Do you think you have what it takes to be a true dog lover? If there was one thing that you can do in this world that would greatly contribute to the canine family, would you be willing to sacrifice a little extra time and patience?
What I am talking about is adopting a dog or puppy from your local animal shelter. There is no better service you or I could make in terms of raising a dog than by providing a positive, loving home to a perfectly good shelter animal.
For some of you, the idea of adopting a shelter dog will instantly cause you to become negative or feel defensive toward these animals. You have too many preconceived notions and assumptions that could be stopping you from saving a dog’s life, one that would make a great house pet if you just had the open mind and a little bit of extra time to train it.
Have I Talked You Into Adoption Yet?
I’m sure it may take a bit more persuasion for some of you to open up your hearts and minds to adopting a shelter dog, but for the rest of you who have decided that you want to visit your local animal shelters to find a dog or puppy who needs a good home, make sure that you approach the staff with a few questions before making your decision.
Ask about what kind of medical treatment the dogs receive. Most organized animal shelters will at least provide the minimum care necessary needed for a dog to go home with you, however, there are some places that unfortunately neglect important medical guidelines.
What To Look For
Any organization that handles animals should have a licensed veterinarian on staff at all times. This veterinarian will provide vaccinations in order to prevent hepatitis, distemper, and other health issues. Ask the staff, or talk with the veterinarian if possible, if these dogs have had their blood checked for heartworms. And is the skin clean of fleas and other parasites?
These are just the basic medical requirements that every person should look for when adopting a dog from an animal shelter. Other needs may be a bit more complex.
For example, do you have your sights set on a dog that has been injured in the past, or is currently healing from an injury? What type of injury is it? What type of medication and treatment has the dog received? Ask about the cost of future treatment and medical needs that will arise.
And Don’t Forget…
Another important set of questions and research that you should talk with your local animal shelter about is whether or not they have a professional who evaluates each dogs’ temperament. Most shelters have this information posted on the front of each cage that is designated to the specific dog, or other animal.
It is important that you take this information and assess whether or not it is detailed enough so that the dog can be trusted with your family set up. The staff should also know how the animal reacts with children and around outside stimulants such as moving cars, other people, etc.
This information is valuable in determining whether or not the shelter dog you are considering will be a good match for your home situation. In addition, ask the staff specific questions regarding a dog’s attitude towards being submissive or dominant. Are they overprotective of territory? How often does aggressive behavior occur and for what reasons? The more questions you ask, the better you will feel when you take your adopted shelter dog home.
For those ultra-exuberant Labs who have trouble controlling themselves from jumping on people, even after being taught the “sit” and “off” commands, a harness and leash in the house can help immensely.
Put the harness and leash on, then sit in a chair and put your foot on the leash so there’s only enough slack for the dog to stand up or sit, but not to jump up. This way you aren’t jerking the dog around or punishing it, and if the dog starts to jump up, it can’t. Just make sure the leash is firmly under your feet with a wide enough base so you don’t get pulled off the chair!
Although the harness is a way to manage jumping behavior it must be coupled with teaching the sit command with lots of positive reinforcement. This will keep your Lab from performing the behavior you don’t want, while teaching it the behavior you do want. You want to physically prevent them from jumping up, then immediately train them to sit with a big reward.
A headcollar, which fits over the muzzle (similar to a horse halter), is another option for over-exuberant Labs, especially those that pull on a leash. Many dog trainers are great fans of the headcollar for over-excited dogs. It’s a fabulous management tool.
Use it in the house or on walks while your dog is learning how to walk on leash, so you aren’t getting your arm yanked out of its socket. Also, headcollars can help potential adopters to recognize that they can handle that 75-pound, full-grown Labrador Retriever.
Don’t Give Up!
Most importantly, all new owners of adopted Labs are urged not to give up on their rambunctious buddies. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for these dogs. Work with them every day that you can. Provide as much time needed to get them domesticated to your needs and the needs of the family.
