Update: #25 *Deep breath* *Clicks "send" to apply for a rescue dog*

Snowstorm

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Well, I clicked "send." Hubby and I applied to get a rescue dog. I've been wanting a dog for a long time, but this little squirt has captured our hearts. I'm waiting with kamikaze butterflies slamming into my stomach to see if she's still available and if we're approved to go get her.

This will be our first dog. My only dog ever was back in the '70s and Mike was an outdoor-only family dog. So I've been studying dog behavior sites and have always loved watching the Cesar Milan and "It's the Dog or Me"-type shows to learn how to train them and how to behave around them and get the best behavior out of her.

I don't yet know her history, but if we get her and if she did experience any negativity she'll be soon forgot it as she'll be a happy little pooch.

Okay, I get weepy thinking about her in my life. I'm such a dork.
 
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Haggis

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She's beautiful. Hope everything works out.

Rescues can be a challenge but they're so worth it.






<------- Rescue
 

oceansoul

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Aww! I love her. She has such a cute face and kind eyes. I hope you get her <3
 

shakeysix

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Oh, I did this and I had misgivings when I did but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made! I had always wanted a Jack Russell but my late husband came from a no pet family and he was vehement. He hated all dogs because he did not understand them. We, the kids and I, always told him that we were getting a dog the day after his funeral. Actually I waited a year. At the time I told myself I was getting a dog for the kids but the kids were in college.

The dog was in a foster home because she had bitten a little boy in the face. The boy was 18 months old and had grabbed her by the ears. He was the son of her owners new girlfriend and the rescue people said there were jealousy issues as well and that she was really a good hearted dog. It was a risk but I had no g-children at the time and never expected any so I decided to take a risk. I loved her face. She had lived all her 3 years in an apartment in KC so it took her a long time to get acclimated to being a country dog. One day I came home from school to find her playing with the little boys next door. They had opened the gate and let her out because they wanted to play with her. She loved them and when my g-kids came along she was always good with them. I could go on and on but will just wish you good luck--oh, and don't try too hard. Too much attention makes a dog, especially one that has been ignored, nervous and snappy--s6
 

Snowstorm

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Thank you all! I'm on pins and needles to hear back from them. Trying to look at all the minutiae of what must be done, moved, or changed ... and trying not to be such a dork.

ETA--Cross-posted with shakeysix: Thank you for sharing. One behavior site warns about new owners not to be too excited, but be very calm and not very touchy in the first few days. They recommend settling in calmly and be in training for who's the alpha, where they're allowed to go, and settling into a routine. I've found great blogs out there on how they've brought dogs home from the pound or rescue, and they've been incredibly helpful.
 
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Ari Meermans

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I really hope it works out; she's adorable.

All of my furbabies over the years have been rescues, throw-aways, or have come looking for me. lol on that last one. They've been wonderful and loving.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand this:

Trying to look at all the minutiae of what must be done, moved, or changed ... and trying not to be such a dork.
 

Maggie Maxwell

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I really hope it works out; she's adorable.

All of my furbabies over the years have been rescues, throw-aways, or have come looking for me. lol on that last one. They've been wonderful and loving.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand this:

I'm guessing all the things to buy, dogproofing the house, setting up a walking or playing plan, where to keep a crate, training classes if needed, that sort of stuff. Mr. Maxwell and I want to get a dog in the near future, and we're in a similar position of trying to figure out all those details. But I'm lost on the "trying not to be such a dork" thing because dogs rule and dog owners rule and dog adopters/rescuers are the best and never dorkish. :)
 

Ari Meermans

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Ah, okay. Yeah, those are details to be ironed out. I guess I was thinking only about dogproofing the house, which I've never done.
 

shakeysix

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Molly, my dog, had to be left out on the deck in her crate for an hour or two a day, so she could take in the outdoors, noises, cars, birds, cats. It was all overwhelming for her at first and she would just shiver and whimper. Jack Russells are a little crazy at the best of times but she had never been off her leash and spent most of her time indoors and in a park. Later she became an outdoor dog, chasing the neighbor hood roadrunner way out into a pasture, running after the neighbor boy's in their go cart, jumping into the local pond to swim. I lost her three years ago but I still have her picture on my desk--s6
 
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Snowstorm

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Please excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand this:

Sure, Ari Meermans (and TAMaxwell): TAMaxwell has it. It's one thing for me to read how-tos, what items we need to buy, and to dream, but to really think about the reality. I think at some point the day-to-day changes have to be considered.

