So why do I take the whole month of December off to work with Shelter Dogs only? THIS is why.
Little Red from Paws Crossed Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre hit the jackpot, he has a family willing to take on the monumental challenge of socializing him, working through his fears and getting him adoptable. He however does need SOME skills so management can be implemented in order to safely be in a home. One of those skills is kennelling.
Kennel training is often quite easy to accomplish, but for dogs like Red who needed to be trapped (big shout out to Toni from BALA Brandon and Area Lost Animals who works so hard bringing in these poor souls who need to be trapped) in order to be brought into care, the kennel is often a VERY difficult tool to add to their toolbox. As you can see, I sometimes have to start slow & get in myself to lure, I called in one of his emotional support humans that he has built a rapport with to continue to encourage from outside. Is he comfortable yet- no. Is he making progress and receiving lots of encouragement and praise for being brave- yes. It is so important when overcoming a negative association to give choice and reward heavily for curiosity, inspection, and movement when dogs are very fearful. Yes he is still stressed, but throughout our session tonight his confidence grew, he began to shuffle, and nibble treats in the scary place and is on the road to not just creating positive kennel associations but building confidence.
Fosters willing to take on changing dogs are a rare breed. The least I can do is start laying the foundation for management and confidence building. I will also be there to offer support all the way along.
There are many more dogs like Red at the shelter, just needing a hand to get home ready & it's a service I'm proud to offer as often as I can.
#learningisalifelongjourney #dogtraining #shelterdog
On location today helping Paws Crossed Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre fundraising table at the Makers Market and Vintage Finds event put on by the Brandon Food Rescue.
Most of you know I'm heavily involved with PawsX dog program, but fundraising is SO important as well, I happy to help whenever I can. PawsX is actually the Pound for 6 RMs around Brandon. Through fundraising and volunteer hours they are able to continue to care for animals once their hold is up, begin their vaccinations, and offer them for adoption through the shelter side, ensuring animals are not in danger once their hold is up! This is only possible because of community support, donations, fundraising and volunteers.
They accept donations year round by etransfer to [email protected] or on their vet account at [email protected] Paws Crossed in the memo.
Amazing day down at Black Wheat Brewing for the Paws Crossed Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre pups on the patio meet & greet event. Huge thanks to Aubrey from Franky’s Walk and Train for coming out today so we could do some fun socialization and enrichment activities with the pups together :)
It was a wonderful day & all the dogs did very well, had fun, gained new experiences and hopefully a few get adoption applications. I generally am not a fan of meet & greet or adoption events as it is A LOT of social pressure and stress to put on the dogs, but having a fun enrichment area set up with trainers to help offer a fun, rewarding, mentally stimulating, and lower stress activities means I will definitely do this again!
Thank you to everyone who came out today, all of the Paws Crossed volunteers who transported dogs all day (too hot to keep dogs out for long), everyone at the brewery for helping us hose down the yard regularly to keep the asphalt cool enough for me & the dogs to barefoot around on, Gail for lending us her tunnel to play with, Gene for building the placeboards and everyone else who made this event come together- I'm sure I forgot to name a few but it was a great day to hang with other dog people!
If you are looking for a new furry family member, or see someone in the video you like, contact Paws Crossed Animal Shelter and Adoption Center for more information.
#brandonmb #trainingwithfriends. #shelterpups #adoptionevent #enrichmentfordogs #brews
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What are your goals?
This is a question that is part of my intake papers & initial assessment appointment. What are your concerns and what are your goals? This is what helps me come up with a training plan taylored to your goals and needs.
In the case of Rex and Grip, their Moms goals were to be able to walk both dogs together without getting yanked all over, to have the dogs run with her, to have the dogs not crash the door, and to have dogs that barked less at home. We started working on impulse control and focus games, introducing the running leash indoors, setting a boundary with the door, and addressing some reactivity while working on loose leash walking.
As you can see, a few sessions in they are making excellent progress towards their goals because the family is putting in the work daily! This is why I do an initial assessment & ask a million questions about your daily and weekly schedule; I need to assign homework you can do in the time you have to work towards your goals, and everyone's schedule is different. Finding ways for you to fit in small training sessions, form habits, pattern behaviors regularly with minimal adjustments to your day is the key to most owners success. When owners make these small adjustments their goals become within reach quickly.
Have we achieved perfection- no, but this is a huge improvement from our 1st session and excellent progress towards the family's goals. Enjoyably walking two dogs is a great accomplishment and shows how much work they've been putting in daily.
#brandonmb #learntogether #dogtraining #training #letsworktogether #LearningIsLifeLongProcess #trainyourdog #understanding #loveyourpets #happyhome #westman
Transport Training for Fosters- The Kennel Part 2!
