New Adoption Assistance:
In most cases, you'll need to teach your new dog how to behave appropriately in your home and follow your rules. I can help you choose a dog / breed that will best fit your lifestyle, hopefully from a shelter or rescue, or reputable breeder. If it's too late for that, no problem. I'll help you design a behavior modification strategy (a new routine essentially) that will fit into your lifestyle and help you achieve your goals.
If you're in a new relationship with a dog, try to start out on the right path, so there's no damage control down the road. It's much easier to teach your dog good manners if you start from the minute he enters your life. Don't let him get away with behaviors that will be unacceptable down the road just because you think he's soooooooooo cute or you feel soooooooooo sorry for him. It's just as easy to raise a brat as it is to raise a good canine citizen; it's all about the routine. We're ALWAYS training our dogs, for better or worse, and it takes a lot more effort to un-train the naughty behaviors that they learn by being inadvertently rewarded.
I'll show you how to teach the behaviors in a way that your dog understands and then it's up to you to practice practice practice. You'll see changes almost immediately but it's usually two steps forward, two steps back for a while. Keep in mind the inevitable extinction bursts as you begin to create new habits and don't work with your dog if you're feeling frustrated or angry.
Adolescent dogs (6 mos. to 3 years) are just like teenagers. They'll start testing the limits and wondering, "Why should I listen, and what's going to happen if I don't? Oh, yeah, NOTHING! I do what I WANT!" Each time they get their way, they've added a new manipulation tactic to their "temper tantrum arsenal". It's not malicious, just nature, unless we can effectively show them a better, more acceptable way to get what they want. Practiced regularly, a new "habit" or default behavior can be taught in a day or two, learned in a couple/few weeks and reliable in a couple/few months.
A reputable aussie breeder, my mom........
(aussies are working dogs that need plenty of exercise!)
