Simplifying Shelter Behaviour

In this episode we talk about ways we can physically enrich our dogs outside of the normal walk structure, I’m joined by Andrea and Kyla from City dogs in Canada to talk about alternatives to walking for our shelter dogs and dogs in homes and how this effects our dog’s day to day lives.

Key themes

Enrichment, Arousal management, Opening up the world

About Andrea and Kyla

Andrea’s specialties lie in helping dogs and their guardians navigate the canine-human relationship to assure success in training no matter the age of your dog nor the issue at hand.

Andrea’s main goal is to make training fun, effective and motivating for dogs and humans through evidence-based training methods.

Each dog is looked at as an individual; what works for one may not work for another. With Andrea’s experience and education, she has a variety of ways to achieve training goals focusing on setting up you and your dog for success, utilizing what motivates your dog and effective communication.

Andrea Dinan and City Dogs was the recipient of the following awards through the International Positive Dog Trainers Association:Dog Training Excellence Award, Excellence in Boarding and Sitting Award Andrea also received the Toronto Star’s Reader’s Choice Platinum Award in 2021 for Dog Training.

Andrea is also the Founder of EduCanine,

Kyla is a passionate and dedicated dog trainer with a deep love for animals. Her journey in the world of dogs began in 2015 where she worked in several dog daycares in Toronto, immersing herself in the world of canine behavior and training. Inspired by her experiences, she ventured into entrepreneurship and successfully established her own dog walking business, while earning her dog training designation through the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy.

Continuing to follow her passion for making a positive impact on animals’ lives, Kyla dedicated three years of her career to the Toronto Humane Society. There, she served as a certified animal trainer, working tirelessly to rehabilitate and train animals in need, ensuring their successful adoption into loving homes.

Driven by her commitment to providing the most effective and ethical training methods, Kyla has sought out additional training and certifications to enhance her expertise. She completed Michael Shikashio’s Aggression in Dogs course, demonstrating her dedication to understanding and addressing complex behavioral issues. Kyla also completed the Fear Free Trainer and Fear Free Shelter Trainer courses, emphasizing her compassionate approach to working with animals.

Through her experience, education and dedication, Kyla is committed to helping both dogs and their humans build strong bonds and live harmoniously together.

Links

Dog Parkour

General introduction- https://fb.watch/uv2Tx7K4Xm/

UK association- https://www.dogparkouruk.com/

International- https://www.dogparkour.org/

Urban Herding

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/treibball-this-sport-isnt-just-for-herding-breeds/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7kSQ4pRRYOtp6U_la9rYMb4kParLkycE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n_31T5tUrU

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1066014770704332

Other Links

https://citydogs.ca/

https://educanine.org/

Dogs in city conference- https://educanine.org/2024-conference

The rescue plan - https://educanine.org/the-rescue-plan

Kyla- https://consideringcaninebehaviour.ca/about

https://www.instagram.com/considering_canine_behaviour/

In this episode were joined by Melissa McCue-McGrath, author of Considerations for the City dog, to discuss the overlap with rescues/shelter and city and urban environments for our dogs. We know that the dream home in the country are few and far between for our rescue dogs so understanding what considerations we should be making, as well as how we can look to support our dogs who go to live in the city!

About Melissa

Melissa McCue-McGrath is a dog trainer, behavior consultant, presenter, and author. She earned her dog training certification through CCPDT in 2008 and has been working with dogs in sports, manners, and behavior since 2005. She served as the co-training director of the New England Dog Training Club, the oldest AKC obedience club in the United States, from 2012 – 2023. She is most proud of the work she did that allowed her and her dog, Captain Love, center stage to talk nerdy about dogs for three weeks to thousands of visitors to the Museum of Science in Boston in February 2020. She has focused her work in recent years on the effect of the environment on companion dogs and wrote the book, “Considerations for the City Dog.” She is the creator and host of the BewilderBeasts podcast (now in its sixth and final season) and has been invited to speak about dogs at Tufts, MIT, Barks form the Bookshelf, Raising Canine, the Pet Professional Guild and more. Her approach to training, which is evident in all the classes she teaches at AWS, is based on humor and science.

