Great Dog Available for Adoption
UPDATE 12/20/11: Westin has been adopted!! Thank you everyone who shared this post for helping to get Westin into a great home!
For the past few weeks we have been fostering a 2 year old male Doberman Pinscher named Westin. During that time we have temperament tested him and spent a lot time watching how he interacts with other animals, people, and we must say – he is terrific!
Westin is part of the A Doberman Adoption Placement Team (ADAPT), which is based out of Houston, and would make a great pet for the right family (he’s a pretty nice dog for a first time dog owner as well). Socially Westin is fantastic with dogs and people; very playful and confident. He’s up to date on shots and is on a heartworm preventative, neutered and ready to find a great home. If you or anyone you know wh=ould be a good match for Westin, check out his profile on the ADAPT website.
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7 Steps to Improving Your Relationship
Many of us could use a relationship makeover with our dogs at times, many behavior issues arise from some aspect of the dog to owner relationship. When it comes to changing and improving our relationship with our dogs it’s important to remember that spoiling them, giving them treats, or showering them with new toys is not the answer. Sometimes it takes committing to structure, discipline, and leadership to give our dogs what they need. Depending on the specifics of your current relationship, here are somethings that can help improve your relationship with your dog.
Pick up the food bowl and stop free feeding your dog. There are a lot of important components that go into feeding your dog, and free feeding is a relationship killer. In the dog’s mind he doesn’t need you to provide him with that very important resource. Start scheduled feeding times with your dog and do not waiver!
Go for a walk and bond with your dog. Going for a structured and organized walk with your dog is a great way to get exercise and spend some quality time with your dog. Walks should be in a controlled position of the dog walking next to you and while it’s ok to stop for a potty break, don’t let your dog sniff every blade of grass and pee on every pole – keep moving forward!
Pick up the toys and take control of that resource (this is especially important if you are living with multiple dogs). Your dog needs to look to you to provide them with the good things in life. When you want your dog to enjoy his toys, select a few toys and present them to the dog, don’t just leave them out and available all of the time.
Teach them something and get their minds working. Providing mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise, you would be surprised at how quickly a dog will get tired after a nice training session. Teach your dog to lay down, shake, or another trick, even the entry level skills are great ways to get your dog’s mind working.
Create some space between you and your dog. By this I mean get the crate out of your bedroom, leave your dog home alone once in a while, and let them exist without you, we don’t always have to be touching our dogs. Some cases of separation anxiety can be easily prevented if some level of separation and space are implemented. Also, sometimes our dogs are fine being left alone, but it’s the human that is the one suffering from the separation anxiety!
Stop treating them like children and realize that they are dogs. Although certain aspects of raising children and dogs share many things in common, dogs are not furry children. Dogs need to be treated like dogs in order to flourish.
Forget the past and focus on the present and future. This is especially true if you have a rescue dog with a not so pleasant past, we can’t change anything that has already happened to them. Coddling them and spoiling them will not make things undo things and make them right. It’s important to move on and provide them with the correct interactions and leadership.
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Top Posts of 2010
A whole year has come and gone, hopefully it’s been a year filled with good times with your dog! It’s been a very exciting year here at Unleashed Unlimited – we’ve added some new programs, successfully launched the Puppy Manual, hosted another great agility seminar, filled our online store with some more great items, and most importantly – we worked with a lot of fantastic dogs and their owners.
Just like we did last year, we wanted to share the most popular posts from our training blog for 2010. Enjoy the look back, and we are all looking forward to an even better 2011!
10. Tips for Choosing a Second Dog
9. Location Based Dog Training
8. Should You Shave Your Dog in the Summer?
6. An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
4. 5 of the Greatest Dog Inventions
2. 5 of the Worst Dog Inventions
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Is a Puppy a Good Christmas Present?
The holiday shopping season is here! Retailers are running sales, promotions, and other special incentives to entice us to spend money in their store. Shelters, rescue groups, and pet stores are no exception, these groups also want your hard earned cash.
