Who is ruling the roost?

Driving home after a day of training I thought about the dogs I had seen. Two were little fear aggressive terriers that had bitten houseguests. Another bigger dog was leash reactive, lunging and barking at dogs, cats, squirrels, or anything else that moved. Needless to say his owners had no control over him when he saw something in the house through the window or outside. The fourth dog just didn’t listen. She helped herself to whatever she desired; couch pillow, loaf of bread on the counter, $100 shoes. Didn’t matter, whatever struck her fancy at the moment was hers. Or so she thought. All four of these dogs lead their owners when walked, charging ahead and acting as if the person on the other end of the leash didn’t exist.

These owners are good people who love their dogs. All have one thing in common. Their dogs rule the roost. They love their dogs unconditionally, allowing them full run of the house and provide no structure or rules of behavior. Nothing is earned and the dogs do not have to work for anything. Affection is given indiscriminately and frequently. The dogs see their people as soft and weak and are making their own decisions because no one is doing it for them.  What these dogs need is guidance and less unconditional affection. I asked all of them to do one thing this week besides the individualized homework I had assigned. I asked them to withhold affection for the week and to ignore the dog when they are not training, feeding or taking bathroom breaks. No belly rubs, no baby talk, no cuddling. The dog stays off furniture. Just for one week. I suspect that the dogs will begin to learn to stop taking their owners for granted and will become a bit more attentive to them. 

How we live with our dog 

determines the dog 

we ultimately get

Way to go Debbie!

 I'm proud to call her a friend -

Debby Rightmyer, Volunteer Since 2005

Enrichment. Debby Rightmyer said that’s been her ultimate goal since becoming a Volunteer at North Shore Animal League America in 2005. The Queens resident spends most of her time building relationships with the adult dogs, who for one reason or another, have had difficulties finding homes. Every day she volunteers she sees as an opportunity to provide the animals with the tools they need to become the better versions of themselves.

Whether it’s creating challenging puzzles and games to keep them mentally sharp, or simply building a trusting relationship through steady interaction, Debby understands that it’s vital that our animals feel at home while in our care. That way when the right adopter comes along, our animals will be ready to make a smooth transition into their new home, which in turn, facilitates more successful adoptions.

“I take a lot of pride in working with the dogs who need it the most. Since many of these animals are with us for significant periods of time, I have the opportunity to build strong relationships with some of them. This allows me to teach them important skills that will give them a better quality of life in the long run,” Debby said. “Of course every animal in our care is going to have all of the basics like food, water, shelter, walks, but if I can enrich their lives and stimulate their brains, then I’m going to do it. I find behavior incredibly interesting.”

At Animal League America we know that keeping our animals physically stimulated and in shape is important. We make sure that every animal that calls our Port Washington, N.Y. campus home not only receives enrichment to physically improve their bodies and quality of life, but keeps their minds fine-tuned as well. Debby recalled one of her favorite dogs, Duke, a handsome black lab mix whom became very dear to her heart during his time here.

Rescued when he was just a puppy from a municipal shelter in Oklahoma, he was quickly adopted from our Adoption Center. Although it seemed like a perfect fit at the time, Duke was reclaimed by our Quality Care Department about a year later when it was discovered he wasn’t being cared for in the responsible, loving fashion we expect from our adopters.
Whether it was due to barrier frustration, anxiety, or a combination of both, the young dog didn’t do well on the adoption floor upon his arrival back at our campus. Every time potential adopters approached his kennel, Duke would let out a loud, intimidating bark to deter their company, almost as if he viewed them as potential threats. We may never know why he developed these guarded behaviors, but one thing was for certain; whenever he was outside of his kennel and enjoying time with Debby and others he trusted, he was the epitome of the perfect adoptable pet.

“I always believed Duke would thrive in the right home – we just had to make sure we found him the perfect fit,” she said. “It was also important that we gave him the best chance to succeed by providing him with the behavior training he needed. The Behavior Team did such an incredible job with him and I like to think I played an important role in helping them. Watching him go home was one of the proudest moments of my life. I still keep in touch with his adopters. He’s doing amazingly well!”
Its selfless and caring volunteers like Debby who have helped build Animal League America into the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization. Because of our volunteers, our residents are treated as if they were our own beloved pets rather than animals simply waiting to be adopted. They are provided with EVERYTHING they need to mature into well adjusted, happy, healthy pets.

 
 

**Copied from NSALA blog

Highly perceptive, the Earth Dog is kind, efficient and skilled in communication. As earth produces metal in the zodiac cycle, 2018 is expected to bring prosperity, particularly to those who, like the dog, are proactive, work hard and communicate well. Moreover, experts predict that those who show generosity to others will reap the greatest benefits throughout the year.

This is because the notion of fair play and social justice is fundamental to the Year of the Dog.

 

Happy New Year!

 Wishing you and yours a most wonderful 2018!


 Thank you for all your support in 2017. 

A Merry Christmas to all our friends and family

snoopy and woodstock pictures

Training Vent

I believe training dogs is as much an art as it is a science. To deny this is to deny the uniqueness of the dogs we work with. There is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ method of training. The more we understand what motivates an individual dog’s behavior the more apt we are to achieve success. Relying on more than one tool in our training toolbox is key when addressing the various temperaments and behaviors of the dogs we are training.  For some dogs, focusing on the behavior will also change the motivating emotional component for the better, for others, dealing solely with the emotional component will cause a positive behavior change, and for still others, dealing with both the emotive and the behavioral will lead to a successful outcome. Do food rewards work in training? Absolutely when teaching and rewarding new behaviors. Do aversives play a role in training? Absolutely, with most dogs all of the time and with some dogs some of the time. If someone tells you otherwise, rest assured that they are not doing right by the dog. All dogs need to learn what is acceptable and what behavior simply won’t be tolerated. The point is to have enough tools on hand to gage what is working and what is not, and to have the knowledge and skill to switch gears when necessary without letting rigid ideologies get in the way of doing right for the dog and his owner.