A Stroll Around Freedom Trail

Last Saturday, the Canine PhD class took a walk around Freedom Trail.  There were people out and about, doing all sorts of things.  Evan met up with a young, exuberant, pit mix.  He doesn't always know how to introduce himself to other dogs, though he clearly wants to meet them, and they were content to sniff each other and say hello.  He really loves other dogs, and he gets so excited to see them.  He runs right up to them.  So, we need to work on letting him meet other dogs, without him pulling on the leash or acting overzealous.  That can be scary for some pets. 

 

This class ended another 6 week course and so next week we start with a whole new set of dogs and people.  I am very excited to meet everyone, and I know Evan will love it too.  We are going to keep Evan going to training so that he can continue to gain confidence and to give him a break from the shelter life as much as possible.

Someone came to the shelter not so long ago and spent some time with Evan.  Evan is so soft, so sweet, and so smart.  They just kept asking "what's wrong with him that he would be at a shelter for so long?"  They thought he was wonderful but they were worried that I wasn't telling them something.  We are always very honest with adopters because we want our placements to succeed for life.  Evan is going to need an owner who will continue working with him and will be patient with him as he adjusts to a new home.  He is healthy and vibrant, but he is scared.  There is a whole group of people who love him and will be available to help.  Evan gets so attached to the people who take the time to know him.  Someone will be very lucky to have him.

Sometimes dogs and cats are at the shelter longer than we would hope and there are a variety of reasons for it.  Pit bulls, black dogs, older cats and dogs are not looked at as often as their younger and smaller counterparts.  Sometimes it is something else.  People always tell me, when they come in, that they want their new dog to "pick them."  That can be a great way of adopting a new pet, but a lot of pets do not know how to "pick their person."  It does not mean that they will not bond completely with the wonderful person that will end up taking them home.  It just means that the stress of the shelter makes them more shy instead of outgoing.  These dogs may hide in the back of their kennels when people walk in, they may tremble a little.  They may also be so excited to go on a walk that they focus on smelling everything around them, instead of focusing their attention on the person that might be interested in adopting them.

If you come out to the shelter and see Evan in the back of his kennel, don't walk by him, ask someone on staff if you can take him out for a walk.  Even if you cannot adopt him, it is important that he gets to meet new people and have positive experiences with guests of the shelter.  He may be  shy, but he is absolutely kind hearted.  He has just never had a family to call his own and does not know how to ask for one.

 

The Tellington Touch

Connor, Harriet, Laura, and Evan on the PAWS Atlanta walking trail.

We love Evan, and we want him to be a happy and confident guy.  We know that we need to try a variety of things with him to ensure that he has the best possible life.  Another thing we try to integrate into his training regime is the Tellington Touch.  This is a way of using touch, balance, and massage to help calm stressed dogs and to develop a bond between the handler and the dog.  During training, we gently move Evan's tail, rub his ears, and pet him in slow circular motions.  Evan loves it, and it really does work!  For a very basic overview you can check out this website (http://www.pawsnlearn.com/basic.htm), do a quick google search, and/or read the book The Tellington TTouch : A Revolutionary Natural Method to Train and Care for Your Favorite Animal by Linda Tellington-Jones.

An Offsite Adventure

Class was canceled last weekend, but Charlotte did not want Evan to miss out on an opportunity to get Evan out of the kennel and into the world.  The weather was perfect, and he has so few chances to experience life as a regular dog.  She took him to their old stomping ground, Stone Mountain.  They use to go there every weekend before training classes began.  He got to see children, bikes, and other dogs as he sniffed around and explored the local flora.  He did fantastic and seemed to have a really good time!  On the way home Charlotte bought him a special treat and he devoured it happily.  We are excited to get back to class at Canine PhD this Saturday.  Evan is going to make a family very proud one day.  He is such a smart, fun dog!

Unfortunately, it is difficult to take pictures if you are just one person!  This is an old picture of me and Evan at Stone Mountain--clearly during the winter.  Charlotte had let me tag along with them that weekend, and we had a lot of fun.  He is wearing a Thundershirt, a product designed to help calm anxious dogs.

It's The Little Things

Charlotte took some extra time this weekend to sit in front of Evan's kennel and offer him calming signals.  Calming signals, for dogs, may include yawning, turning their head away, shaking off, sniffing, and so on.  Dogs use these signals to communicate with other dogs, and they try to use them with us though we so frequently miss or ignore them.  Cathy, another amazing volunteer, once lent me a book entitled On Talking Terms, which really broke it down (http://www.amazon.com/On-Talking-Terms-With-Dogs/dp/1929242360).  These signals helped Evan start relaxing and finally he laid down.  I always joke that it is a good thing we go to class so early on Saturdays because I am always inadvertantly giving Evan calming signals, mostly yawning!

For more information, check out this link from the woman who wrote On Talking Terms:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

BAT training: A Walk in the Park

Evan attended another class at CaninePhD last Saturday.  It was a big day for all the dogs and humans involved.  We have moved from the indoor classes to the great outdoors and this week we took a walk, as a group, around Inman Park.  This is a big deal for Evan who is commonly frightened in new settings.

We began work in the parking lot by practicing BAT training.  This is a positive and confidence-building technique that teaches dogs to respond to fearful situations in a calm and healthy manner.  The handler is essentially teaching the dog new ways of responding to a variety of situations.  For example, if a dog barks and pulls at the leash every time a dog walks by this type of training works to teach him/her to respond in another way, adverting their gaze, yawning, shaking off, showing calming signals.  In the case of an anxious dog, like Evan, distance can be used as a reward.  If he sees something that he finds frightening from a safe distance, he gives a calming signal, and he is rewarded by the handler who retreats with him.  He is learning that calmness in the face of fear gets him what he ultimately wants, which is a sense of safety.  It is a great way of building a bond/trust between animal and human.  It also increases the dog's self-confidence and makes them braver, as well as more able to handle real life situations.  In Saturday's class Evan met, at a distance, a tall man wearing a hat that was unknown to him.  This is a situation that might make him shake or bolt in another setting, but he is getting better and bolder with each new lesson.  He was nervous, but he did fantastic and responded with several calming signals.

After BAT training, we took our walk around the park. Evan had a rough start, but near the end of the walk he was resting and chewing on blades of grass.  He seemed to enjoy his time away from the chaos of shelter life, and he made us all very proud.  His next class is this upcoming Saturday, and we are excited to have yet another chance to teach, learn, and brag about our boy.

  This picture was taken about 2 months ago.  It shows Evan, resting calmly, as a volunteer group works on the kennels behind him.