Some of my observations on how to work with dogs while they are living in shelters

This is just my list of do's, don'ts, and approaches I have come to after spending years helping shelter dogs. I have incorporated much of the info into my stories on the individual dogs, which I'm still trying to figure out how to edit and publish . I thought my observations and list of what I do and don't do might be of interest to other people who want to help the shelter dogs. I'll probably add to the list over time, but these are a few things that come to mind, not in any way a complete list. If anyone has any other bits of information to add, please feel free to comment or contact me. Learning and helping the dogs, and people who work with them is my main objective

This is Hunny the deaf lab that's been at the shelter since May. I had talked about her before but misspelled her name before assuming it was Honey, but I'll leave the topic of shelter dog names, for another blog post. I always hold the leash in my hand this way( I bring my thumb back into my fist), not putting my hand all the way through the loop which seems dangerous to me. It's easy to release the leash this way if it's a matter of releasing a dog or breaking my arm. I have broken my hand before while foolishly riding my bike while walking my Labrador Retriever, despite my husband's warnings, so I am a bit cautious.

I train the dogs to voice commands as well as hand signals from the start i.e. I say" this way" and tug on the leash for a change in direction. I say "wait", "stay", "sit","come" etc.., and give appropriate hand signals. That way if a dog accidentally pulls the leash out of my hands I can usually control them with my voice, at least long enough to catch them.

I usually ask the shelter staff for info on a particular dog, and then I try and assess the dog before walking it.I stand on the other side of the fence/gate and view the dog, talking to him or her and seeing what kind of response I get. I am conscious of my limitations and skills and will avoid a dog that is beyond my ability to control it in public.

I usually stop and lovingly pet and try and make some kind of bonding contact with a dog as soon as I get it out of the shelter and away from all the noise. I do this repeatedly for more normal dogs, it helps to establish a bond and connection and they are less likely to pull if they have made some kind of acknowledging contact with the person at the other end of the leash. It helps to calm them a bit.

If I have a dog that is just way too rambunctious and intent on pulling and pulling and I am on the verge of losing control, I run them in a circle- I stand in one place and direct their energy around in a circle. It gives a few minutes to regain control and tire the dog somewhat.

With big unruly dogs, I like to use a large link, "Barbara Woodhouse (English dog trainer) style," choke chain. The weight on the back of their necks is somewhat of a natural subduing gesture, and the sound of the jerk startles them and gets their attention, it's not used to choke them.

On smaller wound up dogs, I usually try a" Haltie" or "Martingale" collar if it's available, it's a humane way to get a dog under control. I've had a few large rambunctious dogs destroy them and escape so I'm more cautious with bigger, rowdy dogs. At times I have purchased my own equipment and keep it in my car, just so I have the right equipment for particular dogs I'm walking. There always seems to be an assortment of leashes and collars at our shelter and some disappear and reappear months later in different places with so many volunteers, so at times it's better to have my own favorite pieces of equipment that I keep under my own control.

For shy sensitive, abused dogs, I am very low key and non intrusive with them. I don't do my usual high pitched happy dog talk as it can scare them. I usually just act calm and let them come to me and sniff me and interact with me on their own time. I can usually give a trial, semi- happy talk, greeting, and see if the dog responds positively or becomes scared. If they get scared, then I back off. If they get really scared then I slow way down and take much more time just letting them get comfortable with me which might entail just sitting with them for 15 minutes at a time for a few days until they get the courage up to trust and feel comfortable with me. Sometimes food treats work in this scenario sometimes they don't but the most important thing is to observe their response and go slow and not push too hard. Once they have gained my trust I can work with them and the progress usually goes faster after they have accepted me as a friend. In the shelter scenario,- the dogs have been traumatized, ending up in a foreign place that is noisy and scary, so I try and make them feel comfortable and get them to see me as a trustworthy ally, not a trainer simply forcing a response.

I always check the collars, and leashes before I go out with a dog, sometimes collars can be way to loose and a dog can back out of the collar- I had a dog escape downtown this way, but luckily got her back unharmed. I have also seen dogs whose collars were too tight because they had put on weight after they had been fed properly. I also check to see that the leash is strong enough and in good working order for the dog I intend to walk- i.e. it's not seriously frayed so it could snap or break if pulled too hard.

I usually go into the kennel and put the leash on while the kennel door is shut, unless I'm confident I can slip a leash on quickly in the hallway. The main thing I try and avoid is having stressed shelter dogs come in contact with each other in close quarters.

