A little chat on how I give the dogs activities and happy times in the shelter, while considering the stress levels. I tried to keep it brief but you still need three minutes! Well worthwhile if you are interested in shelter dogs and managing stress in dogs.
The main points to take away:
- Always observe your dogs so you know how they are feeling
- Keep the environment as low stress as possible
- Choose activities that will not add too much more stress to the dogs in the shelter
And YES, Bobbie is waiting impatiently for adoption here in Greece! He is a beautiful big two year old boy, sterilised and healthy and so gentle and loving. Find out more about Bobbie here: https://laiza-strays.org/could-walks-with-bobbie-be-your-new-hobby/
#ethicaldogtraining #shelterdogs #stressindogs #laizaargos #adoptashelterpet
If you have 2.5 minutes, you might find it interesting to hear how I have significantly reduced the stress around feeding time in a shelter environment, at no extra cost.
This is not about nutrition, but about providing satisfying meals and a calm and secure environment for dogs to eat.
The key principles:
- Make the food as interesting, tasty, diverse and nutritious as you can
- Make the dogs feel safe and secure to eat
- Make the environment that they are eating in calm
- Be aware of their general stress level and reduce it as much as possible
- Never under-feed... hungry dogs are stressed!
If it can be done here, it can be done anywhere!
#ethicaldogtraining
While Theodore enjoys his ice block, he wants to ask everyone to pay attention.
The hot weather has arrived and the animals in our communities need our help. Animals who live free will suffer again through a hot summer, but there are some simple things we can all do to ease their struggle.
👍Please keep water out for the dogs and cats, and other animals - near your home and in places where you know there are community animals.
👍Carry water and water buckets with you in your car so if you see animals that need hydration, you can help them.
👍If animals need to take shelter from the sun in shaded places, let them. Do not push them out into the weather, they need the protection. 👍If possible, open up your garden to animals to take shelter.
👎If you see that pet guardians are leaving their animals exposed to the sun on balconies, rooftops, living on a chain or in an exposed location, or if they do not have shade and water, call the police. This is cruel and illegal.
👎Do not take your pet dogs out in hot weather, it can be fatal. Test the temperature of the ground with your hand before you ask them to put their paws on it.
👍If you see a community animal that is suffering in the heat, call your municipality so they can provide care.
The animals are out there because people put them out there, it is up to the people to protect them and care for them.
This weekend I was helping to make the right introduction between my old friend Archie and little puppy Mocha. The two dogs will be staying together for a week soon and Archie is quite afraid of new dogs.
But he did really well because we followed the right principles.
👍Archie was able to choose his comfortable distances the whole time.
👍We chose a big space which was quiet
👍We gave the dogs plenty of time to observe - and we always observed and listened!
👍We spent time on calm and enriching sniffing
👍The dogs were able to leave any interaction if they didn't feel comfortable
👍We walked in parallel, at a nice distance
👍We showed calm body language and we were quiet
Importantly, we will do many small sessions before the dogs stay together, at their pace and always observing how they are feeling.
This is how we build confidence and positive relationships in dogs.
Working in a dog shelter does require some muscle, but the first muscle we use should always be our brain...
I arrived today and was very surprised that some of my dog friends were suddenly quite suspicious, even scared when I passed for a morning check.
So I stepped back and had a think... what could be different... aha! Summer is coming so I was wearing a hat for the first time!
Easy fix, I just took off my hat and placed it a distance away that the dogs could see it but not be stressed. And we were back to normal.
Some people might think you should keep wearing the hat, force the dogs to get used to it. So here is my analogy: if you were afraid of water and unable to swim, would it HELP you to be ok around water if someone dropped you out in the middle of the ocean? No, you might drown, and at the least it would be traumatic. BUT, if someone let you sit next to the water, you would eventually feel OK to dip your toes in, then your feet... you get it. And it would be your choice.
So this is ethical dog training. It's gentle, it's fair and it's very effective.