There is of course one difference when we spend money at a store like Best Buy and when we spend money at a shelter or pet store. If our new software isn’t compatible with our computer, we can return it. If our television is too large for the cabinet, we can exchange it, and we can put that video game away in the closet when we get bored of playing with it. These rules don’t apply to acquiring a new pet.
Yes, there is nothing cuter then having a puppy wrapped up in a bow sitting under a Christmas tree but that small, cute, adorable puppy is still going to be around after the holidays are over and the newness wears off. So does a puppy or dog make a good Christmas present? Perhaps… I hate the word perhaps, but to say yes or no to this question is impossible. Let’s first address the yes side of this answer.
I think a puppy would make a good Christmas gift if you have considered certain things before getting that new puppy. If you are thinking about getting a playmate for your existing dog and know what to look for when choosing a second dog, a dog may be a great holiday gift. If you have discussed, thought out, and mutually come to the conclusion that bringing a dog into your life is the right thing to do, go for it! There is nothing wrong with timing your well-thought out decision to coincide with Christmas!!
But, if you think it would be a great idea to surprise your girlfriend with a Christmas puppy or just think that a puppy would be fun to have around during the holidays, a dog would not make a good Christmas present. A dog would not make a good Christmas gift if you are expecting the kids to walk, feed, and play with Skippy; no matter how many times they promise, the responsibility will ALWAYS resort back to mom or dad. If you haven’t sat down and discussed the time, money, effort, patience, and life-long commitment that comes with getting a dog or puppy, a dog will never make for a good Christmas gift.
Items purchased at Best Buy and acquiring a new dog or puppy have very little in common. While incompatibility issues, incorrect sizing, and boredom are no big deal for electronics, these issues have a major impact on the lives of our pets, and these things need to be considered BEFORE you purchase or rescue a new dog.
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Black Dog Syndrome
Black dog syndrome is a common theory or phenomenon that is well known to shelter workers and rescue organizations. The black Dog syndrome refers to the increased difficulty to find homes for black dogs compared to lighter colored dogs.
It’s hard to find statistics that support or contradict the claims of black dog syndrome, but supporters often believe that the majority of visitors to rescue shelters will seek out dogs with lighter coats, leaving higher numbers of black dogs. Common reasons stated in support of black dog syndrome relate to the appearance of dark colored dogs in poorly lit kennels, the difficulty in photographing black dogs, and the fear associated with dark, scary looking dogs.
So what are your thoughts, have you rescued a black dog from a shelter? Did the beliefs of black dog syndrome cross your mind when you selected your shelter dog? For those of you who have worked and volunteered at Austin area shelters, and across the country, is black dog syndrome something you have experienced first hand?
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How to Spot a Good Breeder
I am sure we are all aware of the different levels of quality that exist across the board when it comes to consumer goods. I personally know the difference between a pair of speakers and a good pair of speakers, the difference between pizza and good pizza, and most definitely the difference between dog training and good dog training.
The exact same thinking applies to breeding dogs; yes, it goes way beyond simply breeding two dogs because they are both purebred. When considering getting a puppy from a breeder, here are some of things you will want to look for:
- They interview you to see if they want to sell you a dog, a good breeder will not sell a puppy to anyone simply because they have money
- After doing a lot of research and planning, they have matched the mother and father up for specific reasons
- They keep the pups with their mother and litter mates 8 weeks or longer
- They select a puppy for you that will best fit your lifestyle and needs
- They start handling and socializing the pups very early
- They don’t breed 10 different types of dogs at their facility
- They require that you return the dog only to them if the dog ever needs to be re-homed
- They don’t constantly have litters available, and don’t have multiple litters at one time
- They discuss the potential drawbacks of getting two dogs from the same litter
There is so much to think about when selecting a dog from a breeder, and from a shelter. A responsible breeder doesn’t have to hit every single one of these points on the above list, but many of them should be covered.
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Questions to Ask When Rescuing
Whether you are getting a dog from a shelter or a breeder, it is important that you find the right dog for you and your family. With all of the volunteer groups, shelters, rescues, and other similar agencies out there, the chances of finding the perfect dog for your family are great. However, there are some important questions to ask about each dog that you may be considering.
