One of the barriers to improving the welfare of animals in shelters is a lack of resources.  This can mean a lack of volunteers, staff, funds or space.  For every idea that a shelter has for improving their program there is a list of required resources to make it happen.

Often, this is the main reason that the idea of starting a play group program is put on the back burner.  What a lot of people might not be able to see, however, is that the resources put into a shelter play group program can actually result in an increase of overall resources if it’s done right.

So, my last blog upset a few people who thought my description of many shelter dogs as ill-mannered and untrained was derogatory and unfair.  I found it very sad that these people felt such simple truths were so damning.  Personally, I think the dog-adopting public is much more capable of handling and understanding the truth than some would imagine.

In fact, as some critics pointed out, most dog owners are already living with well-loved, ill-mannered and untrained dogs.  So why would they run away from adoption just because we’re honest about what kinds of dogs make up a good part of that population?  The point is, after all, that the dogs in the shelter are no different than any other dogs.  Except for those who severely missed out on early socialization and have therefore become aggressive, the rest of them just need the same manners training that any pet dog would need.

A picture and the subsequent conversation on Facebook has compelled me to write this blog post.  The conversation is about a picture making the internet rounds.  It is a picture of four dead dogs lying on the floor of a shelter truck.  At the top right of the picture are the words, "If you breed or buy, you are responsible for this."

Through uncontrollable circumstances early on, and later choices in my life, I was sporadically exposed to recovery and eventually immersed in it. While I never fully embraced the 12 step programs, I have great respect for their followers. I’ve also found some of their sayings to be very helpful reminders throughout my life. In fact, they even apply to dog training.

“First things first.” – This saying is based on the model of the medical triage. You must take care of the most immediate problem before you get to the underlying issues. For instance, you must stop the bleeding before you worry about putting in stitches.

“Blaming individual bite victims for this almost universal ignorance, however, just seems cruel. If we must assign blame for this kind of thing, perhaps we animal care professionals and enthusiasts should start by asking ourselves why we have failed to make what seems like common sense to us truly common. “

Jeff Silverman, The Blame Game: Who's at fault when dog bites Denver news anchor?

Hear!  Hear!  For a long time I’ve been frustrated with conversations among dog trainers about the lack of behavioral knowledge in the veterinary community, obnoxious behavior at dog parks, lack of puppies in puppy classes, owner non-compliance and the “stupid” things that dog owners do.

I’ve been doing various sorts of dog play groups for over ten years. But conducting play groups in the shelter environment is a much more challenging prospect. Having worked through some of those challenges, I’ve decided to share my solutions in an upcoming seminar, Beyond Socialization – Using Shelter Play Groups for Training Assessment. Not only will I be talking about challenges and solutions, but also the potential pitfalls of shelter play groups and how play can be used to better serve the dog and the adopting public.

Here’s an overview of some of the challenges I’ll be discussing:

The problems facing the modern dog are the same problems facing the planet, wildlife, government and economics. They all have one common denominator. Interestingly, this common problem is also the common solution. It all comes down to human behavior.

Dogs are not in a position to make decisions on where they live, how they live or even if they live. Their fate and welfare are in the hands of humans. This can be a very fortunate place to be if the individual dog finds its way to caring people. Surely there are many other species who could only hope for the level of concern that is given to our beloved canines.

In dog training there is a lot of talk about impulse control.  I believe it’s such a big issue because most dog owners seek help when their dogs become adolescents, which is also the time when impulse control is at its lowest.  This is even more the case with an adolescent who has had no practice in puppyhood.  If you work with shelter dogs, I’ve just described the back-story of most relinquished or stray dogs.

Teaching longer sits and downs, introducing stays and leave its, are all part of developing impulse control in dogs.  Working on loose leash walking and eye contact are also helpful.  Basically, anything that encourages and rewards the dog to put aside what he’d like to do (pull toward something, look at something other than you, move toward you when you walk away, bolt through a door) and instead do some silly (to the dog) thing you’ve asked him to do.

I've changed the rules at my house. I've done something that I never thought I would do. I've decided that I no longer want to share my bed with four dogs.

I've also decided that the cats in my house need some space that belongs to just them. For the past three days I have had a baby gate at the end of the hall leading to my bedroom. When I go to bed I leave my dogs in the living room where they have their choice of furniture or dog beds. There has been some confusion and even some complaining, but everyone is adjusting.

I've also converted the spare bedroom (which is bed-less) into a cat sanctuary. There are scratching posts, kitty condos, a litter box and food. The cat room is also beyond the baby gate, therefore beyond the reach of any dogs. This was inspired by my newly adopted dog who hasn't yet figured out the rules about dealing with cats.

Pictured:  IRIS - Available for adoption at Multnomah County Animal Shelter

ADOPTED!!

I've been working full time at the shelter for six months now.  In my years as a dog trainer I really thought that I was completely in touch with the shelter world.  I've fostered dogs.  I've helped to re-home client dogs.  I've re-homed a couple of my own dogs.  I've always understood that the puppies in my classes might not live with their current families forever and it was my job to do everything I could to ensure that they would.  I counseled many a client who was ready to make that trip to the county shelter.  And of course I had lots of connections with colleagues working in a shelter or rescue who were constantly sending me info about homeless pets.