Some people are lucky, they adopt adult, trained dogs from a rescue or shelter. Lucky? You bet! These people have minimal work to do with those dogs! In fact, if they wanted to work with them on higher-level skills, the dogs are ready for them.
For the rest of us, the dogs we adopt need training. Some need basic obedience training as well as social skills and house training. Some need rehabilitation and retraining to unlearn bad habits and behaviors. Some need minor adjustment training on how to live in a new environment. Put them together, and we have 90% of the dogs out there falling in to the “training needed” category.
Before anyone adopts a dog, they should consider the time it will take for training. Training takes a dedicated, responsible owner who is willing to make a true commitment, both in time and effort, to that dog. Even those people who hire trainers to teach their dogs must remember that in the end, the dog does not live with the trainer. The dogs live with their human families. At this point, the humans take the alpha role in reinforcing the behaviors they personally desire.
Training helps establish a pack order. Humans are at the top, and the dogs are at the bottom. Instinctually, all dogs will look for leaders. If the humans in their home do not step up, guess who is going to take that position? Dogs (and people, too) function best when rules are clearly defined and followed. Removing the question of leadership from the home removes unnecessary stress. Many feel this means they must be domineering and rigid. That is NOT true! Creating a pack order helps develop a wonderful, healthy relationship between dogs and their owners.
Basic obedience training helps mold dog behaviors into what the owner want. Every person has different expectations and desires, and training can be customized to meet those preferred results. No one wants a dog that knocks them over, or drags them down the road at the end of their leash. But not everyone cares if their dog walks in a perfect heel, as well. Simply put, training makes it easier on both the humans and the dogs to live together. Think of how much more enjoyable life is when frustration and anger are taken away.
Training can keep dogs safe in our society. A dog that bites will, most likely, be euthanized. A dog that runs away could be injured or killed. A dog that barks all the time or digs in the garden or jumps on everyone or nips at everyone will eventually be avoided or even isolated from the family. Many of the dogs in shelters are given up simply because they are “out of control.” Training is all it would have taken to keep these dogs in their homes, cherished and loved.
The question is: Do you want a happy, relaxed, confident, safe dog? Training is the answer!
Linda Schroeder has been working with animals for over 35 years. She started volunteering at a local shelter, and within two years became the president of the volunteers. For almost 20 years, she had a front row seat for learning which dogs were returned, and the reasons why. She is currently on the Board of Directors for a number of rescues. She fosters dogs, mainly those deemed “unadoptable”. Her first love is working one-on-one with owners having problems with their own dogs. Questions can be emailed to flypiper@juno.com. Some questions are best answered after meeting a dog and their family, and some are easily answered by email.
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