Mon 26th July: Why adopt from HKDR?

Blanco is now Rocket

 There are always certain breeds that are in-and-out, and for the larger sized dogs these are labradors and golden retrievers.  By chance we had two young labradors coming to us in quick succession, even though I always say we rarely have young and popular breeds like this.  One was given the name of Blanco, changed to Rocket on adoption, a name that suits him very well by all accounts.  What I used to say to everyone who asked about adopting a labrador puppy is "have you seen or read Marley and Me?", because this is typical behaviour for the breed until they mature and settle.  Labrador puppies seem to enjoy chewing things more than other breeds, and they're quite mad - in a nice way of course, if you don't mind the trail of destruction. 

Both Rocket and the other labrador, a seven month-old puppy, have this kind of crazy behaviour, so our very experienced trainer has been giving advice to the adopters, as she always does for anyone who adopts from HKDR.   As Cactus and I are in pretty much constant contact I see the sense and value of her advice and how well it works, assuming adopters follow her guidance.  Some cases are more challenging than others of course,  but for the most part the questions involve puppy play-biting, then adolescent (teenage) behaviour if it's a puppy adoption, and for adults it's the common settling-in and adjustment period.  Every HKDR adopter is given a booklet which contains everything your need to know about the basics of adoption, what you need to buy and prepare in advance, and what to expect afterwards. 

A free booklet for all HKDR adopters

As to the question of whether you can teach an old dog new tricks, or in other words can they learn new behaviour, the answer is yes, absolutely.  As an example take my dog Griffin, who had his first off-Lamma experience when I took him to the vet last week (and whatever was brothering him has passed now). I thought he had hated what happened, but since then he has started following me to the sampan when I'm heading over to Ap Lei Chau, which he had never done before, and even jumps on the boat hoping to join me for the ride across the Lamma Channel.  

In fact I was tempted to bring Griffin along with me today when I went to the Homing Centre for a (giant) cheque presentation by the Farzon Group General Manager Dora Wong for the proceeds of the Yappy Hour event at dog-friendly Eight Kwai Fong Happy Valley.  I'll be sharing the photo later but in the meantime you can see photos of the event over two weekends, plus other dog-related posts at https://www.facebook.com/EightKwaiFongHappyValley/

A good trainer can make all the difference to both dog and owner, especially first-timers who really don't know what to expect.  Unfortunately there are probably many more "bad" trainers in Hong Kong than good, starting with the worst of the worst, the old-fashioned types who believe that domination by the human and submission by the dog is the way to go.  These trainers use choke, pinch and even shock collars, sharp jerking on the leash, loud and sharp commands and even physical punishment.   Please avoid them at all costs, as they will damage the dog as much as a human child is damaged by such treatment.   

There are other trainers who aren't as overtly cruel as the above, but they don't use fully positive training methods and may still recommend things like choke collars and more subtle punishment.  The whole point of training is that you want the dog to work with you, not for you, to be happy to follow your guidance and to please you.  No puppy is born with that knowledge, but they are like sponges who absorb what they see and hear and respond accordingly.  If they are scared that they will be punished for accidents or what their humans consider to be bad, they will grow up being afraid.   It's common sense really, but it's hard to change long-standing attitudes and beliefs about dogs and how they should be treated. 

Facebook page Rescue Happiness 

With so much research these days into dog psychology and behaviour, Cactus is also always expanding her own knowledge by participating in various specialised courses, and is happy to pass what she has learned to our HKDR adopters.  It's a very interesting science and it's good to know that we have moved on such a long way in understanding dogs and their behaviour.