Recycling Dogs

Last night I attended a high school fundraiser for dinner and performance by the school’s music group. The food was served on plastic, china-like dinnerware and the silverware glistened metallic but, too, was disposable. When appetites were sated and tables were starting to get cleared, the emcee made an announcement NOT to throw the plates and silverware away. There were surprised, halted movements as diners realized that indeed, the plastic could and would be washed and reused.

These are the same reactions that I see when intercepting owners that are relinquishing their dogs to shelters. They are shocked to find how easy it is to stop their dog’s undesirable behavior – that they can give their dog a second chance.

In our society, “get rid of the dog” is a saying that is blurted out as quickly and thoughtlessly as “throw it away.” No wonder our shelters are so full and euthanasia rate so high.

With a better understanding of canine behavior, diligent training, and a bit of patience, one can turn any “bad” dog into a good dog. The majority of issues are relatively easy to solve and even severe problems may be helped with the addition of psychotropic drugs.

Let’s help each other recycle our own dogs so the shelters won’t have to.

Seems these days that homeowner insurance companies are looking to various regional and national reports of dog bite incidences to base their rates and/or exclusion policies. Regardless of how they are researching the data for their choices, your purebred or mixed-breed dog may suddenly be excluded from your policy.  Read more here.

To reduce the chances of a claim being made as result of your dog’s doing:

1. Desensitize your dog to those things that trigger fear.

2. If your dog is protective of your house, prevent him from having contact with strangers entering the home. Crate training.

3. Get your dog out on a walk, every day, to burn off energy, experience new smells, and get used to all the new and exciting things that are happening out there.

4. Encourage your dog to engage in activities with you where he will earn rewards. Obedience, agility or trick training where the dog learns that his actions will gain him food, toy or play rewards will create a dog who has more predictable behavior and is secure in his environment.

Why should I train my dog?

There are many people who get a dog and just expect it to know what to do. Afterall, dog is man’s best friend, right? This unfortunate assumption leads to frustrated owners and sometimes to dogs being relinquished to shelters.

Reason #1 – To establish communication with your dog

Just as you might have to learn all the nuances of the rules and etiquette at a new job, so does your dog need to learn what is expected of him in his household. The dog has it even harder because he is not born with the ability to understand spoken language.

Reason #2 – To give your dog mental stimulation

Dogs who live in the confines of our households and yards get much less exercise and stimulation than dogs running at large. Besides getting a daily walk, a dog needs to use his brain in challenging activities that you present to him.

Reason #3 – To redirect a dog’s focus from undesirable behavior

If your dog is destructive, excessively barking or acting nervous or aggressive then you can train him to do something else that is incompatible with the undesired behavior.

Reason #4 – To keep your dog out of the shelter

One can easily get frustrated when a dog seems to have an incurable behavior problem. A trainer can guide and support you through your dog’s rehabilitation so that he may remain a permanent member of your family for his entire lifetime.

Please visit our Training Guide pages to learn more about training your dog.

Janine Allen

Dog Trainer

• Feed and walk the neighbor’s dogs while they are on vacation. Your child might even get a little bit of spending money as a bonus.
• If you have a friend or neighbor whose dog never gets walked, offer to do it for them.
• Enroll your dog in an obedience class. Go to the class with your child so you all can have some quality bonding time.
• Bring your obedience-trained dog to visit neighbors and/or seniors who live alone.
• Using non-toxic face paint, put your dog’s paw prints on homemade cards and take to the senior center.
• Visit the local animal shelter and take pictures of adoptable dogs. Make flyers and hand them out at ball games, BBQs, and birthday parties.
• Buy fabric paint at a crafts store and paint t-shirts with paw prints or dog faces. Write the words ‘Adopt A Dog’ in big letters. Give them away to friends.
• Decorate a can or jar with cute dog drawings or pictures. Ask friends and neighbors to drop in spare change. Donate the money to your local animal shelter.
• Make dog biscuits and take them to your neighbors dogs and to the animal shelter.
• Help a friend find a new best friend by going with them to adopt a dog from a shelter.