Throw Away Animals
In canine rescue, you will find that most rescue groups will tell you the same thing over and over again as to why they end up with so many dogs that have been given up by their owners. The following is a guideline as to what can help to save a pet from becoming just another statistic in the ever burgeoning numbers of animals that end up on the streets or turned over to shelters and rescue groups across the world.
1. spay/neuter
a. no sooner than 5.5 mos. (there are certain organs that have not fully
developed before then that may in later life cause other health problems)
b.
but no later than 6 mos. of age (if you have a female, it may go into heat soon
after 6 mos. and it is best not to allow that to happen...the males begin to
"feel their oats" at about the same time)
2. take to a professional trainer who uses positive/reward reinforcement
training ONLY
a. with NO choke chain or pronged/pinch collars...the best collar to be used
is the "Greyhound No-Slip" or "Premier" type of collar...it can be adjusted to
the exact size of the dog's neck, so that when trying to, the dog cannot back
out of it and it cannot ever tighten more than what it has been adjusted
for
b. go to the training class in advance to watch another one already in
progress so you can observe the type of training that is done...if you see any
yanking or jerking of the dog in the training, RUN DO NOT WALK away from that
trainer...find another one
3. socialize well with all kinds and ages of people, as well as animals
by taking them to parks, family functions, doggie parks, pet stores, etc.
a. let the dog interact with the people (including children) by letting them approach the pet PROPERLY to pet the dog, etc.
1) never allow people to tower over your dog; they need to get more down onto
the dog's level so they are not intimidating/threatening to the dog
2) never
allow people to reach to the top of the head, as that is a threatening
gesture
a) that is what is normally done when someone hits a dog...it is also a blind
spot for the dog
b) they should always place their open hand, palm facing the
dog forward, but NOT into the dog's space...it is for the dog to approach the
hand to smell and then accept...then the person (once acceptable to the dog...if
the dog shies away and doesn't seem to accept the hand, then suggest that your
dog isn't interested in being scratched at present...dogs like us don't always
like everyone they meet...respect your dog's instincts just as you do your own)
can scratch the dog under the chin, on the neck, or on the chest...NOT the top
of the head (have you ever noticed that when most dogs see you reaching around
to the back or top of their heads that they move their heads around watching
where that hand is going?)
b. take the dog from early on in life to the doggie park to learn how to play with other dogs appropriately
1) if you have a dog aggressive dog, then you need to soft muzzle it until
you have socialized it enough and trained it well enough that it is no longer
needed when you take it into situations where it will meet other dogs
2) find
a behavioral trainer who will help you train the dog not to be dog aggressive if
there is a problem in that area
4. desensitizing training
a. by playing take away games where you take away treats, toys, and food,
then returning them so the dog learns it does not need to be protective of what
it has as you will return it eventually and not always just take things
away
b. and push/pull games where you push on the dog and pull at all parts
of the dog just as a child would...the ears, legs, tail, fur all over the body,
etc.
c. play tug of war with appropriate toys so the dog learns when that
kind of behavior is acceptable and when it is not...this goes TOTALLY against
what most trainers/books will tell you...they will tell you it makes the dog
aggressive...it has been our experience that instead it lets the dog know what
is not permitted and what is, as well as when...then there are less likely to be
any surprises down the road
d. groom on regular basis from puppyhood (or
whatever age you get the dog)
1) that means taking the brush and comb to it daily so it gets used to that
being done (after a while this can be lessened to where you are only grooming
once a week)
2) and clip the nails regularly, as well as playing with the
feet, messing with the nails in the very same manner as you would when actually
clipping the nails, so the pup gets used to that as well (you can go through the
motions of pretending to use the clippers without actually cutting the nails so
the clippers won't be foreign and scary to the pup)
3) bathe the pup on a
weekly basis (make sure you use a non harsh shampoo and a GOOD conditioner so
the pup's skin and hair don't dry out) so it gets used to this (after a while
this can be lessened until you are only bathing once a month or as often as it
is needed to keep the pet from getting that "doggie" smell and feel)
4) if
you have a dog that gets snappish when trying to do any of these things, use a
soft muzzle on the dog until it gets used to the activities and no longer tries
snapping
5. Young children should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER be left unattended with any
kind of pet, whether it be dog, cat, or bird...children, no matter how well
trained will at times do untoward things that you have specifically told them
NOT to do when you are not looking...that is when animals and children get into
trouble...that is when children get themselves hurt...and that is when children
knowing they have done something they were told not to will not always tell the
truth about the situation.
If you are planning to get yourself a new canine, go out and find some
books on training and read, read, and read, so you will get a better idea of
things you need to do to work with your pet to make it more a part of the family
that is acceptable in behavior. You will find that there are many conflicting
theories in training, but it is like everything else in life, you take what
works and leave the rest. If you think of your pet as being nothing more than a
furry, four legged child, then you can never go wrong...whatever you child may
get into, so will the pet...and just as a child needs direction and limitations,
so does the pet. Neither of them can grow up to be good citizens unless raised
properly. The IMPORTANT thing to be remembered in training is that you need to
make sure you never do NEGATIVE training of any sort...that is when you run into
trouble...you just use positive, gentle training at all times. If you follow
these guidelines, you should find you will have a much better adjusted dog in
the future... If more people take this approach and heed some of the
warnings/suggestions made here, maybe those who are involved in the rescue of
the overwhelming numbers of throw aways will find them selves less busy trying
to find good homes for pets that have been left to the wayside by owners who
didn't do what was necessary to have a "good citizen" pet in their own
homes.
Donations
Adopt-A-Chow Rescue is a non-profit organization. If you would like to make a donation to Chow Rescue, you can register for online payments at PayPal; the email address you'll need to use is Chowrescue@cox.net and the name is McBee. You can also make a donation by check payable to Michael McBee at P.O. Box 2083, Falls Church, VA 22042-2083.
Enchantress.
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