Thanks for your understanding on cancelling our Slumber Pawty today. We are sad we couldn’t showcase the farm and the animals but we are still trying to see the organization without our Kip.
I was able to volunteer and visit the bunnies and we thank all of you for supporting the new bunny program. If you would like to come and work with the bunnies let us know! We need to build an outdoor enclosure for them, and we are working in getting that set up. We have property maintenance shifts daily from 1030 to 12 where you can help us with different tasks including taking care of the bunnies 🐰
We are always in need of Timothy hay so if you ever want to donate something for the bunnies!
Dusty Rose Reserve event!
We are here!
So much progress with Shadow! We love helping fearful dogs by giving them the skills they need to cope with our world.
We used a variety of protocols for Shadow here, and they’re really paying off. He’s more comfortable about leashing up for his beloved walks, excited about his playtime, ready to meet new people, and fond of a good snuggle (on his terms). We love seeing his personality emerge.
Need help with your fearful dog at home? Book a pay-what-you-can consultation with us today:
https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan
Shadow has made so much progress with his play skills lately. This video was taken several days ago, and as you can see, Shadow very clearly delivers the squeaky ball to Jessica’s hands to indicate that he wants her to throw it.
We are teaching Shadow how to opt in to activities here, and he’s doing fantastic! Such a smart pup.
#fearfuldog #playfuldog #dogtraining #adoptabledog #dogbehavior #behaviormodification #rescue #nonprofit #idaho
Bentley gets zoomies — and not only when he’s happy.
The other day, Bentley was zooming around the yard to release some energy after he got overstimulated/frustrated during a training session. He also really needed to poop, which he sometimes struggles to do when people are present.
There’s a connection between Bentley’s zoomies and how he’s feeling mentally and physically, so while it can be fun to watch FRAPs, in this case, the behavior gave us some important info about how he was doing in that moment.
#zoomies #rescuedog #dogbehavior #rescue #nonprofit #idaholovesdogs #emmettidaho
Learning theory applies to all species. We’re using our previous knowledge to build training practices that will work for rabbits in our new program.
One of our primary goals is to help the rabbits feel safe around humans. They are all abandoned domestic bunnies, and Sven here is the most comfortable with people. We have been working on more handling tasks with him lately.
As we move forward with our program plans, we want to ensure that the rabbits enjoy interacting with visitors and new volunteers and that they cooperate with us during medical care.
🐇 Support our work here: https://givebutter.com/winterblues
We’ve made so much progress with Shadow lately!
To recap: Shadow was in foster for several months but recently came to our farm. He doesn’t like handling, kept a personal bubble of several feet, avoided any gear, was reluctant to leave his safe space, and showed signs of being shut down.
Often mistaken for being “calm,” a shut down dog is one who doesn’t really explore the environment, is tense with stiff movements, and tolerates certain activities but does not respond to invitations for interactive engagement.
We have tricks up our sleeves, though, which we’ve accumulated over years of study and experience. And Shadow has responded beautifully to these interventions. His stress levels are steadily decreasing. He’s learning to trust us, building confidence, and practicing a variety of social behaviors.
Before he came to our farm, Shadow used to display aggression when he was uncomfortable. Now he’s both learning how to be more comfortable AND how to get more space when he needs it.
If you have a dog like Shadow at home, we can help. Sign up for a pay-what-you-can behavior consultation to get started on improving your dog’s quality of life.
https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan
When people find out we train dogs, they often think about obedience and tricks. But that’s not really what we do.
THIS is what we do: help dogs deal with real life stuff with humans. We often get surrender requests from families who say they’ve tried everything with their dog, done all the training, and he still does XYZ. He has skills, but they might not be the ones he needs.
We aim to help dogs feel better about the situations they have to encounter in day to day life. We address the underlying function of the behavior and teach coping skills. And we teach the humans, which is just as important.
Shadow is terrified of being leashed up. He avoids the gear, flinches when it touches him, and sometimes growls at the person putting on the leash or harness. He will “tolerate” the experience — in the sense that he hasn’t bitten and will give up and freeze. But that’s a terrible thing for him to endure every day. Especially when he loves going outside and walking or hiking.
