I’ve never gotten a horse that was less than 18 months old or a rescue dog less than 10 months old.
[my first full sized horse was 4 years old and wasn’t even halter trained when I got her....and I was only _10 years old_]
All of them were “bullet proof”.
Maybe ~I’m~ just a really good trainer who can overcome the piddly “odds”.
:)
Well, honestly speaking, I do not consider what you are doing as odds.
You are doing standard operant conditioning. You know the natural disposition of the animal in question, you assess what are the behaviors that it exhibits and you then apply a new set of conditions to replace the poor ones using proper rewards, attention, and all the natural needs of the animal are being met.
Wonderful.
I mean that.
But, then, that animal, is sent out, into unknown, uncontrolled and I am sure, an environment where the caretaker is significantly less skilled than you. aka, a standard “we want a dog” customer.
And at that point, you have an animal that is MORE of a risk than one which has never been abused or whose history is unknown. Period. Yes, that is true.
Now, if you wish to say that I am wrong here, and that a puppy is equal in risk to a “rehab” dog, or even suggest that a “rehab” dog is safer... I am just going to have to “agree to disagree”.
>I’ve never gotten a horse that was less than 18 months old<
Sal, pardon my interruption, but isn’t there an old saying that says something to the effect of “old horses for new riders”? Would it not then be very dangerous for a parent without years of training experience to put their young rider on a less-than-3 year old horse? Would a careful parent not look for a horse that’s in its teens to start their youngster on a lifelong love of things equine?