Hi, my family is looking for dog, we will be first timers.  I have 3 kids, my youngest is 6.  I am a stay at home mom.  I found some puppies that are Australian cattle dog/Aust. shepherd mix.  Their mom is Australian shepherd mix.  Is this a high maintanence breed?  my next door neighbors have an Aust. shepherd and he paces back and forth and barks all day. So you can see I am hesitant. Thanks for your advice, We want to get the right dog for our family.  Other breeds you can recommend?

Kim

Hi Kim,

As a mother of two kids I can understand your life a little and may I ask, are you open to getting an adult dog?  I ask because puppies are a lot of work-it will be almost like having a new baby in the house.  Adult dogs past age two can be really great options for a busy family.  If this is the first time you will be adopting a dog then let me attach a couple articles I wrote you may find useful.  The first one is about what kind of dog to adopt, and i’ll include the second one because you are new to having a dog-it talks about the responsibilities of adopting a dog…

Hope you find these articles helpful.

Julie

“What kind of dog should I adopt?”

By Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala

www.webDogTrainer.com

This can be a very exciting time!  There are a lot of factors to consider as to what kind of dog is best for you to adopt.  If a dogs needs are met, you will have a great companion full of love for you.  If you don’t meet your dogs needs you will run into problem behavior that can be a nightmare.  This article will help you pick the right match for a successful life together!

Dogs live 10-15 years or more and adopting a dog is a long-term commitment that you should take very seriously.  There is a reason why there are so many homeless dogs and it is usually because the owner and dog were mismatched and not because there is something wrong with the dog. Owners often do not realize how much effort is required to having a pet dog and are not meeting their dog’s needs so behavior problems may arise. Millions of dogs are killed in Shelters every year.   Bringing a dog into your home is a very big decision that should be carefully weighed out.

What kind of breed should you get? Should you adopt a puppy or adult dog?  Where should you get the dog?

Just like people, dogs have individual personalities.  Some dogs are highly energetic, while others are more calm and passive, some dogs are very social, and others not.    So if you have your heart set on a particular breed for example, you still need to search within that breed and find the dog that best matches your lifestyle.   Also, think about the option of finding a mixed breed with at least one of the breeds you may like.

But before you even consider what breed of dog, you should first examine your life a little to discover what kind of dog would best “match” you. If you are someone who loves the outdoors and is very athletic, then you’d probably do best with a young, active dog.  If you are someone who likes to stay home and don’t really like to walk very much then you would NOT want a dog that is considered high energy and needs a lot of extra exercise. 

In this sense dogs are like people, they all differ in personality and needs.  Some dogs are more high energy and those dogs need to be matched with someone who plans to bring them out a lot; running, hiking, dog sports, long walks, etc.  Others may want a mellower dog as a companion, who is content with hanging out with you all day and doesn’t require as much exercise as a high-energy dog. 

Adopting an adult dog has a lot of benefits over adopting a puppy because you already know what type of personality the dog has and if it matches yours.  Plus, puppies require a lot more work with housetraining and chewing.  You’ll also lose sleep at night caring for their needs. Adult dogs have already gone through all those difficult puppy phases.  There are a lot of places to find adult dogs needing homes.  You can contact your local animal shelter, or search for dog rescue organizations in your area online.  There are rescue organizations for purebred dogs as well.  Although adopting a mixed breed also has a lot of health benefits because they tend to get the best of their mix of breed genetics without the health problems many purebred dogs suffer from.

How old are the household members in your family?

If you have children under 8 then you will not want to get a puppy under 6 months of age because puppies have sharp teeth and claws that can cause injury.  You also would not want to get a small, toy size dog because these dogs are so small they can be very fragile and sustain injury easily.  So with small children you are better off getting an adult dog that is medium to large in size.  Dogs over age two can be ideal because they have already gone through the difficult puppy and adolescence stages. 

If you have elderly or physically challenged people in the household you would not want to get a large, young, energetic dog that could knock them over and sustain injury.

I hope this guide can help you make the right choice when deciding to adopt a dog.  When a dogs needs are met they can be a truly wonderful companion for many years to come because they are a never-ending source of love without judgment.

