With a team with a behavioral background and an understanding on why it is so important, we wanted to make sure that each of the dogs we worked with got the training they needed in order to be their best selves before stepping into their new homes. So we decided that as standard, each of our dogs would get at least one month with our professional team to get the training they needed.
Going into the rehoming system can be a stressful process and even the most confident dogs can struggle with the changes in routine, location, people and everything else that comes with going into a rescue facility and looking for a new home. There are often lots of different people helping handle the dogs, other dogs who may also be stressed and lots of changes like meet and greets and trial stays with potential families and all in all a lot of changes to deal with. The best thing we can do to help dog deal with stress is by doing some training to help them to manage their stress in a beneficial way. This in turn helps them to both grow in confidence and better cope with their stress and anxiety as they begin their journey.
Why does training help?
Generally speaking, stress and anxiety induced behaviors often stem from either confusion or being overwhelmed. This is especially true for dogs who go into rescue facilities as there are often lots of other dogs, often they are also stressed or anxious, a lot of changes very quickly and dogs can quickly become confused and anxious as they simply don't know what to expect. We can easily combat these concerns and therefore minimise stress and anxiety by doing simple training which helps the dog to be in a new routine, use up excess energy and manage their stress and anxiety in more beneficial ways. Exercise helps to disperse feelings of anxiety which when partnered with training to teach the dog alternative ways of dealing with stress and anxiety itself, can help to create dogs more capable of managing their emotions and therefore less disrupted by the rescue system as a whole.
Why not just walk them without any training involvement?
Taking dogs for walks will absolutely help to minimise stress and anxiety but only if the walk doesn't include any triggers or potential triggers itself. When a dog is stressed or anxious, it can take up to 72 hours for the adrenaline to that pulses around the body to dissipate. If something triggers the dog again within those 72 hours, the timer starts again and so unless you have a trigger free environment for the entirety of the dogs stay at the rescue, you'll always be dealing with a dog under stress who won't act fully how they will when they are out of stress. This is ignoring the long term affects that long term stress can have on the body which we can likely talk about at a later date in more detail. The issue with this model is more than just one:
Dogs constantly introduced to triggers without training will never learn how to deal with those triggers in a more positive way
Dogs isolated from all triggers and not trained on how to deal with them will struggle immensely in the real world where it is more often than not impossible to control all exposure to triggers
Dogs who have behavioral issues who are not given the training they need prior to being rehomed are more likely to struggle in a home environment and are therefore more likely to be returned to the rescue system and are more likely to have further behavioral issues as a result of the ongoing stress and changes
So although walking dogs is a hugely important part of their care and welfare, we believe that working with our dogs and offering the training they need prior to rehoming is what gives them the very best chance at a long term placement and a much happier life!
What training do you do to help?
Well this varies depending on the dog and both what they need as well as what we think would most benefit them! All of our dogs are taught the basics like walking to heel, sit, down, recall, crate training and place training (sitting on a bed in the house) but what we teach first and anything else after that is totally led by the dog! We teach the basics to give them something to focus on early on and help to combat most of any behavioral issues we may see but once we've done that, we see what else if anything the dog needs and go from there. For some dogs the best next step is introducing play work, for others it's learning to relax and be calm. Some need socialisation with other dogs or people, some exposure and training in busier places and the list goes on... Each of our dogs gets a tailor made training plan the first day they get here and it is reviewed each week they are here to make sure we are doing what the dog needs and helping them in the best way that we can!
We love doing training with our dogs, especially being a part of their journey and seeing them grow and improve from the day they arrive to the day they go to their new home and it's shown to be a good model so far at ensuring the dogs we work with are in the best place possible for rehoming which in turn, helps them to find long term homes that they stay in forever!
Comments