When I adopted my poodle from a foster home near Sarasota, Florida, she was badly in need of dog training. But obedience training wasn't all Lily needed. First and foremost, Lily needed a home.
Lily was a lucky girl. A foster family took her in after the puppy mill where she was a breeder abandoned her. Apparently she didn't perform well in their labradoodle breeding program. Her foster family took care of her for a month, cleaning her up and calming her down, before putting her up for adoption.
When I met Lily she was pink. I thought she was cute, but it turns out she was sick. An extreme flea infestation and poor nutrition turned her coat pink. It took months of quality dog food and grooming for Lily to regain her natural sandy white color.
While Lily's health was improving, I enrolled her in obedience training classes. Lily had several bad habits. I don't think she had lived in a house before her foster home, or even had a family, so she didn't exactly know the ropes. She was nervous, she didn't come when called, she pulled on the leash, and she didn't sit on command. But worst of all, Lily was a biter. When she met new people she approached them, circled around them, and bit them on the behind. It sounds funny, her butt biting, but it was serious. I knew we both could get in big trouble and I could even lose her if I couldn't stop her from biting.
Lily's foster mom told me about excellent dog training in Sarasota, but I lived too far away. So I asked the local pet store and they referred me to a dog trainer who held obedience training classes in the local park.
I wish I could say Lily was a star student. She got along well enough with the other adult dogs and the puppies, but her attention span was very limited. Because I had adopted rescued dogs before, I knew they often need an extraordinary amount of attention and care before they settle down, so I had reasonable expectations for the dog training. The dog trainer understood the special needs of rescued dogs and made excellent suggestions for training Lily and for generally improving her behavior.
Some dogs need more than one session of obedience training classes. I found it helpful to use a variety of training techniques and trainers. Dogs who are adopted as adults typically take six months to a year to adapt to their new homes, especially if their early years were difficult. That was certainly the case with Lily. It's two years since I adopted her. She sits like a charm. She still doesn't come, but she's better on the leash. She doesn't bite because I don't give her the opportunity. Most of all she is an adoring and cuddly member of the family.
Just the other day a fellow dog walker told me, as her basset hound pulled relentlessly on the leash, that she hadn't taken Leo to dog training and that Leo could not be trained. I don't believe that. Dog obedience classes aren't magic; they don't turn every dog into Lassie, but they can make the difference between a torturous tugging and a relaxing ramble.