“Responsibilities of caring for a dog”

By Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala

www.webDogTrainer.com

Having a dog takes a lot of responsibility and understanding what your dog needs will prepare you for a long, happy life with your dog.  Owners not meeting their dog’s needs cause most behavior problems in dogs. To help prepare you for what the responsibilities of having a dog are, I’ve written a list to guide you.

v     You have to walk them twice a day for about 30-45 minutes each. High-energy pets will need more, and Senior and toy dogs may need less. If you work all day, you’ll need to wake up about an hour earlier to get the walk in before you go as well as repeat it after you return home.

v     The dog will need lots of time with you and the family every day.

v     Feed them twice a day and always have fresh water available.

v     Dog Training. Dogs that are well trained are happier and more bonded with their owners. They also get to spend more time with their owners because they are well behaved.

v     Clean up their poop, both in your yard and on walks.

v     Adult dogs will have to do a Veterinarian exam at least annually, as well as be up-to-date on all their vaccinations. Puppies will require several more trips to the Vet the first year for additional vaccinations as well as spaying/neutering. Contact your local Vet to learn about cost, etc.

v     Puppies require a tremendous more amount of time and money their first year. You’ll also have to house train them, which requires a lot of extra time on your part then an adult dog would.

v     You’ll need a well-maintained fence at least 6-feet tall if you plan to have them off-leash in the backyard at all.

v     Brush them/bathe them/grooming/nail cutting/ear cleaning.

v     Flea/tick care.

v     Extra expense. There is a lot of expense in having a dog. You need to consider: Veterinarian costs, food, supplies (leash, collar, id tags, bedding), toys, chew bones, flea care, bathing, grooming, oral care, travel expenses or dog sitting expenses while you are away, medical care should they become ill, etc.

v     You’ll also have more cleaning due to Dog Hair. Dog hair has a way of finding itself on everything and will require more cleaning on your part.

v     Arranging for care of your dog while you are away on trips. Dogs cannot be left alone overnight.

Here are some extra things to think about if you have children:

1.      Do not expect that the children will take over all the dog-care, no matter how much they say they will. They may be able to assist you, but as the parent, YOU will have the responsibility.

2.      Access your energy level. It can be a lot of work keeping up with children and adding a dog means you have one more responsibility.

3.      Supervise your young children around the dog at all times. (Children can be unpredictable and do things like pull tails or whiskers and cause the dog to feel threatened.) You should not leave your child with the dog unattended, and you will have to teach them how to be gentle and what areas are off limits to touch.

4.      If your children are very young, say under 8, it can be better to adopt a dog older than two, and medium to larger size dog rather than a puppy, because puppies have sharp milk teeth and claws that can scratch easily. Puppies and small/toy dogs can also be fragile and injured more easily.

5.      Also consider your child’s friends that may be coming over and you will also have to supervise them around the dog.

6.      Having a dog can be a wonderful experience if you prepare yourself and meet your dog’s needs.

If you meet your dogs needs you will have a wonderful, life-long companion. 

Julie, thank you so much for your response.  We have not decided on a dog yet, adult or puppy.  We have not met any prospects yet.  I was asking you more about the breed.  I will definitely read your articles, I am trying to gather as much info so we can make the right decision about this.  Thanks again for your time, you will probably be hearing from me again in the future.  I found your website to be awesome!  Kim

Hello Kim,

Thank you for the compliments on my website! I do hope to hear from you again in the future as to what you end up adopting!  If I didn’t answer specifically about the breed it was because it can be hard to make a generic statement about a breed, especially when it is mixed.  I love mixed breeds though because they often take the best of both breeds and are generally healthier than pure breeds.  But, both of these breeds you mentioned are high energy and need a job to do so they’d be good for a very active owner who plans to do agility or something more than just a pet.  These types of breeds can have behavior problems if they aren’t active enough.  Hope that fills you in a little more…I am happy to answer more questions and good luck with finding the right match!

Julie

Julie,

Many thanks!!!

Kim

Hi Julie:

I was so happy to find your site and quickly joined.

