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To Add or Not to Add

April 2, 2011

by Debbie McMullen with Pawsitive Reactions • November 18th • has one comment already! Everyone is different. We all have stories to tell about the dogs that we have acquired in our lives. Some of us go to shelters or rescue groups when we get the urge to fill a void. Some of us go to breeders. Some of us do both at different times in our lives. Some of us simply end up keeping a dog that we found or the one who found us. Some of us fail as foster mom’s (or dad’s!) and keep a dog who was supposed to be temporarily in our lives but should that really be considered as failing? Some of us simply can’t resist an email with a sad face in need. The stories are endless.The criteria that each of us use to decide that another crew member is an option differ as much as the ways that we add the new pup. So many things can make a difference in whether the decision is an easy one or a hard one. Possessing a desire to fill a void left in one’s heart after having lost a crew member is usually one of the easy decisions. So is feeling so comfortable with the number you currently have in your life that an addition would not create unrest. Having dogs who are super dog friendly makes thoughts of the more the merrier easier as well.

There are many things that should factor into the decision to add if none of the above situations apply to you. One of the most important considerations is whether you can financially afford to add another crew member. Food, toys, beds, supplies, and vet visits all add up. It is important to be realistic as to whether an addition would create a hardship on you or not.

Time is another consideration. Do you have time to add more duties to your life? This is an especially important consideration if the new addition you are considering is a puppy. Puppies take a lot of time and energy to raise properly and rightly so! The breed that you are considering adding is important as well as some breeds are naturally more active than others.

Aside from the previously mentioned considerations, how your current crew approaches having a new dog around is important to note! If they are not at all welcoming, then that is something you should be working on modifying before you contemplate an addition to your crew.

If they are welcoming in most scenarios, then that is one less con that you have to consider. Simply taking into consideration the best personality type to add to your crew is the best route to success in this case. If you have a mix of males and females, you should consider the current dynamic and whether one sex might be a better choice than another. If you are unsure of the answer to that question, enlist a dog behavior savvy friend or hire a professional to give an opinion.

Having senior dogs in your home creates a special situation to consider, especially if you are contemplating adding a very young dog to your crew. You must be very cognizant of keeping your senior dogs physically safe and secure while still allowing a young dog enough exercise and stimulation. Making sure that you are up to such a task will ensure your best success.

Make sure that you take all facets of adding a new crew member into consideration. I recently had to do just this. A close friend has an oops litter (not something I condone but it truly was an accident) and the breed mix is not a pairing that is likely to ever be repeated and includes one of my favorite breeds. The mother dog is a favorite of mine and of a delightful temperament. Three of my dogs adore puppies and would be very good with an addition that young. The fourth would be accepting enough to deal with. But among my considerations is the fact that in my house, I do everything! I am the sole human present so I have a lot on my plate. I also have a difficult foster dog living with me at present with no concrete leads on her placement prospects at present. Add to that, being self employed is not a secure income at times and you have what I call not the best timing to add a crew member.

Should perfect timing always matter? No, because life doesn’t always happen according to our self-imposed schedules and many of our best memories are created when we let life just happen. But I am nothing if not practical. And my biggest blockade is the presence of the foster dog. So at this writing, the puppies are just our weeks old and the decision is leaning towards no. But could that change? I honestly don’t know.

I do know that I am comfortable with my crew as it stands. I am also not especially eager to take on the work of a puppy, especially a puppy of such lineage that will need much socialization and expertise. As previously mentioned, we all have our criteria that will differ. We each must make our own decisions on changing our household dynamics. But taking all facets of the consequences of a decision into consideration will give each of us the best chance of living happily with such a decision. The results of my particular dilemma remain to be seen. Stay tuned.

