DOG ADOPTION

While preparing this article, I received an email from someone who had adopted an eight month old Pitbull from a bad environment just before the city was getting ready to remove the dog. She also owns a female Pitbull that she had adopted from the local dog adoption shelter. So she has some experience with dogs. The new adopted dog respects both her and her mother, in fact demonstrates love. The dog is OK with her 5 year old, tolerates her boyfriend, yet sends signals; but launches himself aggressively at her 14 and 15 year old. She believes that given a chance, and the right training that the dog is going to be an excellent dog. I agree!

Dogs are Pack Animals. The pack instinct controls every aspect of a dogs life. If his PACK STRUCTURE is a strong one, and is clearly defined, the adopted dog will be confident in his environment and make an excellent pet. Right now, he does not understand his position in the pack and he feels he needs to establish himself. This is absolutely the way it is with just about every breed of dog, both large and small.

Watch a pack of puppies and you will see how they fight for position and ownership. Most people cannot believe how vicious puppies can be toward one another. To establish rank they use their teeth. Because of their fur and thick skin, they rarely inflict serious injuries in these test of will. But when they do the same with a human, even a small dog can inflict serious injury. This kind of behavior is not unusual, in fact it is normal behavior, it is hard wired into them, and it is all they know.

In the aforementioned case, the adopted dog has submitted to both adult women. The small child is not seen as a threat for position so she is being tolerated. Yet, he is very likely to give her a quick bite to remind her of his rank if he feels she needs reminding. That just has not happened yet, but it will. The boyfriend; the dog is not sure about. The adopted dog doesn't know if he is up to the task or not, so he tries to send signals to see if he can perceive without a fight. But now the two teenagers; he sees them as a direct rival for position and he is ready to fight. This is typical pack behavior.

The key to solving this problem with the adopted dog is to establish pack structure. Right now the adopted dog is trying to establish the structure of his new pack. This is akin to children deciding what they will eat, when they will go to bed, and how late they will stay out. In some households, it is done that way; and we can all foresee the results. Strong structure is needed.

The leader of the pack needs to decide every ones position. When I was a child, my Dad was the leader of our pack, with my mom being the second in command. They decided every aspect of me and my siblings life. I did not battle with my siblings to see who sat where at the dinner table or who would have what bedroom, or who would get the last piece of pie. And when company came over, my parents decided if I was to sit and listen or if I could retire to my room. My parents decided everything. Likewise, the adopted dog has to learn that you are the one who decides his place in the pack. He has to learn that all humans are above him. When he learns this, you will have a great dog and a safe dog.

Sadly, some are not capable of being pack leaders because they do not understand discipline. Dogs are not people, they relate to things entirely different than we do. What we may view as cruel, is what an adopted dog relates to and in many cases desires. (I am not talking about beating a dog). The pack instinct is ingrained into them. Before you can be successful with a dog adoption, you have to understand how the pack instinct controls an adopted dog and his thinking.

So how does one go about training a dog? Is it really possible to teach an old dog a new trick? I highly recommend that you take the time to read some of my DOG TRAINING PAGES. You will note that I endorse Remote Collar Training as a way to quickly and easily teach everything from the basics to advance training skills. For an adopted dog, I recommend the Leerburg Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Pet DVD.

In my experience, most any behavioral problem that you may encounter when doing a dog adoption can be easily dealt with when applying the concepts of Pack Structure Training.

The Premier Manners Minder Remote Reward Behavior Training System for Dogs is one of the stupidest looking training tools I have seen, but many people love it. Read the reviews at Amazon. It is common that when dong a dog adoption for the adopted dog to have anxiety. This may help relieve stress for the adpoted dog.

Pro-Treat 21 ounce Tub Freeze Dried Dog Treats, Beef Liver are some of the best treats you will ever find. Rescue Dogs absolutely love these treats.

Many adopted dogs have anxiety which is understandable. I'd feel the same way if I had just been on death-row. Thundershirt Dog Anxiety Treatment is a product that thousands of people swear by. With over 600 reviews on Amazon, there has to be something to it. Amazon has dozens of similar products, yet I did not see any Pitbulls modeling one. Frankly, I don't believe a self respecting Pitbull would be caught dead in one. But hey, I've been wrong before.

KONG Extreme Dog Toy is one of my favorite dog toys. An adopted dog never had it so good as he will when you stuff it with one of his favorite treats.

I own and use the Tri-Tronics Sport Basic G3 Training Collar . It is the most reviewed (at time of this writing) collar at Cabelas with 220 reviews and a 4.7 out of 5 rating. It can control three dogs at a time, which is an important feature if you have more than one dog. It is professional grade and will have your rescue dog obeying your commands without hesitation.

I also like the Dogtra 1900NCP Field Star 1/2 mile Training Collar Single Dog. This is the collar that Leerburg recommends. If I had only one dog to train, I would purchase this one. I have included to the left and right two lower price collars. However the price on the 1900NCP has come down to the point, I would not consider the lower price units.

When I first promoted Remote Training Dog Collars, few people were aware of them, and most thought they were barbaric. Since then, Remote Collars have become very popular and are now widely used. As more people have tested them, that incorrect opinion has been disproved. Now, there are countless manufactures marketing them, with hundreds on the market. Amazon.com has several thousand reviews. Read the reviews to dismiss any idea that they are somehow inhumane.

I read a number of reviews, and found two remote dog training collars at a lower price point that I would recommend if price is a concern. Take a look at the SportDOG YardTrainer 105 Dog Trainer, SD-105 and the PetSafe Yard & Park Remote Dog Trainer, PDT00-12470 Both have received excellent reviews.

« Previous page      Next page » Page 1: The Advantages of doing a Dog Rescue Page 2: Learn How to Pick Out the Right Rescue Dog Page 3: Learn How to ReHome a Dog

VISIT MRPITBULL | SHOCK COLLAR TRAINING | BEST PITBULL SUPPLEMENTS | PITBULL ATTACKS RAW MEAT DIET | KILL HOOKWORMS | DOG COLITIS | DANGER GIARDIA | MY BEST HEALTH TIPS PITBULL TRAINING | BEST DOG FOODS | WEIGHT GAINING SECRETS | WEIGHT LOSS FOODS SECRET MUSCLE BUILDING FORMULA! | STOP UNWANTED BEHAVIOR | DIARRHEA CHA CHA CHA BREEDING TIPS | STOP YOUR DOG FROM BARKING | ASK MRPITBULL ANYTHING!