Adopting a dog is a joyful experience, but for animal welfare professionals, the challenge often lies in ensuring these deserving animals find loving homes despite behavioral issues that can arise in a shelter environment. While the common saying suggests you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, this philosophy is being actively challenged and redefined within the animal welfare community. This article explores innovative approaches to improving the lives of shelter dogs, focusing on practical strategies that reduce stress, enhance adoptability, and ultimately save more lives.
Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG), an organization with a decade of experience in animal welfare, operates a modest 13-kennel dog shelter complemented by a robust foster program. Despite dedicated staff and a team of enthusiastic volunteers providing extensive socialization, enrichment, hiking programs, and training classes, many dogs still succumb to “shelter stress.” This stress can manifest as increased reactivity, nipping during leashing, and a general decline in behavior, making them less appealing to potential adopters and leading to longer stays. Recognizing this challenge, GPG has implemented several key initiatives inspired by successful models, demonstrating that significant improvements are achievable with focused effort and continuous learning.
One transformative experience for GPG’s Program Director, Jill Henke, was attending the Maddie’s Systematic Canine Lifesaving Class at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!). APA! is renowned for intentionally taking in dogs with behavioral challenges from municipal shelters and employing a systematic approach to rehabilitate them for successful adoption. This experience provided GPG with a wealth of actionable ideas to enhance their own programs.
Proactive Identification and Support for Long-Stay Dogs
A crucial step in GPG’s updated strategy is the Long Stay Risk Assessment. This tool helps identify dogs entering the system who are statistically more likely to remain in the shelter longer. By considering factors like breed, age (acknowledging that large breeds and those with specific physical characteristics may take longer to rehome), health status, and social behavior with people and other dogs, GPG can proactively allocate resources. This might include prioritizing professional photography, social media promotion, pairing dogs with dedicated volunteers for extra outings, arranging “Slumber Pawty” foster experiences to better understand home behavior, or enrolling them in specialized training classes. This foresight allows GPG to intervene early and work towards shortening the length of stay for vulnerable dogs.
The Power of Routine and Specialized Tools
Establishing a Consistent Kennel Routine
The APA! model highlights the kennel routine as the cornerstone of behavior modification. This approach democratizes behavior work, empowering every staff member and volunteer to contribute. A structured routine, as demonstrated in GPG’s new Kennel Routine video, provides predictability and reduces anxiety for the dogs. This foundational element makes more complex behavior modification techniques accessible even without a large budget for external trainers.
Implementing Drag Leashes for Managing Excitable Dogs
For dogs exhibiting “frat boy” behaviors – a combination of jumpiness, mouthing, and anxious excitement – walking them can be a challenge for volunteers. The simple yet effective drag leash technique addresses this. By allowing these dogs to drag a short, thin braided leash during walks, staff and volunteers can quickly step on the leash to interrupt undesirable behaviors like jumping and mouthing. This consistent management helps train dogs out of these behaviors, making them more comfortable to handle and thus more likely to receive the exercise they need.
Enhancing Socialization and Training Programs
Expanding Playgroup Opportunities
Building on the success of programs like Dogs Playing for Life, GPG has significantly expanded their playgroups. These carefully supervised social interactions offer immense benefits, and there are few dogs that cannot participate. To bolster confidence in managing playgroup dynamics, staff are equipped with “tool belts” containing items like spray bottles, cans of pennies, Pet Corrector, and air horns for interrupting minor spats. Furthermore, GPG is training volunteers to lead playgroups, increasing their frequency and capacity.
Launching a Canine Good Citizen Program
Inspired by APA!’s success in boosting adoptions for large breeds through a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) training class, GPG is revamping its Sunday training sessions. The new program will focus on CGC principles, enabling dogs to earn certification upon adoption. This goes beyond basic commands like sit and stay, teaching essential skills such as loose-leash walking and polite greetings with strangers. The appeal of a well-trained companion is undeniable for potential adopters, making this program a valuable asset for rehoming harder-to-place dogs. You can explore some first tricks to teach a dog to further enhance a dog’s trainability.
As Gateway Pet Guardians prepares for a significant expansion into a much larger facility, these implemented strategies and tools are vital. They ensure the organization can effectively manage an increased capacity of animals while maximizing its lifesaving impact. The commitment to professional development, exemplified by participation in opportunities like the Maddie’s Fund Apprenticeships, allows GPG to learn from industry leaders and rapidly deploy effective programs. Indeed, it proves that even in the realm of animal welfare, you can teach an old dog new tricks.
References:
- Gateway Pet Guardians. (n.d.). Long Stay Risk Assessment. (Internal Program Document).
- Austin Pets Alive! (n.d.). Canine Good Citizen Program. (Informational Resources).
- Dogs Playing for Life. (n.d.). Playgroup Resources. (Educational Materials).
