Bringing Home Your New K9 Companion

By: Kelley Ireland/Kelden's K9 Behavior 

www.keldenk9behavior.com

In our throw away culture, the disposable canine companion has become commonplace. With Love and work, you can make him/her part of your forever family.

In order to become a terrific pet, your canine companion will need more of everything at first:

An extra dose of R & R ( Rules & Regulations), more good food, grooming, contact, company, bonding activities, exposure to your particular environment, exercise, training, and more room to be themselves.

You have got your work cut out for you, but there will be rewards too, unqualified love, loyalty, companionship, someone to greet you when you come home, someone to make you laugh, to keep you feeling young, someone to get you out or keep you happy to stay in, someone who will place you above all others for as long as he/she shall live!

When you adopt a new canine companion, there is a good chance that you are adopting problem behaviors too. When you adopt a dog, your best plan is to assume that he could have every problem in the book, and arrange your home to manage and prevent inappropriate behaviors until you know how your new dog will behave. This means restricting his/her movements at first and constantly supervising him/her, reinforcing and rewarding his/her good behaviors, gradually giving him/her more freedom as he/she begins to understand the house rules.

If you are adopting an adult dog in part to avoid puppy behaviors, until you know them better, assume that they have every unwanted behavior imaginable, and treat them the same as you would a new puppy. He/She is constantly on a leash, in a crate, or right under your nose until you determine which behavior challenges they may present to you, and how you are going to manage and resolve them.

WHAT YOUR COMPANION DOG NEEDS

1. He/She needs a crate for housebreaking, problem prevention, and travel.

Every dog needs a home of their own, a place to call theirs, a place that smells just right, and a little den.

Every dog needs a place to escape to. He/She needs a place to be put when he/she is young and learning the rules. He/She needs somewhere to be sent when they’ve been rotten and you can't stand the sight of them.

EVERY DOG NEEDS A CRATE!

2. He/She needs to bond with you.

Make time for your new dog to become a part of your life. Keep him/her with you when you cook, write letters, use the computer, do the lawn. Take him/her in the car when you go for the newspaper or the Sunday morning rolls. Talk to him/her and tell them they are terrific. But give them quite time with you too. Dogs are not verbal animals. They need time to absorb the way things are in silence. They need time; they need contact, to become attached.

3. He/She needs your patience, affection and quiet firmness.

Your rules and regulations will help make the dog secure in their new home. But he/she has lost something profound. They’ll need reasons to feel proud of themselves again. Whenever he/she does something worthy, let them know it. Don't gush and stop the training. Coo to him/her like their mother used to and keep the work flowing. Work is the best medicine for anxious, insecure creatures; it even works for people in trouble.

4. He/She needs a diet of dog food.

Your dog needs a sensible, well-balanced diet of food made especially for their species - dog food. He/She needs a well balanced diet to help in the housebreaking dept...remember - what goes in also comes out!!

5. He/She needs quite time.

He/She needs time to be a dog, to sniff, to swim, to roll on his back in the grass on a sunny day, to dig, to lie around and watch the sun go down. He/She needs some time alone, and some with you. And isn't a little quiet time just what your life is missing?

6. He/She needs your company, so let them sleep in your room.

You can give your dog a free eight hours of your time by letting them sleep in your room. You keep them in the crate beside your bed. Dogs are pack animals, and he/she will bond better and faster when close to you.

7. He/She needs appropriate eye contact.

Among wolves and wild dogs, direct eye contact is a threat. Only the ALPHA animal may use it. This he does, often.

In the wild, eye contact is used to keep the pack in line. It maintains order, it helps avoid conflict, and it is a quick, silent reminder of who's who. It is an important means of communication, though by no means the only one.

In our world, between human and dog, eye contact has a less rigid definition. Our pet dogs learn that eye contact can be loving and gentle. They learn that they can read a variety of messages via the eye, instructions, feelings, cues of all kinds. And they see, that the old ways can still hold true, that the message ALPHA still comes from the eyes!

8. HE/SHE NEEDS TO BE SOCIALIZED AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Proper socializing insures a well-balanced, flexible animal who can take all kinds of surprises in his stride. It results in the dog who is able to accompany you out for the Sunday paper, the dog who is trustworthy with children, the dog from which you can take a bone, the dog to whom you can offer a lasting place in your home and in your heart.

9. LET HIM/HER BE HANDLED

A dog should be able to be handled by humans of all ages and both sexes.

10. HOUSEBREAK HIM/HER

If you want to take him/her with you where ever you go, he/she needs to be housebroken.

11. GET HIM/HER USE TO OTHER PEOPLE"S DOGS

He/She must learn to feel at least comfortable and at the most wonderfully friendly with the other dogs in your neighborhood. If there is a park where dogs play, take him/her. There is nothing on earth that will please or tire your dog like play with one of their own.

12. MAKE HIM/HER FLEXABLE

At least once a week, let your dog try something new, a visit to a friends house, an overnight trip with you, a visit with some kids, a visit at a nursing home. Let someone else feed and walk him/her. Refresh him/her, challenge him/her, mature him/her with new situations, some pleasurable, some not. If he/she has trouble, help them though it. Don't let them do an escape act. Be demanding. Praise him/her when he/she's brave and tries new things. Encourage him/her to be curious, investigative, and bold. Learning how to cope will stand him/her in good stead for the rest of his/her life!

13. MAKE HIM/HER CONFIDENT WITH LOTS OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

When your dog does something right, your praise and pleasure will build his/her confidence, making them feel both accomplished and terrific.

14. GIVE YOUR DOG A RICH LIFE

A wide variety of experiences, most of them away from home, so that he/she will be able to face anything that might come his/her way. Imagine the fun you can have with a well socialized dog, a dog, who's your sidekick, your buddy and, above all, the very best dog in the world!

15. HE/SHE NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED

Be sure to protect your dog in everyway you can. He/She relies on you. You're all they have. Take him/her to the vet for a yearly check-up and shots. Protect your dog from people who tease and abuse dogs. Protect him/her from heat and cold. They’re your charge. Keep them safe and well, they’ll love you forever for it.