When you adopt a dog and give it a good home, there might be some demons that the dog has to deal with. It doesn’t matter how good your home might be a dog that has been abused in the past will have some hurdles to overcome. This doesn’t mean that you can’t work with the dog and train it to be a great pet and companion though. Blitz K9 Club is here to talk about what needs to be done to train an abused dog and help to rehabilitate them.
Steps to Train & Rehabilitate an Abused Dog
The most important thing to remember when you are training a dog that has been through some trauma is that you need to be patient in providing a safe place for your dog to find healing and structure. Here are some steps that you can take to help train your new dog.
– Assess the Situation: Before you can do anything, you have to know what you’re dealing with. You need to check your dog over for abuse like dental health, skin and coat condition, weight and appetite and more. Things to consider here is past abuse ad looking for insight into their current behavior as a result.
– Consistent & Calm Interactions: When you are working to build trust with a dog that has been abused, it is going to take some time and patience. You will need to establish a routine that your new dog can rely on and remain calm as you have interactions with him/her. Work to respect space and boundaries.
– Positive Reinforcement Training: You want your training interactions to be positive with your new dog. Make sure you are layering on plenty of positive reinforcement. When your dog makes mistakes, try to turn things around so that they can succeed rather than focusing on what they did wrong.
– Deal With Specific Traumas: Finding out what triggers your dog and causes anxiety and fear can be a touch and go situation. Gradual exposure and desensitization is going to be the key to success here. Introduce them to these fears in a safe and controlled environment to have it go well. You can work up by gradual increases throughout this process.
– Maintain Progress: You might find that progress is a slow process, but you need to focus on maintaining the little progress that you see. Provide the dog with continual care as well. Regular grooming, mental stimulation, and plenty of fresh water can make a world of difference.
Dog Obedience, Socialization & Behavioral Training in Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Commerce Township and other areas within an hour of our home base of Waterford, Michigan
If you are caring for an abused dog and working to train them, you can turn to Blitz K9 Club to help guide you through this process. We will help you train your dog as you help the dog heal from its past. We want to help you have the rich relationship you’re looking for with your new companion. Call us today!
