Rescue Dog Adoption Edinburgh and Professional Training Tips
Have you ever thought that adopting a dog is a little like online dating? Think about it you sit with your phone in hand, scrolling through photos of the ones that say they’re available and all you know is that you want to share your life with one its just a matter of finding The One. First up is one with an odd beard and funny ears, while they might be lovely they aren’t for you, the next is the dream, the one you always pictured yourself being with. Here’s me below with my sweet boy!
Big, gorgeous and lovely eyes, you hover over the yes button but you know deep down its not gonna work out. Then you see them, you don’t know what it is exactly but you like the look of them and their wee bio says they’ll be perfect for you. You click to find out more. So far this could be me as a scroll through Match.com… but its not, but its how a lot of people search for their next dog. The first thing you should do is sign up to my free Practically Perfect Dog Training Emails Here
- The second thing you need to do when you agree to adopt your dog, is to WAIT. Wait for him to arrive and then find out what kind of dog he is. You should also do your homework when it comes to Romanians or Foreign rescue dogs their traits can include:
- Alert Barking – A common one, letting you know there has been a noise somewhere.
- Hating Visitors – Oh this is a biggie, if anyone where to come into your home they’d loose their minds.
- Wary of Strangers especially Men – They generally don’t do people except those that are apart of their new family.
- Love other dogs – to the point they can’t stand not being able to go and meet everyone dog they see.
- Read this blog post: 6 Ways To Help A Fearful Rescue Dog
I can help today! Begin by clicking HERE to gain access to my schedule so if you want to, you can book in a FREE 30min telephone chat. Or Send me a message for me to begin to help your dog, plus read all of my professional doggy FAQs. I’m here to listen and advise.
Dog Adoption in Edinburgh – What is the process? Preparing Your Home
The Start of Your Dream Life Lets face it those of us who search for a dog, do it with a dream in mind we want the dog to become a part of the life we have, from coffee shop trips, camping trips, visiting friends and family, to long walks around Arthurs seat. The truth is when you adopt from aboard you need to park that dream to one side and prepare for reality, which is you might never achieve your dream or it might just take a really long time.
After you apply for your chosen dog, you fill out your information, you get a home check and pay the fees. More often then not you sit and wait for 3 weeks or more until your dog finally arrives.
In this phase of waiting, your dreams come alive and you embellish them no end. Its like me before a first date, we swapped info and decided to meet…. only in my head I am already thinking that this man could be the one and for fear of sounding like a crazy person I won’t go on. As you wait to meet your date…I mean dog, you are kept update to with what your dog is up to, given little stories and sent photos. Giving you more stuff to add to your dream building up in your head. 
Rescue Dog Problems – Behaviour, Commands and Training Tips
Then the fateful day arrives, you’re a happy bee but your dog is not. In fact he is aloof he wants nothing to do with you because hes scared. You just want to show him you care and try your best to show him you can be trusted, he refuses to leave the crate. Within hours and days your dreams have been dashed and the idea this dog will be able to handle a coffee shop visit is now dashed, leaving you feeling disappointed over loosing the dream life you have crafted in your head. You love your new dog, you aren’t giving up him. Its just this isn’t what you expected at all. You try to cling to the hope that you can do what you wanted, but you end up pressuring yourself and your dog, causing further heartache.
Rescue Dog Pulling On The Lead – Training For Public Walks
‘Flash, Flash Stop Pulling And Walk Will You!!!’ That was me along time ago with my then dog Flash to try and get him stop pulling and just walk. I almost willed it on most walks, I began to hate our walks up the street not only that my shoulder just ached. I somehow expected Flash to know what I wanted, yet I hadn’t properly trained/shown him what I wanted. Yes there had been walks where he walked as I wanted by my side but in reality these were rare.
Training For Owners to Stop My Dog Pulling The Lead
One of the main problems I hear a lot from dog owners is ‘They just pull like crazy’. It is a common problem and unfortunately it is the dog owner who has caused the problem. I don’t say this lightly but you the owner are the reason your dog pulls and I have been right there with you my dog Flash and it’s a bloody nightmare sometimes.