As far as being a dork (thanks again, TAMaxwell), I was referring to getting emotional at the thought of her here. But I think that's good though. If one isn't emotional, either from excitement, desire, or of the potential of a happy life (pet ownership, home ownership, etc.), then what's the point?

I think it's great to be emotional, and then there's setting aside the emotion and looking at any such situation with reality.
 

robjvargas

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Oh, you are in trouble.

That lady's gonna own you :ROFL:
 

Maggie Maxwell

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Sure, Ari Meermans (and TAMaxwell): TAMaxwell has it. It's one thing for me to read how-tos, what items we need to buy, and to dream, but to really think about the reality. I think at some point the day-to-day changes have to be considered.

As far as being a dork (thanks again, TAMaxwell), I was referring to getting emotional at the thought of her here. But I think that's good though. If one isn't emotional, either from excitement, desire, or of the potential of a happy life (pet ownership, home ownership, etc.), then what's the point?

I think it's great to be emotional, and then there's setting aside the emotion and looking at any such situation with reality.

Ooohhh yeah, okay, I get where you're going there. And yeah, that's totally good. It's a sign that to you, the dog will be part of your family, well-loved and spoiled rotten. Just wait until you get that first happy puppy kiss in your own home, or she snuggles up next to you on the couch for a movie, or the first time you leave and she's soooo excited to see you when you get home. It's totally emotion-worthy and not-dorky. :)
 

rugcat

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Above all things, be patient.

Sometimes, when people see somebody who has a great dog, they don't realize the dog did not come that way.

(Well, actually sometimes they do if you're lucky, but that's the exception. We have four rescues and 2 pound puppies, and the last one we got is a wonderful sweet and well-behaved perfect dog with absolutely no training whatsoever. But one of the others took a couple years, so . . .)

Rescue dogs are usually pretty stressed, so the behavior you see exhibited in the first few days, whether aggression, pathological shyness, or many other things is not necessarily the true nature of the dog.

Like kids, no two dogs are alike. Some dogs need direction and a firm hand; some dogs are so sensitive that if you even speak harshly to them it's counterproductive.

Just be calm, figure out who your dog is, and what the dog needs. It's really not that hard. And although books are useful, and can give some good advice, do not take anything you read as gospel. Again, all dogs are different, and anyone who tells you that "This is the right way to train a dog" is imo full of it.

Good luck on getting your doggie, but remember that if for some reason it falls through, there are hundreds of other wonderful, wonderful dogs out there just waiting to find a home. Sometimes, the very dog you were meant to find finds you instead.
 

Haggis

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Above all things, be patient.

Sometimes, when people see somebody who has a great dog, they don't realize the dog did not come that way.

(Well, actually sometimes they do if you're lucky, but that's the exception. We have four rescues and 2 pound puppies, and the last one we got is a wonderful sweet and well-behaved perfect dog with absolutely no training whatsoever. But one of the others took a couple years, so . . .)

Rescue dogs are usually pretty stressed, so the behavior you see exhibited in the first few days, whether aggression, pathological shyness, or many other things is not necessarily the true nature of the dog.

Like kids, no two dogs are alike. Some dogs need direction and a firm hand; some dogs are so sensitive that if you even speak harshly to them it's counterproductive.

Just be calm, figure out who your dog is, and what the dog needs. It's really not that hard. And although books are useful, and can give some good advice, do not take anything you read as gospel. Again, all dogs are different, and anyone who tells you that "This is the right way to train a dog" is imo full of it.

