Shelter Dog Prevention
People often misunderstand Dr. Dunbar’s and my intense focus on puppy training. “Your materials are so focused on puppies, what about shelter dogs?” they ask. Others lob zingers such as, “It’s easy to focus on puppies, real dog trainers deal with problem dogs.”
Rescuing dogs is most definitely en vogue at the moment; philanthropy and social causes have permeated the collective consciousness as never before. I’ve heard statements such as “shelter dogs are the new black” and I think it is wonderful that so many people out there are now aware about the plight of homeless animals; that is a beautiful paradigm shift for humankind.
But the fact still remains that all shelter dogs started out as puppies.
Puppies with extremely malleable personalities and super-spongy-ready-to-absorb-input-brains taking things in and creating a behavior profile and bias based on these early experiences.
Wouldn’t it be better if shelter dogs never ended up in shelters in the first place?
This is the reason we focus on puppies! We are doing our best to spread the word about early puppy education in order to quell the influx of unwanted dogs BEFORE they become unwanted.
Sure we have a puppy training school, it is a tremendous part of the cause. And YES, it is easy to train puppies, that is the point!!! Why wait until there is a problem to resolve when most dog behavioral problems are easily prevented with a little work and forethought up front? It is not a matter of not having the skill to deal with “red zone” dogs or dogs on death row; it is a matter of efficiency. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so imagine what we can accomplish if we apply pounds and pounds of prevention!
To further our cause, Dog Star Daily has declared January Shelter Dog Prevention Month. Please join us in our mission to prevent dogs from ever entering shelters, but instead to help dogs remain in their original homes. And if, by luck of the draw some poor doggy souls still find themselves in shelters, let’s make sure that they have the tools they’ll need to get adopted into a new and permanent home.
Here are some ways you can help:
If you are thinking about getting a puppy or know someone who breeds dogs or is expecting a litter become intimately familiar with the information in Dr. Dunbar’s BEFORE You Get Your Puppy. You can download it for free from this very site! Spread the word!
Also, Open Paw has an extensive list of questions to help people find the right dog.
If you have a new puppy or know someone who has one take advantage of our Shelter Dog Prevention Month gift of the limited time offer for Dr. Dunbar’s AFTER You Get Your Puppy. And by all means get your pup into a reputable puppy class A.S.A.P!
If you have an adult dog please consider volunteering at your local shelter. Consider becoming a foster especially for young pups so they get the early education they need to be successful adult dogs. The shelter is no fun for any dog, but it can be particularly damaging for young pups still forming their personalities and perspective of the world.
Also, current dog owners, please take a time to inventory your dog's behavior and determine what you can do to make it better. Training increases the bond between human and canine and trained dogs with bonded owners are less likely to ever end up in a shelter.
If you are a trainer, same as above! Become a puppy foster and/or teach puppy classes and/or volunteer to train dogs and volunteers at your local shelter.
If you are a vet, please tell your clients about the valuable information on this site and please encourage your clients to go to puppy class as early as possible.
If you are a breeder please follow the advice in Jerry Hope’s book The Breeder’s Guide to Raising Superstar Dogs.
How about all of you out there? Any other ideas on how best to serve the dogs of your community for Shelter Dog Prevention Month?
