Rescue Centre After Care

Hi,
We had an email this month from a gentleman  in Scotland who had recently acquired a rescue dog from a prominent Scottish dog rescue centre.

Unfortunately, his experience after collecting the dog, was not as he had hoped. He encountered various problems with his new dog, mainly to do with behaviour and settling in to the new environment.
He contacted the rescue centre for help but he was unable to get any guidance or advice on how to correct the problems.

This was very distressing for the new owner, although in this case, he was eventually able to sort things out for himself.

We have purposely not named the rescue centre because we know that it is a caring and responsible organisation. However, it is important that any rescue centre finding new homes for dogs (or any other animal) should ensure that they have in place a back up and support system, even if it is just an email support or a referral to some other source of help and guidance.

It can be a very worrying experience for someone taking on a new dog, especially a big dog and should things seem to be going wrong. Having a point of contact for help and guidance would be very reassuring for new owners.

Many centres that find new homes for dogs are very stringent in their criteria for "would be owners" and this is good. It is essential, however, that backup and after care are available - after all many dogs end up in care simply because their owner does not know how to cope. It is thus self defeating for a rescue centre to place dogs into a situation where the new owner has problems and no one to turn to for help.
The dog may just end up back at the rescue centre.
If you have any connection with a Dog Rescue Centre anywhere in the country, find out what back up your centre has available for anyone who is providing a new home for your rescue dogs.

Regards,

Dog Care and Training Centre
www.dogtraining-tips.co.uk

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That Chewing Problem

Hi,
With Christmas well out of the way and the new intake of kid's toys scattered around the house, some dog owners are finding that these toys are extra fodder for a dog that likes to chew things. Fortunately, the majority of dogs do not chew everything in sight and of those that do it is often a transient phase. However, if you have a dog that continually chews house hold items and furniture is there anything you can do.

Chewing is a natural thing for a dog but if this chewing becomes  destructive and even compulsive is there anything you can do about it?

The best idea is to provide your dog with toys that it can chew.  A good chew toy will satisfy your dog's natural requirement  to chew and keep your dog happy for quite long periods. This activity will also help to keep your dog's teeth and gums clean and healthy.


 Chewing specific toys will also help break your dog's tendency to chew anything in sight. Make sure your dog has several toys which it knows are acceptable to chew on and to play with.


It is essential that you give your dog only good quality chew toys.  Make sure there are no removable parts that can break off and be swallowed. Avoid any  toys that are too small and could be swallowed by your dog. 
Some dogs have a very powerful bite or sharp teeth (or both) so it is always advisable to provide really tough toys. An example would be to choose toys from the "Kong" range - your local pet shop should be able to advise.


When you  give your dog a new toy, spend some time playing with your dog using the toy as part of the game.  This will teach the dog that some things are are okay to play with and to chew. Strangely enough this seems to help the dog understand that some things must not be chewed. It's alright to use treats to reward your dog for fetching or finding the hidden toy.

Get into the habit of rotating your dog's toys so as to maintain interest. Don't forget to wash all toys on a regular basis.


Take care.


Regards,


David


www.dogtraining-tips.co.uk

Greetings For 20011

Hi Everyone,

Wishing you (and your dogs) a very successful new year and I hope that 2011 brings all the good things you hope for.

Best regards

David