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Adoption: How malleable is an adult's behavior?

1260 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  hulkamaniac, 
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I am looking at adopting a pit bull on the advice of many members of this forum as well as people I have talked to out and about....

I only have one question about the process, and that is how malleable is doggie behavior in an adult? I only ask because I will be a dog newb.

Primarily, I find the prospect of an adult dog with a adult sized bladder very attractive!! :) I will likely be working 8 hour shifts and I think an adult would be better suited to my lifestyle right off the bat. But what if the adult has potty training issues? The adults are pretty fast learners, correct? And any issues in that respect would be brought to my attention by the rescuer anyway, right?

What about other issues like, perhaps dog aggression? Is it possible to socialize an adult out of any DA? Again, this is likely an issue the rescue would have brought to my attention and possibly dealt with before my adopting the dog, right?

But generally, take the worst case scenario behavior........ Would it be correctable with time, patience and training?

I've watched lots of DogTown on National Geographic Channel, and it seems that they are rather successful with the most troubled of dogs, given enough time..... So is this the case with most?

I'm not saying the dog will have issues, who know, my adopted dog might be the most perfect in the world!!! I'm just looking at what ifs, just to be prepared...

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best! That's the best mindset I guess!!

Thanks guys!
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Thanks for the replies! I've sent a priliminary email off to "www.bulliesinneed.ca" They were very positive in their reply. I was worried about difficulty in getting my future doggie because I live all the way over here in St. John's Newfoundland (google-maps it!!), but the person who replied to me said they have contacts here who could conduct the necessary interviews and home "inspection" and what not. Then they could ship the dog to me, which I am weary of, somewhat, but I'll just try to get as much of a feel about the dog as possible by conversation.

This rescue seems to have the dog's best interests in mind, so I doubt they would falsely advertise a dog's behavioral issues, since they want to find the dog a great match as opposed to simply pawning them off on someone they might not be suited for. Are these safe assumptions?

Would any of you advise against adopting a dog without having met him/her a few times first? If so, are there any conditions in which you might adopt a dog without a meet first? What would they be?

Adopting the dog is still upwards of 6 months away for me. But as I'm sure you guys who've raised puppies know first hand, 6 months flies by in the blink of an eye. So I definitely want to start digging into books and getting this stuff figured out.... Still keeping an open mind about the whole process, so thanks for all the replies and advice in my litany of threads!! I need it! :) Haha...
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