much easier!  It is very hard to correct a bad behavior after it's already occurred, compared to preventing it from ever happening in the first place.  Let's look at an example.

Hi my name is Buttercup.  I'm a 1 year old Golden Retriever mix.  I just recently figured out that if I nudge the lid of the trash can just right, I can gain access to all sorts of tastey treats!  Sometimes there are napkins, candy wrappers, paper plates, or even table scraps!  My owners yell at me when they get home.  I don't know why they're so mad at me lately. But it can't have anything to do with knocking over the trash.  It's sooo good!

When Buttercup knocks the lid off the trash she is participating in a self-rewarding behavior.  The "yummy treats" inside are the reward.  Behaviors that are rewarded tend to repeat, and the more times they repeat the more likely the behavior will develop into a habit.  Buttercup doesn't understand when her owner's yell at her after the misbehavior has already occurred.  She needs immediate correction (that Mufasa voice we talked about earlier).  But since her owners can't be there to correct her all day everyday it makes sense to prevent the misbehavior from occurring in the first place.  It might be less convenient for her owner's to move the trash can, but having Buttercup constantly in the garbage is not all that convenient either. You want to make sure you set your dog up for success, not failure.

The most important thing to take from this small seminar is to be patient!  Your dog will be much more trusting, relaxed, and confident if you aren't trying to force him into early adjustment.  Remember dogs don't know what we expect of them until we teach them!  Be prepared.  Know ahead of time that you are going to deal with symptoms of anxiety:  accidents, misbehavior, lethargy, etc.  Keep your cool!  Your dog is much more willing to trust and obey you if you are a fit leader.  Finally, don't be afraid to ask questions!  Communication between two seperate species can be hard to say the least, but there are plenty of people that can help you!  If you would like further information on any of the topics discussed, or you have questions relating to other topics, feel free to contact me.  My concern is the well-being of the dogs.  These dogs have been let down in the past, and they deserve to be given every opportunity for a happy, healthy life.  Contact information is available on the website listed at the top of this packet or on the provided business card.  Thank you for attending!  I hope you learned some valuable information that will aid in the bonding between you and your new dog!