Dog Owners Harness, Lead and Collar to Stop Pulling
It is important that if your dog is puller you don’t walk him on a collar, all that tension and pressure around their neck can cause damage to their throat, windpipe and seriously impact their breathing. Try a harness or Head collar I recommend going to your local pet shop as they usually have a wealth of information about different Harness’. The wrong harness or badly fitted one can affect your dog’s natural movement around their shoulders, this is turn can cause joint damage.I would stay away from pet supermarkets as their own brand harness’ don’t generally help with anything. Failing a local pet shop I do recommend Ezydog Harness’ these are great and well made, additionally Ruffwear also make a great range of harness’. Canny Collar has been the best head collar I use. All of these brands help with a dog that pulls. To be clear a harness or head collar won’t magically stop your dog pulling but it will help you gain control over your dog without causing their body any harm. Your lead should be a good quality nylon or cotton webbing lead, do not use a flexi lead if your dog pulls it doesn’t give you any control. The above is great way to start getting your dog to stop pulling, there is much more you can do with your dog to turn him into twinkle toes. I have a great training game you can do with your dog if you want to speed up his learning too. My Stop Start game is perfect for making your dog think about what he is doing and what he needs to do to get what he wants.
Dog Training Games – Stop Start
No Matter what the size of your dog pulling isn’t good and it’s plain bad manners. It’s turns a simple walk into a stressful event for your dog never mind you. If you aren’t enjoying the walk then what’s the point? If you got your dog as a puppy you may have been lured in a false sense of security because your darling cute as a button puppy liked to walk by your side. However over time the pulling started happening and before you knew it your puppy just pulls all the time. Or you might have tried to convince yourself the pulling is just a faze, but he didn’t grow out of it and now you have a sore shoulder, arm, tennis elbow or wrist pain. Or if you adopted your dog he maybe so accustomed to pulling you decided that is how life is going to be. Well it doesn’t have to be if you have the time and patience to show your a dog another way.
Puppy Harness – Dog Training For Pulling – Be Consistent
You see from the moment we put a collar or harness on a puppy they are naturally designed to pull against it. Think about it there are breeds of dog’s out there who we want to pull against their harness like the Husky sledge dogs. It is part of the dog’s inherited instinct to resist the restriction. So when I put a collar and lead on Flash to go for a walk, the pulling would start. For Flash there are lots of sights to see, smells to sniff and dog’s to meet. Flash or ‘Bloody dog’ I’d say under my breath just wanted to get to the next one and will pull to get to his desired destination. Now I went through a ritual of light tugs at his lead to full on collar jerks get him to stop, I even told him no and occasionally I just stopped dead and said nothing. I swear I may have even begged him not to pull. All that it got me was a brief moment of no pulling and Flash would simply resume pulling. From Flash’s point of view he had pulled and got EXACTLY what he wanted the sniff, to meet the other dog in the street or he’d got to the park where I’d let him off lead to play. I hadn’t really done anything to prevent him pulling. Now Flash had learnt that to get what he wanted on our walks he just had to pull and pull he did. Can you see I had inadvertently rewarded Flash for pulling by failing to prevent it. He now had no incentive to stop doing it EVER. You have just realised you’re in the same situation as I was. Sign up to my Practically Perfect Dog Training Emails Here
Edinburgh Rescue Dog Training Tips for Adopted Romanian Dogs
First and foremost we need our dog’s to be calm and relaxed before starting a walk, if they are hyper then they are less likely to walk calmly once we’re outside. If like my Flash your dog will do somersaults, endless bouncing and ‘talking’ when they realise it’s time to go out then we need to calm them down before anything good happens.Once I have my shoes and coat on Flash would circle me, as I reach for his lead he would be about to burst with excitement. Before I put he lead on I would stand and wait for him to sit and calm down. Once his lead was on if he started bouncing again, I stand back, ignore him and wait for him to sit and be calm again. ‘Good’ I say as I reach for the door, if he started bouncing etc again I’d take my hand away from the door and stand back. I repeated this until we could make it out of the door in a sensible manner. It takes time but believe your dog will learn what you want. It’s really important to make this part of your walking routine, initially it will take a while for your dog to work out what you want. But the more you repeat it this the quicker your dog will work out that if he wants to go for a walk he must be calm. Always praise your dog when he does what you want by simply saying ‘good’.
