Can your older dog adjust to a dog crate?

A dog crate is essentially a man-made burrow, which speaks to the dog’s own instinctual need for a small enclosed space in which to sleep and feel safe. Puppies that are raised with a crate seem to enjoy having a space that is theirs alone. Their owners certainly appreciate having a way to keep their puppy or dog from roaming the house at night, thinking up mischief or wetting the carpet.

If you’ve just brought an adult dog home from the Humane Society, he or she may not agree to use a crate without some training. If your dog is already housebroken, you may not feel the need to purchase a crate, or to use one in your home. However, if you intend to take your new dog with you on trips, or if you think you may need to board him at the local kennel, training him now to use the crate can avoid much frustration in the future.

Your newly adopted dog may also have bad habits that require training and attention, and you won’t be able to keep your eye on him 24 hours a day. For instance, if your new lab or retriever begins to chew on your couch, having a crate will give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you won’t wake up to a living room full of upholstery fabric and stuffing. Once the new dog gets used to sleeping through the night, you may be able to keep the crate’s door open.

A puppy takes almost automatically to the crate, but your older dog will naturally eye the crate with some suspicion if he’s never been trained to use one before.

A dog crate is for sleeping in, not living in. It is not a replacement for a yard or a dog run, and should never be used as punishment. The dog training method that you use should encourage your pet to see the crate as a safe, comfortable place to take a nap, not a place where he’s trapped and abandoned. Your dog should not be left in a crate for long periods of time, except at night while the family is sleeping.

Which dog crate should you choose? This will depend on the size of your dog, and whether or not it will be used to transport your dog in the car or on a plane. There is a large variety of sizes, materials, and shapes now available. They can be made of wire or hard plastic, or they may be soft-sided, and fold to be easily transported in a car.

When you bring your new humane society dog home, is everything going to be perfect? One can hope, but it isn’t likely.

During your first few days with your new dog, there will be some adjustments, for both of you. You’ll have more chores to do, another mouth to feed, walks to schedule in your busy day. These things may be easy, or difficult, depending upon the way your life is set up at the moment.

And your dog is going to have a few surprises for you. No matter how carefully you screened your new pooch, there are going to be some things you didn’t know. Some of the surprises may be good ones. Pepper, my Border collie, knew how to sit, stay, fetch, go lay down, get in the car, go outside, and “NO!” She was a stray from the Humane Society, about 9 years old

When you already have animals in the home

And some of the surprises may not be so positive, even when they aren’t your new dog’s fault. For instance, I found out that my 13-year old female cat (also a Humane Society find) is not fond of dogs, to put it mildly. It was necessary to keep her and my new dog separated for several months, so that they would have time to come to know and tolerate each other before someone got hurt. I searched the Internet for help with my attack cat problem, but couldn’t find any, so I had to muddle through on my own.

If you already have animals in your home there will be an adjustment period, and it takes as long as it takes – you can’t really rush it. Your first dog will need to assert his need to have things his way, and this usually takes place without any actual fighting – but if both dogs have dominant personalities, or if the size difference is too great, you may need to keep them separated for a while to prevent bloodshed.

Making your home ready for your new dog

If you don’t already have a dog it may surprise you how much mud a small dog can track into your house, and you’ll want to do some rearranging so that there is an area, perhaps off the kitchen or on the back porch, where your dog’s dirty feet can have a chance to dry out before coming into the house.

You will naturally remember to remove the needlepoint pillow from your couch that your Great Aunt Margaret gave you just before she passed away. And you’ll keep your best shoes in the closet for a few weeks, just in case. You may find a few “accidents” on the floor while your new dog is still not sure he really lives there. And he may show you a place or two in the fence that needs to be mended.

Explaining the rules to your new dog

Almost every dog expert you’ll talk to will agree that it’s best to start explaining your rules right from the start. If “getting on the furniture” is one of those things you wrote on your “absolutely can’t tolerate” list, then don’t allow your new dog on the couch the night he comes home, no matter how pitifully he looks at you with those big brown eyes.

Some acts of “disobedience” are simply a sign that the dog has had no prior training in that particular area, or that his previous owners had a different idea about what is acceptable and what is not. The best attitude is to “assume innocence.” It simply means that you shouldn’t assume that your  new dog didn’t make a mistake on purpose – it takes time for anyone to learn new rules and fit into a household.

Hopefully, within a few weeks it will seem like Roscoe or Fido has been in the family all his or her life. You’ll trust each other, love each other, and enjoy every minute you’re together.

If it doesn’t work out

What should you do if your new dog does some of those things on your “absolutely can’t tolerate” list that have nothing to do with training or experience? What if your dog snarls, snaps, growls, acts in a dominating, aggressive way towards strange men, children, or yourself, or even bites, and you don’t feel that you have the experience or training to remold the dog’s personality?

If you discover that your new dog’s temperament is unsound or unsafe, and you adopted the dog from an animal shelter, you can almost always take him back. This may be the most humane thing to do if you don’t think you can ever truly come to terms with your new dog’s personality, or if you think your own family or your neighbor’s kids are at risk. It’s much easier to take your dog back to the shelter if you make the decision quickly.

What if your dog has other unacceptable behaviors, such as chasing or harming your cats, digging too many holes in your yard, or removing all the stuffing from your couch; you don’t have the patience or experience to teach him to be civilized; and you don’t want to hire a professional trainer? You may still be able to return him and try again. Just in case, you might want to ask the shelter or rescue organization if you can return the dog, and for what reasons, before you take him home. There are thousands of dogs in need of a new home – if the one you try first isn’t the right one for your family, just keep looking.

Some breeders may also allow you to return a dog for behavioral problems, but even if they do they will want you to have made every effort to train the dog to your rules before you give up on him. Almost no private party sales can be returned, because most families only give up their pets if there’s no way they can keep him. Nonetheless, if your new dog was a treasured pet they may want you to bring him back, rather than expose him to the trauma of a shelter.

In order to reduce the possibility of emotional trauma for yourself if the dog doesn’t work out, try to think of your first week with him as “dating” rather than as a “honeymoon.” The two of you should have a chance to find out if you should be housemates, and you should both have a right to change your mind and look for another option that makes a better fit. You should remember that if your dog is destructive, constantly barking, or driving you crazy in other ways, it is probably because she’s bored out of her mind. You would both be better off if she lived in a more active household. It may also mean that you spend far too little time at home, and you would be better off with a cat.

Hopefully, however, you’ve done your homework, your new dog’s personality, talents and temperament are a perfect match with your own, and a few weeks of settling in are enough to turn the two of you into an inseparable partnership. What can be more fulfilling than finding the perfect dog?

There are a number of places where you can adopt a good older dog.

