Possible Problems With Adopted Dogs
when adopting a dog, follow these important steps to make the transition a smooth one
Most shelter dogs come with a few ready-made behavior issues, and those that don't will tend to develop some out of sheer ingenuity. And the stress of getting used to a whole new environment and a new family is especially likely to bring out new undesirable habits or exacerbate old ones.
Stay calm, and don't take it personally; your dog certainly isn't doing anything unusual, incurable, or spiteful. She's not being "bad" out of spite, so don't punish her in resentment; your mission is to put an end to her unfavorable behavior calmly and authoritatively, not to get revenge. Just think, she maybe she hasn't had to adhere to any rules before, but that doesn't mean she can't learn yours.
We've compiled a list of a few of the more common doggie problems here, but some overriding standards apply to all of them:
1. A little prevention goes a long way. If you know your dog loves to chew your shoes or dig in your plants, don't leave your socks/shoes/plants/etc where she can reach them yet. If she only causes trouble when she's by herself, don't leave her unsupervised until she no longer does the bad behavior. To say it another way, give her as few chances as possible to misbehaved during these early weeks. But don't go overboard and leave her in her crate all the time either; that's certainly not fair to her, and in addition, she'll never learn if she isn't ever allowed to make mistakes.
2. No matter what, stay consistent. Set guidelines, and abide by them. Correct your dog every time she does something bad, not only when you feel like it (and not just when you happen to catch her - which means it's necessary to manage her activities always in the beginning). And gather everybody together to make sure that every person in the house is correcting the same behaviors in the exact same manner; don't let anybody try to be the "nice guy" by not punishing the pup's unacceptable behaviors. That won't earn anybody points; it will just create a very confused and unhappy pup.
3. Catch her in the act, or don't catch her at all. The same as with housebreaking, you need to correct an error right as it happens, never fifteen minutes or ten hours later. You should punish your dog if you witness her chewing on your tennis shoes, but not if you find your tennis shoes aleady torn up on the floor and don't see your dog anywhere nearby. If you wait too long to make the correction, she'll have many delightful memories of eating your belongings and no clue that your anger is in any way related to it. Guess what that means? Yes. Supervision.
Entrapment isn't illegal in dog training. Suppose you're having trouble catching your dog in the act of stealing food from your kitchen table. Why not set her up? Leave some tempting tidbit where it can be seen, and be ready to correct her with your shake can or spray bottle and your sharp voice when she goes for the goods. Cheating? Maybe - but it's effective. Don't forget to reward her when she's doing good. You don't want to be a "meanie" all the time; if you've punished her for digging in the garden, then reward her when you notice her resisting the desire to give in to undesirable behavior.
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