He Just Wants Off The Lead If like Bracken your dog is happy in his harness, in no pain and has nothing to be scared of then he just wants to be let loose! But tough luck they can only get off the lead when we say they can be off lead, not when they demand it. So how to get the stubborn dog at the end of the lead to move, get out the treats and waft them under his nose. Get him to follow the treat until your hand is by your side give him the treat and praise. Get the next treat out and hold it by your side and keep walking for as long as you can then give the treat. You’ll have to keep bribing your dog walk with you like this, making the time longer and longer between each treat. If your dog is allowed off lead then only release them from the lead while he is walking along with you nicely. By doing this while he is walking shows him that he will get his freedom if he moves. That’s just a few things, but they are really common and hardly any new adopters suspect these could even be a problem, never mind the fact they are now faced with them. So its really important you don’t fall into the trap of pinning your hopes and dreams on your dog and instead let him show you the way, what they like and dislike. What they want to do and what they want to avoid. Yeah it might mean that coffee shop visits are out, but you still get to enjoy long walks in open spaces. It might mean that your holiday plans need tweaked to ensure your dog is happy. But none of these are deal breakers. When your dog arrives give them 48 hours to decompress, then go super slow and by that I mean don’t take them for a 5 mile hike, throw a welcome home party or leave them alone. Gradually open up their eyes to your world and that way you stand a better chance of having a dog who will fulfill your dreams. If you’re struggling with your new dog, then do seek out professional help. Find a rewards based trainer or behaviorist and ideally someone who understands foreign rescue dogs like me! take care Suzanne
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Outside You Are The Last Thing On Your Dog’s Mind. Once we’ve made it outside I let Flash do their toilet business and then we continue with our walk. But out in the big wide world I am literally the last thing on my Flash’s mind as he wants to put his nose to the ground and follow ALL the smells along the road dragging me along too. I need to make myself more interesting then the smells and the answer is food. I kept good treats in my pocket, I showed Flash what I had, kept them in my hand and placed my hand held loosely at my side so he could easily sniff them as we walked. Flash became more interested in my hand and me then the pavement. He wanted the treats in hand so he started walking along with me,No pulling and lunging…. Well almost!! Every so often I’d say ‘good’ and let him have a treat. This has to happen on every walk, the more Flash was walking with me the less often he gets a treat but he always gets praise. Over time I started adding in the word ‘close’ and I’d say it before I gave a treat. You must keep practicing and practising and practicing. Patience is the key here because all your dog has known for a long time is that if he pulls he gets what he wants, it will be hard for him to change how he behaves. But it does come and things do improve. This Is Just The Beginning. How To Avoid The Disappointment The BIGGEST problem new adopters face, the first time they meet their dog he is joining them for life and the dog they got isn’t what they were expecting. They build up a fantasy life that the dog was going to slot into. But the reality is your dog has just traveled for 3 days in a van, he has been taken from what he knows and handed to complete strangers. 
Then when their dog is able to relax, they find out that Foreign Rescues have their own quirks and traits, that don’t match up to the British dogs they are use to seeing.
I had a new dog join my morning crew this week, Bracken is a lovely doodle dog with a handsome smile. However Bracken is one of these rare dog’s that doesn’t pull he will stand still and ground himself to earth to become an immovable dog. So picture the scene I am stood with one arm outstretched behind me with Bracken 33kg of dog stood perfectly still, now in the other hand I have 4 dogs raring to go forward causing my arm to be outstretched….I look like some crazy scarecrow dog lady! Standing still is bad doggy manners just like pulling is! In Bracken’s case it isn’t that he doesn’t want to go on the walk but rather he would prefer to be off lead to roam. Unfortunately for Bracken that is option isn’t always available for safety reasons. He just stands there looking at me. If you have a dog that won’t walk you need to work out why first of all are they scared, in pain or unfamiliar with the collar/harness.