I always try and make sure that gates to the outside are shut before I take a dog out of a kennel. I try and make sure that there are not two shelter dogs in close quarters, together as problems could arise. I let the other people and dogs go out then I go with the dog. I try and keep the dogs on a short leash while walking past the other dogs behind fences, and I try not to linger as tails and barking mouths can align in close quarters

I wear "play clothes" as I will inevitably get a few muddy paws on the front or back of my clothes. I wear comfortable walking shoes as I usually walk for an hour or more.I have actually seen people show up in flip flops! I bring a "belly bag / fanny pack"-pocketbook that closes around the waist. I take my wallet, cell phone, pooper scooper plastic bags, hand sanitizer, tissues, band-aids, the business card of the Humane Society- in case someone falls in love with the dog I'm walking and wants the phone number of the shelter to call them. Since I usually walk the dogs around town, I also ask the age of the dog and some background info on the dog in case anyone stops and asks me questions about the dog.

I try not to exchange bodily fluids with the dogs, that is I don't let them lick my face if I can help it. There is however, the occasional "stolen kiss." I'm real big on "air kisses" and conveying love and care through my hands, and happy talk voice

I used to spend quite a bit of money on treats for the dogs. After a while, I decided to just try love, attention, praise, and fun walks. I found that the dogs were just so happy being out walking around and having some positive attention that I really didn't need to use food treats to get them to respond to commands. I guess financial necessity can be the mother of creative training invention!

Some dogs need to be cheered up and respond well to happy talk, some dogs, hunting breeds in particular, are already excited and I've noticed, can be over wound with too much happy talk. Some scared dogs benefit from calm, direct, low key energy. I usually try and assess what is going on by observation and adjust my approach accordingly

When I am done with walking the shelter dogs, I make sure that there is drinking water in the dog's kennel. I return all the equipment to it's correct place and report any useful info on the dog to the staff i.e.- he chases cats, or squirrels, he's a lovely dog and responds well and is easy to walk, the dog is startled by .., Sometimes the staff is interested to get information on the dogs in order to help the people interested in adopting the dog have a good idea of what the dog is like. I try and be useful without overly burdening the hardworking staff with all my insights. The staff members also seem to have different insights and info on the dogs and are often the first ones to bond with the dogs, because they are providing warm safe housing, humane treatment, and feeding them regularly. This kind treatment is often better than the treatment many of the dogs have been previously used to and they are very appreciative of the efforts on their behalf.

I am always careful to remove the Woodhouse style(choke chain) from the dog as it could get caught on something in the kennel and injure the dog- Never leave a choke style chain on an unattended dog

When I am completely done I wash my hands before leaving

Well, these are just a few thoughts that came to mind. I will try and add to the list from time to time.

Funny encounters while travelling with pets

I just got back from spending the weekend in Coeur d' Alene Idaho with my husband and 2 dogs. We stayed at the La Quinta hotel because they are always clean, nice, have very comfortable beds, a bonus point system, and they take pets and don't charge extra for them. I had a funny interchange with the receptionist at the hotel. I had been in the car for a while and she must have been at work for a while as miscommunication always seems to occur while people's reserves are low. I asked her" do you have plastic pooper scoopers?" and she looks at me and says "you mean like for dogs?" and I sarcastically said " no, for people" and she looked at me with a sort of horrified, expression on her face, and then we both started laughing. It's just that I couldn't figure out any other scenario where another creature would need a pooper scooper.This was after all, a hotel that is used to dealing with customers that have dogs, so she should have been more familiar with the question, and she did find some to offer me. I really get punchy when I've been in the car for along time, luckily she understood that I was just being a smart alec

The other odd encounter I had with a hotel receptionist happened in Spokane Washington a few years ago, again, after I had been in the car for a bit, feeling a little spacey, and I'm assuming the person behind the hotel counter had also had a long day. I walked into the lobby and asked the hotel receptionist "do you take pets? " and He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face, and I said "do you take PETS, actually spelling it out P, E,T,S, thinking that maybe he hadn't heard me clearly, and he answered back to me "you mean like A.A.R.P.?" ( which is an acronym that stands for American Association of Retired Persons who are offered a discounted rate) and I said" no like dogs, woof woof" and after what had seemed like a twenty minute experience, waiting my turn in line to ask the clerk and then having this ridiculous interchange, all after a long car ride, he says" sorry, no we don't" Travelling can be so frustrating at times!

