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things humans are to a large extent: change makes them nervous; overstimulation makes them hyperactive; strange people in their comfort zone make them defensive. This means that taking your rescue dog from his temporary home at the rescue shelter to his new home with you is potentially a very stressful experience. It is also your dog's introduction to the dynamics of its new 'pack'. This is an absolutely crucial phase: dogs learn by association and by experience, and they don't do well with mixed signals. As the new owner of an aggressive rescue dog, you have two major goals when introducing the animal to its new home: firstly, to avoid if possible triggering pre-learned aggressive responses by thoughtlessly stressing your dog during the process of moving; secondly, to establish boundaries for your dog from the outset.

Under the first heading, it's a good idea to introduce your dog to its new environment as gradually as you can. Establish a bond between yourself and your dog to begin with: make sure your dog understands that you are safe company, and also that you are not submissive to it (again, professional help is recommended here). Avoid striking your dog as a corrective measure; especially with an aggressive dog, this is likely to provoke a negative response. More importantly, it may be unclear to your dog why you are punishing him, and if this is the case you actually undermine the rapport you'd otherwise build between you. The most effective way to train a dog is to reward him copiously every time he does something right: lavish him with praise and affection, talk to him constantly, get him used to your voice. If he does something wrong, disengaging from him - turning away with arms folded, for example - and cutting off the otherwise continuous stream of positive reinforcement bears dividends in the long run. It is essential, however, with any dog that the training be applied consistently: if you don't want your dog to jump on visitors, it is unfair and confusing for you to encourage him to do this with you. A common mistake among dog owners is to give up on training because it takes time and continuous reinforcement to make it stick: this is particularly the case where you are dealing with a dog that already has learned behaviors you have to 'deprogram'.

Once you have an understanding with your dog, you can introduce it to other members of the family, and to its new home, at a pace that it can handle and in the presence of something familiar and comforting

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