Adoption resources

Please utilize our Facebook page for volunteers & adopters along with reaching out to your pups foster home with questions! We want this to be successful!

Some Good Articles/Guides for Successfully adding your new family memeber

Dogs from Commercial Breeders

The 3-3-3 Rule – Guideline for Dogs

Continuing the Journey

Should I continue to crate my dog?

YES!! Crating a dog is not cruel, think of a crate as the dogs safe space. They know it is where they can take a break or get away if overstimulated and doings coming from commercial breeders and LBR are accustomed to being in a crate. Typically commercial breeder dogs (and all dogs) are like toddlers, ,by crating them when unsupervised you are protecting your house AND protecting your new family member from eating/chewing/getting into something that could result in expensive vet bills. Crating is also especially important when introducing new dogs in a home to each other to prevent tragedy.

Read more about crate training here

What is Resource Guarding & do I have to worry about it?

Resource guarding in dogs involves reacting defensively to perceived threats to valuable possessions, like food, toys, or even a favorite spot, often exhibiting behaviors like growling, snapping, or lunging. This is common at some level with commercial breeder dogs. They have just discovered pet life and human love and want to "keep it".

What dogs guard: This can include specific humans, food, toys, chew bones, beds, and even specific areas of the house.
Why it happens: Dogs may feel insecure or anxious about losing valuable resources, and they may have learned that defending their possessions is the only way to keep them.
Underlying causes: Resource guarding can stem from a variety of factors, including fear, anxiety, lack of confidence, frustration, and even a dog's early experiences around resources.
Signs of resource guarding:
- Stiffening their body over an item
- A hard stare or "whale eye" (showing the whites of their eyes)
- Lifting their lips, low growling, and baring their teeth
- Tense muscles/freezing
- Eating food or treats faster than normal
- Standing over or near a specific item
- Lowered body posture
- Raised hackles
- Growling, snarling, snapping, biting, lunging/chasing
- Taking an item away to hide

There is a lot of good information online about this and most trainers have experience with assisting with resource guarding if you want professional help.

Here are a few online resources:

What to Do When Your Dog Steals and Guards Items

An Easy Way to Stop Resource Guarding in Dogs

Resource guarding in dogs