ASSESSMENT MEANS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR GOAL IS AND WHAT SKILLS YOU AND YOUR DOG ALREADY HAVE.

THEN USE THE CONCLUSIONS OF YOUR ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE YOUR HUMAN-DOG RELATIONSHIP.

Lucky (and wise) the person who asked a lot before getting a pooch. Being honest about your motivations for sharing your life with a dog is one of the best ways to prevent future problems. Asking yourself the right questions why you want a dog, combined with research into different breeds and some investigative work into breeders and humane societies almost guarantees that you and your dog will not be mismatched. And trust me, it is much easier to raise a pup or bond with a rescue dog when you are in love with her.

Silvia offers a training the Rookie package for non-dog owners.

If you missed that, don't beat yourself up. It is never too late to turn things around and have a rewarding relationship with your dog, even if you made mistakes before and after the purchase.

The after-the-fact assessment also includes you and your dog. For you it means to find out what you are able to do. What are the possibilities: financially, emotionally, mentally and physically. Be very clear and honest about it. If you are only able to give 70%, that is okay - don't feel guilty - but don't expect your dog to make up the rest. To have clarity takes the pressure off you - and your dog. And that is a good place to work from.

Maybe you don't have the time work your Border Collie; maybe you are not a consistent enough leader for your Mastiff. But maybe you can afford to hire someone to help you; and, in some cases, it might be wiser to look for a new home. Assessing honestly provides clarity.

Once you are done with yourself - the easy part, you need to figure out why your dog does what he does. What is his personality, what happened in the past (with the breeder, former owner, humane society or you), does his current living situation meet his breed specific and individual needs. Find out as much info as you can. Dogs never act without a reason. Finding the reason(s) guides you to the core, the cause for the behaviors you don't like. Then you can fix it. Accurately assessing your dog will again provide clarity.

You are probably clever enough to figure yourself out. All you need is to be honest. You might need some help figuring your dog out. Look for someone who is experienced.


Once you know what you want, what you can do, what you don't like and why your dog does things you don't like, you are ready to learn, your third step.


CONTACT SILVIA IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR TO LEAVE YOUR FEEDBACK. WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

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