Good luck on getting your doggie, but remember that if for some reason it falls through, there are hundreds of other wonderful, wonderful dogs out there just waiting to find a home. Sometimes, the very dog you were meant to find finds you instead.
^

Every bit of what rugcat says.
 

regdog

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Snowstorm

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Oh, you are in trouble.

That lady's gonna own you :ROFL:

Best belly laugh I've all week! Thank you. Even Hubby LOLed.

And rugcat, Haggis, and regdog: Thank you!

Rugcat: thank you for this insight! I've been ignorant about training a dog, since I haven't had one since I was a kid... a LONG time ago. Ever since, whenever I met a poorly trained dog, I just knew it was poorly trained; I never needed to find out how or why, until now. Yep, it'll be a steep learning curve, but at least I and Hubby feel much better prepared to do right by and for her.
 

rugcat

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If you've had no experience with dogs, you might want to find a dog trainer, not just for the dog, but to teach you about dogs and how to relate to them.

Books and the Internet are all well and good. But, for example, just because you can learn to play a musical instrument through books doesn't mean it's the best way to do it. It's about 10 times easier if you have a real person who knows what they're doing to help you. Most places, including shelters, at least have obedience classes which train both dogs and owners.

And yes, I know I just told you to not accept what people say as gospel, but here's one thing I deeply, deeply believe. Dogs need to be trained through rewards and praise to reinforce good behavior, not by punishment for bad behavior.

If you smack a dog with a rolled up newspaper for piddling in the house, which is the old-fashioned way, all the dog understands is that you're angry with it for some reason and that you are totally unpredictable. You eventually end up with a fearful, confused, or aggressive dog depending on its personality.

And little dogs are quite often different than big dogs. Things like being the alpha person or the pack leader really don't apply as much to them.

Dogs are great though – I don't know what I'd do without mine
 

Snowstorm

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... And yes, I know I just told you to not accept what people say as gospel, but here's one thing I deeply, deeply believe. Dogs need to be trained through rewards and praise to reinforce good behavior, not by punishment for bad behavior.

If you smack a dog with a rolled up newspaper for piddling in the house, which is the old-fashioned way, all the dog understands is that you're angry with it for some reason and that you are totally unpredictable. You eventually end up with a fearful, confused, or aggressive dog depending on its personality.

I've been reading quite a bit about that. In fact, I'm re-reading (for about the 15th time) this article. I'm deeply entrenched in the positive-reinforcement-only camp.

little dogs are quite often different than big dogs. Things like being the alpha person or the pack leader really don't apply as much to them. ...

I found another article addressing this issue of the Small Dog Syndrome that I find very interesting, that little dogs should be taught just like big dogs and expected to have the same good behavior.

The dog psychology articles are fascinating.
 

rugcat

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I think this article is a perfect example. Some of what the person says I think is absolutely correct. Some of it I think is absolutely not correct. And some of it is partly true.
The bottom line is small dogs are no different than large dogs. What gives them their different temperaments is that humans treat them differently
Sentence number two definitely has some merit to it. Sentence number one, I'm afraid I cannot agree with.

Not to mention that a miniature pincher (I have one who's 17 now) has a very different temperament then say a Shih Tzu. Not all breeds are alike anymore then all dogs are alike. And with every breed, you'll find dogs that run completely against the norm for that breed.

Bottom line, once again, dogs are individuals. Again, when someone says "When a dog exhibits such and such a behavior this is what's really happening" it may or may not be true. And awful lot depends on the dog and they are nowhere near the instinct driven creatures that some people seem to think they are..
 

Snowstorm

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ETA: I'm sorry for the long time. During a business trip I had a family "urgency" erupt. Though all's well now, it's been an exhausting time.

UPDATE: Long story short, we were turned down.

The rescue center said she was a "serious flight risk" and would only be adopted in the local area as they had a team there to search for their dogs that ran away.

Thank you all for your support. We'll keep looking...
 
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