#ethicaldogtraining #shelterdog #laizaargos
Today it seems the stray animal salon was open for business and quite popular! Look at the queue!
Old Theodore seemed very happy to have some dead hair brushed out from that big coat leading into the summer months.
Just another easy way we can make the life of a dog on the street quite comfortable.
Much of my work is with shelter dogs, who have very limited life experience.
Something very important for them before they leave the shelter and start a new life is to learn about the outside world.
It reduces the shock of moving into a new home and helps both the dogs and their new guardians adjusting to big life changes.
Doing this work gently and sensitively allows the dog to learn at its own pace, feel safe and build resilience.
#ethicaldogtraining #shelterdog #calm #laizaargos
Look at this beautiful old boy who has the most beautiful soul and is a big puppy at heart.
Theodore enjoys his life of freedom on the street and it's just so simple. He is provided with food, water, a bed and health care, plus lots of scratches and attention as he is one dog who loves affection!
He has his dog friends, Charlie Brown and Zizel, for company and collaborative mischief too.
Importantly, he has so many choices in his life, even if he doesn't always make good ones (we saw you chasing cars, Theo 😉)
Theodore wishes you all a fun and happy Easter!
I'm so lucky on this trip to meet so many beautiful new dogs who have been adopted by family or friends since my last trip to Oz.
I had a great day looking after Sadie here, who is a new member of my family. During the warm weather, we made this little video to show how we don't have to do very dynamic activities with our dogs all the time, nor do we have to cover much distance.
This calm walk really achieved its goal and we didn't even work up a sweat.
#ethicaldogtraining
Merry Christmas from me, Theo the street dog and a very last minute Christmas cake!
Theo is an older guy and I can see arthritis setting in. He really appreciates a massage and someone to spend time with in between his daily activities - laying in the sun, socialising with other dogs and barking at things.
I try to make the festive season a little special for the dogs who have nothing much so I gave him and his friends some tasty food too.
These dogs have just as much right to a good life as anyone else, and they appreciate their freedom. A little care goes a long way, and it's not so hard for us to provide this.
Best wishes to you all, and to all the dogs out there!
Last week at the Pro Anima Beograd shelter, I enjoyed spending some time with Mila the staffy.
Mila had a traumatic past but healed well in the shelter with a lot of care. She's a lovely soul, but she started expressing some slightly difficult behaviours, as you can see at the start of the video. After a lot of thought and some consultation with fellow ethical dog trainers, we realised that her regular activities, like leash walking, combined with the stress of the shelter, was overwhelming her.
So I designed a calming program for her where we changed her activities and even managed to find a new position for her in the shelter. You can see her progress, and I kept the sound on most of the video so you can hear the change in stress level of the surrounding dogs over time.
This week I was impressed with how much she enjoyed calmly using her nose during an enrichment activity. She is now again enjoying more activities, like calm leash walks, socialising with volunteers and even play time with other dogs. We just are sure to monitor that she's feeling fine and reasonable calm about it.
#shelterdog #ethicaldogtraining #rescuestaffy
The whole team social walking - Bella is so happy to meet us each day.
This is Cupko, one of the special dogs I work with in Serbia.
He came to us at the shelter at 10 months old, after a desperate plea from some women who had been feeding him. He had endured a horrific leg injury and no rescue had space for him, and no one could catch him as he was showing a lot of aggression. Of course, he was obviously in pain and terrified. The rescue was not easy, but we got him to the vet and unfortunately his leg needed amputation from the knee.
Over the last year we have worked slowly and steadily with Cupko, so he could gain confidence and grow. The most important thing is that everything happens at Cupko's pace, with his consent.
His recovery has been remarkable, now he is a happy and energetic dog who even has a family waiting to adopt him. Cupko was due to go to his home in September but we felt he wasn't quite ready so made the decision to delay his move. It was difficult, but the responsible step so Cupko and his family can have the best chance at a happy life together.
Making good decisions like this creates responsible and successful adoptions.
We are sure Cupko will be on his way soon, better equipped to take on the world!