Scary World Out There Does he have any phobias or does the dog at the end of the street you’re about to pass scare him half to death?? If your dog is scared then you’ll need to find an alternative route to make them feel safe. Or if you can’t find an alternative route then break out the best treats you have and waft them under your dog’s nose. Use them to bride your dog to move forward and for every step he moves in the right direction praise them lots and give them treat, then repeat! A Right Pain In The…. Pain can quite easily stop your dog from wanting to walk. So you need to check your dog over by running your hands over his legs and feet are there thorns, bruises, cuts or any swelling or tenderness that can indicate an injury. Also check the rest of his body as lumps and bumps could be causing pain. This is critical especially if your dog has previously being walking fine. Be gentle but watch for signs that he is in pain such as lip licking or jerking away from the pain. If at any point you think your dog is in pain take them to see your vet.
A Fabulous New Harness You were seduced by the beautiful harness in the pet shop and bought ready for your pooch to wear. I too have been seduced far too many time to count with Leads for my dogs so you’re not alone. You have popped it straight on when got home ready for the walk, he looks stunning but now you’re outside he won’t move one single step. The harness has freaked your dog it smell weird and feels weird what the hell is going on! You’ve missed some critical steps when it comes to introducing your dog to a new collar, lead or harness. Whenever you buy a new accessory for you dog you need to introduce him to his new wardrobe item. Rub your hands over the harness so your smell is over it, show it to your dog let the sniff it and be happy around it. With a treat gradually place the harness or collar over their head and give them a treat, don’t fasten it just remove it and praise him. If he happy them place it back over his head and fasten it, again treat and praise. You will also need to ensure that the collar or harness fits correctly badly fitting, too tight or even too heavy is just uncomfortable for your dog. Once he is comfy in the harness then take him for walk, he will strut his stuff for you in his fabulous new harness.
Yes believe it or not your dog could just be flat out tired and a walk is out of the question. He has just the past hour running around your house or garden with his favourite toy!! You need to let him rest for a wee while and recharge his batteries. It could be the breed of your dog for example a crazy wee Jack Russell will most likely have a nuclear power source is unstoppable. Yet a Basset Hound maybe less inclined to go for an endless walk and would rather plod around the park. So have a think about your dogs breed traits. Maybe you just have a Lazy dog, he would rather lay on his bed then go out the door. You may have to resort to bribery with treats to him outside. The Smell Is Too Nice Erick my Old English Sheepdog loves walking with his nose to the ground and if he finds a really interesting smell then he will stand still to sniff it (occasionally lick) and will not budge. Trying to get him to move by calling him doesn’t work he can’t hear me above his sniffing. So many dogs love to sniff the messages that other dog’s have left, sniff squirrel tracks, meet the dog on the other side of the path or eat the food they can smell on the food but they can’t leave the smell alone. If you haven’t got the time to let him sniff then again you’ll need to bribe him away with a treat and hold his interest with the treat and slowly walk away giving him the treat!
He Just Wants Off The Lead If like Bracken your dog is happy in his harness, in no pain and has nothing to be scared of then he just wants to be let loose! But tough luck they can only get off the lead when we say they can be off lead, not when they demand it. So how to get the stubborn dog at the end of the lead to move, get out the treats and waft them under his nose. Get him to follow the treat until your hand is by your side give him the treat and praise. Get the next treat out and hold it by your side and keep walking for as long as you can then give the treat. You’ll have to keep bribing your dog walk with you like this, making the time longer and longer between each treat. If your dog is allowed off lead then only release them from the lead while he is walking along with you nicely. By doing this while he is walking shows him that he will get his freedom if he moves. That’s just a few things, but they are really common and hardly any new adopters suspect these could even be a problem, never mind the fact they are now faced with them. So its really important you don’t fall into the trap of pinning your hopes and dreams on your dog and instead let him show you the way, what they like and dislike. What they want to do and what they want to avoid. Yeah it might mean that coffee shop visits are out, but you still get to enjoy long walks in open spaces. It might mean that your holiday plans need tweaked to ensure your dog is happy. But none of these are deal breakers. When your dog arrives give them 48 hours to decompress, then go super slow and by that I mean don’t take them for a 5 mile hike, throw a welcome home party or leave them alone. Gradually open up their eyes to your world and that way you stand a better chance of having a dog who will fulfill your dreams. If you’re struggling with your new dog, then do seek out professional help. Find a rewards based trainer or behaviorist and ideally someone who understands foreign rescue dogs like me! take care Suzanne
