Rescue, Rehab and Relationships

Why do we chose the dogs we do? The breed, the individual, the situation by which you came about them? Well, in my opinion, that is all about you and what you stand to gain in your relationship. But maybe you don't really know... yet... what your dog can teach you. The potential they have all depends on you.

Perhaps you have had a dog, or remember one you had as a child, that was just the perfect dog. It may have seemed as if you never even had to train him/her. Well, it doesn't usually work out that way. But maybe you just won the canine lottery and had that once in a lifetime "Lassie". But do you know what? You may have a star in the making. Maybe not the made-for-TV kind. But they each have their own special sparkle. Just for you!

Not every dog is for everyone. Size, energy level, grooming requirements, personality type are all deal breakers for the wrong owner, family or situation. But if you love your dog, and he is perfect for you... "but...". Usually those complaints are about behavior. Learned behavior, or behaviors he hasn't learned yet. Skills, for lack of a better term.

You can learn to develop the relationship with your dog that you want. You will develop the communications skills necessary for that dog and their temperament. But first you need to know what he needs from you.

He isn't like your last dog.

First...

The first thing I want to know when I evaluate a dog is his temperament. Not his breed, age or his history. They are not nearly as high on the list of criteria that affect my ability to understand what he needs from me or you. I have not found age, breed or history (rescue or not) to be as important, although they certainly each play their own part.

All dogs need two basic things to some degree. Trust and respect.

Some need more of one than the other, and to various degrees. The effect of a dogs temperament, or their basic coping mechanism and level of environmental sensitivity, is important to know so we can understand what they need and how to provide it appropriately and thoroughly. Trust is a big issue. A dog needs to trust his owner. He lives in a human world that he has no control over. If the owner does not know how to provide the necessary leadership that your particular dog requires, based on his individual emotional needs, the dog can not trust you to provide that. This makes a sensitive dog even more vulnerable. I believe that a dog feels as if... "if you can control me, then you can probably control the things I am worried about".  The problem is you cant control him. The other problem is, he doesn't trust you enough to give up his control, to you.

That is one side of the coin. The other is respect. You may have a dog that doesn't respect you or others. You take up space and matter. So does he. It works both ways. But you both have to earn it. Through experience. If you have the tools (by that I mean training knowledge, not training tools, i.e. collar etc.), and skill, based on the dogs experience with you, he will trust you and respect you.

Some people think that the dogs past experience is of utmost importance for behavior change. Especially for a Rescued dog or one with an unknown or abusive history. I disagree.

That is simply the vehicle by which he has compiled his current information. His experience or lack there of, of a given situation. If you are not the source of the perceived stress or negative experience, it is not hard to change his current association. On the other hand if you are part of the stress, even if only by allowing him to experience something he perceived negative in your presence, you can still change it. It will simply require some skilled retraining to build trust and respect, so that you can have your trainer help you choose how to best sensitize him to expected behaviors and responses, and desensitize him to stressful experiences.

Get help. You would be amazed how quickly things can change. And I would love to help you.