Bringing Home A Rescue Dog – The Danger of “Anti-Socializing” Your Dog – Phoenix Scottsdale AZ Dog Training – Dog Trainer – Behaviorist
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Sam Basso
PHOENIX , AZ AREA: (602) 708-4531
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Are you getting ready to bring home a dog from a shelter or rescue organization? Here is a very important tip…
I get calls relatively frequently from people who decided to adopt a very friendly dog, only to see that dog turn into a snarling, fearful dog in a couple of months. Then, I’m hired to turn the situation around.
In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to hire me for this kind of thing. But, unfortunately, since dogs are typically adopted before someone hires a professional, I am needed to help in these situations.
So, what gives? What is causing this?
Here’s the deal. An abandoned dog is afraid and very stressed out. It is also going to come home afraid and very stressed out. Even if it is a friendly dog, it is afraid and stressed out. Then, the first thing people do when they bring the dog home is to take the dog everywhere, see everything, meet a lot of people and animals the dog doesn’t know… and the dog isn’t making happy associations with all of this, but is making unhappy associations instead. So, you are systematically terrorizing this dog with every encounter, and you are “anti-socializing” your dog instead!
Therefore, the best answer would be to 1.) hire a professional behaviorist to work before you even get a dog; 2.) find a friendly dog that you think would be perfect for your home; 3.) go easy on all the experiences your new dog has from the moment you pick your dog up. You need to read your dog’s emotional state in every new situation, and make turn it into a happy outcome every time. It is going to take approximately 3 to 4 months for a rescue dog to stop being so stressed out. There is no way to rush this along, either. And if you don’t do it right, you’ll be one of thousands of people every year that bring home a perfectly adoptable dog, you’ll traumatize it, and then you’ll give it back to the shelter for them to put to death. And it will be all your fault.
If you’ve already messed up your dog, then NOW is the time to hire a professional. Don’t give the dog back, because they will most likely kill your dog at the shelter. They are NOT dog experts and they will just assess that you have a dangerous, aggressive dog and that will be the end.
I hope this article saves some lives. I usually can’t get to people before this tragedy unfolds, but I can usually turn these situations around if I’m hired soon enough.
Sam Basso is a professional dog trainer and behaviorist, in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale metropolitan area. He’s known for being fun, kind, intelligent, and humane. Sam Basso has a unique personal touch. He has appeared on his own TV show, been a guest radio expert, gives seminars, publishes a dog related blog, does rescue volunteering, and is active in promoting animal welfare and fair dog laws.
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