Happy Holidays and Big Thank You

Happy Holidays and a big Thank you to all those who have adopted and/or helped, abandoned animals

Another fun filled afternoon with shelter dogs

I was able to spend a good hour and a half today walking shelter dogs. This little Shih Tzu is Drew, a 1 year old male. He was a stray and has been at the shelter for a few days without being claimed. How could someone not know he was missing, unless no one cares. If he is not claimed, in a few more days he will become available for adoption. He is so sweet, and loved being held in my arms. For the most part I am a big dog person, but this little guy just tugged at my heartstrings. If you are interested in him you could contact the shelter and place a hold on him http://www.humanesocietyofthepalouse.org/

















The Black lab with my Blue Merle Aussie is Lady again. We had a nice hour long walk through town. My dog has this" why are you taking my picture, you know I am camera shy" look on his face"






































The black and white guy with his tongue sticking out is Augustus, my new favorite. He doesn't usually have his tongue sticking out but the dogs have been cooped up lately and it's been hard to get decent photos of them with them being happy to be outside and all, so this wasn't a half bad picture, so I included it. He's on the large size of medium sized dogs, very sweet and well behaved considering he has not yet been neutered. If he's this nice pre neutering, he'll only become more calm and nice after. He needs to put on at least 5 lbs.
Augustus is typical of my favorite type of dog, sort of plain, non-descript but with a heart of gold. I love these big easy going guys, unfortunately I am only half of the household decision making process or I would have 5 dogs, but one often makes compromises in relationships, so in a way, the compromise is what keeps me coming back to help more dogs

Dog walking in winter- some new dogs

We finally had a lull in the heavy snows and I was able to get back to walking the shelter dogs, which is always such a joy for me. This little adorable black and tan guy is about a six month old puppy. Someone has placed a hold on him and he will probably be adopted out soon but I thought it would be nice for him to get out and get some love , attention and exercise. He did well on the leash and I was pleased that my dog Cash the blue merle Aussie was very in tune with me trying to keep the puppy calm and walking nicely as he wanted to play and romp with Cash but I wasn't up for a tangled leash, animated play scene, enveloping me on the icy sidewalk so Cash was very good at understanding my intentions, and keeping the puppy in line. The other shelter dog is Lady, the black lab who was well behaved, came to me when I called her and was just a tad wound up as a result of the shelter dogs being cooped up in inside kennels during the snowy weather, but under more normal circumstances seems like she would make a lovely well behaved pet. Much like people, the dogs get cabin fever too, and need to get outside and have fun. Lady the black lab is available for adoptionhttp://www.humanesocietyofthepalouse.org/Available%20Animals.html as well as another big black lab Harley and an assortment of other adorable dogs. I see so many dogs named Harley, funny I never see many named Davidson! My new favorite is Augustus. I was unable to take him out because he has not been neutered yet but he is a sweet medium to large sized maybe Australian cattle dog,white German Shepherd looking mix that loves attention and is mellow and practically human in his responses. I hope to get a photo of him soon and be able to walk him if he is still at the shelter

