What I am talking about is adopting a dog or puppy from your local animal shelter. There is no better service you or I could make in terms of raising a dog than by providing a positive, loving home to a perfectly good shelter animal.

For some of you, the idea of adopting a shelter dog will instantly cause you to become negative or feel defensive toward these animals. You have too many preconceived notions and assumptions that could be stopping you from saving a dog’s life, one that would make a great house pet if you just had the open mind and a little bit of extra time to train it.

Have I Talked You Into Adoption Yet?

I’m sure it may take a bit more persuasion for some of you to open up your hearts and minds to adopting a shelter dog, but for the rest of you who have decided that you want to visit your local animal shelters to find a dog or puppy who needs a good home, make sure that you approach the staff with a few questions before making your decision.

Ask about what kind of medical treatment the dogs receive. Most organized animal shelters will at least provide the minimum care necessary needed for a dog to go home with you, however, there are some places that unfortunately neglect important medical guidelines.

What To Look For

Any organization that handles animals should have a licensed veterinarian on staff at all times. This veterinarian will provide vaccinations in order to prevent hepatitis, distemper, and other health issues. Ask the staff, or talk with the veterinarian if possible, if these dogs have had their blood checked for heartworms. And is the skin clean of fleas and other parasites?

These are just the basic medical requirements that every person should look for when adopting a dog from an animal shelter. Other needs may be a bit more complex.

For example, do you have your sights set on a dog that has been injured in the past, or is currently healing from an injury? What type of injury is it? What type of medication and treatment has the dog received? Ask about the cost of future treatment and medical needs that will arise.

And Don’t Forget…

Another important set of questions and research that you should talk with your local animal shelter about is whether or not they have a professional who evaluates each dogs’ temperament. Most shelters have this information posted on the front of each cage that is designated to the specific dog, or other animal.

It is important that you take this information and assess whether or not it is detailed enough so that the dog can be trusted with your family set up. The staff should also know how the animal reacts with children and around outside stimulants such as moving cars, other people, etc.

This information is valuable in determining whether or not the shelter dog you are considering will be a good match for your home situation. In addition, ask the staff specific questions regarding a dog’s attitude towards being submissive or dominant. Are they overprotective of territory? How often does aggressive behavior occur and for what reasons? The more questions you ask, the better you will feel when you take your adopted shelter dog home.

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Put the harness and leash on, then sit in a chair and put your foot on the leash so there’s only enough slack for the dog to stand up or sit, but not to jump up. This way you aren’t jerking the dog around or punishing it, and if the dog starts to jump up, it can’t. Just make sure the leash is firmly under your feet with a wide enough base so you don’t get pulled off the chair!

Although the harness is a way to manage jumping behavior it must be coupled with teaching the sit command with lots of positive reinforcement. This will keep your Lab from performing the behavior you don’t want, while teaching it the behavior you do want. You want to physically prevent them from jumping up, then immediately train them to sit with a big reward.

A headcollar, which fits over the muzzle (similar to a horse halter), is another option for over-exuberant Labs, especially those that pull on a leash. Many dog trainers are great fans of the headcollar for over-excited dogs. It’s a fabulous management tool.

Use it in the house or on walks while your dog is learning how to walk on leash, so you aren’t getting your arm yanked out of its socket. Also, headcollars can help potential adopters to recognize that they can handle that 75-pound, full-grown Labrador Retriever.

Don’t Give Up!

Most importantly, all new owners of adopted Labs are urged not to give up on their rambunctious buddies. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for these dogs. Work with them every day that you can. Provide as much time needed to get them domesticated to your needs and the needs of the family.

Seek out a qualified, positive trainer, and get the help you need. Particularly good would be a trainer that has experience with training adolescent and adult dogs.

Be patient, consistent and understanding, and one day the Labrador fairy will raise her magic wand and sprinkle her magic dust over your Lab. Suddenly, you’ll realize that your hyperactive shelter Lab has become a really great, respectable, and well-trained family pet, one that your neighbors will be envious of.

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What type of pets are we talking about? Any dog that was trained for or actually worked a “career” by leading the blind and helping other disabled people is a prime example.

You Have 3 Choices Of Service Dogs To Choose From

When looking to adopt a professionally trained career dog, your choices come in three different forms: dogs that are retired from being guides, “career changing” dogs, and finally, there are the canines that for some reason did not make it through the training program, or simply put – flunkies.

Guide Dogs No More: Just like people, service dogs cannot work their jobs forever. As these animals get older, they become slower and are no longer effective in helping their owners. The average amount of time that a service dog can work is approximately 8 years. At this point they become prime candidates for adoption by people like you and me.

