New Pet Parents…This page is for you!!!
AAAAHHHH! My dog is misbehaving!!!
Stop! Breathe! Relax…
ALL dogs misbehave. It is a fact of life that dogs do what works. Your job is to make it stop working.
This page is for Rescue Coop adopters and provides training advice for the most common problems adopters face. We also offer printable PDF handouts and links to EXCELLENT, RESPONSIBLE training advice.
Let’s begin…
First things first - learn how your dog LEARNS (it isn’t how you think). Dogs don’t speak English (or French or Tagalog, or Vietnamese) they only speak dog. Your dog isn’t likely to learn to speak English, so you need to learn to speak dog. The K9 training institute has an excellent video that teaches you how to teach a dog. Click it! This video is, at its core, a sales pitch for their online training system. It’s a great system if you want it but what I want you to know is the basics of how your dog learns.
Now continue…
This is a rescue dog adoption booklet which offers basic information for you to start off on the right foot with your adopted dog. Download it and save it on your computer - your dog will thank you!
Aggression
As a topic, aggression cannot be handled in a forum such as this and it would be irresponsible of us to do so. If your dog is showing aggression to humans or dogs in the household you MUST seek out a qualified local behavior specialist. (Preferably a veterinary behavior specialist.) Use the links below to do so.
find a certified behaviorist (CAAB)
Until you can locate and engage a behavior specialist, the following handout will help you cope with the aggressive dog in your home.
Nuisance Barking
Nuisance barking is pretty easy to control believe it or not. Teach the dog that his behavior has a name (bark), then teach him an incompatible command (quiet).
This is a pretty straightforward behavior to control but there are a lot of steps to doing it so I have attached a great handout for teaching “quiet”.
They do not address teaching bark but this step can be skipped or you can train it just the same way, by giving a reward for the bark and labeling it as such.
Helpful links for new adopters!
3-3-3 RULE
(learn it, know it, live it)
The dog you see in your house on the first day he arrives is NOT the dog you will get on day 100+.
In the first 3 days your rescue dog may hide, refuse to eat, submissively urinate, shut down, fight, soil the house or wreak havoc. He needs more time. NOTE: Training during this time will not stick as your dog is likely too beside himself to retain anything.
In the first 3 weeks your rescue dog may start to learn the routine, begin to enjoy his home and his companions, and wreak EVEN MORE HAVOC. He needs more time, BUT START TRAINING NOW!!!!!
After month 3 your dog (providing he has not come to you with severe emotional problems like separation anxiety or aggression) should be close to the dog you will ultimately have for life. He should be comfortable, trusting, loving and sure of himself. Keep on training and enjoy your new, lifelong companion!
House training
Think about training your 2 year old to use the toilet. When they make a mistake, do you smack them? Rub their face in it? Yell? No, you clean it up and move on. Your dog is the equivalent of a 2 year old child. It is unfair to treat that dog any differently than that child.
Here’s what you can do to help yourself help your dog…
If your eyeballs aren’t on the dog he is in his crate or tethered to you with a 4 or 6 foot leash.
You must go outside with your dog when he goes out to potty. Period. Always.
When the dog goes outside provide a VERY valuable treat (low salt hot dogs, rotisserie chicken, sardine). He never gets this treat at any other time.
When you catch the dog going potty indoors you clap loudly, lead him out and if he finishes his business he gets a WHOLE lot of treats! SO many treats!
You will put your dog on a schedule. Adult dogs go out to potty every 4 hours while in training, puppies every hour. Wait 15 minutes and if no potty, the adult dog comes back in and stays in the crate for an hour (the puppy for half an hour) then you try again.
This method should reliably train your dog within about 1-3 months. (If that is too long to you, please see the second paragraph. You are training a 2 year old child.)
Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) training
This simple, every single day, non-confrontational training is very useful for rescue dogs. The premise is simple - if your dog wants it or likes it he WORKS to get it. The attached word document teaches you all the basics of this incredibly powerful training tool. Your dog know some commands or tricks to use this training - but sit, down and shake are generally enough and easy to teach.
Dog Training for “dummies”
Dog training isn’t easy, sometimes it isn’t fun either. You may become angry at your dog or frustrated with their nonsense, but a good training foundation is key to a good life for you AND your dog.
That’s why Rescue Coop is pleased to offer a dog training class - completely free to all adoptive parents.
We promise you that if you are willing to put in the WORK, then this training will WORK for you!
Class 1 - Watch This class (along with “Touch: is the foundation of all that is good and right with your dog in the world. They cannot be skipped and should not be underestimated.
Watch will help with shy dogs, mildly aggressive/reactive dogs, hyperactive dogs and more.
More importantly watch teaches your dog to focus on YOU. At all times and for all reasons. They will learn to trust that you know best and your directions are to be followed.
The TOUCH cue.
“Why teach my dog to touch my hand?” I hear you asking - well, because when your dog is touching - they are also focusing on you and only you.
Additionally, the TOUCH is rarely taught in obedience classes but is the foundation of getting a dog to do whatever else you want them to do. Like “Fetch me a beer fido.”
Nearly every performing dog in commercials, movies, and television, uses touch (aka targeting) to learn all those fabulous tricks. At least, they did, until we replaced them all with CGI. (sigh)