Looking into the eyes of a new canine companion, be it a puppy or an adopted adult dog, it's hard to imagine what the future will hold.
You may be asking yourself questions like, will he be a good dog? Will she come when called? Will he be what I've always wanted in a canine companion? These are all legitimate questions that run through all dog owners' minds, especially first-time dog owners, and the answer to all of these questions should be an affirmative "yes."
Raising a puppy or moulding the behaviour of a newly adopted adult dog into the dog you have always wanted is completely possible. It just takes one thing from the new dog owner - commitment.
You have to be committed to the good days, the bad days and the ugly days and realize that they are all part of the growing relationship between you and your dog.
Puppies, for example, don't know that it's not cool to do their business in the house, so you have to be committed to teaching them that outside is the place to go. This also applies to new adult dogs. Just because a dog is mature does not mean that it automatically knows the rules of doing its business outside. Adult dogs need to be taught which door to go out, how to indicate that they have to go and, in some cases, follow a house training schedule just like a new puppy. This means that the dog is taken outside after it wakes, eats, drinks and plays and remains outside until it does its business. If the hockey game is on and you are more concerned about watching the next goal than whether your dog has done its business or not, you will find yourself still dealing with a dog that poops in the house during the playoffs.
Puppies go through stages of mental development that are sometimes confusing to us humans. For example, one week they are peeing on the fire hydrant outside your home and the next week they are scooting sideways around it with their tail between their legs as if it was an alien from another planet. This is normal behaviour. As a new puppy owner you have to understand this and be committed to teaching your new charge how to have confidence during its fearful growth periods. As an adoptee of an adult dog, you may find out that your dog is fearful when walking on leash through the neighbourhood and barks uncontrollably at things like fire hydrants because its previous owner neglected to socialize it properly and imprint the sights, sounds and smells of life outside the backyard while it was a puppy.
Be committed to setting rules and boundaries of acceptable behaviour for puppies and adult dogs. Sure it's cute to have a puppy jump up and say hello to people it meets, but as an adult dog, not so much. Teach the puppy proper manners upon greeting people and insist that everyone respect the puppy by not encouraging it to jump. If you have a new adult dog that was never given proper behavioural boundaries as a puppy, then be committed to undoing the previous owner's lack of leadership and teach the adult dog a new way to greet people.
Set goals for yourself with your dog and be committed to working on those goals one step at a time. If your goal is to be able to walk to the café in the summer and sit with your dog on the outside patio and have a coffee or lunch, then make that a part of your weekly training routine now. Start off simple by walking to the café and back the first week. Then the next week walk to the café and just hang out while giving your dog treats for being patient for a few moments. Each week be committed to increasing the training a bit more. By summer you will have a perfectly trained dog that waits patiently and quietly with you while you enjoy a latté or sandwich at the local coffee shop.
Great dogs are not born, they are made, so set your goals for your dog's behaviour and the life you want to share now, and be committed to that goal each and every day.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her through her website k9kinship.com