Dogs That Had Multiple Careers: Many dogs can be taken out of one service job and then trained for another. The reasons for this can vary. It may be because of temperament issues, medical concerns, or perhaps a dog was just not a suitable match for its owner. For example, a dog may be retired from guide service and then prepared and transferred to work at a rehabilitation hospital or a nursery home. Sometimes these types of animals are even assigned to children’s homeless centers in order to play with the kids.

Just Didn’t Make The Cut: Finally, we have our flunkies. Now before you consider a flunky to be a negative thing, reconsider that notion because quite the opposite is true. Thousands of dogs are trained every year by organizations which lead them into service jobs.

Not all of these dogs make the cut and move on to work with people. They are considered flunkies for whatever reason, whether it is from temperament problems, health problems, or perhaps were a little too excitable for service work. However, the important aspect to remember here is that these dogs are still a cut above any other pet you may find elsewhere.

Just to get accepted into these types of programs for training preparation means they already had natural first-class qualities and characteristics which made them ideal candidates. These dogs are typically between the ages of one and two years old. Most are very gentle and loving and have had some type of extensive obedience training during the beginning of the program.

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If you look up the reports provided by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, you’ll find that there are approximately 8,000 to 9,000 dogs in the United States alone that are “employed”. These animals are out there providing service to our fellow human beings by guiding blind people, helping the deaf, and offering assistance to other disabled men and women.

However, not all dogs who are bred and raised in order to provide some sort of service is actually out there working. And other dogs have indeed been of use to people during their life but obviously cannot continue working forever. To help these animals find homes, there are guide dog organizations who provide adoption programs as part of their services.

These animals are definitely in high demand. Most of them are completely trained and offer stable companionship from the day they are brought home. The reason for this is because most of these working type dogs spent months and even years going through intensive obedient classes and learning training protocols. This type of training is so extensive that most everyday citizens could not afford to have their pets undergo such training from professionals.

Consider this, it takes a very special and intelligent dog just to get excepted into a program which will train them for a career as a service dog. They must be well adjusted, in good health, and show all the signs necessary to make them good students of whatever particular job the trainers will be preparing them for.

Just these attributes alone, before being trained to work, would make a wonderful pet. Now imagine six months up to two years of additional heavy-duty obedience training and career protocol programs. The result is a dog that anybody would be extremely grateful to have as a house pet.

So before you decide to go to a shelter or any of the usual places to buy or adopt a dog, consider checking out local facilities that specialize in providing dogs that are ex-service oriented, or those canines that for some reason or another did not completely make it through the training. Either way, you are guaranteed to enjoy a high class, first rate quality pet.

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People don’t know how to deal with it so they give up on the dog. Once a Lab has reached its full adult size, jumping can become a real problem, but that’s also an easy problem to fix. All it takes is one little word: “Sit.”

“Sit” is the solution to over 90% of behavior problems. The sit command is the answer, and it’s the easiest thing in the world to train a dog to do. When a dog is sitting, it can’t be jumping up. Train your newly adopted shelter Lab to sit with big rewards and you’ll see a huge difference in behavior.

Many adult Labs already know the sit command so using it frequently can nip jumping quickly. Even Labs that don’t know the command to sit know how to sit. If you teach the dog to sit on command, you’ve solved all kinds of problems before you ever get to a training class. Labs are so trainable because they want to please you and they want rewards. They really do want to sit for you!

Out Of Control Jumpers

Teaching your dog the “off” command is necessary for those out-of-control jumpers. Jumping up is the way the Lab expresses how desperate it is for attention. The more hyper you get in response to this behavior, the more excited your Lab becomes. Even yelling is attention to your Lab. Teach him that the only time it will get love and attention is when it is sitting. Ignore it when it jumps on you ? become a statue, literally.

To teach “off” you will actually want to invite this excitement from your Lab by acting excited yourself. Then, when it jumps up, cross your arms, turn away and quietly say “off.” Then wait ? don’t move, talk or make eye contact.

When the dog realizes it’s not getting any sort of attention, positive or negative, it will get back on the floor. Immediately praise him. Your Lab will get bored fast and try something else, like sitting. That’s when you pour on the praise.

After only a few times, if you are quick and consistent, your Lab will learn that it gets what it craves ? attention ? when all four paws are on the floor instead of jumping all over you.

, Adopting A Labrador Retriever From The Animal Shelter (4): The One Magic Word That Can Train Your Over-Excited Lab, http://www.cooldogsites.com/2009/05/25/adopting-a-labrador-retriever-from-the-animal-shelter-4-the-one-magic-word-that-can-train-your-over-excited-lab/, http://www.cooldogsites.com/feed/

They are not a couch potato breed, but they will calm down after a good 40 minutes or so of vigorous aerobic exercise. This is why dog parks were invented!