 

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Roberta Bonnell
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My Australian Shepard had moderate separation anxiety and Johanna was able to help me get him to a point where I can see him being able to be home alone before the end of the year! Very grateful for all of her training expertise.
Karen Mara
Karen Mara
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I recently met with Johanna for help with my rambunctious teenager, Roger. We worked on coming when called, leash walking, and staying calm around other dogs when on leash. After two sessions, Roger made huge improvements, and he continues to improve as we practice on our own. Johanna really understands dogs and is very good at communicating with people. She knows how to make dog training fun. I've worked with other trainers, and Johanna is by far the best.
Wendy Nighswonger
Wendy Nighswonger
18:47 08 Jul 23
I have known Johanna for 13 years. She has helped me with several dogs, but she recently helped me train my new black lab puppy, Raven. I have moved to another state so all of my training with Raven was done online via Zoom. I believe that the one-on-one training I received through Zoom was more personalized and thorough, especially with the way Johanna placed every ounce of training and recommendation on a board through an app that I can refer back when I need. Johanna is very intuitive and knew when stress was on overload for me, therefore tailoring my training for that day around making Raven feel good while simultaneously taking my stress load down. Johanna has years of experience and while her knowledge is a gold mine, it is her gentle patience and love for her clients that make this training so perfect. I would hire her again and again. She is a true canine whisperer. Thank you Four Legged Scholars and thank you Johanna!Wendy N. ~ Oregon
Christina Richards
Christina Richards
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Johanna at Four Legged Scholars is great. She tailored my program to fit my needs and was easy to work with. My puppy responded very well to what she taught us together over Zoom. She's patient and understanding. We're still utilizing the things we learned and he's a well-behaved puppy. Thank you!
Karyl Bennion
Karyl Bennion
19:49 05 Feb 23
I adopted Frida as a companion that I could travel, walk and hike with. She loves to hike and walk but pulled on the leash and jumped at distractions. I learned how to be calm and talk in a non threatening way to her. She responds to this much better than yelling at her. The click and treat method that I learned works so well in getting her attention as well as the "target" training. Frida has improved greatly with these methods. I will continue the knowledge I have learned with her. I did the live on-line training and it was very successful. I am so happy we signed up.
Rachel Giddings
Rachel Giddings
02:57 12 Dec 22
My dog was abused in his previous home and has always been afraid of strangers. I wanted to train him and help him to be more confident, but I didn't know how to do that if he was afraid of his trainer.Doing online training with Joanna was perfect for both of us! Joanna helped me learn how to read my dog and understand his triggers. We then worked together on BAT training, which taught him self-soothing behaviors and showed him how to confidently and safely handle difficult situations. I never thought I would have fun doing homework with my dog, but he and I benefited from it tremendously. Working with Joanna via Zoom was perfect for my dog and me.
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Shawn McMillen
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My 2 year old doodle was struggling with people walking by the house, barking incessantly, tugging on walks, improving recall when off leash and , for me, how to be a better more engaging human for my buddy. The personalized, online sessions exceeded all my expectations. The review of video homework sessions was awesome. We saw improvement in each of the priority areas and I developed real, tangible, lasting skills/tools to be a better pet person. Thanks Johanna!
Courtney Daniels
Courtney Daniels
19:59 12 Sep 22
12 years ago I got a puppy and quickly realized I was in over my head. I wanted to have a good, well trained dog, but I was overwhelmed by methods and my puppies behavior.I joined the four legged scholars puppy training with my little 4 month old puppy Bowie, and saw immediate understanding with the clicker work. It gave us this incredibly ability to communicate and she excelled.We went on to take several courses that established general obedience, helped me turn a STRONG leash puller into a loose leash master (I took that course twice because it was a huge issue for us and I NEEDED help and reassurance from Johanna that I could do it) as well as skill class, that helped solidify a beautiful relationship between us. Learning clicker shaping allowed me to confidently teach complex and unique commands on my own as well, like waving hello and closing kitchen cabinets.My Bowie has climbed to the top of mountains for me staying right by my side never pulling on her leash. I've targeted her off trails to protect her from startling a mama moose and her baby. She's loved on my kids without jumping on them and knocking them over. She's allowed the neighbor girl who has always had a fear of dogs to walk her without pulling at whatever pace she was comfortable with. She shows off with all her fun little tricks Johanna gave me the tools to train my dog into an amazing companion.I feel so lucky to have found your training program and to have the relationship I do with my Bowie girl. These courses have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of families and their pups, thank you for that gift.