Demo dogs today Makwa from Stray Cats of Erickson Inc. And Rosie from Paws Crossed Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre both are available for foster or adoption from their respective organizations! More info on each in the comments :)
It was a wonderful day to work outside in the early morning and generalizing the kennel in many environments is a great way to practice (though I obviouslywould not advocatefor kennelling your dog outsidefor extended periods- training games are great in all environments). Extra hands afforded the ability to do buddy sessions, so today instead of kennel motion as step 2, we did work with other animals around which is an important thing for pups to be comfortable with on transport. No matter if by air or ground travel, it is highly likely transported animals will be in close proximity to others.
Step 1- (not shown) is a refresher of the kennel part 1 (no door) then adding the door on and not closing it but fiddling and moving it before inviting out.
Step 2- as this was a buddy session we took turns entering kennel, then closing door. Wait & exit.
Step 3- decreasing the distance between dogs, one in one out so long as everyone is still happy and not stressed by the situation. Increasing the amount of movement around and in front of the kennel.
Step 4- (not shown) kennelling side by side taking turns 1st in, 1st out.
This is something that can be made into a fun game with your foster if you have multiples or a dog already in your home. Race to kennels or kennel turns can be quite fun for them and build very positive associations with the kennel. Lots of praise, and good feedback will ensure your pups are having a great time!
#LearningIsLifeLongProcess #letsworktogether #dogtraining #rescuedog #transport #learntogether #brandonmb #training
Part 1 of Transport Training for Fosters- The Kennel Part 1
The video below shows me working with Makwa from Stray Cats of Erickson Inc. as my demo dog, for more information on fostering on adopting please reach out to them.
We are demonstrating how I break the kennel down into component parts and begin working with just the bottom portion. This is also how we begin kennel training for dogs who are very leery of the kennel or have an aversion to the kennel from past experiences. We break it into small manageable pieces which are less intimidating to build up those positive associations.
1. Just the bottom, in Makwa's case she was happy to go in the bottom on a lead without stress so we did many reps of just entering the kennel bottom, reward, exit repeat. Then asking as you see in the video for a brief wait before exit. For dogs still unsure of just the bottom I would begin by rewarding any interaction with the kennel; a sniff, a paw in etc and slowly build up. It is not a race, progress slowly as the dog becomes comfortable with each step.
2. Add just the top- no door. Repeat the same process as you did with the bottom. Starting with quick in & outs, then asking for a wait before exiting.
3. Start laying the foundation for lead on, lead off & being invited out. On transport depending on length there is often need to stop for pee breaks as some of these journeys are many hours long. It's difficult to see in video but once comfortable with in & outs I start taking the lead off, wait a moment, reattach then invite to exit.
At all points of this process we are rewarding heavily with both treats & praise as we want this to be an insanely positive experience for the dog!
Makwa was an excellent helper today and you'll be able to see more of her in The Kennel part 2 later this week where we add the door, and start to introduce kennel motion.
Transport Training is all about socializing the dogs to things they may encounter to make their journey less stre
"With proper introduction"
How do you introduce two animals and set them up for success? All too often this phrase is used in adoption write ups, to describe animals that sometimes get on with others, but often too little thought goes into what a "proper introduction" is.
This video is of the very end of a first meeting, the black dog is my personal dog, and the brown is a senior pound dog I intend to sanctuary. They are wildly different in personality, energy and play style. A proper introduction however sets the tone for a good relationship and increases the likelihood of them getting on long term.
To start tonight my family took our dog on his walk, I took our introduction dog and met up with them at a point in our regular walk route. We gave each other space to start, took turns being the lead dog, rewarding engagement with handlers NOT the other dog, changing handlers and positions and repeating. As everyone's body language was good and relaxed we began walking side by side, still rewarding handler engagement. By the end of the walk 1 handler was walking both dogs, though excited there was still good engagement, and the dogs were able to go sniff the same trees, poles and fences together, this was a successful first introduction.
This is an exercise we will repeat multiple times, BEFORE considering bringing home a new addition. Adding a new family member is a process when done correctly, especially when we are dealing with a home full of other animals and one who struggles with reactivity. However it is possible when done with care and thought to building a relationship before gotcha day, setting everyone up for success.
This is part of the reason I've added "meet & greets" to my booking services for 2024, as taking time and care to set dogs up for success is crucial to finding actual forever homes.
As you can see there is no emphasis given to "training" and "proper" walking, this is not a structured or training walk. These sessions are simpl
Contact Paws Crossed Animal Shelter & Adoption Centre for more info on Chuck