• Free dogs from friends and family

The easy way (but not always the best way) to get a good older dog is to receive a dog as a gift – or to take a friend’s dog when they can’t keep it any longer. Most people don’t give adult dogs as gifts (because puppies are cuter) so this probably doesn’t happen too often. But many of us are petitioned by friends, relatives and coworkers to take their dog when they can no longer keep it.

If you aren’t lucky enough to know someone who is giving away your perfect pet, there are still plenty of options. The local Humane Society or animal control shelter always has adult dogs that are ready for a new home. In addition, your city’s newspaper will have advertisements in the pet section – most of them will be puppies for sale, but occasionally an adult dog is listed. There are also hundreds of breed rescue organizations around the country, and many cities have private “no-kill” shelters. And breeders are a source of adult dogs as well as puppies.

• Adopt a dog from Humane Societies and animal control shelters

One excellent reason for shopping for your older dog at an animal control shelter or Humane Society is that most shelters test the incoming dogs for behavior and temperament before they’re released for adoption. These tests are necessary for the protection of the volunteers who work around the animals in the shelter, and for the protection of the people who come to the shelter to visit the dogs and take them home.

According to Lora Goode, an animal care technician at the Multnomah County Animal Control shelter in Portland, Oregon, these standardized tests can’t guarantee that your new dog will be safe – but every care is taken to release only sound, calm, people-oriented dogs that will not nip or bite at the slightest cause.
People who work in animal shelters are there because they love animals. They want every dog that walks out their front door with its new owner to be happy and content in its new home.

However, they know that some dogs are brought to the pound because of temperament or behavioral problems that are too dangerous for most pet-owners to handle, and these animals must be put down. Other animals have been mistreated or neglected, and have learned behaviors that make them unadoptable. Still others have characteristics that may be appropriate for a working dog or guard dog, but which are unacceptable in a home.

For this reason, they use behavioral assessment tests, such as the Assess-A-Pet™ test created by Sue Sternberg, to measure a dog’s adaptability and temperament. These tests are not perfect, but they help match families with pets that can become lifelong companions

There is, admittedly, some controversy over the use of assessment tests by animal shelters. Some breed rescue organizations believe that generalized tests don’t take specific breed characteristics into account, and they believe that perfectly sound dogs are put down because they exhibit the aggressive or dominating characteristics of the breed. Other people believe that the tests are too demanding, or may believe that the dogs are put through some sort of torture (this is not the case, but rumors persist). To see the many opinions about this issue, simply do a search on google.com for “shelter dog temperament assessment” (without the quotes).

In spite of the occasional objection, these assessments give potential owners more peace of mind than they could have any other way. The dogs are tested to see if they bite or snap when someone approaches their food bowl (an important issue if you have small children). The shelter tests the dog’s ability to tolerate handling, brushing, and holding (an important issue if you ever want to hug your dog, or take him to be groomed). They test his behavior around other dogs (an important issue if you have an older dog at home or if you ever want to take your new dog for a walk in the park).

Unfortunately, they probably don’t test the behavior of the dog around cats, but the previous owner may have given the history of the dog when it was released to the animal shelter.

If the shelter does testing, they may include a test for the dog’s interest in people. Some dogs don’t have any interest in people at all. Dogs who inherit this extreme independence may be beautiful, and may even be safe, but they won’t offer the love and affection that most pet-owners are looking for. Other dogs may have lost their genetic potential to be people-oriented by being housed in a kennel all its life, without socialization during the critical weeks of puppyhood. If the dog can’t ever love you, isn’t it far better to know this before you take him home?

Please don’t assume that an animal shelter does temperament testing – ask! Also ask what they do with the results of the test. Some shelters will note that a dog is aggressive or assertive, and then simply put “not good around kids” on the dog’s kennel papers. What neighborhood is completely barren of kids?

If the shelter doesn’t do any temperament testing (or even if it does) you will want to do at least rudimentary testing on your own. This is also true even if you find your pet through a newspaper ad or adopt one from a breed rescue group. Sue Sternberg, the creator of the shelter temperament test called Assess-A-Pet™ outlines the testing you can do on your own in great detail in her book Successful Dog Adoption.

Finding the specific breed you want at the Humane Society may take patience, especially if you want a smaller breed, or if you want a breed that’s fairly rare. Here in Portland Oregon and in many other large cities around the country the Humane Society always has Labrador retrievers, pit bulls, chow chows, Rottweilers, Australian shepherds, Border collies, and various mixes of these breeds. You sometimes find a golden retriever, and very occasionally an expensive purebred, such as an English bulldog or West Highland terrier. During a recent trip to the local animal shelter I saw a Boston terrier mix that looked just like Henry J, the mutt I grew up with – I would have taken him home, but someone beat me to him.

Labs and Lab crosses are one of the most common dogs in America, and it stands to reason that the shelters will have lots of black dogs. The pit bulls, chow chows, Rottweilers and Akitas appear to be over-bred in cities by the sort of owner who doesn’t pay much attention to the steady stream of advertising asking people to spay and neuter their pets. A dog raised by a drug dealer is not necessarily a bad dog, but extra care should always be taken to assess the temperament of a guard dog before taking him home. And in spite of those adorable wrinkles, be sure to include the Shar Pei and any Shar Pei cross in this category of potentially unsafe dog.

Shelter personnel are well aware of the prejudices against pit bulls, so they may “inadvertently” label the pit bull crosses “Dalmatian cross” or “boxer cross.” I once made the mistake of buying an adorable “boxer cross” puppy from a pet store. At nine months his hormones kicked in and this huge pit bull became a holy terror with the urge to kill any dog within ten miles. The kennel we used when we needed a weekend away from home refused to accept him after puberty – and they accused us of not knowing how to train this aggressive dog to ignore his instincts.

They were right – we weren’t professional dog handlers, and couldn’t trust the dog to not jump our back fence and kill our neighbor’s dog.

Even more frightening would be the possibility of the neighbor’s child standing in the way when the dog was in attack mode. The only reasonable choice, in my opinion, was to get rid of the dog.

To avoid repeating our mistake, assume that any dog that looks vaguely like a pit bull is a pit bull, and take extra care with your own temperament assessment before taking him home. And buy him as an adult, after his hormones have already done their work on his personality.

Australian shepherds and Border collies have become overly popular in the last 20 years, and have been over-bred because of it. These traditional farm dogs can make wonderful pets (they happen to be my favorite, and my own dog is a 9-year-old Border collie from the local Humane Society) but for many people too much smarts in a dog is too much dog. I would personally never take a young Border collie because previous experience has shown me that my lifestyle is simply not interesting enough for them, and they don’t want to live with me. Think of a Border collie as Lassie on methamphetamines.