the "Peace Accord" on the sofa

I was at a dinner party the other night with some dear friends. I was talking about dog behavior and my friend said something along the lines of "It's so interesting to see a glimpse of what humans are like by studying the behaviors of dogs" I never thought of it that way before, that maybe we can learn how to act by seeing how dogs/pack animals resolve their disputes. As I watched the progression to family harmony from the introduction of a newly neutered male dog into my home and pack with a well entrenched 10 1/2 year old neutered male dog that we have had since he was 2 years old, I started to wonder if there was some sort of metaphor/model for human harmony as well. At first it seemed like I had one frightened new dog with some residual testosterone and one old dog who's home territory was being invaded. The newcomer was frightened, , half starved-25% underweight, had been tossed around from place to place with nowhere to call home, came close to being gassed, until some nice people rescued him and set about to finding an appropriate home for him. The old dog was very comfortable in his home territory, laid claim to the upstairs, the sofa, and strategically placed dog bed next to the outside view and had a long history with his people. The new dog finally had a nice comfortable safe place to call home where conditions such as food and comfort and threat level were in his favor. I guess he started liking his new home and feeling protective of it. "See that comfortable couch that I like to lay on? It is now mine. I never had one before and you, little old dog, seem old, weak and complacent. I've had to fight for survival and now I want to ensure it, get it? so it's mine and you stay away from it" This seemed to be the conversation between my new 2 year old Aussie shepherd and my old Blue Heeler. The Heeler was like" Hey wait a minute bub, this is my home territory and has been my sofa for years, who are you to invade and claim it?" I was somewhat of the Peace keeping Mission on the sofa. I would watch as they sorted out their differences. One time I tried to coax them both onto the sofa with me as mediator but my husband said no, "don't do that , let them work it out on their own" I had one long week of daily fights. Nasty sounding fur flying but not much actual damage to either dog. I figured that the new dog needed a lot of exercise in order to calm down. He also needed to know that his food bowl would be full, and that his needs would be met. The old dog needed reassurance that he was still important, that life would improve with this invasion- he got canned food instead of dry kibble every morning. Life was changing, but hopefully it could be a win win for all involved. I would have a new walking and dog training companion, the old dog could semi retire to guard duty in the car and house and occasional nature walks. The new dog would have a warm safe fun comfortable home, meaningful work to do, and his physical need for exercise would be met.For awhile, only the new dog would get on the sofa, and shoot dirty looks at the old dog in order to keep him away. I would intervene and make sure that the old dog was treated well and got attention and comfortable accommodations. As the new dog started to relax and settle into our routine, one day about 2 months after acquiring the new dog I saw both dogs on the sofa with me of their own accord. The old dog was brave and comfortable enough with the new dog to risk the retaking of his old territory. I sat and marveled at the progress we made. Then gradually both dogs started getting comfortable with allowing the other dog to feel a part of the home to freely move on and off the choice pieces of real estate, to share the attentions of their people and their environment and live as one family. Their are still mini power struggles, working out pack positions and duty roles. It seems that time, and minimum interference on my part and both dog's needs being met and the people as moderators to ensure that violence doesn't break out, and then both dogs have somewhat their own safe territory to retreat to. The old dog can go upstairs while the new young dog is somewhat afraid of the stairs. The new dog likes the chair with three comfortable protective sides surrounding him. I'm not sure how many parallels can be drawn between dog behavior and human behavior, dog's don't seem to have the big egos like humans have and are somewhat more tolerant of their species with less attention to their lineage as in not descending into "I am an Aussie Shepherd and you are a German Shepherd, therefore we are destined to disagreement." I'm glad my friend gave me a glimpse into another way to make observations about both dog and human behavior.

* I'd written this awhile ago, and both dogs are getting along just fine now.

Halloween,sheepdogs, and strange events

Halloween night we were sitting in the living room watching reruns of the old Simon and Simon detective show( 1980's television reruns) on netflix . It had been a long day of wood cutting and stacking and late fall garden chores so I just wanted to veg out in front of the t,v with a glass of wine, and the old man likes Simon and Simon because one of the brothers in the show lived on a boat and my husband is obsessed with sailboats lately. The dogs had had a long walk earlier and were laying down relaxing too. The lights were off and the t.v. was on when I heard this strange sound as if a body was being dragged across the floor. I'm thinking" what the heck is that?" as it is Halloween night, we are watching detective shows and I'm getting a tad spooked. I get up to check things out and notice that Cash, the new Australian Shepherd is in my husbands office. I look at him with a " what are you doing in here?" expression, and notice that there is a big plastic bag of my sheep fleece next to him. Now I know that my husband is very picky about what goes in his office and I couldn't imagine why he would have put this huge outside trash can sized bag of my sheep fleece in there and I asked him" did you put my giant bag of fleece in your office?" and I get a " no why would I possibly do that" back from him and I remember hearing that sound like a body being dragged across the linoleum floor and " bingo" Can you believe that this 45 lb sheep dog had dragged a huge bag of fleece into the dark office to have his way with it! I remembered that last Friday I had gone to my knitting club and left the dog alone in the car with my giant bag of fleece and when I came back there was wool fluff all over the car. It was as if he got bored and entertained himself by teasing apart the giant fleece which is actually what needed to be done in preparation for carding. So I suppose he was at it again, bored, and decided to take what he perceived as "his giant bag of fleece toy" into the office in order to play with his secret stash! I really need to get this boy some sheep or at least start him on agility training or sheep dog training. The Australian Shepherd is a little more intense than my Australian Cattle dog who when young, was very smart and not particularly high energy or high maintenance as long as he was with his people. This new dog is a little quirky, I still haven't figured him out quite yet