In addition to things like size, energy level, and age, it is very important to know some history or background on the dog. Although you cannot go back in time and change where they came from or how they ended up in a shelter, you can still learn a lot and use that information to help make your decision. Here are some common questions that I would ask when considering a shelter dog…
- How did the dog end up in the shelter? Important info here because we can find out if the dog was a surrender, found wandering the streets alone, found in a basement with other dogs, etc. All of these situations can give us valuable info about the dog.
- At what age did the dog come into the shelter? This is important because if we are discussing a younger dog, crucial interactions with the mother and other litter mates may have been missed. Things like bite inhibition and early social skills may not be present in this dog.
- How long has the dog been in the shelter? If a 6 month old dog has been in the shelter system for 4 months, it may be safe to assume that a lot of important interactions and social experiences may have been missed.
- Has dog been temperament tested by a qualified individual? The results of these tests are going to give you insight on the dog’s potential behavior around people, children, other dogs, cats, etc.
Gathering as much information as possible is very important. For example, if a dog has been surrendered because of dog aggression and biting a small child, welcoming this dog into a similar family structure may obviously not be the best idea. Although I cannot stress enough that quality dog training, socialization, leadership, and exercise can shape your dog into an upstanding member of your family, but it is still crucial to know what you are getting yourself into before selecting a rescuing a dog; I would hate to see that same dog end up back in a shelter for reasons that could have been avoided.
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Austin Dogtoberfest 2009
After a very successful event last year, the 2nd annual Dog-tober-fest is coming to Austin again! Dogtoberfest is a great dog event in Austin that raises money for a variety of local shelters and rescue groups. Below is a partial list of activities that you can expect at this year’s Dogtoberfest!
- Costume Contest
- Live Music
- Dog Photo Booth
- Live and Silent Auctions
- Dogs Available for Adoption
- Vendor Booths with Great Dog Products
The 2009 Dogtoberfest will take place on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 from 10am to 7pm at the Domain in Austin, Texas. So if you are in the area, be sure to bring your dog out and stop by for the events and contribute to a great cause!
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Should I Spay/Neuter My Dog?
Many people have different feelings on the subject of spaying and neutering their dogs; and no matter who you speak with, you will get a different point of view. Below are some popular points of view I have heard over the years from a few different groups of individuals. Again, I am not speaking for each group of people, but I have personally heard this information repeatedly over time.
Breeders: Many breeders will tell the owners of their dogs not to spay and neuter until after the 1.5 year mark. The reason for waiting so long is that the breeder is mainly concerned with the physical appearance of the dog. Their point of view is that the dogs need to be intact until they are completely fully grown in order to develop and fill out according to standard.
Shelters and Rescue Groups: This may be one of the most obvious groups that strongly suggest spaying and neutering. Their logic is simple, spay and neuter your pets to prevent unwanted litters and promote responsible pet ownership. The lack of dog owner responsibility is one of the main reasons that shelters and rescue groups have a never ending cycle of animals coming into their organizations.
Veterinarians: From my experience, the advice of this community seems to be very balanced. Their reasons to suggest spaying and neutering range from health issues to responsible pet ownership, and I have even seen vets not recommending surgery because of other health issues as well as potential breeding options later in life.
Trainers: Many trainers recommend neutering and spaying as soon as your veterinarian approves. While neutering and spaying will not solve all behavior issues, it can help if you are seeing certain issues in the making and plan on taking your dog to a lot of public places, such as dog parks. Even though your dog may not be the cause of some undesirable interactions with other dogs in public, many dogs do not respond well to un-neutered males. While another dog not being socially stable is not directly your problem, it ends up being a burden that you now must now deal with.
Pet Dog Owners: I have experienced such a drastic difference in opinions from this group. I have heard people say that they are considering showing or breeding their dog and I have also heard that they will not neuter because they don’t want their dog to get fat or lose his “manhood”. I have also heard other pet dog owners saying that they do not want their dog urinating all over everything or having to go through the inconvenience of caring for their dog while they are in heat.
When all is said and done, it is YOUR choice. Which category do you fit into, and what are your thoughts on spaying and neutering your animals?
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