My Pepper has been lying at my feet for several hours as I write this chapter, but don’t expect a young Border collie to put up with this type of inactivity or you will both be sorely disappointed.

Some individual Australian shepherds are overly shy and fearful, creating a fear biter – but a dog with this dangerous temperament should never be released for adoption from a responsible shelter. Aussies can also be overprotective of your children, but can make wonderful one-man or –woman dogs if you have the time to train them. Unfortunately the beautiful blue-merle genes are sometimes associated with genetic blindness.

The Australian shepherd/Border collie cross is the preferred dog for Frisbee competition, so remember – some Frisbee champs can leap as high as 10 feet off the ground and land with the Frisbee in their mouths. Now go back outside and look at the height of your fence…

The length of time an animal spends at the local animal shelter can affect its behavior, especially if the shelter is understaffed or untrained in maintaining the dogs’ connection to people. The close proximity to other animals can raise the adrenaline level of any dog, and the excess stress can, over time, result in a depressed dog, or a dog that loses some of its training. If the dog has been in the kennel too long this temporary depression can change their behavior enough to make it difficult for them to express their personality, and you could discover after a few days in your safe, loving home that you’ve adopted a very different dog than you thought you did.

When you visit the shelter ask how the volunteers maintain human contact, or simply watch them as they interact with the dogs. Some shelters don’t have enough money to maintain large kennels or outside exercise runs, but don’t assume that the animals are being mistreated due to the lack of money. It’s the quality of the people, not the housing, that matters.

If you go to the pound with an open heart, and keep your needs and the generalized breed characteristics in mind, you may come home with a dog who will love you for years.

• Adopt a dog from a breed rescue organization

If you have your heart set on a small dog, or if you need a specific breed for hunting or other work, you may want to find your dog through a breed rescue organization. This is also where you are may find a dog that has specialized training.

Many breed rescue organizations are made up of a network of foster homes, and the dogs are not kept in a kennel. This helps to prevent the shock and emotional trauma that is experienced by almost all dogs at the local shelter.

Rescue organizations are often fiercely protective of their chosen breed, and may seem far more concerned with the dog’s welfare than they are in yours. When you consider the abusive and neglectful situations that they sometimes rescue their dogs from, this attitude is understandable and should be respected.

Although many dogs really are rescued by these organizations, many others are brought to them by people who gave their dogs loving homes but who can no longer care for them. They also inherit dogs whose owners have died. Many people who must give up a dog they love prefer to give them to an organization that will allow them to live in a foster situation until a home is found, rather than sending them to the pound.

Many rescue organizations have a walth of information about their individual dog’s temperament, behavior and previous training. The foster-owners will have a good feel for the personality of the dog, and will do whatever they can to find a home that is suitable. Some will even require lengthy applications and a home visit before you even have a chance to visit with the dogs. One local rescue organization in Oregon requires two home visits – one to look at your yard and fence, and one to check out your children.

Some people find this process somewhat invasive, and prefer to not have strangers passing judgment on the suitability of their homes. Others welcome the care and attention that is given to finding exactly the right match.

One thing to remember is that the volunteers who operate breed rescue organizations are just that – volunteers who give their time, energy and money to a breed they love. Although they do everything they can to match the right dog to the right owner, it is still ultimately up to you to make the final choice. They are part of the organization because they love a particular breed of dog, and not necessarily because they have specialized training or talent.

These dogs are living with people who care for them, so the adoption process can be much more personal than the experience at the local pound. This can actually have both good and bad points.

For instance, the volunteers may be so enamored by the breed that they overlook temperament problems that make a dog a poor candidate for a family dog. In the minds of some rescue volunteers, any poor behavior in a dog is the owner’s fault. This may be true for some issues, but you need to make your own assessment and be aware of any potential problems that you are not equipped to handle. You are the only one who knows how much time or energy you can spend on training, and you are the one who is responsible for the safety of your children and other pets. For these reasons, do your own temperament testing before you agree to take a dog home, and find out if they will accept the dog back if the adoption doesn’t work out. Don’t leave all decisions to the rescue volunteers.

The organization will try to help you decide if the breed is really right for you, and may advise you to find a different breed if they really don’t think you have the situation or experience for their particular breed. They may also ask probing questions to find out if you can accept any problem behaviors caused by previous owners and any breed characteristics that may be somewhat challenging.

If the animal has behavioral problems such as chewing or submissive piddling when confronted by a stranger, they may be able to give you advice on how to deal with it once the dog is in your home. And if the animal has medical problems they will give you information about the illness and the necessary care.
Expect the entire adoption process, from original application to the day you bring your new dog home, to take weeks or even months, while the organization finds the right dog for your household.

• Adopt a dog from private and no-kill shelters

Because private shelters are private, it is difficult to make generalizations about them. Even the term “no-kill” can mean different things to different shelter owners. The level of financing may vary drastically, depending on the owner’s ability to locate funds through grants and donations. And the way the animals are housed and cared for can run the gamut from both good and bad extremes. As with government-funded shelters, it is best to ask as many questions as you can.

Some no-kill shelters have long waiting lists before any dog can be given to them, due to lack of space – and much of the space they do have is being occupied by animals that have been there for months, or even years. If the animals have been kept kenneled, and are not properly socialized, their stay may become permanent. Always ask why an animal has been at any shelter longer than three weeks, and ask if it has ever been adopted and returned.

Some no-kill shelters manage to house only sound, adoptable dogs because they temperament test the dogs before they accept them. If the dogs don’t pass the test, they are turned away.

You may want to call the shelter before your visit and ask some friendly questions that will give you an idea of their philosophy. Some private shelters do a wonderful job of matching good dogs to the right owners. Others are run by people who have no training in animal behavior, do no temperament testing, and assume that any problem behavior can be overcome by a devoted owner. A shelter run by people who really believe that “there are no bad dogs” may be a good shelter to avoid if you aren’t experienced with assessing a dog’s personality and temperament on your own.

Some “shelters” are no more than store-fronts or private back yards where the animals are housed in crowded, unclean conditions. This doesn’t mean that the animals are not good prospects for adoption, but it will mean that the dogs have not had medical check-ups and may have been exposed to viral and bacterial infections because of the crowded conditions. The people who own these private rescue “shelters,” for lack of a better word, have big hearts, but may not be truly acting in the dogs’ best interest. Don’t let your heart go out to these animals just because you want them to live in a better, cleaner home – unless the dog really is the kind of dog you want.

• Adopt a dog through newspaper ads

People who can no longer care for their beloved pets will often sell them or give them away through newspaper ads. Ads are often the only way to find an older small dog, especially in large cities.

