Pampered Dog Blog

When you hear of someone of getting a new dog you probably think of a puppy. But with the growing trend towards adopting dogs from shelters, it’s just as likely these days that the new dog will be an adolescent, or even an adult dog.

This is an admirable trend and one that should be encouraged, but it does raise some problems. Chief of these is that many of the dogs come with established behaviors and habits. Some are just difficult or stubborn, some have anxiety issues, others are outright aggressive.

In many cases, the dog soon finds himself back at the pound, and the owner is left with guilt and regret. But it doesn’t have to come to this because, with the right method, consistently applied, just about any dog can be trained.

Before you even start thinking about training though, there are two misconceptions you need to clear up. The first is that you should pity the dog.

Many of these dogs have suffered at the hands of humans, and many have stories that would stir all but the hardest heart. But your pity won’t help them get over that. What will help is your patience love, care and understanding.

Dogs are quite willing to forgive and forget, so focus your energy instead on creating a stable environment, and providing consistent leadership and positive training.

The other mistaken belief is that the way to train a “difficult” dog is to make him comply by using force. This is a lie, plain and simple.

Barbaric methods like choke chains and shock collars have no place in modern dog training. No responsible trainer uses them and if one so much as suggests you do, take your dog elsewhere.

These methods are possibly the worse thing you can do with an aggressive dog. Effectively what you’re doing is approaching an already aggressive animal with violence, and that my friend, is just asking to be bitten. So don’t ever use violent training methods with any dog.

What approach should you take? Start with the basics, crate training, potty training if required and then some obedience work. Keep it positive and reward based with lots of praise and treats, and remember that dogs can learn at any age.

Be mindful that your results will be less predictable than if you were training a puppy, and that you’ll need tons of patience and persistence.

Also remember that all dogs are different. Some are much more difficult to train than others, with age, breed and other factors all playing a part. With an older dog, whose history you don’t know, there is also the issue of past trauma affecting the dog’s trainability.

But with persistent application you will succeed. Need a role model? Well Frank Inn, the famous Hollywood dog trainer found virtually all his star performers (including Higgins, the dog who played Benji), at dog shelters.

There’s a lot more about dog training, dog care, dog walking and other interesting dog information at dogsanddogtraining.com