 Saturday we adopted a rescue dog.. A beautiful 2 year old Shepard-Lab mix..  (Shana) is doing great so far adjusting to our large family… She is sweet and is letting our other dogs know (in a gentle little snarl) don’t mess with me yetand only if they get to close to Her Spot…

Shana has found herself a corner in our family room, and is slowly venturing off around the house..

I read several articles about what to expect when you bring your rescue dog home, and we are following the advice.. of leaving her alone, and letting her settle in.. I will be the dogs primary caretaker and so far we are having a nice gentle relationship… She finally piddled outside after drinking water for 2 days and not going ( I’m not sure which one of us was more relieved)

My question is.. Am I going about this the correct way, and should I begin her training.. leash walking etc.  This is our first Rescue Dog, and I want to make sure that she can start to feel safe and secure…

Thanks, So Happy to have Found YOU

Garen

Hello Garen!

Welcome to webDogTrainer!  I am so happy to see you!  Congratulations on adopting a rescue dog! 

“Am I going about this the correct way, and should I begin her training.. leash walking etc.  This is our first Rescue Dog, and I want to make sure that she can start to feel safe and secure..”

It would be very important for you to begin your training program with your dog instantly.  What that will do is establish yourself as leader and your new dog will actually feel more secure and confident about its role in life-if you tell them what to do and how to behave (through training).  Dogs instantly look to who is leading them and if they don’t see a clear leader they may become confused, agitated, scared, etc. leading to behavioral problems.  Being leader means having very clear rules as to what your expectations are of your dog and being very consistent with those rules.  Read my entire step one and you’ll get a really good idea on how to do that.  If your dog doesn’t see a leader she may think she has to be the leader and that is very stressful for dogs.  So, I highly recommend you begin your training right now.  Follow my step one and create your goals, learn how to be consistent and what you need to do to be pack leader.  Make sure she is getting a lot of exercise too, that is extremely important, as you’ll see in my “exercise your dog” article. 

Also, make sure that you do not feel sorry for your dog no matter what background they may be coming from being a rescue dog.  If your dog senses you are sad, depressed, feeling sorry for them or angry then they see you as a weak leader and will not trust you.  You need to be calm and confident and very sure about what you expect from your dog.   Your dog will love you more then and be happier.  

I look forward to having you read all of step one because I think you will be really helped by the information in it. (Click on step one at the top left of the page to read all the articles within it)  Why don’t you email me again after you’ve had a chance to read step one and let me know where you are in the process, what you’ve learned and if you have any questions.  Then, when you are ready you can move onto step two.  All the best-
Julie
Dog Trainer/Owner of webDogTrainer”

Hi Julie,

Thanks so much for your quick response.. I forgot to ask you one more question… At this time, can my husband and I share in the training or does all of the dog walking have to be done by just one person? I just returned home after reading section one with our new Gentle Leader…

Thanks,

Garen

Hello Garen,

It is a important for both of you to do the training.  All humans living with the dog should be the leaders and share consistent techniques together. 

If you haven’t used a Gentle Leader before don’t be discouraged if they try to remove it at first…you’ll just want to keep moving and not allow them to take it off.  They’ll get the hang of it after one or two times and you’ll be surprised how much easier it will be to walk them.

Good luck with it! Keep in touch!

Until next time…

Julie

Hello Garen

Good to hear from you.  I’m glad you are finding the site valuable in teaching your dog!  Has she really not eaten for 2 weeks?  If not, you should be taking her to the Vet to make sure she checks out OK physically.   I might need a little more information to understand what you mean by “shy”…

1. Is she shy with people and dogs?, new people?, all people?

2. Does she walk confidently outside, tail up, head up on your walks, or is she reactive to noise, and other things on the walk?

3. What is her body language when you think she is being shy?  Ears back?  Tail between her legs? 

4. Does she relax and have fun with you when the other dogs are NOT around or has she not been playful yet?

5. Do you feed her by herself in a room without the other dogs nearby?

Sometimes using very high valued treats and practicing some obedience training can be good with dogs.  Get some cooked chicken breast, or some deli meat and cut into tiny pieces to reward for doing something well.  Find a food she goes crazy for and use that.  When she sits for example, praise her by offering a treat and be enthusiastic.  Does she have a favorite toy or like to play fetch? 

