05/24/2025
I want to talk about communication. With dog training, I am teaching you how to read and communicate with your dog. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "It happened out of nowhere," or "I don't know why my dog is doing this." Your trainer is there to help you understand, correct the behavior, and modify yours and the dog's behavior. That being said, and I say this to all clients when the lesson is over: I can't help if you don't communicate to me what is happening when I'm not there..
Wilcox is back boarding with us while his fosters are out of town. Wilcox is still available for adoption with Rotten Rottie Rescue .
You are probably wondering why all the videos of him in the kennel. I was informed right before drop-off for boarding that, after training he supposedly went back to the fosters super stressed out. And it was the training and being with us that made him that way.
These videos are to show how "stressed" he is. We were informed that we would need to heavily sedate him if he was in a kennel and that he couldn't walk on a leash without reacting to other dogs or prey animals. In addition, he is now nipping at people. Wilcox came to training because of his reactivity but had never nipped at anyone.
Now, what people don't understand is when ANY dog is in training, someone has to learn the same training to keep the dog moving in the proper direction. So when an adoptable dog comes to us and is going back to the fosters after training, we require that the foster come and learn. We also offer lessons, free of charge, to the foster and anyone interested in adopting the dog. Because we want to ensure that the behavioral training is continued, and we do NOT expect any foster to teach an adopter. I am always so careful to tell everyone when they leave training with a dog, if you don't call me to tell me what you are struggling with when you get home I can't help. In other words, if I don't know I can't help.
So, as you can see, with ZERO drugs on board, he is completely calm in the kennel. These videos were taken his first week and Memorial Weekend. (The leash is just an extra clip to secure the kennel in case he was going to be naughty.)
You can also see no dog reactivity. I did have to E-collar correct him once in the beginning when he first saw the dog running the fence. But after that, perfect. Even slight avoidance which is ok. Working with negative behavior, when we correct the dog properly, the first thing that usually happens is avoidance, then acceptance. So Wilcox knows with us that that behavior is unacceptable which allows him to start to understand that it is not his job to protect us but it's our job to protect him! And when worked properly, he will be calm and relaxed.
Wilcox needs to be an only pet with a strong leader that is willing to learn. Most of the time he is a pretty chill dog. He doesn't need a lot of activity, but because he is a Rottie he does need some structured work through out the day.
Please contact Rotten Rottie Rescue if interested in adopting this big sweet boy.
