No More Homeless Pets Forum
September 15, 2003

Dog Behavior

Sherry Woodard

We have this dog at our shelter... Sherry Woodard, dog training and care consultant for Best Friends Animal Society, will offer her insights into working with dogs - shy dogs, aggressive dogs - in your shelter to make them ready for new homes and to keep them in their homes.

Introduction from Sherry Woodard:

Many special dogs can find permanent, loving homes with your help. As a volunteer or shelter employee, you can make a difference by focusing on some of your favorite shelter dogs. There are two primary ways you can do this -- working with the dogs, giving them some basic training to make them more adoptable, or focusing on promoting the dogs for adoption.

First, whatever you decide to do, make sure that your shelter knows what you are thinking of doing and approves of it.

Working with Dogs to Make Them More Adoptable: A little basic behavior training makes dogs more adoptable. To work with the dogs, you'll need to learn some simple training techniques.

Clicker training is fun and easy enough for teenagers to learn. Members of your family can help the dogs by teaching them basic commands, and by helping to socialize them with both people and other dogs.

If you ask the dogs in the shelter to sit before they receive a bowl of food, they will learn to sit and gladly do it for each meal. Then they will sit for anyone who asks -- adopters will be impressed with their polite behavior.

Are the dogs at your shelter wearing head halters if they pull on the lead? Once dogs become comfortable wearing a head halter, they are a joy to walk and almost anyone can walk them.

Mental work, such as hide and seek with a toy or treats, can add variety to a dog's day. Dogs who are alone can work on a Kong-type toy for an hour or more. High-energy dogs can learn to relax if you sit and massage them or read a book out loud to them.

You may want to ask the shelter if you can receive training as a volunteer adoption coordinator.

Publicizing Dogs for Adoption: If you want to help dogs by publicizing their availability for adoption, start by taking pictures of them. Then, write interesting bios about each of the dogs you want to promote. Highlight their endearing qualities, but be honest. (All known history should be available to potential adopters.)

You can post the pictures with the bios in a variety of places where potential adopters congregate. Be creative -- for example, how about advertising high-energy dogs at outdoor sports stores? Another strategy is to approach local radio and TV stations; ask them to run a free or low-cost spot to advertise a "dog of the month."

Finding the right home for difficult or special-needs dogs may take considerable effort, but it's worth it!

Questions

Being more lenient with smaller dogs when it comes to temperament testing
Not using jargon to explain behavioral issues
Housing dogs in groups
When a dog is extremely protective of her family
Tips on reading animal body language
Promoting animals who don't do well at off-site adoptions
When dogs lunge at other dogs
Unpredictable behavior
Group housing of dogs
Training volunteers to safely handle shelter animals
How much information about animals should we put on a cage card?
Crate training
When a dog attacks cats
Positive reinforcement

Being more lenient with smaller dogs when it comes to temperament testing

Question from a member:

At my shelter, all the dogs are expected to pass a temperament test to be considered adoptable. Unadoptables are destroyed. I know that we could find good homes for some of the dogs who don't pass the test. For example, I think we should be more lenient with the small dogs, especially those that weigh less than 10 pounds. What do you think?

Response from Sherry:

I wish that temperament testing were used as a way to assess incoming behavior rather than as a death sentence. I agree that more shelters could try to work with the so-called unadoptables. The initial temperament test may not be a true indication of the animal's everyday behavior, since any animal arriving at a shelter is bound to be stressed, and react to that stress. Shelters should assess the dog's behavior again, after working on training and social skills.

In a perfect world, shelters would change the behaviors that can be corrected and then find the dog an appropriate, experienced, and protective new home, one that will be dedicated to continuing the work with the dog. As far as being lenient with dogs that weigh less than 10 pounds, I agree. Many of them can be placed in good new homes, even if they are aggressive, since they are less likely to inflict serious physical damage because of their size. However, this is not to say that their placements should be casual in any way.

Not using jargon to explain behavioral issues

Question from a member:

We have a volunteer trainer at our shelter who is a great help with making the dogs more adoptable. We want to include his written recommendations in the dogs' records for their adoptive families, but he uses dog-training code words and abbreviations. We have asked him to simplify his explanations for us, but so far he hasn't complied. If we don't know what he means, who will?

Response from Sherry:

I would try to explain that he is appreciated and valued, but his recommendations need to be written in simple language that the public can understand. Clear instructions, using as little jargon as possible, will give the dogs a better chance of being adopted and staying in their future homes. Perhaps he could create a glossary of terms that he uses and definitions for them.

Housing dogs in groups

Question from a member:

My shelter currently houses dogs individually. I am trying to convince the shelter staff that dogs can live together and that it actually is beneficial. Can you help me to persuade them?

Response from Sherry:

Best Friends dogs are housed in groups because we think that most dogs do benefit from living with other dogs. The group sizes vary, depending on personalities and personal space requirements. There are both short- and long-term benefits to housing dogs together. If you keep dogs social, they will be more relaxed upon meeting unfamiliar dogs in the future. If you keep them busy with each other, playing and interacting, their stay in your shelter will be a much nicer experience.