The reasons for letting a dog go to another home can be as varied as human experience –

• The parents lost their jobs and the bank foreclosed on their home;

• The children grew up and moved away, and their dog is miserable without kids;

• The family can’t afford to feed the dog or take it for its checkups, and they care too much about the dog to keep it;

• The dog nips at children, but seems loving and safe around older people;

• The dog has chewed up all the linoleum on the kitchen floor, and is now starting in on the bedroom carpets;

• The dog escapes from every fence, no matter how high or strong, and the owners are tired of paying the fees to animal control;

• The dog has bitten one of their kids or the neighbor’s kid, and they want to get rid of him before they get sued;

• The dog has grown into a dominating animal that cannot be controlled except by professional dog handlers.

In other words, the reasons for giving away a dog can be anything – really. Finding out the reason that a dog needs a new home is not always easy. “He needs more room to run” can mean he needs a more active household and his owners realize it isn’t fair to keep him in an environment where he isn’t happy. Or it can mean the dog is showing his frustration with the lack of exercise by digging up the owner’s prize roses. Or it can mean he needs a few thousand acres to run in because no fence can keep him in.

“He’s not good with kids” can mean his large, loving bulk is intimidating to the family’s small children who are not used to dogs; it can mean that the dog is capable of being trained to not jump on the kids he loves, but no one has taken the time to do it; it can mean he’s a herding dog who tries to keep the owner’s kids, and all the neighbor’s kids, rounded up in a corner of the yard; or it can mean that he bites or nips. Be sure and find out before you take him home. A dog that bites or nips kids will probably be just as willing to bite an adult if he feels like it – and you wouldn’t want him biting or nipping your grandchildren or the kids next door, even if you don’t have any kids of your own.

“He’s too big” can mean that the dog is a mutt born to a small mother, but who surprised his owners when he grew into a medium or large sized dog, like his dad. It can mean that he’s a giant lap dog living with a human who wants a lap dog – but who wants one that actually fits on her lap. Or it can mean that the dog is assertive or dominant, and his size makes it even harder to control him.

While you’re meeting your potential new dog, look around and see if there’s any evidence that he has lived inside the house, if you’re looking for a dog that can share your home with you.

Dog toys, dog beds, dishes and other paraphernalia will be scattered around most houses with house dogs. If the dog has been tied to a short chain in the back yard it doesn’t mean he isn’t a good dog – but it may mean he isn’t house trained, and it may mean he wasn’t played with and socialized when he was young. It also may mean he isn’t neutered (or spayed it it’s a bitch) and may not have his shots or recent medical checkup. Again, it may not mean it isn’t a good dog – the dog has no control over his humans. But if he is a strictly outside dog, find out why.

Some people don’t believe in having dogs inside their house. Others tie their dog as far away from the house as possible to keep them from biting the kids – and there are hundreds of variations in between. If it looks like the dog you want, find out as much as you can, and do your own temperament testing before you take him home.

If the family really is giving up a beloved pet because they can no longer keep him for reason outside their control, it may feel like you’re stealing their best friend. If, on the other hand, the family is showing only relief because someone has come to take this mutt off their hands, be sure to do some more research. You might even want to talk to the dog’s neighbors. You have either found a family that thought they wanted a dog, but discovered that they don’t actually like dogs – even the wonderful, well-behaved dog they are now finding a new home for. Or they could have a true problem dog that should be put down, but they don’t have the heart to do it. Make sure you know what you’re getting into.

• Adopt a dog from breeders

Breeders with adult animals for sale can be puppy mills going out of business or professional, ethical businesses that raise specialized and trained animals to responsible owners only. And they can fall somewhere in between. Anyone who owns an intact bitch that becomes pregnant can be called a “breeder.”

Many responsible breeders of purebred dogs retire their breeding stock after a few years, out of respect for the dog. If these animals have been living in close proximity to people all their lives, rather than being kenneled, they can be wonderful companions for your family. The breeder will be knowledgeable about any genetic diseases that are common to the breed, and will have tested your dog before it was ever allowed to have puppies. Many breeders take their responsibility to their animals very seriously, and are picky about who they sell their dogs to.

You can also occasionally find breeders who have sound, healthy dogs for sale simply because they couldn’t find buyers for all the pups in a litter. Once they pass the cute 8 to 10 week stage, many people pass them by. These dogs, if they have been raised with their mothers and with the humans who own them, can make wonderful pets.

Some breeders, especially those specializing in hunting dogs, will sell adult animals that have already started their training. If you need or want a trained hunting partner, be prepared to pay a premium for him.

These breeders may also have “pet quality” dogs that have no talent for the job they were bred for. These dogs can be wonderful pets if they aren’t too high strung. Call around to the local breeders (you can find them in the Yellow Pages or over the Internet) and ask them if they ever sell their adult dogs for pets.

• Other options

If you look high and low for your perfect dog and you can’t find him at the local shelters, breed rescue groups or through the newspaper, you may want to go online and expand your search.

If you need a smaller people-oriented dog but your local shelter has only Rottweilers, Akitas, Chows and Pit Bulls, you may have better luck in a rural shelter. People who live in small towns and on farms don’t tend to buy the big guard dogs, but they also don’t necessarily take their dogs to the vet as often as their big-city cousins, and many rural dogs aren’t spayed or neutered.

Although one would think that rural shelters would have only farm-type shepherds and collies, I did a simple search on the Internet and found that this isn’t the case at all.

I recently checked several rural animal shelters to see what type of dog they had available. The first shelter I looked at had terrier crosses, beagles, and a number of small mixes that defy easy categorization but would still make wonderful pets. Some shelters do not allow out-of-area adoptions, but many others are more than happy to find homes for their dogs, no matter where they’ll end up living.

Also search for breed rescue organizations in other cities and states. They may be willing to place a dog in your home, especially if you want a senior dog that may be more difficult for them to find a home for. Some will say no, so be sure to enter into a conversation, either by phone or email, before you make the trip.
You can also look closer to home by going back to Google.com and typing in the name of your city plus the breed of dog you’re looking for. If you want a mixed breed, just type in your city and the word “dog”.

Another good Internet source for dogs owned by private parties is Craig’s List, which you can find online at http://www.craigslist.org/. This non-profit Internet want-ad service started appears to have started in San Francisco, but is now a nationwide online community. A recent ad offered the following dog in Oregon:

The nice thing about Craig’s List is that you can actually watch for a few days and see what happens to the dogs and cats that are sold or given away. This beagle, for instance, found a home within a day of the ad placement.

On the day that I found the beagle ad shown above, I also found a scathing post in the list from someone who believes strongly that no one should ever adopt a dog if they can’t keep it forever. This person was incensed that people advertise dogs that they can no longer keep because they have to move. She said “Don’t get an animal if you can’t truly take care of them for the rest of their life!” (She actually typed it in all caps, but we know that isn’t polite.)

