Sunday, October 12, 2014

Rescue Dogs 101: Dog Training, Health Issues & More

By Sara Reighard


Nowadays, a number of people lean more as bypassing breeders and mostly prefer to adopt dogs from animal shelters or dog rescue organization. With the increasing number of homeless dogs out there, this opens are excellent opportunity to have as a pet though rescue dogs require added attention and care to be able to adjust to their brand new home.

While you might find an amazing dog that is well-behaved, well-adjusted and 100% healthy, it's likely that your rescued animal might be timid or in need of some health care. Ideally, you should plan a visit to the veterinarian quickly after adoption to assess your pets overall health. Often these animals are healthy, but in great need of proper dental care and you will want to schedule a cleaning. Grooming is another big issue that you will want to tackle quickly. In addition, while your pet might have been listed as "housebroken," often dogs will be confused and have accidents, so you will need to provide some potty training, too.

Obviously adding a pet to your family is a bit alteration for everyone in the house, but this is especially true for your new dog. Certainly, being rescued and cared for by your family is wonderful, but the new surroundings tend to cause high amounts of stress for many dogs. Keeping this in mind, not all dogs will immediately bond with you and your family. It takes time for them to become used to you and your ways, and often these dogs have been ignored or mistreated or moved from home to home. Simply be patient and gentle and use a soft, soothing voice. Try to encourage other members of the household to do the same, as well, at least for the first few days or weeks.

Aside from proper veterinary care and grooming, obedience training should be high up on your list of first steps after you bring your dog home. It might seem like this would intimidate or scare a rescue dog, but the opposite is actually true. Dog obedience training creates a stronger bond between dog and owner. One reason for this is simply because you are spending time together and dogs love attention. There will be plenty of praise given when your dog does well and this increases the dog's confidence. In addition, your dog will understand you better and you will learn more about your dog.

Just like any other dog, a rescue dog will not know the rules of your home making it necessary that dog obedience training is taken into practice. Unpleasant behavior such as barking, chewing, running away, dragging you on a leash and not coming when called can be controlled with proper training. Boundaries can also be set and taught in your home, yard or public places. This lessens the occurrences of them running away making them safer and secured since you have a well-behaved companion with you.

Obedience training takes time and programs that promise perfect obedience in a matter of days or a week should be avoided. This is because dog training takes a few weeks before one can see its full effects. If you are near Seattle and are looking for dog training -program, contact Seattle Family Dog Training. Expert dog trainers are able and ready to assist you in training and create a better understanding with your pet's characteristics and personality.




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