Before You Adopt A Dog Questions to ask yourself

I met with Sharon of the Canine Adoption and Rescue League (CARL) today. I wanted to discuss the possibility of offering a complementary talk for potential adopters, as well as those who have newly adopted a puppy or adult dog. Good news! She loved the idea! 

Its going to be a 75 minute talk over at the Adoption Center (behind the Ventura Pet Barn), held on the third Saturday of each month. I begin August 15th! I will be going over the ever important pre-adoptions questions surrounding the "Why?" and the post-adoption topics of "Yikes! Now what to I do?" 

These are a few of the topics I will be discussing, and inspiring people to ask themselves:

• Why do I want a dog?
• Is this the best time in my life to get a dog?
• Are there any foreseeable life-changing events that may occur?
• Can I afford to keep a dog, for its lifetime?
• What type of dog do I want? 
• Am I more concerned with breed or temperament?

If youre considering adopting a dog, or know someone who is, you may want to come by on August 15th and check it out. Ask questions? Of if youve adopted a dog and need help with behavior issues, or maybe just want some general information about making life better with each other, please come by. This talk is free to the public, although donations to CARL are always welcome. 

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The Benefits Of Doing It Yourself

October 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Getting Ready to Train Your Dog

1 Comment

There are people, many of them, who make a living from training dogs. They will take your dog for a period of time each week and teach it commands, behaviors and tricks that will make you clasp your hands in joy, and yet the thing about this is that most people don’t want to do things that way. As much fun as it may be to inherit a dog who will behave like you’d always dreamed a dog could behave, it takes away something that should be there between humans and dogs – the connection that makes humans and dogs such great partners in crime (metaphorically).
It takes longer to train a dog if you have no experience of doing it, and this is why many people are prepared to part with hard-earned cash to allow a professional to train their pet. For some of us, this kind of expense is prohibitive, and for others it may be more than affordable but a needless waste. We want to train our dogs, ourselves, because they are ours. Where is the fun in leaving it to someone else?
There is also the fact that in training your dog, you build a bond with it. many dogs will react strongly to their masters’ voice, while not paying heed to the same commands from others. Although a professional dog trainer will take every care to ensure that your dog learns the command and not the voice, there is undeniably something important about being the one from whom your dog learns to sit, stay and roll over. It is the all-important connection.

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