Well, this person has obviously never found herself without a job because her company just hired an offshore firm to do her work for half the price. She hasn’t been divorced, and had the choice of feeding her kids or feeding her dog. She doesn’t realize that it isn’t always possible to predict the way your own life will turn out. Very few pet owners are so heatless that they willingly “dump” their pets (although one has to admit there are a few).

She must also not believe that some dogs would appreciate making a move to a home where their own personalities are better appreciated. Some dogs can really shine in someone else’s home, and giving it an opportunity to be somewhere else can sometimes be a compassionate thing to do.

Fortunately, there is often someone, perhaps someone like you, who is in a better position to love and care for the animal than its original owner.

Barking is a perfectly “normal” behavior in dogs. They communicate with each other, and with us, by barking, howling, grunting, whining, and many noisy combinations of those sounds.

Some dogs are more prone to excessive barking than other breeds, and some dogs have been inadvertently trained to bark. Other dogs are left alone in boring surroundings and their endless barking appears to be annoying only to the neighbors. If a dog’s bark is too screechy or loud, or if the owner (or neighbor) simply can’t get it to stop, the mutt may end up at the local Humane Society. This is unfortunate, because this behavior can be corrected.

Two types of bark collars were designed for just this problem.

I wish this product had been available sooner, because it may have helped correct Heidi’s barking problem. When my mother passed away I inherited Heidi, her gentle, loving miniature Schnauzer. Heidi had been raised in the country with a fenced back yard surrounded by acres of trees. In her first home she barked only when a visitor drove up the driveway. Her barks were actually useful, and caused no problems to my retired parents.

In my home in the city, Heidi “announced” every human, dog, or cat that walked by on the sidewalk. Every fire siren drove her into hysterics. Neighbors taking their garbage out to the alley? Heidi let me know. Her need to bark at all these worrisome strangers was so intense that she continued to make muffled noises even if her muzzle was held shut by her frustrated new owner. She was soon transferred to my brother’s house, in the country. With two other dogs to play with, and no close neighbors, her barking was no longer a problem.

Clearly, environment can matter. Proper training methods can certainly help (I admit that none of my amateur training methods were helpful with Heidi – a professional may have been able to train me to train her to stop barking). It also helps to make sure that the dog has plenty of play time, and is never completely alone. I don’t know if a bark collar would have worked with Heidi, since they are a fairly new invention, but I wish I could buy one for the dog who lives across the street.

There are two types of bark collars.

An electrical bark collar works by emitting a warning tone or vibration when the dog first begins to bark. If the warning is ignored the collar then gives a correcting shock. The collar can be adjusted to vary the strength of the correction, and you would naturally use the lowest level that works. Some breeds have very high pain tolerance, such as the traditional fighting breeds, and this must be taken into account.

The other type of bark collar is called the Premier Gentle Spray Bark Control Pet Training System The Gentle Spray collar helps stop excessive barking without a shock, and may work even with dogs who ignore the electric collar. When the dog barks, a burst of all natural citronella spray is emitted from the dog collar. While not harmful, it is a sufficient deterrent to excessive barking. Dogs don’t like the hissing noise that comes from the collar, and they don’t like the smell of the citronella.

Both types of collars need to be used with human supervision, and you will want to make sure that any environmental cause, such as deadly boredom, has been corrected.

Training an older dog can be a challenge, especially if you find him at the local shelter – but training can also be fun for both of you. You may be thinking that adopting an older dog will be taking on someone else’s problems – and if you aren’t careful, that can obviously be true.

However, if you take some care to find an older dog from a breed group that fits with your personality, and make sure to take the time to assess his temperament before you ever take him home, you will have a solid base for any future training. And of course it will help tremendously if you have previous dog training experience, or if you’ve taken the time to learn a good dog training program before you adopt your new dog.

Once you bring your older dog home for the first time, you will want to begin training immediately. You will begin by building a bond with your new dog. For this section I’ve reprinted an article by Adam G. Katz, the creator of Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.

How To “Build The Bond” With Your Dog!

Copyright 1999 By Adam G. Katz
http://www.dogproblems.com

Building the bond with your dog is really quite easy. If you recognize that you have a relationship with your dog, then building the bond comes down to nothing more than increasing the strength of that relationship.

And as with any relationship, building a bond requires:

1.) Spending quality time together.

2.) Getting out in the world and experiencing life together.

3.) Establishing and promoting a level of mutual respect.

4.) Developing a way of communicating so that both individuals understand the other’s needs. (Hmmm… maybe I should be writing self-help books for humans???)

Let’s take a look at each of these key points to see how they can have a positive affect on your daily dog training:

1.) Spending quality time together.

Spending quality time together does not mean sharing a beer with Fido while the two of you lay in front of the television. Well, okay… maybe it does.

But more importantly, it means committing to a series of rituals and behaviors that you and your dog can look forward to.

For example, I often throw Forbes (the Pit Bull) in the back of the truck when I wake up in the morning and we go for a drive down to the local McDonald’s Drive-thru. For most of the drive, Forbes is either still wiping the sleep out of his eyes, or he’s doing the guard dog routine if someone walks up to the back of the truck.

But the highlight of this morning ritual begins when we get home. It’s Forbes’ job to hop out of the back of the truck and take the empty McDonald’s brown paper bag in his mouth, walk down the drive way, around the gate, into the back yard, and then over to the trash can… where he drops the bag.

Sure, it’s a stupid pet trick. But see how disappointed the dog is when *I* insist on carrying the bag to the trash can!

From the dog’s point of view, it’s the 30 or 40 little things throughout the day (that he can help me with) that make his life worth living. And for the dog, this is spending quality. It all boils down to being an active participant in each other’s lives.

2.) Getting out in the world and experiencing life together:

It had been years since Bud and Janice’s kids had grown and left the house for college and later, corporate jobs. Bud had wanted a dog for several months and Janice finally gave in.

They decided to adopt a beautiful 5 year-old Golden Retriever and proceeded to train “Mac,” using many of the techniques I describe in my book, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” (To learn more about this book, go to http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm ).

Janice got scared when Bud came back from his first walk around the neighborhood with “Mac” and ran into the house yelling, “Janice! Janice! You won’t believe what happened!!!”

“Oh my gawd,” though Janice, thinking that perhaps “Mac” had bitten a child, or run away.

“What happened?” Janice questioned her husband.

“You won’t believe it, Janice,” said Bud, “I took ‘Mac’ for a walk… AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME UP AND TALKED TO ME!!!”

Imagine that! Here’s a guy who had lived in the same neighborhood for eight years and didn’t know any of his neighbors until he got a dog and started taking it for walks. Dogs are a wonderful excuse to get you out of the house and interacting with the world around you.