Megan Pond-Maxwell
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I am so grateful to have found Johanna. She was with us every step of the way as we tackled separation anxiety training and reactivity training with Daisy, my Mini Australian Shepherd. As a first time dog owner, I felt at a loss about how to manage my very vocal, scared, stressed, yet loveable dog. She had all of the typical puppy behavior, such as jumping, nipping/biting, leash pulling, as well as barking. On top of that, she was also not able to be alone without feeling terrified, as well as vocally and behaviorally reactive to other dogs, adults, and kids. I felt completely overwhelmed and Johanna created programs that felt manageable and doable. Each training session, I felt understood and empowered working with Johanna. Over the course of our programs, I felt that we accomplished the steps of the training process, strengthened the dog-human relationship, and increased my own awareness of my dog's emotional cues so that I could better work with her. My dog can now be on her own feeling relaxed and playful, her problematic puppy behaviors have significantly improved, she can walk on her leash loosely, listen to commands, and she can better tolerate other adults, dogs, and children as compared to where we first started. Our online experience was very positive. I look forward to continually implementing the tools and skills we have learned along the way to move forward in a positive direction that strengthens our human-animal bond and reduces distressing behaviors and emotional stress and overwhelm. Thank you Four Legged Scholars! I highly, highly recommend working with Johanna.
Emily Harward
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Our rescue dog is sweet and playful with us, but her behavior around other dogs and people could be unpredictable. She would act aggressively around adults (lunging and barking), and would sometimes be aggressive toward other dogs. We chose to do online training with Johanna. I was skeptical that online training would work, but it ended up being very effective. Johanna taught me the skills I needed to train my dog, and provided resources that I could use throughout the week as I worked on the assigned tasks. I was also able to send her videos of me working with my dog, so she could provide feedback and help me improve. Johanna personalized the program and made changes as needed to ensure that I could meet my goals. Since working with Four Legged Scholars, neighbors have commented on how much better behaved my dog is, and I don't have to worry about her lunging and barking at people or other dogs when we are out for a walk anymore. We still have a lot of work to do with our dog, and I feel like doing the personalized online sessions with Johanna has given me the knowledge, and resources to continue training my dog.
Angel Lanoy
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We have a large family, including three big dogs. So when our biggest dog Obi, the Rottweiler, started showing aggression we panicked. The vet suggested we put him down after an experience in the office. He then said we could also try training and gave us Johanna's business card. Just a phone call with her made us feel like there was hope. We signed up to do the online sessions with FourLeggedScholars. The process from the first contact to the last was well oiled and very helpful. Obi gets to stay with our family now and we feel like meting with her has given us the guidance and knowledge we need to keep our family, friends and him safe. I was a tad worried about doing the training online, but it really worked out great and we were able to fit such a big task into our busy schedules. I feel like she set us up for success from the very beginning. Thank you.
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1 Comment

  1. caninesoul

    Nice post!

    There are plenty of reasons to adopt senior dogs, there are a lot who have a clean bill of health who just need a home to call their own. Sadly, not many people adopt adult dogs, let alone “senior” dogs. I always wonder what we can do to educate people that senior dogs have many great qualities that make them great pets. I try to steer them away from the negatives, and focus on the positives.

    Sadly, it isn’t just senior dogs that tend to be neglected, even black dogs -regardless of age, tend to be adopted before dogs of other shades. I wish that more people would adopt based on the dog’s personality than their appearance.

    Sadly, that brings us to the issue that most people who want to adopt a dog don’t even know what they’re looking for.. more people should be educated on how to find a dog that is the perfect fit for them. It’s not like buying a car, or a pair of shoes. This is a companion that will be with you (hopefully) for the rest of their life!