Sat 20th Jan: Being reasonable in expectations

The "shorgi" is the one on the left

As expected, the young corgi-shiba cross was adopted in the morning and is now part of a happy three-dog family.   Other smaller dogs were picked up for fostering and Cindy was kept busy throughout the day with making arrangements, and hopefully at least one or maybe even two of the temporary homes may become permanent.

There are also at least a couple of Tai Po dogs on trial adoptions, and again hopefully with a change to adopted before too long.

Of course not all trial adoptions work out, and sometimes it's just that the dog isn't a good fit in that particular home, or the potential adopters realise that any dog isn't the right choice at this particular time.  Dogs come back with reports of not being toilet trained for example, then go to another home where they are perfectly clean, so it's obvious that the first match wasn't a happy one.  As I keep repeating, animals aren't machines that react to commands and situations in a specific way, and dogs are as varied in looks and behaviour as any child is.  They feel fear and stress, and pick up human traits and neuroses from their environment and families. Bad behaviour often reflects their owners' unhappiness, or is related to being left alone for very long hours for example.

No puppy is intentionally naughty, they don't even understand that concept

Puppies can't be expected to arrived perfectly toilet trained, any more than babies of the human kind don't have accidents even after they are out of diapers.  Just be reasonable and accept it for the unintentional mistake it was, clean up and carry on.  Puppies quickly become adults and this phase is very short-lived.

I suggest that even though dogs aren't humans and shouldn't be treated as such, it helps to ask "how would I feel in this situation" when there are problems with a new dog or puppy in the home.  If you can for a moment switch places and imagine how frightening it is to suddenly find yourself in a strange place with people you don't know, all trying hard to be nice to you or issuing commands and expecting an instant response, then you may want to take a step back and give some space.  Taking the pressure off really helps, and giving time for a dog to adjust without expectations is the best thing you can do. 

Teddy is a very typical poodle 

This applies particularly to highly-strung breeds like poodles, whose intelligence can also be their downfall.  Many poodles respond to inappropriate treatment by biting, but in the right home and with adopters or fosters who understand that less is more when it comes to changing behaviour, they can all make positive changes.

Nobby was in the same understanding foster home as Teddy