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> There may be long-term behavioral problems.. I know this is right - but I feel obliged to point out that this is true with a new puppy too. Training dogs pr

> There may be long-term behavioral problems.. I know this is right - but I feel obliged to point out that this is true with a new puppy too. Training dogs properly is work, and inconsistent or incomplete training only gets harder and harder to fix. Plenty of dogs in shelters are there because owners could not rectify their own mistakes. Not from malice, or lack of caring. Simple unknowing incompetence. Don't be too quick to judge those who give dogs up

hbn 5y ago
Right, but when you don't know the dog's breed (i.e. it's 17 types of cross-breeds) nor its history (if it's gonna have PTSD from being abused or fighting for its life in the streets), it's a much safer bet to get a purebred or simple/common cross of 2 breeds where you can Google the general behaviours of those types of dogs, and you know its entire history of life up to that point: being born, then laying around with its siblings and mom
- cgriswald 5y ago
  You really want a common cross that has been breed from that same cross for generations. Otherwise what you get is an unpredictable grab bag of behaviors from the original breeds.
munificent 5y ago
I'm not saying this to judge the dogs' original owners. In many cases, the dog was feral and there is no original owner. The important point is that dogs go through developmental milestones just like people and when you get a dog that has already finished its puppyhood, you have lost the opportunity to be present during those milestones and train the dog. Dogs can learn as adults, of course, but correcting bad behaviors is a lot harder. When you get a younger dog (shelter or not), they are more plastic and easier to train. Yes, of course, it's on you to actually do that training well, but at least you have the chance. When you buy an adult dog, which is what most shelter dogs are, you're kind of stuck with what you get.
raffraffraff 5y ago
I've rescued several greyhounds from the racing industry. One time, after our old greyhound "Pasha" died, we decided to take on a challenge: a greyhound who was rehomed several times, and even abandoned by a shelter (run by a bleeding heart who had no idea how to handle dogs). Lily was a crazy black greyhound who hated all dogs and was afraid of most people. Her name wasn't Lily - she was 6 years old and didn't have a name that she responded to. For the next 2 months we basically had these rules: * Always have treats in your pocket * Avoid triggers (dogs) but whenever Lily sees one at a distance, give her a treat * If she acts aggressively, don't yank the leash or shout, put a treat at her nose and call her name That's it, in a nutshell. It works for basically any behavioural problem in any dog. (Of course, the breed will have its own personality type - they all do). 6 months later Lily would go nose-to-nose with a rabid chihuahua and remain calm. She was one of the best dogs I've ever had. Still miss the old thing. She died last year, and we rescued 2 greyhounds (brother/sister). Dorrie is fine but Merlin was, for reasons unknown, afraid of certain types of street light. Which is a massive pain in the ass of you live in a city. We followed the exact same rules, and within a few weeks he was ignoring them. (Still gets spooked at random stuff, like the moon, or light reflected from a kitchen knife onto the ceiling)
- dgb23 5y ago
  We have a new dog since a month (podenco mix) that had about 5 previous owners and is 4-5 years old. Lovely but very rough edges. Even a few scars on his nose and head so our guess is that he was at least in one tough fight. Similarly he has problems with other dogs (not with our other podenco, who he loves). He is insecure, stares, starts to go full aggro if they stare back etc. We try to be as careful and consequent as we can. The good thing is he is a very fast learner, not as stubborn. We give him praise and treats typically after he did well on an encounter (which we keep at fair distance as well). It wouldn't occur to me to give it to him beforehand. Your method seems simple and I get why it would work, but it's counterintuitive. Can you elaborate? It is something that worked specifically for her for some reason? Or do you think the simple conditioning thing just works. My intuition would be that he has to show the desired behavior and then gets praise/treats. What do you think?
  - 5y ago

hbn 5y ago

Right, but when you don't know the dog's breed (i.e. it's 17 types of cross-breeds) nor its history (if it's gonna have PTSD from being abused or fighting for its life in the streets), it's a much safer bet to get a purebred or simple/common cross of 2 breeds where you can Google the general behaviours of those types of dogs, and you know its entire history of life up to that point: being born, then laying around with its siblings and mom

cgriswald 5y ago
You really want a common cross that has been breed from that same cross for generations. Otherwise what you get is an unpredictable grab bag of behaviors from the original breeds.

munificent 5y ago

I'm not saying this to judge the dogs' original owners. In many cases, the dog was feral and there is no original owner. The important point is that dogs go through developmental milestones just like people and when you get a dog that has already finished its puppyhood, you have lost the opportunity to be present during those milestones and train the dog. Dogs can learn as adults, of course, but correcting bad behaviors is a lot harder. When you get a younger dog (shelter or not), they are more plastic and easier to train. Yes, of course, it's on you to actually do that training well, but at least you have the chance. When you buy an adult dog, which is what most shelter dogs are, you're kind of stuck with what you get.

raffraffraff 5y ago

I've rescued several greyhounds from the racing industry. One time, after our old greyhound "Pasha" died, we decided to take on a challenge: a greyhound who was rehomed several times, and even abandoned by a shelter (run by a bleeding heart who had no idea how to handle dogs). Lily was a crazy black greyhound who hated all dogs and was afraid of most people. Her name wasn't Lily - she was 6 years old and didn't have a name that she responded to. For the next 2 months we basically had these rules: * Always have treats in your pocket * Avoid triggers (dogs) but whenever Lily sees one at a distance, give her a treat * If she acts aggressively, don't yank the leash or shout, put a treat at her nose and call her name That's it, in a nutshell. It works for basically any behavioural problem in any dog. (Of course, the breed will have its own personality type - they all do). 6 months later Lily would go nose-to-nose with a rabid chihuahua and remain calm. She was one of the best dogs I've ever had. Still miss the old thing. She died last year, and we rescued 2 greyhounds (brother/sister). Dorrie is fine but Merlin was, for reasons unknown, afraid of certain types of street light. Which is a massive pain in the ass of you live in a city. We followed the exact same rules, and within a few weeks he was ignoring them. (Still gets spooked at random stuff, like the moon, or light reflected from a kitchen knife onto the ceiling)

dgb23 5y ago
We have a new dog since a month (podenco mix) that had about 5 previous owners and is 4-5 years old. Lovely but very rough edges. Even a few scars on his nose and head so our guess is that he was at least in one tough fight. Similarly he has problems with other dogs (not with our other podenco, who he loves). He is insecure, stares, starts to go full aggro if they stare back etc. We try to be as careful and consequent as we can. The good thing is he is a very fast learner, not as stubborn. We give him praise and treats typically after he did well on an encounter (which we keep at fair distance as well). It wouldn't occur to me to give it to him beforehand. Your method seems simple and I get why it would work, but it's counterintuitive. Can you elaborate? It is something that worked specifically for her for some reason? Or do you think the simple conditioning thing just works. My intuition would be that he has to show the desired behavior and then gets praise/treats. What do you think?
- 5y ago