It’s also one of the many reasons that handicapped people like owning service dogs… because it makes it easier for other people to come up and start a conversation.

And do you think that “Mac” minded all of the attention? Absolutely not.

As a matter of fact, I think that my dog Forbes is happiest when we’re out in the world, meeting new people and experiencing new things together. Two best friends, out on the town.

You should see the look on Forbes’ face when two or three beautiful women walk up and start rubbing his belly.

Even better… you should see the look on my face!

3.) Establishing and promoting a level of mutual respect.

Just like with any relationship, there must be mutual trust and respect.

Trust comes with time, and proving to your dog that you will keep him safe and happy.

Respect, just like with human relationships, comes from establishing boundaries and treating any breach of those boundaries with firmness and fairness. Without enforceable boundaries, there is no respect. And when there is no respect, your relationship with your dog will be out of balance. And trust me, when your relationship with your dog is out of balance… nobody’s having fun.

4.) Developing a way of communicating so that both individuals understand the other’s needs.

Developing a way of communicating gets back to laying a proper foundation with your dog training. And this relates specifically to making your praise and your corrections motivational.

Once your dog understands clearly when he’s doing something RIGHT… and when he’s doing something WRONG… a magical thing starts to happen. You find that you are actually COMMUNICATING!!!

And being able to communicate with your dog is what allows you to go anywhere and do anything with your dog and know that he’ll listen to you.

There are four primary ways that dogs communicate with us, and with each other:

1.) Body language.

2.) Vocal tonation and voice inflection.

3.) Touch.

4.) Scent.

All of my dog training techniques try to incorporate as many of these elements as possible. In sum, you can think of dog training as a word that can be easily substituted for the word, “communication.”

Do you want to be able to take your dog anywhere, and KNOW that he’ll listen to you… even if tempted by another dog, a cat, or even a piece of food??? Then check out: “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History!” By Adam G. Katz, Owner of South Bay K-9 Academy and Dog Problems.com. For more information, go to: http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm

Dog Behavior – Once you fully understand why you need a dog, and have assessed the space where your dog will be living, it’s time to consider the doggy traits and behaviors that you absolutely can’t live with. It’s important to know this before you ever get a dog. Take out a second piece of paper and write down the things that you really don’t want your new dog to do.

Unacceptable behaviors, in any family:

If you have children (or even if you don’t) a vicious dog is an obvious example. Even nippers can leave children with a life-long distaste for dogs. An overly shy dog would also be a poor choice, because fear biters can be as dangerous as an aggressive animal. Dogs have teeth, and it takes only a few seconds for a child to be scarred for life, emotionally and physically. There are so many temperamentally sound dogs available in your local shelter that it simply doesn’t make sense to choose one that could end up hurting someone. For that reason, almost all animal shelters will test their animals and will not allow unsound dogs to be adopted out.

Irritating behaviors that might change with good training

Other unacceptable behaviors can include excessive digging if you have a beautifully landscaped yard, chewing if you have nice furniture, yapping or barking that keeps you, and the neighbors, awake at night. It can also include dominant behaviors such as an unwillingness to follow the lead of any human in the house, or a need to dominate the children or women who live there. If the dog needs to be taken for walks, he needs to accept a leash and the direction of his owners. If he won’t, the walks will be miserable experiences for the human he drags behind him. Some dogs can’t walk on a lead because no one ever taught them how. Some refuse to learn. Any of these irritating behaviors can be “fixed” with patient, appropriate training.

Breed characteristics that may include behaviors that are unacceptable in your household

If you have children you may not want your new dog to exhibit classic herding behaviors that cause some dogs to nip at the flank of the kids in their “flock.” This is a characteristic of many herding breeds, so they need to be trained from the start that children are not to be treated like sheep.

You may not want a dog that is so loyal to your children that it mistakenly assumes the neighbor’s child is picking on yours – a little fun roughhousing between boys can lead to a bite on the friend’s rear end if your dog is overprotective. Australian shepherds are famous for taking their child-guarding job a bit too seriously, but they are by no means the only ones. Patient training can help the dog to discern real threats from a playful push or shove.

Housebreaking issues

Many people choose an older dog instead of a puppy to avoid the hassle of housebreaking their new dog. Unfortunately, some older dogs have never been inside a house, especially if they are retiring from a puppy mill or if they’ve been tied in someone’s back yard. If they’ve been poorly bred, as many toy dogs are, or if they’ve been forced to spend their lives in a small, dirty space, the concept of “doing it outside” may be difficult to explain to your new dog.

Other small dogs have been indoor pets living with people who accepted their poor bathroom habits (don’t ask me why.) Their time for easy housetraining may be long past. If the small dog’s owner can no longer care for the pet, the new owner may need to either find a very good trainer, or accept an occasional “accident.”

What prejudices do you have, from past experience with dogs?

Before adopting a new dog, consider your own prejudices about dogs, and respect them. There may be specific traits, behaviors, or even breeds that you just don’t want to live with. You may not want a dog with long hair, for instance, because the shedding and grooming don’t appeal to you. If you don’t want a long-haired dog, know that in advance – there’s no point in bringing home a Yorkie and then finding out that you can’t spend the hours it takes to keep the beautiful coat in good condition. If you think bulldogs are ugly, bring home something else. You get the point.

You may not want a specific breed because you were frightened by a dog of that breed when you were a child. I’m not fond of cockapoos and dachshunds for that reason, myself.

My brother and his wife have four dogs on their farm, of four different tailless breeds. They don’t want a shaggy tail dragging mud into their house, or knocking things off the coffee table.

I once met a Labrador retriever who presented me with a six-foot long 2X4 and begged me to play fetch. When I didn’t respond quickly enough, I got whanged in the shins with the Lab’s “stick.” I have held on to a prejudice against Labs ever since – it isn’t reasonable, but it’s there.

If you have such a prejudice, let it be – there are hundreds of other breeds out there. If you really don’t like or can’t tolerate a dog because of past experiences, there’s nothing wrong with admitting it.

Making your list, before you visit the local animal shelter

Once you’ve created a list of unwanted behaviors, put a checkmark next to any behaviors that could be changed with training. And remember – we’re talking about you doing the training unless you’re willing (and can afford) a professional dog trainer who can handle problem dogs.

Try to be as realistic as possible – an older dog can be housebroken, but it isn’t easy, and it may not happen until the carpets need to be replaced. A husky that was allowed to pull his former owner across the park at breakneck speed can be taught to heal in a civilized manner by a skilled and patient trainer – but can you do it yourself, or are you willing to hire a professional?

