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Some helpful information to help transition your new dog into your home

When bringing a new dog home it is important to be aware of the variety of experiences your new dog may have had, and to know how to help him make the transition into a new home.

Dogs need order and leadership. They are pack animals, so you must be the “pack leader.” Your dog needs to know that you are the boss and that you have a set of house rules. A good leader is firm, consistent and patient – it is not necessary to be harsh or mean. This makes the transition into to your home easier, faster and more rewarding.

With the right balance of discipline, understanding and affection, your new dog will become a loyal, grateful and loving companion.

BEFORE YOU BRING YOUR NEW DOG HOME

1. Hold a family meeting to create rules about caring for the dog. Will he be allowed on the couch, the bed, and in all rooms of the house? Where will he sleep and eat? Who will walk him and clean up after him? As a family, you must all be consistent with your decisions or you will confuse the dog, usually resulting in the dog making his own rules and causing unnecessary tension.
2. Have the necessary items your dog will need from the start: ID tags, a collar and a 6-foot leash, food and water bowls, food, dog toys, a crate and bedding, and basic grooming tools. 
3.  Just before you bring your dog into the home for the first time, take him for as long a walk as possible through his new neighborhood. During this walk you are building a bond of trust with your new companion and establishing your position as pack leader. You are also creating for him what it might feel

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Counter-conditioning and Desensitization Counter conditioning and desensitization are powerful ways to change behavior. They are usually used in combination. Desensitization provides a means of safely exposing the pet to the stimulus.

Counter conditioning is used to get the pet to perform the desired behavior. What is counter-conditioning? Counter conditioning is teaching a different task or behavior than the one that was previously occurring in a situation. For example, a dog lunges at the window when the mailman walks by.

The new task will be sitting quietly. So, we “condition” a new response, sitting, that is “counter” to what the animal was doing previously, which was lunging. In order to teach the new behavior, practice the new task in a location and situation which does not stimulate the animal to engage in the behavior you wish to change. Sometimes the term ‘counter commanding’ is used when the pet is commanded to perform a previously trained behavior. Instead of trying to get the dog to sit when the mailman comes by, practice getting the dog to sit by the window when no one is there. The dog is better able to learn the new task without distractions, when the mailman is not present. What is desensitization? Desensitization is a gradual exposure to situations or stimuli that would previously bring on the undesirable behavior, but at a level so low that there is no negative response.

As the animal experiences the stimulus, but does not respond in the undesirable way, the animal becomes “less sensitive” to the stimulus, and the undesirable response is decreased. The key to effective desensitization is to design a stimulus gradient so that the pet can be gradually exposed to progressively more intense levels of the stimulus without the undesirable behavior being elicited. How might these techniques be used in a training…

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Cesar’s Way: Definitely NOT a Whisper

By Kathy Meyer, VMD

Although the jacket claims that the book offers a “natural, everyday guide to understanding & correcting common dog problems,” Cesar’s Way, by Cesar Millan (aka the Dog Whisperer) delivers very little usable information for dog owners.  

The book is aptly named, as its main focus is Cesar, not the dogs. Instead of providing revolutionary insight into dog psyche, Cesar’s Way largely describes Cesar’s own interpretation of various problem dog behaviors and his methods of treating. The typical dog owner can’t use these methods, as they involve 4 or 5 hours of vigorous exercise a day, time with a pack of 40 to 50 dogs, and physical corrections and intimidation to achieve submission. Cesar’s various and sometimes peculiar philosophies and beliefs are woven throughout the book, making it more a treatise on his views of how dogs and owners (and even men and women) should construct their relationships rather than a useful guidebook to promote a harmonious life for dog and owner.

The most glaring faults of the book are not so much what is included, but what is not. First, there is no acknowledgement of the dog’s ability to quickly and easily learn dozens of words to create a common vocabulary between dog and owner. This is otherwise known as training…something that has been very helpful over the thousands of years of human/dog interactions. Communication in this way has allowed dogs to be trained for very complex, useful behaviors in their complex lives as 2

st century pets in a developed country. Cesar, however, strives for a “primal” relationship between dogs and their owners, epitomized in his view by homeless people and their dogs. In this primitive construct, Cesar uses no words to communicate with his dogs. Instead, the only sound he will issue…

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Congratulations on adopting your new dog!
Here are some helpful hints for success

Supplies

•  Dog food
•  Water bowl, food bowl or Kongs / food balls (highly recommended by our trainers)
•  Treats for training
•  Toys (chew bones, chew toys)
•  Bed (dog bed, blanket or towels)
•  Crate and/or baby gates

Put all these must-have supplies in your new dog’s confinement area (see below).

Setup

Set up a confinement area, a place your dog will stay when you can’t provide 100% supervision; in other words, when you’re out, or busy around the house, and can’t watch him the entire time. The ideal confinement area should be easy to clean and easy to close off with a door or baby gate. It should be mostly free of furniture and non-dog related objects (remember, everything is a potential chew toy to a dog!). The best place for a confinement area is the kitchen, laundry room, porch, empty spare room or small indoor/outdoor area.
Furnish the confinement area with a bed or a crate with something soft to sleep on, a water bowl and several toys, including a favorite bone or chew toy. Note: The confinement area should be the only place your dog gets to have his favorite toy.
You might think the word “confinement” has a negative connotation, but your dog’s confinement area is not a negative thing. It’s positive. The confinement area is a place your dog can call his own as he makes the transition to his new home. It’s where he gets good things, like meals and his favorite toy. It sets him up for success in the process of housetraining and alone-time training.
People often give a new dog complete freedom right away. Then, when he has an accident or chews the wrong thing, they confine him, and confinement becomes punishment. If you start out giving your dog the run of the house, you’re…

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