Sarah Luna HEA Volunteer and Events Manager (920) 634-9701 [email protected]
April 12, 2020
7 Tips to Train Your New Rescue Dog
If you adopted a dog from a rescue or shelter, congratulations! Your new companion will bring lots of new fun and joy into your life. Despite the age of your companion and if they have some obedient training or not, they will need some training and socialization.With a little time and patience dogs can become well adjusted to their new family.
Come up with a daily routine and maintain it. Dogs like having routines too. Your dog may have spent the last couple of weeks or longer in the shelter which is stressful as they are unsure what the next day may look like for them.
Set boundariesas soon as you bring your dog into their new home. It is much harder to train for the dog to stop later on.
Plan to crate train. You will want to start doing this right away. This will help with housebreaking and could provide a safe place for your dog to retreat to when feeling overwhelmed by the new changes.
Enroll in obedience class. Having a trained personnel can help you build trust with your companion and help with socialization.
Practice new tricks commands at home.This will help with consistency.
Assume the dog has no training. If you adopted a dog that is out of the puppy stage, it is important to act as though the dog had no training at all even if they did. Make sure to use positive reinforcements. Keep the training upbeat and low stress.
Remember to have patience.Rescue animals may come with behavioral issues or separation anxiety depending on their past. It’s important to be patient and to not give up no matter what.