Dog Warp

Question: Ever noticed how many rescue volunteers know nothing about dogs?
I have found that the vast majority, in fact pretty much all the rescue volunteers I have met here in Ireland, on website and in person, know tiny or nothing about the breeds they deal with and nothing about pack structure and training. In fact I have had a whole forum of people tell me that pack structure dosn’t exsist when I gave sound advice to someone. Seriously.
I have been told that prong collars are… (let me try and remember) Somthing like “unbelievably cruel” and the word torture was used a lot.
This was when I told someone the correct way to use one on a dog that dragged them down the street on walks. They reccommended a halti, which can actually do a lot more ruin to a dogs neck than a prong, as well as being not as effective!

Someone was rehoming a Weimaraner because it was not an effective guard dog, and the rescuers were all saying that the mortal was stupid to anticipate a Weim to guard, they are nothing but softies, that they would never be a good guard dog. Anyone who knows anything knows that a Weim has quite a strong conserving instinct and can be a hard dog like many German breeds.

When I even mentioned the word e-collar for training (correctly and responibly after learning how to use them, obviously) I was hit with a torrent of abuse and actually prohibited from that particular forum. These were well known dog rescuers in Ireland.

When I volunteered to do some basic compliance with the dogs in the local centre here to make them easier to rehome,the essence of what I stated was basically ignored, and I was told yeah, they really need people to help out and clean out the dogs pens or achievement them. I stated I would train them, like I am volunteering to train the dogs, I don’t have to do it, and they tell me I can clean out their pens? No thanks.

I have given a lot of money to the ISPCA and strongly support animal rescue, but the attitude of the volunteers would really place you off.

On another note about animal welfare in Ireland – Before when I went to do some volunteer work at the local SPCA holding spot located at the vets, a van full of lovely healthy but depressing looking collies, crosses and some greyhounds and lurchers came pulled up. I was speaking to them, assuming they were going onto the rescue to be rehomed. They were led into the vets, a few at a time, I heard the most awful screams I have ever heard (I’m not exaggerating) and they came out in green bags. In my county its still legal to place down dogs with bolt guns.

But anyway back to the attitude of recuers -
Has anyone else found this with them?
BTW – I have seen some great American and English rescue sites
“Rescue member” is a perfect example of what I’m speaking about. If you’re to good for me to work with the dogs to try and help them be rehomed, then thats unfortunate for the dogs.

Medieval methods? Gimme a break. Go to leerburg.com.
I was not saying that the only way to train a dog is with a prong or any other tool, I was just reccommending what I found effective, calmly, and they went mental. If you can get a dog completly proof trained any other way then go ahead, I wasn’t objecting, they were.
OMG, thank you ‘animalgurl’! Everything you stated is so true! Wish there was more ppl like you around here, I have not met one!

Best answer:

Answer by ginbark
I have worked with a rescue for yrs retraining the dogs no one can handle and the rescue had many people that can not tell colors, or a mutt from a purebred, let alone any behavior knowledge. Plus most never write people back. A Lab Rescue I wrote to told me Labs are not good with other dogs and do not do well in a home that rescues dogs. OK, so all the Lab foster homes only have 1 at a time? I don’t think so.

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