Seek out a qualified, positive trainer, and get the help you need. Particularly good would be a trainer that has experience with training adolescent and adult dogs.
Be patient, consistent and understanding, and one day the Labrador fairy will raise her magic wand and sprinkle her magic dust over your Lab. Suddenly, you’ll realize that your hyperactive shelter Lab has become a really great, respectable, and well-trained family pet, one that your neighbors will be envious of.
If you’re lucky enough to be purchasing a dog that was trained to provide a service for people, or a least adopting a dog that was accepted for such training but did not make it for some reason, you are in for a special treat. Most people aren’t even aware that such dogs exist.
What type of pets are we talking about? Any dog that was trained for or actually worked a “career” by leading the blind and helping other disabled people is a prime example.
You Have 3 Choices Of Service Dogs To Choose From
When looking to adopt a professionally trained career dog, your choices come in three different forms: dogs that are retired from being guides, “career changing” dogs, and finally, there are the canines that for some reason did not make it through the training program, or simply put – flunkies.
Guide Dogs No More: Just like people, service dogs cannot work their jobs forever. As these animals get older, they become slower and are no longer effective in helping their owners. The average amount of time that a service dog can work is approximately 8 years. At this point they become prime candidates for adoption by people like you and me.
Dogs That Had Multiple Careers: Many dogs can be taken out of one service job and then trained for another. The reasons for this can vary. It may be because of temperament issues, medical concerns, or perhaps a dog was just not a suitable match for its owner. For example, a dog may be retired from guide service and then prepared and transferred to work at a rehabilitation hospital or a nursery home. Sometimes these types of animals are even assigned to children’s homeless centers in order to play with the kids.
Just Didn’t Make The Cut: Finally, we have our flunkies. Now before you consider a flunky to be a negative thing, reconsider that notion because quite the opposite is true. Thousands of dogs are trained every year by organizations which lead them into service jobs.
Not all of these dogs make the cut and move on to work with people. They are considered flunkies for whatever reason, whether it is from temperament problems, health problems, or perhaps were a little too excitable for service work. However, the important aspect to remember here is that these dogs are still a cut above any other pet you may find elsewhere.
Just to get accepted into these types of programs for training preparation means they already had natural first-class qualities and characteristics which made them ideal candidates. These dogs are typically between the ages of one and two years old. Most are very gentle and loving and have had some type of extensive obedience training during the beginning of the program.
One reason many Labrador Retrievers are abandoned to animal shelters is because they jumped on small children, knocking them over or scaring them. A lot of people don’t understand how to manage jumping and when their Lab gets big, jumping isn’t so cute anymore.
People don’t know how to deal with it so they give up on the dog. Once a Lab has reached its full adult size, jumping can become a real problem, but that’s also an easy problem to fix. All it takes is one little word: “Sit.”
“Sit” is the solution to over 90% of behavior problems. The sit command is the answer, and it’s the easiest thing in the world to train a dog to do. When a dog is sitting, it can’t be jumping up. Train your newly adopted shelter Lab to sit with big rewards and you’ll see a huge difference in behavior.
Many adult Labs already know the sit command so using it frequently can nip jumping quickly. Even Labs that don’t know the command to sit know how to sit. If you teach the dog to sit on command, you’ve solved all kinds of problems before you ever get to a training class. Labs are so trainable because they want to please you and they want rewards. They really do want to sit for you!
Out Of Control Jumpers
Teaching your dog the “off” command is necessary for those out-of-control jumpers. Jumping up is the way the Lab expresses how desperate it is for attention. The more hyper you get in response to this behavior, the more excited your Lab becomes. Even yelling is attention to your Lab. Teach him that the only time it will get love and attention is when it is sitting. Ignore it when it jumps on you become a statue, literally.
To teach “off” you will actually want to invite this excitement from your Lab by acting excited yourself. Then, when it jumps up, cross your arms, turn away and quietly say “off.” Then wait don’t move, talk or make eye contact.
