Rescue Dog Rehabilitation
Shelter life can be extremely stressful for dogs. Many do not know how to live on "the outside" or how to behave in a home anymore. It's important to get them started in a rehab program asap. As with any of our programs, setting up clear boundaries and structure will be key to the success of your newly adopted friend.
Typically people go to to a shelter, fall in love and 10 minute later they are on their way home with their new furry pal. The dog is in unknown territory and can often take a few weeks to open up and start testing the waters of his new environment. It's simple human nature, we feel sorry for him, after all "he is a rescue". So we shower him with love and toys and let him run around the house to explore. More often then not, a few weeks pass and the dog figures it out. He hasn't been shown any leadership or boundaries so he thinks he runs the house, then makes mistakes and is often returned to the shelter for being "out of control" "not the same dog I met that first day", etc.
Unwanted behaviors are often unintentionally reinforced because we feel sorry for the new guy and just want him to be happy so we let him do whatever he wants and these learned behaviors go on for months and sometimes years, resulting in a dog that is making a lot of poor choices and a family that isn't truly happy.
Dogs In Bloom works with all dogs, regardless of their past. Check our our training programs to see which may be the right fit for you!
“I adopted a rescue dog recently, he was 7 years old and had been in the shelter for around 6 months. He had been returned to the shelter twice for aggressive behavior, he bit me twice, but I didn’t want to give up on him. I felt that this would be strike 3 for him. I had no way of knowing what he had been through in his life. He seemed like he wanted to bond with me but he was having a hard time trusting me. So, I called Tracy. She came to my house and we talked about Rusty. She recommended a few sessions with her at our house. WOW!! What a difference in just 2 weeks. She knew what Rusty needed and worked with
us till we bonded. I would recommend her to anyone who needs or wants training for their dog.”