by Gill Poisat
Rambo and Sambo enjoyed a comfortable life and lots of love from the time they came home as puppies until they were adults. Although they were well-trained and well-behaved, their family did not recognize a need to make the additional efforts to socialize them with new people or dogs. Rambo and Sambo didn’t realize that a world existed outside of their family walls, and that one day, they might need to be a part of it. In their eight years, they had never been anywhere except the safety of their own house, their own yard, and the vet down the street.
When Mom and Dad needed to move to assisted living, Rambo and Sambo needed a new place. Mom tried hard to find a good family for them, but they were terrified of new people. Two different couples wanted to adopt them, but the boys were too scared to bond with someone new. Sambo hid and cried, and Rambo bit anyone who came too near. Finally, they were surrendered to rescue, in the foster care of Jabula, who agreed to socialize the dogs so that they could be adopted.
When Rambo and Sambo arrived at Jabula, they wouldn't come out of their kennels. For a few days, someone had to carry them outside in their crates and place the crates into a run with their food and water. After the person left, they would peek out to see if it was safe. Eventually, they would come out to eat and go potty, and then get back into a crate to huddle together.
To begin to build their trust, Jabula staff began sit on the floor of the run in a non-confrontational way, holding very high-quality, yummy treats, a few times a day. We enticed them with the treats until, step by step, over a period of several days; the boys came closer to us. They began to allow us to pet them, only on the head at first. We would gently stroke their heads, while talking to them in a cheerful voice, giving them high quality treats all the while. (We had to reduce their regular food to make sure they didn’t gain any more weight – they were already chubby!)
Our next goal was to socialize the boys to other dogs. We slowly introduced them to other dogs, starting with smaller, gentler dogs that would not invade their space too much. When they got used to the calm dogs, we introduced them to progressively more energetic dogs. Then larger dogs. As they conquered one hurdle, we introduced them to the next.
Once they trusted us, we began to take every opportunity to introduce them to new people. All the "strangers" were loaded with yummy treats, so that Rambo and Sambo started to associate people with positive things. The process took several weeks, but we knew they had turned a corner when Sambo learned that a stranger can give good belly rubs! |
Today, Rambo and Sambo is a confident, cheerful, outgoing pair. They greet new people with wagging tails and smiles on their handsome faces. If a group of people are sitting in the Jabula office, they make the rounds to make sure they get a little lap time with each person. They are eager to play, and romp around joyfully. They love other dogs and spend a good part of their days in the back yard at Jabula, integrated into the doggie group. Rambo and Sambo have blossomed into a pair of comedians and are a delight to watch. They are ready for a new home and family. (And they still love belly rubs.)
Does your dog have issues at doggie daycare? Does he go crazy when you have a visitor at your home? Or has he just not learned good doggie manners? Don’t hide him away in a crate; socialize him and let him join the real world. To learn more about socializing your dog, please contact us at Jabula to set up a personal consultation. We offer private sessions, or your dog can spend the day with us, being matched with appropriate dogs to gradually build up his tolerance.
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