We could just do a million repetitions of leash-predicts-treat, and yeah, we’ve done some of that. But those avoidance behaviors are rooted in fear, so why don’t we address that instead? More effective and way more beneficial.
Play is teaching Shadow that human hands and movements and noises are OK. That being close to us is OK. That if we brush up against each other, it’s OK. That he can choose when to engage and disengage, and that’s OK.
He’s building confidence, learning how to communicate with us, and practicing skills that will be useful in other situations. Play has a purpose, and when it’s done well, it significantly improves the dog’s life.
This is what we mean by training.
#dogtraining #rescuedog #fearfuldog #dogbehavior
We are thrilled to report that all of our rabbits are now spayed and neutered. Last weekend, we participated in a s/n clinic at Eagle Veterinary Hospital that was organized and run by Dr Reina, CVTs Rochelly and Kris, and volunteer Christine.
The clinic went so smoothly — surgeries were successful, microchips were implanted, and basic grooming including fur care and nail trims were all taken care of while we were at the hospital. For the more feral buns in our group, it was wonderful to be able to complete so many husbandry tasks all at once without causing any unnecessary stress.
Theia, Peaches, Demeter, Noodle, Grumpy, and Chester have all recovered well. They received several days of pain management medication and limited activity following their operations, and they are settled back into their enclosures at our rescue.
Thank you to the incredible veterinary and rescue team who helped our bunnies last weekend — we appreciate you!! ❤️❤️
#spayandneuter #spayandneutersaveslives #spay #neuter #vetclinic #vettech #veterinarian #vethospital #eagleidaho #rescue #nonprofit
Ellie and Willard don’t really like being around other dogs. And why would they? They have both experienced conflicts in the past.
During some of our training setups with the dogs, we work on addressing their emotions around their triggers. The function of Ellie’s reactivity, for example, is to make the scary dog or person go away because she feels threatened. She’s been attacked and injured at least three times before.
When we work with the dogs, we are constantly communicating with them and checking in on how they’re doing. We observe body language, use prompts to ask them if they’d like to continue or move a different way, etc.
Willard and Ellie aren’t crazy about each other. They are learning to observe calmly from a distance and disengage as needed. They can move farther away, look away, sniff something — all kinds of behaviors that are more desirable for everyone than barking and lunging.
These setups are quiet and pretty quick. The dogs decide how they’re feeling, and we adjust our plans as needed.
Support our work here: https://givebutter.com/winterblues
#dogtraining #dogrescue #behaviormodification #rescue #dogbehavior #nonprofit #idaho
Ever heard of consent tests for petting? These are simple ways to communicate with an animal and determine whether or not they want this type of human interaction.
Sven knows to not only agree to petting but also ask for it by touching his nose to a hand. If he ignores the offered hand, then we don’t pet him. We also take breaks frequently to see if he’d like to carry on or not.
We’ve used this approach with dogs for years. (Bentley, especially, appreciates clear communication and opt in signals.) So it made sense to do the same for other animals.
#rabbitbehavior #rescuerabbit #animallovers #rescue
Noodle recently decided that he doesn’t want to go into a carrier anymore. We use carriers to move the rabbits from one place to another because it’s safer and doesn’t stress them (they dislike being picked up). But, for some reason, Noodle is now showing signs of stress and avoiding the carrier.
What to do? We still want him to have a full range of activities, so we came up with a system for moving him to and from the play yard.
We’ll keep working on behavior modification for the carrier, as it’s important that he’s comfortable with it for vet visits. We’ve got some time until his next appointment, so until then, we’ll use the x pen to move him.
Noodle very much approves of this service. He loves walking on his own and choosing how to move through the shared space.
#animalwelfare #rabbitwelfare #rabbitbehavior #rabbitlove #rescuerabbit #feralrabbit #rescue #idaho #nonprofit
The Animal Retreat, formerly Meridian Canine Rescue, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Subscriber Hub payments are not tax deductible