All young Labrador Retrievers have energy to spare, but Labs confined to shelters for long periods may be in dire need of some serious cardiovascular activity to burn off excessive energy. Most Labs at these shelters aren’t getting enough exercise at all.

Labs are bred to go through the woods and marshes and get that duck again and again and again ? all day long. This is an extremely active, high-energy dog and if you bring it into a sedentary lifestyle, it’s not a good fit.

Putting a Labrador Retriever in a fenced yard or taking the dog for a walk around the block isn’t enough. This dog’s exercise has to be heavy cardiovascular and it has to wear them out to the point of fatigue.

Finding sufficient outlets for your shelter Lab’s energy can make a huge difference in behavior around the house. Dog-daycare programs and professional pet sitters can offer exercise opportunities during the work day, but even without paying a penny to a professional, you can exercise your Lab by organizing play dates.

Nothing tires out an adolescent dog like another adolescent dog. Meet up with other dog people ? friends, neighbors or people you meet in obedience class ? and get your dogs together to channel that energy.

Invite them over for pizza or a backyard grill and turn the dogs loose. A lot of people become very good friends who get together for such dog-related activities. It’s an economical and fun alternative to an organized dog-daycare program.

After about 12 to 14 months, when a Labrador Retriever has finished growing strong bones, it can also begin more organized athletic activities, such as agility (a competitive obstacle course), or other higher-impact activities, such as jogging for long distances.

But never wait too long for obedience classes. This is a common mistake all too many dog owners make, and this goes especially for your newly adopted shelter Lab. Start bonding with it right away under the guidance of a professional, who can help you with strategies for introducing family members, other pets and dog-proofing your home. You’ll set a precedent for good behavior, and you’ll immediately begin building a relationship with your Lab.

, Adopting A Labrador Retriever From The Animal Shelter (3): How To Keep Your Shelter Lab Happy, http://www.cooldogsites.com/2009/05/23/adopting-a-labrador-retriever-from-the-animal-shelter-3-how-to-keep-your-shelter-lab-happy/, http://www.cooldogsites.com/feed/

At this very moment, there are millions of homeless animals that are confined to cages all over the country and awaiting the day they are put to sleep unless a generous family comes along to adopt them. Mixed breeds and purebreds; young puppies and aging dogs; male and female; all of these canines are available to anybody, and at a low adoption fee.

While purebred puppies and dogs are the exception to what’s available, rather than the rule, there always intelligent and beautiful mixed breed dogs that range from all ages, just waiting patiently and hopefully to be taken home.

If you are interested in a show dog or a rare purebred with the look of nobility, then the adoption arena is probably not your best choice. If this is the case then your best bet is to visit with a professional breeder or a kennel that allows you to purchase a dog that fits exactly what you are looking for.

Healthy Dogs Only Please

Selecting a dog from an adoption center is just like choosing a pet from any other source, with just a few additions. You want to make sure that the dog or puppy you are considering is healthy. His coat should be shiny and free from bare patches. The eyes should be bright and his attitude alert. Check for discharge coming out of the eyes or nose, which is not a sign of a healthy dog. Their should be no coughing, diarrhea, or vomiting.

The dog you are considering for adoption should be at a decent weight. Rest one of your hands across the dogs’ hip bones on his back. If you can feel the spine in between them, he is considered to be underweight.

Unfortunately, just like buying a used car, it is impossible to know precisely what you are getting until you take your puppy home for a “test drive”. While the odds are high that your newly adopted dog will be perfectly fine and healthy, there is a possibility that he may be equipped with idiosyncrasies and emotional issues that were developed from living in the shelter.

Most frequently, these types of dogs arrive at your home full of insecurities from the past experiences of being homeless and then forced into living inside of a cage at the shelter. The good news is that these troubles are usually temporary and will fade away in time, provided that you surround the newly adopted dog with love, affection, and without any harsh dog training techniques.

, Shelter Adoption ? Adopting A Dog From The Shelter Is Like Buying A New Car, You Never Know What You Are Going To Get, http://www.cooldogsites.com/2009/05/21/shelter-adoption-%C2%96-adopting-a-dog-from-the-shelter-is-like-buying-a-new-car-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get/, http://www.cooldogsites.com/feed/

To help prepare for this scenario, the following steps will help you avoid potential problems when faced with a jealous puppy and a newborn baby:

1. When you bring home a new baby, you need to have the dog used to having the baby around, so that he does not mistake it for a toy. You can start preparing ahead of time before your baby is born by going through your daily routine with a toy doll. Take time each day to pretend to change the doll’s diaper as if it were a real baby so that you can practice teaching your dog commands in front of the “baby” such as sit and stay. Also, place the doll lying down as if you were going to give it a nap each day (like you will have your baby do) and allow your dog to be in the same room, but make sure he obeys you and stays away.

