Question:

>You have to realize that the average person who goes to the pound looking for a dog, will >usually always bypass the hyper, jumping animals.  People in general really >don’t realize that it is not a "bad habit", it is something that a little >training can fix.  

When we first saw our dog at the shelter, she was a jumping machine. I had never seen a dog jump so high in my life (okay, so I haven’t been around that many dogs!)  She was super-hyper in the "meet-the-dog" area, but after only two days at home with me and my fiance, she was just wonderful.  She loves to play, but she’s rarely "hyper" like when we first met her.  We are taking a training class (mostly to work on socialization) though.   Basically, my point is, sometimes I think being hyper and jumpy can be fixed with proper TLC (and training, of course). Jessica (Jonathan & Harpo)

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<< Still, a little success with one is really a boost in confidence!>> I know what you mean!  It is a really feel good type of job.  You have to realize that the average person who goes to the pound looking for a dog, will usually always bypass the hyper, jumping animals.  People in general really don’t realize that it is not a "bad habit", it is something that a little training can fix.  We had so many jumpers, and successfully taught them all to sit and wait to be petted.  Made them much more appealing to the general public.  I wish programs like these were implemented in all shelters.  I bet adoption success rates would be even higher.

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> I have been volunteering with dogs at a shelter for about a month. > [ ... ] > What I want to be able to do is to more capably handle a wide variety > of dogs, maybe even help train them a little to make them more adoptable.

I’m in the exact same situation — I started working with dogs at the shelter a month ago, and so far I’ve learned that it’s hard .  We take dogs outside for walks.  Some of them are great and are walking well on a lead within a few minutes; others I can’t get to quit pulling and I worry they’ll get hurt by the collars.  Argh!  The shelter holds little classes, so hopefully I’ll get better at leash work soon. Thanks for the URL’s, everyone, I’ll check them out. — Rebecca Graham McQuitty

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>>>What I want to be able to do is to more capably handle a wide variety of >dogs, maybe even help train them a little to make them more adoptable.>> >I used to do this at a shelter.  It was unbelievable how quickly these dogs >learned.  We taught them basic obedience, 15 minutes every 3 days for each dog, > and the dogs that had been there for long time were all successfully adopted >within a matter of months!  

 I know! I was ecstatic when one of my very favorite dogs (a Golden x St. Bernard) got adopted recently by what seems to be just the right kind of person. Iknew he was going to be a great dog because he had good eyecontact and what I call "an intelligent expression". Since he was already giving me eye contact and paying attention to me, I started teaching him "sit" and "stay" with hand motions. He seemed to learn the first night. SInce he is about 80 lbs and very athletic (a super jumper), I knew he would be intimidating to a lot of people,but I worked with him on the leash to heel whenever we walked. He was an easy dog though, some are not quite as attentive or trusting and those are the ones I really think need help. Still, a little success with one is really a boost in confidence! Birgitte

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>>What I want to be able to do is to more capably handle a wide variety of

dogs, maybe even help train them a little to make them more adoptable.>> I used to do this at a shelter.  It was unbelievable how quickly these dogs learned.  We taught them basic obedience, 15 minutes every 3 days for each dog,  and the dogs that had been there for long time were all successfully adopted within a matter of months!  It was really sad to see how eager these dogs were to please, and how easy it was to teach them.  When I would arrive at the shelter and walk out to the pen, these dogs would try to shove each other out of the way trying to get their heads into the training collar.  It was a VERY successful program, the local paper did a write up about it, and I was bummed when I had to move out of state.   Good luck, and if you do get to implement a program, you will be pleasantly surprised at what a difference you can make in a shelter dog.  

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>I have been volunteering with dogs at a shelter for about a month. >I have had my own dog for 2 years, and I know some stuff about training >and dog behavior. I was wondering if there are sites or lists for people >who work with a lot of dogs.