Make sure you are not encouraging the shy behavior by offering praise and affection in those moments where she is being shy.  Although that works for “humans” it doesn’t for dogs.  If she is exhibiting shyness and we are petting her during that, she then gets “rewarded” for being shy and we can actually encourage more shyness.  What you’ll want to do is find ways to treat her with high valued food treats, or a toy she loves when she does something well or comes out of her “corner” etc.  So we praise her for confidence.  Find what she values and give that to her in those confident moments. 

I also strongly suggest that you attach her leash to you while in the house for the next week or two and have her “follow” next to you going where you go, doing what you do.  So if you go to the kitchen to cook, she comes with you and does a down next to you.  If you go to the bathroom, she comes with you and lays down or sits waiting next to you…when you go to the computer she comes with you and lays next to you.  Have the treats with you and give them to her when she lays next to you or sits next to you or comes with you.  What this is going to do is establish your leadership so she can rely on you and begin to trust you and have several moments of feeling confident doing “tasks” for you.  Say “let’s go”!-Enthusiastically while you are getting up and asking her to join you in another room.  She will not be allowed to “hide” in her corner then and over time she will start to feel like this is her “job” and will be getting rewarded and feeling good about herself.  It may be a little inconvenient for you but I highly suggest this and I really think it will improve things a lot!

I really hope you’ll try it and I can’t wait to hear about how it goes!  Keep me updated and keep up the good work!

Julie

Keep up the good work in training her!  She is lucky to find someone dedicated to her!

Take care,

Julie

Hello Julie:

Thanks for checking up on us, you must have known I was thinking about you.

The training is going well, using all your techniques.. Shana seems to be a smart girl, who learns quickly. The leash walking is great.. She is sitting when we get to the end our street, before crossing.   But, she is still so shy.  Very very  slowly she is exploring our home and the other dogs.( Always with one eye on her Corner)

I have changed her dog food, to soft which she ate, after not eating for almost 2 weeks.

I can only imagine what she must be thinking?

Be Well,

Garen

Hi Julie..

Thanks for all your help.. I have answered your questions about Shana..

She is eating food now 2x a day…

Thanks,

Garen

Hi Garen,

Keep up the good work, I am proud of you for your dedication!  Try out my suggestions from the earlier email about using food rewards and having her on-leash with you for awhile and I look forward to hearing how it all goes!

Hi Julie,

I\’m interested, but before we commit, here is a short story. We(wife & I)have been married for 49yrs. Yes, we are officially \”elderly\”, 72 & 71.  We have a nice home in western GA, and have suitable grounds to have a dog, and even have a medium sized fenced (4\’H)area within.  We have had many animals in our past, all sizes from miniature poodle to German Shepherds.  Our last pet had to be put down due to Illness after being over 17yrs old.  He was a male cat.

We are now thinking about a small to medium dog that would stay inside unless it wants to be in the yard for a while.  We did go outside our thoughts and tried a 3yr old female German Shepherd long coat from German Shepherd rescue.  At first we thought she was just uneasy, but it took both of us to get ahold of her collar so as a lead could be put on for her walks.  If I (male)came into a room where the dog was,she would run out to another area.  She would not eat(we had food that she had been eating, same bag), but no consumption.  She would take several pieces and place them in other rooms, but not eat.  To sum it all up I believed this dog had been abused somehow by a male, possibly elderly.  The person from rescue contacted us to see how the dog was doing and reluctantly we had the dog taken back.

We have now made arrangements to travel in Dec., something we rarely do especially when our cat was in poor health.  We will look for a dog after the first of the year.  I (male) am pretty active, and the wife would like a chance to walk with a dog also.  We loved that Shepherd, but that fell through, even though she was almost 80lbs.

Your thoughts and if we contact you, should we have:
     1.  An animal in mind
     2.  Already have the animal
     3.  Have nothing going yet

So, as you said we tried to be specific and in doing so we were lengthy.  We apologize.  But a dog is what we believe we would like to have, preferably 9 - 12 mo. old and female.

