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
This is what our walks look like — wandering, sniffing, rolling, backtracking. Almost never in a straight line. The pace constantly changes. Bentley likes to zigzag as he follows his nose, while Pepper prefers a good scent roll and some quiet observation.
Coco couldn’t be leashed when he first arrived. Now he wears a variety of gear and can calmly be leashed up when it’s time to go outside.
We often think of training as obedience or tricks, but it’s really just about learning. Dogs can learn how to navigate real life scenarios. And we can teach you how to teach them.
What are some challenges you’ve faced at home? We’d love more input from our community as we plan our 2025 classes and workshops.
Leave a comment with your ideas and suggestions 🙏
We Can Help with Your Dog's Behavior!
Our staff trainer and behavior consultant is waiting and available to help you with easy to follow, accessible advice about your dog's behavior! She can also point you in the direction of additional resources or vetted in-person help when necessary. Schedule your consultation today! https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan
Thank you all for following us this year. See ya next year!! 🎉 #newyear #happynewyear #2024 #2025
We can help improve your dog's behavior!
We offer Pay-What-You-Can video consultations with our staff trainer and behavior consultant. We can help with everything from nuisance behaviors to things like reactivity and aggression issues and turn you in the direction of additional resources or qualified in-person help when necessary. Schedule your session today! https://calendly.com/meridian-canine-rescue/behavior-consultation-paywhatyoucan
Such a big year for our organization!!
We moved to a 15+ acre property, began a program for abandoned rabbits, started the process of changing our name and rebranding, created new partnerships, welcomed new volunteers and fosters, added certifications to our prison program, provided new behavior and training services for our community, and so much more.
Thank you to everyone who supported us every step of the way. 2024 was a big year for us, and we are so excited about our plans for 2025. 🎉
Ellie’s training loop looks like this:
1. Ellie approaches
2. Cue chin rest
3. Mark and reward chin rest behavior
4. Give release cue and toss cookie behind her
5. Repeat
Wanna give it a try? If your dog doesn’t have the chin rest behavior, you can simply mark and reward them for the approach, eye contact, sit, etc.
Rocky, one of our EPIC dogs at the Idaho State Correctional Center, really appreciated his recent challenge. He is so smart and has already breezed through the other puzzles at the prison.
Thank you to Kimberly for donating this toy!!
Two weeks ago, we received a call from our rescue partner, Lake Lowell Animal Rescue. They were contacted about a female rabbit who had been trapped and needed a place to go. There was a vet willing to perform a spay that day, and LLAR was willing to hold until we got ready.
Could we take her?
We are slowly growing our rabbit program, and there’s a lot of work to be done still. We debated the pros and cons of bringing in another rabbit and ultimately decided to help her.
The problem was that she was soooo scared. LLAR decided to move two other female rabbits in with her to see if they would help. The other girls were also domestic bunnies who had been abandoned and then trapped at the same site. All three got along well, and the black bunny started to do much better.
So… could we take all three? 🐰 🐰🐰
Our last popup of the year! If you are close to Panera in Ustick we will be from 11-1 accepting donations and selling our last hoodies/sweatshirts for $35! What you see is what we have left!