There are a great number of websights (I assume that’s what you want), but I would start with Diane Blackmans’ webpage (http://www.dog-play.com) and follow the links from there.  There’s also a book called ‘Dogs on the Web’ or something like that.  There are also several E-mail Lists for whatever you want to discuss, breed or behavior. >What I want to be able to do is to more capably handle a wide variety >of dogs, maybe even help train them a little to make them more adoptable. >Most of the dogs at the shelter are like my dog was when I got her >at the dog pound – untrained, hard to manage, particularly the bigger >ones. >I am not intimidated by the bigger challenges because my dog taught me well. >Most dogs I encounter at the shelter don’t give me a hard time. I can imagine >they would to many people who might be interested in adopting them though. >For example, I nearly got bitten through the hand by a dog at the shelter >when I reached for his collar to put a leash on him. Until then, the thought >of getting bitten or injured at the shelter had not crossed my mind. You >tend to get used to your own dog’s reactions to things and forget they >aren’t all the same!

Yes. Dogs are different from one another and when you forget that you end up being bitten or having a fight on your hands.  The longer I’m around dogs, the more cautious I am.  The shelter is a good place to experience different dogs and their personalities.  It makes for a good education in dogs.  Don’t get cocky and think you know more than you do.  Odds are you know more than the average pet owner, but that’s not enough to competently handle a wide variety of dogs, let alone effectively communicate it to another person. Pay attention to dogs’ body language and how they react to you and your actions.  Learn what a particular dog is telling you and learn how to react accordingly to get what you want the dog to do.  This isn’t as easy as it sounds, but neither is it that difficult.  It does take time, experience and hopefully someone to show you and tell you a bit about things.   If you don’t get the reaction you thought you were going to get, back up physically and/or mentally and think about why the dog didn’t do what you thought it should of done.  Did you make a mistake in reading the dog?  Did you make a mistake in your actions or reactions to the dog?  Sometimes you didn’t make any mistakes, things just take a little time to work.  Learn to recognize progress, however small, and build on that. >If not a site on this topic, maybe a book recommended for jr. trainers or >novice dog behavorists? Something particularly about the shelter situation, >or about training an adolescent dog (most seem to be that age group).

Books are a good supplement, but you really have to experience working with dogs.  If the shelter sponsers classes, help out.  If there is a dog club in the area, join and help out with classes and ask the instructors questions.  Pay attention to how the dogs and the owners interact.  Make mental notes on what they’re doing right or wrong and how you would do the excercises differently with their dogs. You can do a search on Deja News for specific book recommendations, Benjamin, Evans, Fox, Dunbar.  Those are good authors that write well and cover the basics and beyond.  Hang out on the newsgroup and answer some of the basic questions that get brought up.  Answering questions forces you to think about what needs to be done to solve a problem and how to effectively communicate it.  Compare your answer to those of people whos’ opinion you respect and decide if your answer was lacking anything or not.  Training dogs also means communicating to and training the owners, not just the dogs.   Dog FAQs: http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/

Response:

Hi, I have been volunteering with dogs at a shelter for about a month. I have had my own dog for 2 years, and I know some stuff about training and dog behavior. I was wondering if there are sites or lists for people who work with a lot of dogs. What I want to be able to do is to more capably handle a wide variety of dogs, maybe even help train them a little to make them more adoptable. Most of the dogs at the shelter are like my dog was when I got her at the dog pound – untrained, hard to manage, particularly the bigger ones. I am not intimidated by the bigger challenges because my dog taught me well. Most dogs I encounter at the shelter don’t give me a hard time. I can imagine they would to many people who might be interested in adopting them though. For example, I nearly got bitten through the hand by a dog at the shelter when I reached for his collar to put a leash on him. Until then, the thought of getting bitten or injured at the shelter had not crossed my mind. You tend to get used to your own dog’s reactions to things and forget they aren’t all the same! If not a site on this topic, maybe a book recommended for jr. trainers or novice dog behavorists? Something particularly about the shelter situation, or about training an adolescent dog (most seem to be that age group). Birgitte

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