Thank you for reading this,
Frank

—-

Julie’s response:

Hello Frank!
 
I would be happy to assist you in finding the right dog or when you decide you’d like some training or advice.  I might even recommend you consider a dog that is older than two because they have passed their teen years and will be a lot easier to handle.  It is good you are considering a small or medium size dog because large dogs can be difficult to handle because of their strength and also your 4 foot fence is a little low for a large dog who could possibly jump it.  Rescue groups and shelters are a great place to do your search because if they are good they know the animal well and can make a good match.  I truly believe there is such a thing as dogs have different energy levels and temperments and all that needs to be considered for both you and the dog to have a good life together.  
 
Let me know if I can assist you in any way and I’d be happy to, and if you do adopt I’d love to hear about it!
 
Talk soon!
 
Julie

Julie,
 
I recently came across your article “A Guide For Taking Home Your Shelter/Rescue Dog.”  As a relatively new Not For Profit, I would like to offer your article to our Adopters by printing it out and putting it in their Welcome Packet.
 
Before I do so though, I would like your permission to print and reprint it.  I certainly would include the coupon codes for your website.
 
Do you ever offer discounts or free access to rescues??  We would love to be able to give some of your articles as well as use some of your training ideas in our training of our rescues.
 
Sincerely,
 
Michele
Assistant Secretary
Paw-Riffic Animal Rescue Inc.

———-

My response:

Hello Michelle!
 
It’s wonderful what your organization is doing.  I also have been working on ways to save more dogs, perhaps we can work together on this to make it even better.
 
Yes, you most definately have my permission to print out any of my free articles from my media page-have you seen that? (http://www.webdogtrainer.com/media.php). 
 
And, I would be really happy to provide more assistance to you and your rescues.  First of all, I just started a new blog where I would be happy to answer any questions your rescue organization volunteers have or any adopters have about their dogs at NO cost. Here’s the blog where they can post questions and read more:  http://www.webdogtrainer.com/blogs/  It could be useful to you to post this to your website-it is totally FREE and a chance for people to ask any question about dogs and has a lot of informative information on it. I started this because it was amazing to me how many people and dogs can be helped by one small, personalized tip.
 
Additionally, regarding my training website at www.webDogTrainer.com:
I can offer you, as a volunteer of your rescue group a free membership to my training site, but unfortunately I cannot give permission to print out the training site information, but what I can do is offer a 50% off coupon code for the cost of the membership so that would offer a $17.50 membership to your adopters which includes email support from me 7 days a week.
 
How many volunteers do you have?  It is possible that I can offer more than one free memberships to your volunteers as well.
 
I am happy to work with you to meet your goals and needs so let me know how I can help!
 
I look forward to hearing back from you.
 
Julie

—

Julie,

We currently have 6 volunteers that are always volunteering, doing adoption events and trying to keep the money coming in!  My job is Marketing and Sales so I am constantly trying to juggle everything to make sure I help our rescue as much as possible.
 
I would love to give all of our adopters a coupon for your site!  I have read through all of the testimonials and I am excited to try some of your training on my own new addition to my family…an 8 week old Schnauzer puppy that I rescued during Hurricane Ike.  She was only 4 weeks old when I got her so she was so small that we had to run out and get puppy milk and blankets to keep her warm!  I am working on crate training with her and since I own my own recruiting company and work from a home office, I am proud to say that she has only had two accidents inside the house in the four weeks I have had her.
 
I believe that your training will help our adopters in quickly learning how to train their new dog which will help us because we won’t end up with returns.  Unfortunately, those happen when people get their new pet home and suddenly this dog isn’t minding or is urinating on the floor.  They immediately get a reality check and it is overwhelming!  If we can point them in a direction for some training that they can do on their own then maybe we can ease the transition!
 
Whatever you can do to help will be greatly appreciated!
 
Sincerely,
 
Michele
Assistant Secretary
Paw-Riffic Animal Rescue Inc.
www.paw-rifficanimalrescue.com

—–

My response:

Hi Michele,
 
I’ve attached a coupon I made,  If I get a lot of sign ups on my training site from your referrals I will offer a donation to your group as well.  
  
