One of the services I offer is “Shelter Consultant.” Here’s what it really means: I develop and implement behavior programs, evaluate dogs, train staff and volunteers, and meet with potential adopters. I have worked with the ASPCA years ago at the beginning of my career, spent two years working with the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter, and have been with the New Rochelle Humane Society for the past six years. I learned a lot about what it takes to create a training and enrichment program while at the ASPCA. The dedicated staff and passionate volunteers have been key to the success of these programs. My goal is to bring a training and behavior program into every shelter in Westchester County. And beyond that…who knows what’s possible. I don’t know how that will happen, and clearly I can’t be in twenty places at once, but that’s why it is important to have a community of people supporting this work. Through education and awareness, more and more shelters are seeing the need for such programs. An incredible example of a superb training and enrichment program is the one at Animal Farm Foundation. They host regular workshops to train other shelters how to implement such programs.
Working at a shelter is one of the most personally challenging things I do. While, I know that my shelter work makes a difference everyday in a variety of ways, I return home to my dogs while shelter dogs remain in their kennels. Some of the dogs are surrendered by owners who cannot care for them any longer…some have been found as a stray…some have been seized by humane law enforcement for neglect or abuse. And unfortunately, some of the dogs are not safe to be adopted because of a serious aggression issue. There is only so much you can address behaviorally in a shelter environment. I am lucky to work in two shelters with good resources and very committed people.
So what can one single trainer do? I choose to do everything I possibly can for the dogs I cross paths with everyday. I invest in the volunteers, training them to do some of the things that can help a dog demonstrate better manners when being considered for adoption. I work with the staff and more experienced volunteers in creating and implementing training and enrichment programs. I personally work with dogs that have more challenging behavioral issues. I partner with other trainers to spread awareness and educate the public. At the end of the day, we all love the dogs and that is clear to me.
One of the things I do with shelter dogs is look for ways to enrich their experiences. Behavioral enrichment is an important part of dog training and care today. A dog’s mental well-being is just as important as their physical health. Providing enrichment for a dog can support him in becoming a well-balanced canine good citizen as well as provide an outlet to decrease any stress or anxiety a dog may be experiencing. Enrichment activities are part of my training toolbox, whether I am offering opportunities for mental stimulation for a shelter dog or I am meeting with a client whose dog is reactive.
You may want to consider the ways you can use these techniques with your own pets or dogs you work with if you volunteer in a shelter. Toys, food puzzles, exercise, sniffing things, play dates with other dogs, and performance dog sports are great for all dogs, not just shelter dogs! Of course, I’m happy to work with you if you’d like some help with this.
Clarity & Harmony…better way of living with your dog.
I’ve been training dogs professionally for over a decade so I’ve heard a thing or two. A concern I often I hear from dog owners is that about tugging. There is a common misconception about tugging is that it can lead to aggression or encourage dominance in dogs. In shelters, tugging is often part of the evaluation to gauge the arousal (excitement) level of the dog. In the performance sport of agility, tugging is highly encouraged in order to get the dog to a higher state of arousal to play the game, as well as reward the dog for a job well done.
Personally, I am a huge fan of tugging and overall find it to be a lot of fun for me and my dogs. Professionally, I think it is a valuable training tool to help the dog learn how to think when they are in an excited state of mind. It is also a great way for dogs to release pent up energy or stress in a constructive way.
There is also an art to tugging. Tugging is actually a mechanical skill. There is a way to turn off a dog to tugging, especially a dog that is moderate to low drive about the tug toy to begin with. And just like training any skill, whether it is for obedience or agility, you can inadvertently reward something you don’t want.
There are so many great articles out there on how to teach tugging, how to keep tug drive, and the benefits of tugging . A well-known trainer and behavior expert, Pat Miller, has written an excellent article on tugging, the benefits of it, and how to tug with rules. You can read this article here: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/11_9/features/Fun-Games-To-Play-With-Your-Dog_16059-1.html.
The picture above is a great example of Charlotte’s hardwired behavior of wanting things to be in order. Do you see the intensity and focus on Charlotte’s face? It’s like she’s shooting laser beams at Tricky. I laughed when I saw this picture because clearly at the time it was taken, I had no idea what was happening behind me! It took everything in Charlotte’s power to NOT pounce on Tricky! And all Tricky was doing was shaking off an annoying photo shoot while momma was trying to get her girls to pose.
The herding behavior is modified from the predatory instinct, to hunt and prey on other animals. Through selective breeding man has been able to inhibit the dogs’ desire to kill while maintaining and controlling the ability to chase and herd. Herding dogs are also known for their abilities to guard to keep their flocks safe therefore their vision and hearing is exemplary, and they are often very vocal.
Herding dogs need jobs. Misdirected herding instincts can result in dogs herding your other companion animals, family members and guests. People often find the early manifestations of off-target herding behaviors funny, but much less funny as the dog gets more and more vigorous. Sometimes this over stimulation of instinctual behaviors, if not dealt with, can become overwhelming or even dangerous. I’ve worked with many clients in the city who’s herding dogs are lunging at cars, strollers, joggers, and people in general.
If you don’t give a herding dog a job, they will find one. They are hardwired for this. Charlotte’s job is agility and all of the training aspects that comes with being a solid agility athlete, in and outside of the home. This meant lots of rules, lots of training games as part of our daily routine, lots of management, and lots of exercise.
In my next few blog posts, I am going to share some of these games with you as well as the work I did to help Charlotte feel more comfortable around dogs when on walks. In the meantime, I will share Dr. Sophia Yin’s foundation games to support dogs who are reactive on leash. I utilized these foundation games, as well as others, to help Charlotte focus on me more than an approaching dog. Foundation handling exercises also helped Charlotte move with me like a dance partner. These skills helped me weave Charlotte through foot traffic and re position her to avoid dogs as best as possible on the streets of New York City.
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