APA!'s Behavior Team Takes the Worry Out of Adopting an Adult Dog

Sep 24, 2015

A Guest Post by Elizabeth Stolle

Adopting a dog from Austin Pets Alive! has many benefits. There are the usual benefits of 1) finding your best friend, and 2) saving a life. Did you also know that all dogs adopted from APA! come with lifetime support from one of the best dog behavior teams in the nation?

APA!’s team of dog trainers, lead by nationally-known dog behaviorist Mike Kaviani, spend every day helping adopters and their new best friends adjust to their new life.

From simple behaviors, such as crate training and house training, to more complex behaviors, like dog-reactivity and fear of strangers, APA!’s Dog Behavior Team work tirelessly to ensure all dogs make a successful transition from shelter dog to family dog.

People are often concerned about adopting an adult dog (over 1 year of age) because of the dog’s “unknown” history. The idea that “how a dog is raised determines its lifelong behavior” is a myth. In truth, how a dog is managed is a better determinant of behavior. This is where a good dog trainer can help and APA! provides adopters with expert training assistance FOR FREE. This offer never expires. That’s our commitment to our dogs and to our adopters.

Tyler came to APA! as a stray and lived in our shelter for over two years. His fear of strangers was intense, but after many hours working with APA’s Behavior Team, these fears were greatly reduced and became very manageable. Due to all of this training, along with the love and devotion of staff and some special volunteers, Tyler finally found his forever home.

Recently, Tyler’s adopters came in for a post-adoption training session with head Dog Behaviorist Mike Kaviani. Mike geared this individual training session specifically for Tyler with the goal to ensure the transition from shelter life to home life was successful and ultimately a happily-ever-after for the whole family. The session lasted about an hour and Tyler’s new adopters are encouraged to stay in touch and contact Mike whenever they have questions about Tyler’s behavior.

Tyler’s “stranger danger” fears may have seemed overwhelming to many people, but knowing that expert assistance is always available, Tyler’s adopters left feeling confident they could integrate Tyler into their home with their other dog, and keep everyone safe and happy and loved. We are overjoyed for Tyler!



You can read more on Tyler’s journey with Austin Pets Alive! in this previous blog post.