Let me know how it goes!
 
Julie

———-

Looks great!  We are going to put your coupon in EVERY adoption packet that we give out with our adoptions!
 
I did review the website and I am already doing the crate training as well as taking my pup out all the time!  Working from home is good for that!
 
I’ll get it out right now!
 
Thank you so much for everything!
 
Sincerely,
 
Michele
Assistant Secretary
Paw-Riffic Animal Rescue Inc.

“The best place and worst place to adopt your next dog.”
By Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala
www.webDogTrainer.com

Want to know the best and worse place to adopt a dog? Adopting a puppy from a puppy mill tops the worst place to adopt a dog. If you buy your dog from a pet store or online there is a very high chance it came from a puppy mill. What is a puppy mill exactly? Having just watched a report with Lisa Ling on the Oprah show that took a hidden camera into the life of puppy mills, I was so horrified and shocked that I had to share what I saw. I knew they were bad but I did not know just how bad. If you didn’t have a chance to see the shocking video I will try to describe it for you. If more people actually knew where and how their puppy mill dogs came to be I am sure they would change their minds and stop buying dogs that came from puppy mills. If we instead adopted our dogs from shelters and rescue organizations we would be doing more than saving the life of a dog in need. Puppy mills are extremely inhumane and it is quite shocking we allow them to run.

Let’s take a virtual tour of a puppy mill together and find out where those puppies parents are. We come across a place where hundreds of dogs are kept in small rabbit-like wire fences with wire flooring. The dogs are dirty, covered in urine and feces, large patches of their fur missing, and skin covered with sores. Several dogs are kept in each small cage and the adult dogs do not even know how to walk because they never have been out of the cage! They spend up to 10 years or more in these tiny cages together with no medical care. The females are forced to breed every cycle producing hundreds of puppies each. The females are covered in tumors from over breeding. When the dog can no longer reproduce they are shot and killed. Some of the dogs have had a long tube hammered down their throat to damage their vocal chords so they cannot bark. The dogs are not socialized and have never had a human pet them. Many have chains on their necks that are so tight there bloody skin has grown through the chain.

Once these breeding dogs have there puppies the puppy mill owners take the puppies, clean them, fluff them up and make them look cute for us to adopt. If you knew this cute puppies mother was suffering for years in a cage to produce this puppy would you want to finance this operation buy buying it or would you want to do what you could to shut it down? If you buy a puppy that originates from this kind of place you are financing them to continue. If we stood together and never bought another puppy from a pet store or online, and instead gave a home to a dog in a shelter or rescue group you have stood up for what is right to improve this whole situation. These puppy mill dogs may be cute on the outside but they are over bred, which can cause major behavioral and physical problems that can end up costing you a lot of money and suffering down the road.

How can you know if a dog came from a puppy mill or a reputable breeder? If you still want to buy a dog then please only do it from a breeder where you can actually visit their location and see the condition of the mother and other dogs. If you buy from a breeder online where you cannot physically visit the area there is a good chance it is coming from a puppy mill. A good breeder will actually take back a dog even years later if needed rather then seeing it end up in a shelter. A reputable breeder also has extremely extensive adoption procedures because they want the adoption to be the best possible match. You get what you pay for too; so do not be fooled by a discount breeder.

So where is the best place to adopt a dog? If you are thinking about adopting a dog and trying to decide where the best place to adopt your dog is, look no further. Shelters and rescue organizations are the new “in” thing. People are educating themselves and realizing that there are so many really great dogs to adopt right in there local animal shelter or rescue organization! You can even find puppies and purebred dogs there too. They say education is freedom. Well, education is also freedom for dogs! Now, Americans are learning that most dogs in shelters and rescue groups are actually really great dogs, which would make wonderful family companions. Mixed bred dogs are often healthier too, getting the best traits out of the mix of their breeds, and you can have a unique dog like no one else.

