- Location
- Canada
We adopted Shamas on October 27, 2017. Those of you who know me, know our story. He was afraid of everything, from traffic, to dogs, to noises normal in the city..and people too. He chased our cats, pulled my arm badly chasing a cat on the walk, went after a neighbour's small dog...and was himself attacked four times in a month, only re-inforcing his desire to defend himself. Over the several months in our care, and thanks to much patience, he has really settled down. He still wont go near certain roads. But he is no longer fearful of other dogs, and feeling the need to scare them away with shows of aggression. He is meeting and greeting at Petsmart with a wag of the tail and grin on his face.
Over the months, I have kept a log of his ups and downs....and I can hardly believe that the dog that I have now is the same dog that I brought home. He is SO much more calm! It only goes to show that a rescue dog can be brought around from poor mental state, as long as the new owners are dedicated and using positive techniques to train and reinforce the dog's trust and motivation to follow guidance.
Soon, he'll be ready for classes. I had wondered if he was ready now, but upon moving near to the training area when classes were in session, he became overstimulated..so he's going to need more time before I put him into a group setting. that's fine though-as much time as he needs. I'm in no hurry for "basic training" Perhaps by the time he's ready for classes, he'll go into Intermediate instead of Beginners...who knows? It's more about socialisation than actual training
Over the months, I have kept a log of his ups and downs....and I can hardly believe that the dog that I have now is the same dog that I brought home. He is SO much more calm! It only goes to show that a rescue dog can be brought around from poor mental state, as long as the new owners are dedicated and using positive techniques to train and reinforce the dog's trust and motivation to follow guidance.
Soon, he'll be ready for classes. I had wondered if he was ready now, but upon moving near to the training area when classes were in session, he became overstimulated..so he's going to need more time before I put him into a group setting. that's fine though-as much time as he needs. I'm in no hurry for "basic training" Perhaps by the time he's ready for classes, he'll go into Intermediate instead of Beginners...who knows? It's more about socialisation than actual training