Remember – the world is awash in dogs. There is no reason to accept behaviors or traits that you don’t like, since the perfect dog is out there, willing and desperate to share your home. You may have to do some fine-tuning with additional training, but a complete makeover shouldn’t be necessary. It may not even be possible.

The time to buy and study a book on obedience training is actually before you find your dog. Take the time to go through several books at the local bookshop, and find a dog training book that has a philosophy that appeals to you.

You may find that the process of training a fine dog is as enjoyable as any other creative pursuit. You’ll certainly get a fine understanding of what is involved in the process of helping your new dog learn his new rules. These books will also give a good idea of how much is involved in re-training a dog who has learned problem behaviors, and what is involved in the process of working with an aggressive or dominant dog. Armed with this information, you’ll be better able to choose a dog that falls within your own scope of expertise.

Why some dog adoptions don’t work out.

If all dog adoptions worked out well, there would be very few dogs at the local shelter. Unfortunately, there are times when the dog you bring home turns out to be the wrong dog for your family. This could be caused by choosing a dog breed with the wrong characteristics and temperament, or by choosing an animal that simply has more energy than you do.

Perhaps the most common reason for failed dog adoptions is the new dog’s boredom – the animal simply doesn’t have enough to do, is left alone too long, or it isn’t given the kind of attention and training that he needs. When this happens, the dog looks for something to do – and it isn’t usually what people want him to do.

Most dogs have been bred to work.

Today our cities and suburbs are filled with working dogs that are out of work. These unemployed canines dig, bark, escape – and occasionally terrorize their neighbors. Many end up at the pound or get put down because they are quite simply the wrong dog in the wrong place.

Therefore, it is extremely important to match your future dog, whether it will be a puppy or full-grown animal, to the job you have for it to do. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t have a collie unless you own sheep, or that you shouldn’t own a Rottweiler unless you own a castle. Even a lap dog doesn’t need to be small – many Labrador retrievers would be happy to fill that role. But it is important to have something to do that your new dog will excel at, and their adaptability to your situation will depend, in large part, on their genes.

Suburban jobs for a dog may be chasing the Frisbee, jogging with their owners, going for rides in the car, or warming your feet while you watch TV. You can find a dog from the classic working breeds, or a mutt with working ancestry, who will be willing and able to play whatever role you may have in mind for it. Just don’t get an English bulldog if you want him to win the local Frisbee competition – or if you need a running partner.

And don’t get a well-bred, top-of-the line Weimeraner if you can’t spend at least an hour a day giving him strenuous exercise. If you like the looks and personality of a Weimeraner, but need him for less enthusiastic and energetic pursuits than hunting game, find that rare dog that has little talent for hunting but a great temperament. (The local Weimeraner breeder will be happy to sell you a pet that can’t cut it in the hunting trials.) Even better, get a senior dog that has slowed down enough to match your own energy level. See how it works?

Need a slower dog? Get an older dog.

This issue of energy level is a particularly good reason for buying a used dog, especially a senior dog that is ready to retire from the job he was bred to do. Even greyhounds slow down a little when they get older. An older dog ready for retirement will give you many years of love and affection, and he’ll be able to live gracefully in a home that would bore a younger dog to distraction.

This is an especially important consideration if you need a house-dog but you don’t really want one of the companion dogs that were originally developed to entertain the women in royal households. If you have your heart set on a larger dog, but its only job will be keeping you company as you work on your computer or watch TV, an older dog may be the only one that can do the job without going slightly insane.

When the dogs and their people don’t match, and their needs are too different, the dogs often end up looking for new owners. The adoption seemed like such a good idea in the beginning, for both human and dog – but reality has a way of interfering with the best of our fantasies.

But even if you’ve had a bad experience with a dog in the past, the right one is still out there, waiting for you to take him home and give him the chance to be that once-in-a-lifetime dog. You have the job, he’s got the talent and the personality to do it right – you’ve got a match made in heaven.

Why your new dog’s breed characteristics and temperament are so important.

There are two basic factors in a dog’s behavior. He will have breed characteristics – an instinctive urge to do a particular job well (or poorly, depending on his makeup) and he will have a temperament. Both his working characteristics, or “talent” if you will, and his temperament can be observed and tested as he gets older. With a family pet, the temperament part of his personality is far more important than his inborn talent for hunting or herding.

Temperament is much like personality in humans. A dog’s temperament determines the way he reacts to his environment – whether he’s basically laid back or if he always needs to be the boss; whether he enjoys the company of humans and at least tries to please his master, or if he acts like he has no interest in humans at all; whether he can tolerate the presence of other dogs or if he surges to the attack at the first sight of another canine.

Some dogs, like some people, always seem to be angry and looking for a fight, while others are so shy they can barely tolerate noise or strangers. And between these extremes is every imaginable variation.

A puppy is born with a genetic blueprint that determines, to a very large extent, the kind of temperament he will have when he becomes a dog. There is such a vast amount of genetic variation in dogs that littermates can have opposite personalities and temperaments, in spite of years of extensive breeding.

We can get better odds, (at least in theory) with purebred puppies, which will hopefully grow into certain breed characteristics. But purebreds are often bred for looks rather than brains or personality, and even inbred strains can have “throw-backs” that don’t act true to the breed. They also can be over-bred, and inbred, causing the expensive and heartbreaking variety of genetic illnesses in many purebred strains, and the nippy, fussy and sometimes dangerous temperament swings in previously docile and loving breeds.

The mixed-up cute and cuddly mutt from the neighbor’s back yard could literally turn into just about anything, personality-wise, when he grows up. Sometimes that means a wonderfully welcome surprise, and other times it can be true cause for alarm.

A shepherd raising a litter of Border collies will find that no matter how loyal or skilled the dam and sire may be, there will still be puppies from each litter that aren’t as talented in herding sheep. In rare instances a shepherd can even wake up to his worst nightmare – a pup that has grown into a killer of sheep. A dog that doesn’t herd very well would make a perfect pet, but a fearful or aggressive dog is a dangerous dog, on a farm or in your living room.

But isn’t it possible to tell how a pup will turn out, if you meet his parents, treat him well, and train him right? Actually, until your pup has grown into adulthood you won’t know exactly what temperament he will have. Although there are some behavioral tests you can use to choose an 8-week old puppy, some true problem temperaments don’t appear until the dog is old enough for all his hormones to kick in. Unfortunately, by that time you’ve spent almost a year loving this animal, and it’s difficult to know what to do if he turns out very differently than you expected.

A friend of mine, an intelligent woman who loves her children, still kept an aggressive Rottweiler until the city (and a frightened neighbor) made her give it up. Her reluctance is understandable. When we raise puppies we come to love them almost as much as our own kids – and as any mother with a problem child will tell you, you go on making excuses for those you love as long as you possibly can.

