Why Your Rescue Dog Will Benefit From Specialist Dog Training

Choosing a rescue dog as the newest addition to your family is giving them a second chance in life, and you should be highly commended for deciding to go through this wonderful and rewarding experience.

Rescue dogs may be going through a range of emotions after being adopted so it’s important to keep these points in mind:

They are bound to feel confused.
They need a lot of attention and human contact in the first few days.
They may be feeling fearful and anxious.
Some rescue dogs may be afraid, have aggression issues or be over protective.
Some rescue dogs may be unsure of humans and excitable or scared around other dogs and even other pets like cats that you may have in your house.

Tips for adjusting your rescue dog to their new home

A new dog in your home can also create a bit of worry for you as the owner, so here’s some advice on what can help them adjust to their new normal:

Take extra precautions to ensure your dog cannot escape from their new home.
Keep things quiet and calm and keep visitors to a minimum during the initial phase until you can see that they are becoming more comfortable with their new environment. Then start by slowly introducing new people one by one, gradually building up the amount of people unfamiliar to your dog.
Try to feed the same food he was eating at the shelter to lessen any stomach issues.
Ensure you have a comfy dog bed that’s tucked away in a quiet area.

It won’t take too long for your adopted dog to become your new best friend, just give them some time and space to adjust.

Why should I take my rescue dog to a training centre?

You may get lucky and find that your dog was already trained in his previous home. More than likely however, your dog was abandoned because he wasn’t trained. While not all rescue dogs have had a sad past, it’s important to know what to do if this is the case for your new fur baby.

A rescue dog has a history that you may not know about and without knowing that history, training a rescue dog can be difficult for you to do on your own. This is due to any behavioural and emotional healing the dog needs to go through. They may need to learn to trust humans and other dogs again, through socialisation and training.

Should I wait for my rescue dog to get used to his new home before training him?

While it may take a little while for your rescue dog to get used to his new home, it doesn’t mean you should put off training.

You also shouldn’t allow bad behaviours because you feel sorry for what happened to your dog in the past. The sooner you change their bad habits in a firm but loving way, the easier it will be for you and them to adjust and build a relationship, which is why professional dog training from the start is so important.

Many rescue dogs have specific needs that require specialist guidance and advice from an experienced trainer or behaviourist.

Training a rescue dog within a professional environment will help you establish boundaries for your dog right from the beginning. Dogs are most comfortable with rules, structure and predictability- so dog training as soon as you adopt your dog is the best thing you can do for them!

West Coast Pet Care Centre are here to help you with your rescue dog

You want your new addition to be settled quickly and easily. By working with West Coast Pet Care Centre’s experienced dog training professionals, you ensure you are getting personalised advice to prevent avoidable issues and help you build a strong bond with your new dog.

West Coast Pet Care Centre’s is a leading dog training facility in Perth and our unique training process assists you and your rescue dog address any issues.

We will help you with training so that your new dog fits in with your lifestyle and becomes a wonderful long-term companion.

Our purpose-built facility means we get fantastic results, as we can control the environment and therefore the training outcome, and our trainers have extensive experience with dog behavioural training and tailor each individual dog as per the dog and owner’s needs.

If you are interested in finding out more about dog training in Perth, visit our dog training page. If you prefer to have more of a chat about your specific needs, please contact us today!