2. Get your puppy used to being around toddlers and children by taking him to a playground or other public area that has children visiting often. Be sure to keep him on a leash, but allow enough room to walk around, at least 6 feet. Kindly let the other children pet your dog slowly so that he can understand that the kids are friendly. This will help to reduce any tension or aggression your puppy might feel when you bring home the baby.

3. If you are making an attempt to socialize your puppy with small children as suggested in step two above, but he is showing aggression, then you should contact a professional who specializes in dog behavior. Some dogs may need a some specialized dog training techniques to relieve this tension that is caused by young toddlers and children.

4. Several weeks before the baby is due, prepare the baby’s room with all of the baby furniture and accessories that will remain in the house, especially the baby’s crib. Allow your puppy to be in and out of the room under your supervision and be sure that he sniffs all of the items that you are bringing into the house for the baby. Watch him closely as he sniffs at the crib. Should the puppy try to paw at the crib then be sure to say “NO!” and teach them to back away and respect your command.

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Habits that have taken a year to develop won’t disappear overnight. Consistency and patience are required to train a Lab of any age. You can’t let your Lab get away with something once just because you are tired. You can’t pat it on the head for jumping on you one day because it’s cute, then yell at it for jumping on you the next day when you are in your work clothes.

The trick is to see the pearl in the oyster, so to speak. You can have a wonderful family dog hidden inside that rambunctious adolescent. All you need to do is channel that energy with patience and nurture those natural Lab tendencies into behaviors that are appropriate for life with the typical loving family.

Back To The Basics

They key to training a shelter Lab, a Lab from a rescue group, or any adolescent or adult Lab is simple. The golden rule in training is to forget that they are adolescents or adult dogs and treat them just how you would treat an 8-week old puppy – using positive training methods.

In many cases, people who adopt adult Labs from the shelter believe an older dog should “know better,” and this can set both dog and human up for failure and disappointment. If your adopted Lab is acting up, it isn’t because it is being spiteful. Just because a dog is older doesn’t mean it should “know better.”

A lot of people get really resentful about the behavior of their shelter Labs. They think their dog is abnormal because it isn’t acting like that calm, sweet, mellow Lab down the street. But this is normal behavior for Lab puppies and also for adolescent Labs that haven’t had any training or that don’t understand what is expected of them.

This kind of behavior is frustrating, but you have to understand the Lab’s natural tendencies and you have to be patient. Rambunctious behavior from a shelter dog is actually a good thing. A dog that has been moved around a lot tends to be insecure and overwhelmed, leaving it subdued for a few weeks when placed in a new home.

The dog isn’t sure whether it is going to stay with you but when he starts jumping up and running around like a toddler, that’s really good news! It means that your Lab is finally feeling comfortable and starts acting more normal. At this point, you can manage training problems and start back at square one, as if it were a puppy.

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What’s more important is that dogs are also an enormous benefit to children of all ages. Owning a dog is a great way to engage your kids in the process of responsibility. Teaching your children to be responsible is probably one of the most important aspects of being a parent. And why not have a little help in this department with the assistance of a brand-new puppy?

Once a puppy comes into your household, there are a lot of responsibilities that need to be taken care of so that the dog can be raised with good health, cleanliness, and training. Unfortunately, in this busy day and age, most of us are working eight to 12 hours daily and do not get to spend a lot of time with our children. When they come home from school and have no pressure towards completing household responsibilities, their work ethic and confidence may be shortchanged. This is where having a dog can help.

How can a dog help kids become more responsible?

Simply put, it takes a lot of work to maintain a dog in the house. And this work can be equally shared amongst your children. So long as they’re physically capable of tending to certain activities, your children will be able to help with walking the dog, feeding him, help with keeping the dog clean, play ball, etc.

It is important to also give your children the idea that the time they are spending with your puppy, and the responsibilities and which they participate in, all lead to a positive outcome. To get a better idea of what I’m referring to here, imagine that you are getting your children to help out and take care of the dog. Sure it may be a struggle at first, but eventually your kids will take part every day in cleaning up the dog’s potty mess, making sure he has food and water, and brushing the dog with a little grooming now and again

Now imagine making it clear to the kids that all of these things that they are doing are making the dog healthy and happy. Take the kids to the veterinarian with you when the dog needs his regular checkups. Explain to your children that your dog is healthy and happy all because of them. Your kids will feel good knowing that they are a part of the entire process of being responsible for the family pet.

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