Introducing your Dog with New People & New Dogs
Is your pup or young dog running headlong into new people? Does he or she jump on people when they arrive at your home? Do they rush other dogs at the park? Dogs can often become accustomed to these types of behaviours as a habit. Resolving common behaviour problems is what a Professional Dog Trainer does!
To your dog this kind of behaviour can be self-rewarding, to you it can feel they are simply just playing, however to those around you it can be quite intimidating and even threatening to them or their pet. If not managed early on, this behaviour can only get worse and before long your pet cannot walk calmly on the lead and can be a nuisance when walking in a busy area and often upset other people and other dogs.
An excited dog can easily become overwhelmed by its environment, especially when they are not equipped with the social skills to calm down and let their handler/owner are also inept in managing their excited dog and that’s when it happens, the dreaded conversation of “oh no, I am so sorry, my dog has never bitten anyone before” or “my dog is normally great with other dogs“. Don’t let this become you. Socialise your pup early. Get professional support if it is your first dog, especially if your dog is a rescue.
Developing a positive behaviour
Losing control of your dog is easily done when you have not learned how your dog responds to different situations, or learned how to maintain control of your dog or simply never socialised your dog correctly. Often Dog Training is not just for the dog but the owner and more often, the family as a whole. Understanding your dog’s temperament can go a long way to being able to control an excitable situation or environment. Learn to take the cues from your dog. Developing positive behaviour at a young age is obviously beneficial, but sometimes these behaviours have manifested within an older dog you may have rescued from a dog rescue or charity.
“You can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks”
The old adage of “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is nonsense. We have many examples of successful stories where older dogs have been rehomed with severe issues and have been trained and rehabilitated to suit their new family home.
A rescue dog is often a smart dog. They know when they have been given a second chance and will do anything to please a loving family, something they may have never had before. We have a great example of where an unruly 6 year old dog Coco the German Shepherd, with plenty of dog and human reactivity was rescued by a new family with a 10 year old son. They fell in love with this beautiful dog and were very much aware of what they were letting themselves into.
Working with Rescue Dog Coco
Over the first few weeks, Canine Command Gold Coast were fortunate to work with Coco and her new family to help manage her dog reactivity and aggression towards people coming to the house. We worked tirelessly with the owners to instil
confidence when walking Coco on the lead. Coaching the family to take assume control during walks and be confident to ensure that Coco felt they were in control and that she didn’t need to be the one “on guard” all the time.
While it took a little longer for Coco to not be so territorial when people came to the home, she soon learned that these visitors were not threats, but often came with love and pets. Our very own Baron was a big friend and help to Coco when she was working to control her reactivity with other dogs. They became best buddies to which point Coco would often stay with Canine Command Gold Coast when the family had to go away (often interacting with other dogs).
Coco was a prime example of how a rescue dog and new family come together. What could have been a really bad situation, became a truly positive one, simply because her parents thought it might be smart to get some help and support from a Professional Dog Trainer.
Coco’s Lasting Legacy
Coco would live out her life with this family without incident till May 2019, when she sadly passed away. The family were devastated by her passing and immediately rescued another two German Shepherds (Sasha & Cleo) who, like you guessed, came with their own issues.
Rescuing a dog is so rewarding and this family have decided to ensure that is what they want to do moving forward as they were fortunate to have enjoyed the love of a dog that knows it has a second chance at life.
We can report that Sasha & Cleo are both very happily living their best life with their family!
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