We require ALL adopters to attend an obedience course, or depending on the age of the dog you are adopting, multiple courses. It does not matter to us if you have trained 1 dog or 100 in the past, as the process is about bonding with this individual dog. Plus, there is always more to learn, right?! Each new dog can bring their own unique challenges as well!
**Registration is required prior to adoption once you have been selected as the adopter.**
8 weeks to 4 months old at the time of adoption- Puppy Class and Obedience 1 required
4 months+ old at the time of adoption- Obedience 1 required
Puppy class must be 4+ weeks long
Obedience 1 class must be 4+ weeks long
Online training is not permitted.
If you do not want to train your dog or put in the time and effort to make your dog a great breed ambassador, we are likely not the rescue for you. Please do NOT apply if you do not intend to follow through with this critical part of our adoption process! You owe it to the breed and to rescue dogs in general, as there are many people who think pit bulls or rescue dogs are inherently bad or broken; it is our duty to help show the world what great dogs they can be. This sounds easy enough, but ANY dog can show or develop challenging behaviors; we need owners committing to working through whatever comes their way. It is more than how you raise the dog, it is also very much how you train the dog.
A common rebuttal to our stance on training:
Why do I have to attend training? I’ve trained dogs before! I just want a pet.
Our answer:
Pit bulls aren’t just ANY breed. They are faced with prejudice and misconception, and this can be true of any of our mixed breed dogs as well. In some circles, “rescue” itself can have bad connotations. The best defense against the stigma and negativity is a well trained dog. Ideally, in time your dog should be able to perform the AKC Canine Good Citizen program, at any time, in any setting, with any distractions. This takes a lot of work, repetition, and commitment. It will undoubtedly take more than our required obedience course/s, but we are sincerely hoping that your first training experiences with your dog will inspire you to keep going. Training is a LIFETIME endeavor.
Another way to look at training…it’s like “date night” with your dog! Imagine building a solid relationship without putting in the time and effort to really get to know the other individual and work on common goals together (sorry, holding down the couch doesn’t really count as a common goal, even if it is a relaxing way to wrap up the day together). If committing one night a week to working on your relationship with a dog seems like too much to you, then you may want to rethink adoption at this time.
It also goes well beyond that one night, doing the work at home and around your community, setting up consistent expectations and boundaries for your dog, communicating them fairly and with conviction: it will all add up and impact your success together.
Please take the time to honestly reflect on your life and goals before committing to a dog. There are so many dogs capable of amazing things who never get to accomplish them, and the only thing holding these dogs back is the other end of the leash. In adopting from us, we are placing faith in you that you will be that empowering end of the leash that truly allows your dog’s potential to SHINE!
Dog Training Facilities Suggestions:
Petco and Petsmart are not permitted at this time.
Location: NE & South Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Louis Park
Location: Anoka
Location: Hugo
Location: Hugo
Location: Spring Lake Park
Location: Burnsville
Location: Sturgeon and Carlton (Duluth)
Location: Hastings
Location: Elk River
Location: Rochester
Location: MPLS, St. Paul, Sauk Center, Bloomington, Minnetonka, St. Cloud, Detroit Lakes, Blaine, Monticello, Eagan, Alexandria, Maple Grove, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Edina
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