There’s a whole community of people who train and run rescued dogs in agility and other sports. It’s a proud accomplishment for any dog once deemed unwanted (or unloved, or whatever). Many of these dogs, just like Lilly, have some challenges, but for so many people that’s just fine. And, yet, sometimes when you talk about it with handlers of non-rescue dogs, there’s a sense that they think we use “rescue” as an excuse … that we allow our dogs to get away with things we shouldn’t, for example.
(I’m not making that up. A judge at a summer event said that to me.)
My first, internal reaction wasn’t a good one, but over time it got me wondering.
What’s the difference between accepting a dog for who she is (flaws and all) and using those odditiies as an excuse?
I’ve compared training a shy/fearful dog to training two different dogs: the regular one, the shy one. Unfortunately, some of the hard lessons come the hard way, like falling down a mine shaft. Here you are, using training methods that work for so many, and BAM your dog has a totally unexpected reaction that sets you back. And, I mean B-A-C-K.
This really isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. And, so when things get on track — for a month, a year … or more. Is it really an excuse to attribute the uncharacteristic response to being a rescue?
I don’t think so.
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