Adopt a dog
Before you adopt, I suggest that you are able to answer the following questions with a yes.
- Am I committed to walking my dog for at least one hour every day instead of simply letting the dog out on the backyard and rationalizing that he is getting plenty of exercise?
- Am I committed to learning how to become the pack leader with my dog instead of letting my dog walk all over me because it is easier?
- Am I committed to setting clear rules, boundaries and limitations in my household?
- Am I committed to giving affection only at the appropriate times instead of hugging and kissing the dog when he is fearful, aggressive or whenever the mood strikes me?
- Will I make sure my dog is socialized and trained properly so he is never a danger to other animals or people?
- Am I willing to put some money away in case I have to call in a professional for a behavioral problem or rush to the vet for a medical emergency?
- Am I willing to educate myself on dog psychology and any specific needs my dog’s breed has in particular?
- Am I committed to providing regular, healthy food and clean water for my dog?
- Will I commit to taking my dog to the veterinarian on a regular basis?
- Am I willing to clean up after my dog whenever I walk him?
Do's and Don'ts of Adopting a Dog
First of all, please look inside yourself and examine the reasons why you are getting a dog (Please, never purchase a pet as a gift). Are you going to get a dog because you are in a very low emotional state? Are you very, very lonely and your dog will be your only spiritual soul mate? Are you just attracted to the look of a certain dog or breed? These are all red flags and although they mean well, people who go in with these attitudes often end up with big problems between themselves and their dogs.
Be absolutely honest with yourself. What is your energy? Are you in the right state of mind to introduce a new pet to your home? Are you in a calm, assertive state of mind? You absolutely must identify those things before you set out to choose a dog.
All dogs need a human who can love them and who can be affectionate with them. But what they really need before all that is a human who can be a solid pack leader for them; who will have good instinctual common sense; who will offer adequate exercise and discipline before affection; and who can set rules, boundaries, and limitations that give them a secure structure for their lives.
After recognizing what your emotional state is, what kind of energy level you have and what kind of lifestyle you are able to provide for a dog, you may be ready to look for a dog. Ideally, you should be looking for a dog based on energy. Your dog's energy level should either be the same as yours or less than yours.
Many people today choose their dogs from shelters or rescue organizations, which I support 100 percent. But when you go to a shelter, be aware that 90 percent of those dogs are going to have some sort of baggage, some sort of “issues”. I believe with the right leadership, 99 percent of them can be totally rehabilitated. But you need to be vigilant about their energy levels and be honest about what you can handle. If you see a dog that has beautiful eyes and reminds you of a dog you had when you were a child, this might blind you to the fact that there are other signposts with that dog that indicate you might not be able to handle her behavior.
Recognizing energy levels in a shelter is not an easy task. All dogs that are kept in cages will show frustration in some way unless they are resting. They might bark, they might pace, they might chew on a bone. It is a wise idea to take a professional with you- or someone who is an experienced dog owner whose dogs' behavior you admire. They will be coming to the situation with a less emotional perspective than you will.
Get as much insight as you can from the shelter workers about what their day-to-day experience with the dog have been. Does the dog pace continuously- or is she relaxed for a while after she's been taken outside? How does she normally act when visitors come by and when people she knows come by? How does she act at feeding time? When she's out with the other dogs?
See if you can take the dog you're interested in out for a walk. Will they let you walk the dog around the building, the yard or the block a few times? This will give you a better idea of the dog's temperament after you've drained a little bit of the frustrated energy. It will also help you sense if this dog is able to bond with you as a pack leader.
Being in a shelter is a very emotional and sometimes heartbreaking experience. You get to be face-to-face with all these beautiful creatures and see up close how we humans are constantly letting Mother Nature down. Sometimes, you will know that some of the dogs will be put down if they don't find homes. But if you rely solely on these emotions as reasons to adopt a certain dog, you are coming into that dog's life as a weak energy. You are not doing a dog a favor if you adopt her just because you feel sorry for her. Think about it. Would you like someone to hire you for a job, or date you, or marry you simply because they felt sorry for you? That would put you in a permanently weak, insecure state, wouldn't it? The same thing applies to dogs. Try to balance your common sense, and realize that if you end up bringing the dog back because you can't handle her, she is much more likely to meet an unhappy end.
