Many
people who’ve adopted older dogs, especially stray dogs
or dogs from the animal shelter, assume that their dog
has been abused in the past.
So, how do you train
an abused dog?
Let’s get right to the heart
of the matter and state that— in order to learn how to
train an abused dog, we need to first define what
an abused dog is:
Of course, there are all types
of different abuse. Everything from a dog being hit with
a hammer to a dog simply being left and ignored in the
back yard for months or years can constitute abuse.
But for the purposes of this
article, we’re going to define an abused dog as any dog
that shows specific signs of extreme timidity
in response to regular behavior by you. I.E., Petting,
grooming, feeding, walking, etc.
These are what you might call
"high-functioning" abused dogs.
In contrast to dogs that have been used (for example)
in laboratory experiments. Or dogs that have been physically
scarred and wounded. Working with such dogs is (or should
be) clearly outside of the scope of this article.
So, how do you work with a
"high functioning" abused dog? And how do you
teach your dog to relax and enjoy life?
The answer can be found in
starting obedience training along the lines of the principles
I’ve outlined in my book (which you can read
more about by clicking here).
I can hear it already, 'But
Adam, you advocate using a leash and training collar when
you train a dog, and my little, shy "Muffy"
already wets himself when I bend over to pet him.'
[ALERT: I’m about to make a
broad GENERALIZATION:]
In general, most "high
functioning" abused dogs continue to display timid
behavior because they are unclear as to when they’re doing
the RIGHT thing and when they are doing the WRONG thing.
If you follow my approach
to dog training, your dog quickly learns-- or more specifically,
you learn-- how to communicate with your dog
in a way that will make him relax and know when he’s doing
something wrong and when he’s doing something right.
And what I’ve found with these
dogs is that they quickly learn to become much more confident
and self-assured through the process. Why? Because when
you use intelligent dog training techniques, your dog
is now clear about what’s going to happen and when, in
a world he formerly had no guidance or clear leadership.
He learns what is good behavior and what is bad behavior—instead
of having to guess!
You read that right: The
#1 Reason That Dogs Who’ve Been Abused In The Past Continue
To Show Extreme Timid Behavior Is Because They Are Confused.
Once your learn how to communicate
with your dog, and take away the confusion, you will see
all the extreme timid behavior disappear! And the way
to do this is to start intelligent obedience training.
'But should I use the leash
and collar to correct my dog, if he’s got such a soft
temperament?'
The answer is: Yes.
Which begs the question of
how firmly you should correct your dog, which is something
that differs from dog to dog.
Here’s a hint: You’ll figure
it out by practicing with your dog. (If you haven’t already,
please review the: Three
Keys To Successful Behavior Modification chapter in my
book). However, the issue is not "Should I correct
a dog that has been abused in the past", but rather
"When I’m communicating to my dog when he’s done
something incorrectly, how firmly should I correct him?"
And the answer to this question
is: Only firmly enough to extinguish the unwanted behavior
and communicate to the dog that he shouldn’t do it again.
Like I mentioned: You’ll learn this by practicing with
your dog. If you employ the concepts of timing, consistency
and motivation, you’ll have nothing to worry about and
your dog will gain confidence and self-assuredness from
your efforts.
______________________________________________________
About The Author: Adam G.
Katz is the author of the book, "Secrets of a Professional
Dog Trainer: An Insider's Guide To The Most Jealously
Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History." Get a free
copy of his report "Games To Play With Your Dog"
when you sign up for his free weekly dog training tips
e-zine at: http://www.dogproblems.com
