Temperament
For an adult dog,
particularly from a shelter, here are some questions to help you decide which
one(s) to potentially bring home, especially if you have children. If a
first-time dog owner, I would avoid dogs or puppies that don’t bring an
unequivocal “yes!” to the following questions:
1.
Is the dog friendly? At any point that your potential dog growls
or otherwise acts aggressively, move on; this dog is not the right one for
you. First, crouch down sideways outside
yet near the closed kennel run without looking directly at the dog. Look for a dog that seems relaxed and
interested in you. Turn to face the dog,
give it some eye contact, and check to make sure it still seems comfortable
with you. Stare briefly but intensely at
the dog and observe if there is any change in reaction; some dogs see eye
contact as a threat. Stand up, bend
forward with your hands on your knees and “loom” over the dog. Some dogs find this posture threatening. Is he still relaxed and friendly? If possible observe how the dog reacts to
people of the gender opposite to you and how he reacts to children. If the dog growls or gives you any other
reaction that makes you uncomfortable, move on.
Please realize that not every dog that barks at you is hostile; a dog
that barks and play-bows is probably just looking for attention, although he
may be a frequent barker, so you’ll need to think about whether you can live
with barking.
2.
Does the dog accept
handling? Ask to visit with the dog
in a visiting-room. If the dog seems
willing, crouch down and stroke him along the shoulder, chest, and sides. If he accepts this well, carefully check to
make sure he will accept handling in other areas, or, even better, ask the
shelter staff to demonstrate before you attempt to handle the dog in sensitive
areas yourself. Touches that can provoke
some dogs to bite are on top of the head, the ears, the tail/back end, and the
feet. Some dogs have been abused and
will react aggressively or fearfully if you grab them by their collars, because
they assume they are about to get a beating.
Will the dog allow you to open its mouth and briefly inspect its
teeth? If the dog seems to see you as no
threat when you crouch down, also make sure the dog is ok if you stand up and
lean over him. Please be sure the dog accepts handling well before bringing him
home or allowing any children near him!
If the dog handles poorly, keep looking.
3. Is the dog safe around toys? Most
shelters have toys available for the dogs’ use, or you may have to bring
your own. Check to see how playful and
excitable the dog is, and how quickly he calms down when playtime is over. Make sure the energy-levels are ones you can
live with. Remember that shelter dogs
are often starved for human contact, and most will seem very excited and
energetic when first brought to the petting room; give him some time before you
decide he’s “too hyper.” Carefully
remove his toy and see how the dog reacts.
If the dog does well with a toy like a ball or a stuffed toy, check how
he reacts to a higher-value toy like a rawhide. I see nothing wrong with a playful dog that
likes to play tug or keep-away; these behaviors can be managed with proper
training. But a dog that growls, snaps, or guards any toy by standing stiffly
over it or that otherwise seems aggressive about protecting and keeping its
toys, should be left alone. Keep
looking!
4.
Is the dog safe
around food? This should only be
checked if the dog has done well during the other exercises and you have
decided it is a potential candidate to take home. Ask the shelter staff or current owner how the dog is regarding food before
trying this one. It is best if the dog
is a little hungry. Offer the dog some
treats (palm open) and see if he takes them nicely. If the dog seems very polite, try offering the food between your fingers. Again, if the dog is polite, close your fist
around the treat and observe his reaction.
Nudging your hand or pawing at it a little is probably acceptable. Nipping at your fist or growling is not.
Some dogs will accept food from your hands but still protect a
food-bowl. Ask the shelter or rescue
group if the dog has been checked for food-bowl aggression using an
Assess-a-Hand or by some other safe means.
If the staff reports the dog is fine with a bowl, you might want to try
feeding it about a cup of kibble in its bowl to see how it reacts. Again, any signs of growling or guarding the
bowl should cause you to look for another dog. Food-bowl aggression is
very easy to prevent in dogs and will
be covered in later in the training section.
5.
Is the dog safe
with other animals? Even if you plan
to be a one-dog family, you will still encounter other animals (dogs and cats)
outside the home. You will need to
consider how important it is to you that the dog gets along with other
animals. It can be hard to assess how
comfortable a dog is around other dogs and cats in a kennel. The environment is stressful, and dogs often become more aggressive toward other dogs
due to isolation and the frustration of constantly seeing other dogs behind a
barrier. The shelter staff may be able
to give you an indication of how the dog behaves with other dogs and cats, but
read carefully the suggestions below for introducing your new dog to other
animals in your household and for keeping him confined.
6.
Is the dog safe
around children? I would certainly
make sure that the dog “passes” on questions #1-4 before introducing
children. Even if you have no children,
some may visit, or you may meet some on the street, so it is important to know
how the dog relates to humans of various sizes and ages. More details are given in a separate section
on introducing dogs and children, below.
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