Ah, well, the reason I do rescue work is to give back. Dogs have supported me my entire life, so I feel it is my duty to give something back. But oh man, is it ever frustrating. I only do rescue work in addition to training, there are people out there who rescue is all they do. I honestly don’t know how they keep themselves from running headfirst into a brick wall on a daily basis.
Here’s the problem. People are exceedingly stupid. This is a known fact amongst dog trainers and anyone who works with the general public. People somehow expect rescue organizations to be able to fully guarantee a dog’s behavior after placement - it’s a dog. It is alive, it has feelings and makes choices. I have no say in what a dog will or will not do once it is out of my hands. And yet, you want to blame me for the fact that the dog has pottied in your house, even though I told you NOT to leave it unsupervised. Rrmph!
It is difficult enough to get people to cooperate with a training plan with a dog they have raised from puppyhood, getting them to understand the needs of a dog with an unknown history is nearly impossible. Granted, I am often told that I take this all too personally, and folks in rescue may march to the beat of their own little drum, but mostly they do their best to make sure each dog goes to the best home possible. We can only do so much.
Any new dog, puppy or rescue, should really be tightly supervised the first few weeks in a new home. This does not mean cut it loose and let it “explore” it’s surroundings. That’s a guaranteed way to get piss on your carpet in a corner somewhere. Start slow, keep them on a leash in the house, crate them when you can’t watch them. Don’t just turn them loose and hope for the best. That’s just dumb.
If you want a dog to be successful, don’t give it room to fail. Dogs who come to my house don’t chew things up, because I don’t give them the opportunity. They don’t crap in the house because I make sure they get outside, and when I can’t directly watch them, they are in a crate. Yes, it means more walks and more time spent exercising a dog, but I’d prefer that to cleaning up whatever destruction some unknown dog chooses to perform in my house. Plenty of toys, plenty of exercise, and no free time on their own to explore their “creative” side, and you’ll all be happy.
That said, if you’ve ever rescued a dog and been blessed with a “good one,” you’ll know why I keep coming back to help. Some of the best companions come out of the shelter or from a rescue group. Some of the most loving and dedicated dogs were once someone’s throwaways.
Posted on August 10th, 2008 by michelle
Filed under: The Naked Part, Training
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