Slowly we are abandoning the myth that all shelter dogs are there because of some behavioral problem. The truth is that most are there because of a mismatch in their past home not because there is something wrong with them. Also, oftentimes people adopt a cute puppy only to realize they didn’t know how hard it was to raise a puppy and it ends up at the shelter. If everyone decided to adopt their next dog at a shelter or rescue group we could prevent so much unnecessary death and shut down puppy mills!

I am a huge advocate of adopting adult dogs in shelters or rescue groups for lots of reasons. Millions of wonderful dogs are killed every year simply because there are not enough homes for them and yet puppy mills are generating new dogs every day. Why are we producing all these dogs in horrible conditions when we have perfectly good dogs needing homes in our shelters? Shelter dogs and rescue dogs make wonderful companions and with a little training we can really have the kind of dog we always wanted and feel great we adopted a dog in need rather than supporting grossly inhumane puppy mills.

What can ONE person do? Adopt your next dog from a shelter or rescue group and never again from a pet store or unknown breeder. Get your dog spayed or neutered to prevent the over population of dogs. Spread the word about puppy mills. Learn more; educate others, volunteer at a shelter or rescue group.

If everyone who is affected by this information tells someone they know and so on, maybe we can spread the word and educate more people and find ourselves saving the dogs we love. Dogs love us and depend on us, let’s work together! Let’s save more dogs lives and shut down puppy mills. Adopt from your local shelter or rescue organization!
——
program that is featured on her unique, interactive Dog Training Web site at: http://www.webdogtrainer.com/. The site allows dog owners to ask Julie any question about their dog through her personal, one-on-one live chat consultations.

Imagine life with a well-trained dog!

Hi Julie: I was so happy to find your site and quickly joined.. We adopted a rescue dog.. A beautiful 2 year old Shepard-Lab mix.. She is doing great so far adjusting to our large family… She is sweet and has found herself a corner in our family room, and is slowly venturing off around the house.. I read several articles about what to expect when you bring your rescue dog home, and we are following the advice.. My question is.. Am I going about this the correct way, and should I begin her training.. leash walking etc. This is our first Rescue Dog, and I want to make sure that she can start to feel safe and secure… Thanks, So Happy to have Found YOU

My response:
Welcome to webDogTrainer! I am so happy to see you! Congratulations on adopting a rescue dog! It would be very important for you to begin your training program with your dog instantly. What that will do is establish yourself as leader and your new dog will actually feel more secure and confident about its role in life, if you tell them what to do and how to behave(through training). Dogs instantly look to who is leading them and if they don’t see a clear leader they may become confused, agitated, scared, etc. leading to behavioral problems. Being leader means having very clear rules as to what your expectations are of your dog and being very consistent with those rules. Read all of my step one and you’ll get a really good idea on how to do that. If your dog doesn’t see a leader she may think she has to be the leader and that is very stressful for dogs. So, I highly recommend you begin your training right now. Follow my step one and create your goals, learn how to be consistent and what you need to do to be pack leader. Make sure she is getting a lot of exercise too, that is extremely important as you’ll see in my “exercise your dog” article. Also, make sure that you do not feel sorry for your dog no matter what background they may be coming from being a rescue dog. If your dog senses you are sad, depressed, feeling sorry for them or angry then they see you as a weak leader and will not trust you. You need to be calm and confident and very sure about what you expect from your dog. Your dog will love you more then and be happier. I look forward to having you read all of step one because I think you will be really helped by the information in it. Why don’t you email me again after you’ve had a chance to read it and let me know where you are in the process, what you’ve learned and if you have any questions. Then, when you are ready you can move onto step two.
All the best,
Julie

A Guide for taking home your new dog

This Guide offers you tips that will help make the transition of bringing home your new dog easier so that you can start your life together successfully.

Here’s a note about the Author:

Bio:
Julie Bjelland Lokhandwala is the founder of webDogTrainer, LLC and has created an Online Dog Training Guide and Consultation: www.webdogtrainer.com. WebDogTrainer, LLC donates 10% of profits to Charity with a focus on helping shelter/rescue dogs get adopted successfully. Julie formerly trained at Guide Dogs for the Blind as well as owned a successful private dog training business.

