New Dog in the Household?

When a dog joins a new household, think of it as being his first week at a new job - - he doesn't know what the household rules are. We can help educate our dogs on what our 'policies' are by establishing consistent rules and making sure all family members follow the same routine. This lets our dogs know exactly what they are allowed and not allowed to do. Think back to when you last started a new job: you needed to learn such rules as whether business attire was mandatory, whether work hours were flexible, whether you were allowed to put your feet up on the desk, and whether you could wear flip flops and drink beer. You were no doubt informed of company policies in a calm, matter-of-fact way, with no anger, resentment, rancor or shouting (well, except for the beer and flip-flops situation!). That's how we need to educate our dogs - - calmly and without anger, resentment, or frustration - - because how can we be angry with them for not following our rules if they haven't been taught what the rules are?


Thanks for this fantastic tip, Glenda! Glenda's website is www.heelinghounds.com