Even if a puppy doesn’t become a menace to the neighborhood he can grow into a personality that doesn’t quite “fit” with your own. We buy puppies based on our expectations, hopes and fantasies of what we want in a dog, and we pray that this puppy will become the dog we have been waiting for. A puppy is pure potential – like a wrapped Christmas present that can be the electric train we’ve always wanted – or another purple paisley tie.

On the other hand, an adult dog has already grown into his personality, and his temperament can be tested before you bring him home.

If you’re thinking of adopting a dog, please consider an older dog from your local animal shelter.

There are hundreds of reasons why you might want a dog for your household, and there are many reasons why that dog should come to you full-grown.

• Puppies are a lot of work

If you are older, the rambunctious energy of a puppy could be so overwhelming that you simply won’t be able to tolerate it. And a puppy underfoot may not be safe if you have any physical limitations. A senior dog will have many years of love left, and will enjoy sitting in front of the fire or lying at your feet. For an older person, an 8-year-old dog (or even older) may be the only rational choice.

Even if you’re younger, fully-grown dogs have much to recommend them. For instance, if an adult dog has been properly socialized in his previous environment he will come to your home house trained and civilized. If you have children to care for or if you work during the day, potty training a puppy could be that one extra job that you simply don’t have time or patience for. Some older dogs are not housebroken, though, so this is something that you should ask about when you’re picking out your dog.

• Dogs can encourage you to get healthy exercise

If you’re looking for a partner to help you train for the marathon, you’ll need an older dog. A puppy takes time to grow up, and your race will be over before he’s old enough to help you train. Here in Portland the Humane Society volunteers take the shelter dogs running with them, and they score the dogs’ behavior to help future owners choose the perfect fitness partner. Your local shelter may have a similar program. If you buy an older dog today, he can accompany you on your run tomorrow morning. You can’t do that with a pup.

Even if you aren’t an athlete, walking has been shown to be one of the best exercises for weight loss and health. Unfortunately, we don’t get out and walk very much – and our waistlines show it. If you need some motivation to get out and walk, an older dog will provide this on the first day he comes home.

• Older dogs may already be trained and civilized

Many older dogs have been trained to walk on a leash and come when called. In fact, you may find a dog with even more specialized training in hunting, agility, or other pursuits, even at the pound.

My Border collie, for instance, was a master Frisbee herder with 9 years of experience in the trade before I brought her home from the pound. She also knew how to sit, stay, come, roll over (but only half-way), and was willing to learn new commands when she moved into my house. The idea that old dogs can’t learn new tricks is only true of those dogs who didn’t have the opportunity to “learn how to learn” when they were younger. Like people, most dogs can go on learning through old age.

If you need an older dog with specialized skills, you may want to contact a local breeder or breed rescue organization to see if they have the dog you need.

Even if you just want a friend or companion, an older dog may be a better choice than a puppy. If you choose the right dog, he’ll meet your needs immediately, without the fuss and bother that comes with a pup.

• Older dogs can offer comfort and emotional support

Many people have found that an older dog can offer wonderful emotional support, exactly when you need it. A dog (or cat) can help you through a depressing time in your life, stand by your side while you recover from a major illness, or give you someone to care about when you need to take your mind off your own problems.

Dianne found her perfect companion in the local animal shelter. Oscar, an Airedale-wolfhound cross, gave Dianne the companionship she needed after the loss of her husband, and then happily re-adjusted when Dianne met and married my father. A puppy could not have done the same job because Dianne works, (as most of us do), and she would not have had the time or energy for a puppy. She needed a friend, and a partner – Oscar was ready and willing to play that role, right from the start.

• Known characteristics and temperament- one of the best reasons to get an adult dog

There is another very important reason for finding an older dog, rather than starting from “scratch” with a puppy, but if you aren’t a professional dog handler you may not have thought of it.

As Lora Goode, an animal care technician for Multnomah County Animal Control puts it, “With an older dog, what you see is what you get.” That cute little puppy, on the other hand, may grow into a dog that you didn’t expect, and may not want – he may even become an animal that you can’t afford to keep.

No matter how carefully you raise a puppy, much of his behavior and temperament is “hard wired” by his genetic makeup. We don’t want to believe this – we want to believe that our pup will grow into a perfect dog if we just love him enough. And we also want to believe that the snarling or cringing beast we see at the local animal shelter got that way because someone was mean to him. Or maybe the poor dog just needs some more training. But it just ain’t so.

Sue Sternberg, an author, shelter owner and dog temperament expert, uses an excellent analogy in her book Successful Dog Adoption. She points out that Theodore Kaczynski was raised by loving parents and educated at Harvard before becoming the serial killer known as the Una-bomber. Some people, and some dogs, are not safe. Your local humane society can help you choose a safe and loving companion for your family.

I recently visited the local Humane Society, and it reminded me of the most difficult problem you experience when choosing a “used” dog. It’s a canine version of “false advertising.”

The quietest dog in the kennel could turn into the most exuberant barker in your neighborhood, once it settles in. The friendliest dog may just be begging to be uncaged – and he may be just as eager to find his way out of your yard and into trouble. The dog that looks the biggest and baddest may be a couch potato who licks your cats instead of chasing them, and who will be far happier on your lap (although he couldn’t possibly fit) than in the back yard.

It’s easy to take home the dog you think will be perfect, based on past experiences with other dogs, while the pooch you really need, (and who really needs you), was never noticed.

So how do you get to know the dogs well enough to choose the right one? By getting to know the people at the pound.

Anyone who works or volunteers at an animal shelter is deeply in love with animals. They know that finding the wrong home could be just as traumatic for their dogs as not finding a home at all.

For that reason, they will be honest if you ask about a particular mutt in their care. They’ll want you to know every idiosyncrasy, every strange habit, every destructive or inconvenient behavior. They won’t just tell you the good things about the dog, because they don’t want you to be surprised when you get your new dog home.

Even better than finding a dog and then asking about his history and temperament is to find a person at the shelter that you trust and ask him or her to watch for the perfect canine companion. Let this person know what type of personality you’re looking for, the perfect age, and the level of training you would like your new dog to have before you adopt him. Also share a bit about yourself – your age, your expectations, your limitations. Call back regularly to let the shelter know that you’re serious about finding the perfect dog for you, and they’ll call you when “your” dog walks through the receiving door.

My stepmother used this technique to find Oscar, a Wolfhound/Airedale cross who was a perfect fit in her household. If she were looking on her own, the size of this big-hearted mutt could have turned her away – but the shelter folks knew that Oscar belonged in her home, and she trusted them enough to begin a long and successful relationship. He finally passed away 4 years ago, and he is still sorely missed.