A Note from Julie:
Because you are reading this I know you are a dedicated dog owner and plan to give your dog a good home. I rescued my own dog, named Fax from German Shepherd Rescue and he is wonderful! I adopted him when he was about two years old and he was a big (almost 100 lbs), untrained dog who had a lot of behavior issues we had to work on right away to make the transition to living with us go smoothly. I’d like to pass on some of those tips to you.

I wish the best of luck and joy with your new dog and hope that you’ll contact me through my website if you need any extra assistance. Good luck and enjoy your life with your new dog!

-All the best!

Julie

Rules to follow for a successful adoption:

Have your supplies ready. You’ll need a leash, collar, food, bowls for food and water, toys, bones for chewing. You’ll also need an identification tag and rabies and license tags. For medium to large dogs I also recommend using a head collar called The Gentle Leader® for walking your dog without pulling. (If your dog’s snout is too short, like bulldogs, for example, you can try a body harness.

Try to be home with your dog for the first few days to a week if possible. A little extra effort early on makes a big difference! Taking time off work now will pay off in the future because you were able to be there for your dog to establish all the rules early on before they made the mistakes. If you are guiding and leading your dog successfully from day one, they will know the rules and follow them from the beginning before bad habits develop. A new house/owner means new rules so old habits from previous homes can be broken immediately if not allowed to do them in your home from day one.

BEFORE you bring your dog home the very first thing you should do is take your dog for a really long walk (about an hour or more for medium and larger size dogs that are younger than age 5 or so; small/toy size dogs and senior dogs will need less) before you even go into your home for the first time. The idea here is that you are establishing yourself as their leader, as well as tiring them out and draining some of that pent up energy and nervousness they may have. Your goal from now on should be to make sure to exercise your dog at least twice a day until they are tired out (meaning they lay down to rest after the exercise). If they are still running around after the exercise you know it wasn’t enough.

Then, when you do get home keep them on-leash for the first two weeks. Keep your new dog on-leash for a couple weeks initially so that you can teach them what is good behavior and what is not acceptable. Attach the leash to yourself and have the dog be with you all day and go where you go within the house. For example, if in their previous home they chewed furniture, ate things off the counters, got into the garbage, urinated on the carpet, etc they’ll learn they can’t do those things in your home because your timing for correcting it is instant when they are on-leash.

Make a trip to the Vet. You’ll want to be sure your dog is healthy and up-to-date on their vaccinations. Also, get your dog spayed or neutered as soon as you can if they are not already. You don’t want to contribute to more unwanted pets!

Create rules and goals you expect from the dog as a family ideally before bringing the dog home, but especially before allowing the dog off-leash in the home. It is a good idea to have a family meeting with everyone that lives in the home and discuss and agree on what your expectations are of the dog. Will they be allowed on the couch, the bed, and all rooms of the house? Where will they sleep and eat? Who will walk the dog and clean up after them? Etc. As a family you must all be consistent with your decisions or you will confuse the dog and cause inconsistency. Inconsistency on your part means your dog probably will not follow your rules.

To stop a dog from doing something you don’t want them to do you need to catch them in the act. If they urinated on the carpet or got into the garbage and you don’t actually see them doing it you cannot correct them for that behavior because you are too late and they will not understand why they are being disciplined and will also not trust you in the future. That old myth of bringing them to the spot and telling them they are bad does NOT work. Instead, since they are on-leash in the beginning you will be able to quickly tell them No and move onto something they can do. Make sure you are praising your dog when they are behaving well.

Get some Training Guidance. Having a well-trained dog is really a wonderful experience. Dogs that are trained well are happier and get to go out with you more and are a joy to have around! Be pack leader to your dog. Dogs naturally need a leader in their lives and if they don’t find one, they try to become one and that can lead to behavioral problems. Dogs are happier with you being a leader because our human world is stressful to them if they don’t have clear guidance and rules to follow. To become leader practice obedience, set rules and be consistent with them and walk your dog without pulling every day. Everything you need to know about training your dog and becoming leader can be found at www.webdogtrainer.com You can even talk with Julie, the trainer personally there through live chat to answer specific questions about your dog!

Enjoy your Dog! With the proper care and training your life will be filled with joy with this new addition to your family!