Become Friends With Your Adopted Rescue Dog
*Note: For aggression issues, consult an experienced trainer with protective gear to train them!
I can write this now. A few months ago, I wasn’t as confident. I’ve been adopting rescue dogs for approximately twenty-four years now. All of them had been a retriever of some sort, mostly goldens, but also a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and a mix, possibly golden retriever and Labrador.
With all of my dogs, there has been at least a little bit of a learning curve. All except for Lola, but as I often mention, she was the exception, not the rule.
After Lola passed away, I adopted Henry and Toby.
I’ve had male dogs before. I didn’t think training them would require more knowledge than I already had. Well, I was dead wrong.
I guess you can say I had grown somewhat complacent as my previous, most recent dogs, Lola and Ginger were easy-going and obedient from the start. Of course, they had minor quirks. Most dogs do. For the most part, they were effortless to train. They acclimated to one another quickly.
Henry and Toby were a package deal. They had grown up together and couldn’t be separated. My first thought was, “Great! I don’t have to worry about them getting along.” That much was true. The two love each other and are never apart.
I didn’t realize they were very rambunctious, overly-excitable young pups. They were six and seven years old and full of energy. They were also powerful.
While in the getting-to-know-you stage, it was apparent they were lovable from the start. That was a bonus, but in their quest to show affection, they both loved to jump in my lap and smother me with kisses. Super sweet but also very painful. See, Toby weighs 85 pounds and Henry weight 118 pounds. Their jabs into my rib cage were nothing short of excruciating. But, they were showing their love. I couldn’t get mad at that!
Now, the hard part. As they were both males, they love to playfight. It’s fun to watch. They are also very excitable so when Toby was done playing, and Henry isn’t, or vice versa, this can quickly escalate to a real fight. Not as fun.
Thankfully, they also have such a small attention span that they can easily be distracted, but one thing I read about was how to separate them when things get too hectic.
Most people want to yell at them and tell them to stop. That’s one of the worst things to do. Yelling only makes them more excited. Other options are more effective. If you have access to a hose, squirting them with a hose will stun them enough to look the other way. Blowing a whistle can also separate them. You want to ensure you don’t get in the middle of their fight, as even though they may not mean to, they can bite you as well.
Thankfully, they are goldens and typically don’t want to harm each other. They usually just warn each other that they are getting mad, and the other will back off.
My next feat was walking them. I had always walked two or three dogs at a time. Not a problem, right? Wrong. With Henry’s strength, and Toby’s agility, this resulted in them dragging me down the street (on my back). Again, not really all that fun.
Since I had learned how strong they were the hard way, I switched to walking them one at a time. Two tools have helped me train them. One is the Martingale collar. It’s a loose-fitting collar, but tightens whenever they pull. The second was a no-pull harness by Kurgo. It has one clip in the back to be used as a seatbelt and one in the front, to be used when walking. If they go to pull, they will automatically be directed toward you as you pull back, distracting them from whatever had caught their eye in the first place.
I started walking them individually, and yes, I used two leashes on one dog. One for the collar, and one for the harness. I may look odd, but no less odd than getting dragged down the street! This keeps me safe and my dogs from running in front of a car or getting into a scuffle with another dog.
Toby has since “graduated” and only needs the collar when we walk, but Henry is too powerful at this point!
When I adopted them, they didn’t know the meaning of “Drop it.” Or, they did and just didn’t listen. Either way, I’ve trained them for hours on this simple command because it’s essential. As goldens, they put everything in their mouth and are QUICK! I’ve learned to spot possible things that would attract them and pick it up first, but when they are determined, they can easily beat me to it.
Hence, the drop it command. To teach this, I very carefully persuaded them to drop things they love, especially tennis balls. Then, I gave them TONS of praise. Next, I gave them a treat. Lastly, I returned it to them, using another command, “EASY.” That last command was because they didn’t differentiate between the ball and my fingers. More on that in a moment.
Every time they did what I asked, I repeated the sequence and then added, “Leave it.” So, it basically goes, “Drop It, Leave it (so I can pick it up), GOOD BOY, and then EASY.”
There were days I did this for an hour at a time until they got bored and did it for both of them. Talk about exhausting! But, they learned.
To teach them “EASY,” I only returned the ball if they grabbed it slowly. If they also tried to grasp my fingers, I pulled away and kept repeating until they took the ball. One caveat here that I must repeat: Do not do this if your dog is aggressive. For aggression issues, consult an experienced trainer with protective gear to train them!
After teaching these commands and making a few changes to our routine, we have all become much happier together. They love the training sessions (and the treats) and love getting praised.
Repetition, Patience and Observing your Dogs Goes a Long Way. In time, you'll find that there was ways to become friends with your adopted rescue dog and it is easier than you think!
I’ll post updates as we go along, as there is always more training to do. But hopefully, these two tidbits can get you through some of the challenges of raising your adopted pet!
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