Of course, there are times when dogs should not be housed together, such as when they are unneutered and when they are aggressive toward other dogs. Also, I would not generally house extra-large dogs with toy-sized dogs. Ideally, puppies should be housed in a separate area from adult dogs and precautions should be taken to prevent disease. If you have not group-housed in the past, be very careful when putting dogs together. Do not leave dogs together unsupervised overnight until you feel comfortable that their relationship is amicable.

When a dog is extremely protective of her family

Question from Michelle:

I know of a dog that has been adopted out several times, but each time is returned because she gets protective once she bonds to her new family. How can you work with a dog that is extremely protective? Is there a way to work with the adopting family to teach them how to manage the dog, after you have explained the dog's characteristics?

Response from Sherry:

Without the ability to ask you more questions, I am guessing that this dog is initially friendly toward new people when she first enters her new home, and that her behavior changes toward new people after she's settled in a home. Here's how to work with the dog: While she is in the shelter waiting for her future family, I would have as many strangers (volunteers) as possible meet her. To make the experience positive, they should provide treats, walks and play.

As she learns how to greet guests, she should be kept on a loose lead for safety. If she responds well to the "sit" command, ask for a sit, give her a treat and praise, and have volunteers do the same. She should be allowed to sniff new people after receiving a treat. Repetition of this basic training will help her to understand the proper way to meet visitors. If possible, practice meeting people in someone's home and out in public. Again, use volunteers and have them approach her with treats. Try to use as many different types of people as you can - men, women, teens, people wearing hats or glasses, etc. In time, she will view strangers as friends visiting with treats.

Here's how to work with the family: I would explain to your potential adopters that this dog is going to need ongoing practice with greeting people nicely. You could suggest that they foster her before adopting. Have the family reinforce the training that you initiated. Put a treat jar near the front door and a sign on the door, explaining to guests that they should offer the dog a friendly greeting, ask for a sit, and then give a reward. Once the dog knows someone, they can give praise as her reward. If some of your volunteers become her friends, they can drop by as well. Advise the family that she will need to continue meeting new people in her future home, or her past behaviors will likely reoccur. Thank you for wanting to help this dog.

Tips on reading animal body language

Question from Judi:

I have taken in an undomesticated chow mix. He shows no sign of aggression, but has limited affect. He evidently has been through a lot in his short nine months of life. My question is this: How do I begin building a trust level with this pup and are there tips on how to read him? I can tell there is a lot going on inside him, but I just don't get a feel for what that may be. So I am very cautious with him.

Response from Sherry:

First, thank you for taking in a very special dog. He probably missed out on being socialized, so our world is a pretty scary place for him. To build trust, here are some things you can try: Hand-feeding him can help build a closer relationship. Spend as much time as you can sharing a room with him. Even if he hides from you, he will become accustomed to your presence and movements. Offer a place for him to hide - a crate with the door held open, or a desk or table to go under. Try to give him a quiet life with a regular routine. In time, he may become more relaxed and comfortable with you.

You can also work on building a good relationship by engaging him in reward-based training. Teach him basic commands, such as come, sit, down, etc. Learning commands will help him to build confidence in himself. If you want to go for walks, put a harness or a martingale collar on him for safety. Keep identification on him at all times in case he ever accidentally gets out of your yard.

As far as reading his body language, here are some signs of a fearful dog.

His ears will be flat if they normally stand up or will lay back against his head if they are normally floppy.
His tail will be down low or tucked under his body, between his legs.
He will hold his head down; he may try to avoid eye contact.
His body will be tense and will sometimes tremble.
He may urinate or defecate as you approach.
He may try to hide or run away.
He may exhibit excessive drooling, panting or yawning.

He may offer threats to try to scare you away: He may become motionless or stiff, show his teeth or lunge at you. Even if he doesn't seem aggressive, remember that all dogs can bite when they feel threatened, so use caution. I also recommend that you talk with chow people to learn about some of their normal breed personality traits. Breed rescue groups, which can provide helpful information about their breed, can be found online.

If you plan on keeping this dog, you can work on increasing your dog's comfort level over time. But, if you hope to find him a home, or you want to try to enlarge his comfort zone quickly, you may want to find a humane trainer who has a lot of experience working with undersocialized dogs.

Another piece of advice: Don't expect too much. Your dog may warm up to your closest family members and friends, or he may never warm up to other people at all. One semi-feral dog that is in a loving home avoids most people. Though she is comfortable with most other animals, she still cringes when her favorite people first touch her, but then she relaxes.

I have a semi-feral cat living in my home, and I have found homes for semi-feral dogs that I have worked with. I am currently writing a handout on feral dogs that will be helpful for anyone working with undersocialized dogs (not just those born in the wild). Keep checking the Best Friends website for training and care information.