Introducing a Dog to a House for the First Time.
- By this time, you should understand responsibility. And you've made a commitment- you're going to give this dog your 110 percent and you are in it for the long haul.
- When you bring a dog home from a kennel or even someone else's house, you don't want to bring her from behind one set of walls and put her behind another set of walls. No matter how beautiful your home is, or how big and beautiful your yard, you are really just moving a dog from one kennel to another. What you need to do first is to migrate together. After you park your car, don't bring the dog inside- give her water, then take her on a vigorous walk through the neighborhood, which will get her comfortable with her new territory, and start the bonding process with you as a pack leader.
- Once you are home, remember that you are bringing a dog into your environment. You enter first. You invite the dog in. Then, instead of just letting her loose to “investigate” on her own, you will take her to the area that is going to be her den. You are going to set the limits on her resting place and where she will be allowed in the environment. Gradually, you will ease her into the rest of the house. But it's important to start with a strict structure. Remember, many rescued dogs have suffered all their lives with no structure whatsoever, which is exactly what made them unstable in the first place. You are going to be the pack leader who changes that!
- Once your new dog is tired out- perhaps after you have fed her- it may be a good time to give her a relaxing warm bath. You might want to take one yourself and change the clothes you wore to the shelter. As you know, scents are very important to your dog, and she may associate the scents of the shelter with anxiety or frustration. You want her to associate your home with relaxation and safety.
- The next day, you can begin to guide your dog through investigating the rest of the house. Remember, you are not depriving her of enjoying her new house; you are simply giving her a chance to do it in steps. This keeps her from getting overly excited or overwhelmed, and makes the job a pleasant, relaxing experience. When you have an overnight guest, do you simply invite him to find his own way around your house? No. You take him room to room on a tour. This is all you have to do with your dog. You invite her into every room where you want her to be allowed, taking her on a little “tour”. Introducing your dog slowly to each room over the course of an entire week, will create a clear understanding of each room in her mind. She will feel that she's going to live in a place that has meaning. It has the same meaning everywhere- very respectful, very trustworthy. This goes a long way toward preventing the experience of “Oh no! My dog peed on the couch! Oh no, I can't have her in the kitchen!” which is something that can begin to damage the trust that you are just beginning to build. So that's why it's so important to break it down for a dog, step by step.
- If you already have a dog at home, hopefully you have a dog that is balanced or is close to balanced. It is vital not to bring a dog into your house that has a higher energy level than the dog you already have. If you do, you can see unwanted behavior in your old dog that he never displayed before; in order for him to deal with the new dog, he has to adapt his way of being. If the new dog has a lower energy, however, then the first dog becomes the role model for the new dog. It's important, of course, to have drained as much energy as you can from the new dog before you bring her into the house. You don't want your old dog to have to deal with a frustrated dog. And you must go through the same steps as outlined above with the new dog. The first full day in the new surroundings, walk the dogs together as a pack- one on either side of you until they get used to each other. After that, your first dog will help teach his new friend all your rules, boundaries and limitations.
- If there are other family members, it's important that everyone is on the same page in regard to what the rules of the house are. If some people enforce rules and others don't, it creates confusion. We have to provide the same consistency that a balanced pack provides. And not just behaviors, but the energy that everyone sends the dog should be consistent. Your family should not act as if they feel sorry for her- it will not do her any good. It will only put you in a lower level of energy, and you will lose some of your ability to be a good influence on her. Get everyone together, discuss the rules, and agree you are going to adopt a positive attitude when it comes to your new “pack member”. And of course, everyone should understand the importance of exercise, discipline, affection- as well as patience.
Where to find an available dog
|