When the dog realizes it’s not getting any sort of attention, positive or negative, it will get back on the floor. Immediately praise him. Your Lab will get bored fast and try something else, like sitting. That’s when you pour on the praise.
After only a few times, if you are quick and consistent, your Lab will learn that it gets what it craves attention when all four paws are on the floor instead of jumping all over you.
When deciding to add a new adult dog to the family, have you considered purchasing one that is actually retired? What is a “retired” dog? Simply put, most people never consider finding a companion that used to be of service to other people, such as a guide dog.
If you look up the reports provided by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, you’ll find that there are approximately 8,000 to 9,000 dogs in the United States alone that are “employed”. These animals are out there providing service to our fellow human beings by guiding blind people, helping the deaf, and offering assistance to other disabled men and women.
However, not all dogs who are bred and raised in order to provide some sort of service is actually out there working. And other dogs have indeed been of use to people during their life but obviously cannot continue working forever. To help these animals find homes, there are guide dog organizations who provide adoption programs as part of their services.
These animals are definitely in high demand. Most of them are completely trained and offer stable companionship from the day they are brought home. The reason for this is because most of these working type dogs spent months and even years going through intensive obedient classes and learning training protocols. This type of training is so extensive that most everyday citizens could not afford to have their pets undergo such training from professionals.
Consider this, it takes a very special and intelligent dog just to get excepted into a program which will train them for a career as a service dog. They must be well adjusted, in good health, and show all the signs necessary to make them good students of whatever particular job the trainers will be preparing them for.
Just these attributes alone, before being trained to work, would make a wonderful pet. Now imagine six months up to two years of additional heavy-duty obedience training and career protocol programs. The result is a dog that anybody would be extremely grateful to have as a house pet.
So before you decide to go to a shelter or any of the usual places to buy or adopt a dog, consider checking out local facilities that specialize in providing dogs that are ex-service oriented, or those canines that for some reason or another did not completely make it through the training. Either way, you are guaranteed to enjoy a high class, first rate quality pet.
The old saying that a tired dog is a good dog never applied to any breed more than the adolescent Labrador Retriever. Labs need so much exercise! This is especially true when they are young adults.
They are not a couch potato breed, but they will calm down after a good 40 minutes or so of vigorous aerobic exercise. This is why dog parks were invented!
All young Labrador Retrievers have energy to spare, but Labs confined to shelters for long periods may be in dire need of some serious cardiovascular activity to burn off excessive energy. Most Labs at these shelters aren’t getting enough exercise at all.
Labs are bred to go through the woods and marshes and get that duck again and again and again all day long. This is an extremely active, high-energy dog and if you bring it into a sedentary lifestyle, it’s not a good fit.
Putting a Labrador Retriever in a fenced yard or taking the dog for a walk around the block isn’t enough. This dog’s exercise has to be heavy cardiovascular and it has to wear them out to the point of fatigue.
Finding sufficient outlets for your shelter Lab’s energy can make a huge difference in behavior around the house. Dog-daycare programs and professional pet sitters can offer exercise opportunities during the work day, but even without paying a penny to a professional, you can exercise your Lab by organizing play dates.
Nothing tires out an adolescent dog like another adolescent dog. Meet up with other dog people friends, neighbors or people you meet in obedience class and get your dogs together to channel that energy.
Invite them over for pizza or a backyard grill and turn the dogs loose. A lot of people become very good friends who get together for such dog-related activities. It’s an economical and fun alternative to an organized dog-daycare program.
After about 12 to 14 months, when a Labrador Retriever has finished growing strong bones, it can also begin more organized athletic activities, such as agility (a competitive obstacle course), or other higher-impact activities, such as jogging for long distances.
But never wait too long for obedience classes. This is a common mistake all too many dog owners make, and this goes especially for your newly adopted shelter Lab. Start bonding with it right away under the guidance of a professional, who can help you with strategies for introducing family members, other pets and dog-proofing your home. You’ll set a precedent for good behavior, and you’ll immediately begin building a relationship with your Lab.