Links

https://melissamccuemcgrath.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5O9eHnj4VnB695MRiJeKmQ

the book-https://melissamccuemcgrath.com/store/

Supporting pain management in rescue dogs with Dr. Hannah Capon

This week we are talking about pain management and shelter dogs, we look at how we can identify pain in dogs in our care, make changes to support painful dogs and working along side veterinary professionals to best help dogs who maybe in pain or discomfort.

Pain has a large negative effect on welfare and dog behaviour, so we are really grateful to Dr. capon for joining us and all the work Dr, C and her team do with canine arthritis management.

Remember! The amazing CAM team are offering rescue and shelter dog adopters free access to the owners course, to give dogs being adopted out with painful conditions the best opportunity.

About Dr. Hannah Capon

Hannah Capon MA Vet MB MRCVS, winner of the 2019 Ceva Vet of the Year and finalist in the 2019 Petplan Vet of the Year is a first opinion veterinary surgeon in the UK. Recognised for her tireless work on Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) an online education and support service for owners of arthritic dogs and professionals that care for them.

CAM began as a simple Facebook page in 2015 where Hannah would promote earlier identification and thorough multimodal management plans. Now it boasts a flourishing service run by a team of veterinary professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to help owners. CAM has become an unstoppable force. A respected website full of downloads, like the unique Home Safe tool (#itsmyhometoo), A large social media presence through Facebook, Instagram and twitter. An online shop stocking awareness merchandise, owner education and other canine essentials. An education provider for first opinion practices, as well as dog groups, paraprofessionals and owners. An inspirational campaign group to raise awareness of the serious nature of this disease (#yourdogmoreyears)

CAM has worked with numerous industry partners but are especially proud of recent work with Hills Pet Foods and their UK OA roadshow, where they educated 300 vet nurses at 6 events around the UK.

Hannah currently works at Greenside Veterinary Practice, Scotland, where she is working in regenerative medicine and rehabilitation, as well as exploring novel ways we can improve management of this common debilitating disease

Links

https://caninearthritis.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/share/X8z8X4CcdcgZVmq1/?mibextid=LQQJ4d- CAM Facebook page

https://youtube.com/@caninearthritismanagement?si=fU5yC4X1j8M0APwN

Cam YouTube!

*New podcast alert- making difficult decisions in shelters and rescue with Amanda kowalski*

In this episode we discuss a very difficult but important topic around difficult decision making, including euthanasia. This is not an easy conversation to have but we know is a reality of rescue and shelter life. Recognizing and respecting the difficulties these cases and decision making is key for us to bring a supportive shelter network.

Join myself and Amanda Kowalski as we discuss approaching euthanasia decisions in multiple ways drawing on a wealth of experience.

At the start at this podcast, I also introduced our new discount code for the PPG British Isles simplifying30 which gives you 30% off the in-person summit October 3-6th 2024.

If this episode is a difficult listen, please reach out to a trusted person or friend, for more tips on emotional wellbeing for animal welfare professionals you can listen to episode 12 with Tamsin Durston. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2txO0lMkJND7sbU4iW8Dlm?si=_SAi3Xf1QmWjixEf7LBUVg

Loosing lulu can also be a great resource as well as the blue cross helpline in the uk

About Amanda

As San Diego Humane Society’s vice president of animal welfare, Amanda ensures consistency and excellence in all of our animal welfare services, facilities and staff and guest experiences.

Amanda is dedicated to animals and has a passion for research, education and collaboration. She is known for loving “crazy ideas” and encourages her team to innovate, be creative and think big. Amanda specialized in behavioral care in shelters for more than 15 years before taking on this role, including seven years leading our Behavior Center, which has helped more than 4,000 shelter animals — who otherwise would have been out of options — since its beginning in 2013. She also played a crucial role in designing the new state-of-the-art Behavior Center facility, which opened in 2019 as the first of its kind in California and was the first vice president of behavior programs at San Diego Humane Society.

Amanda holds a Master of Science in animals and public policy from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University along with a certificate in Applied Animal Behavior from the University of Washington. She is a certified animal welfare administrator (CAWA) through the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, a Fear Free-Certified Professional Trainer, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and the vice president of the board of directors for the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Links

PPG British Isles summit

https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/pet-professional-guild-british-isles-summit-2024/

San Diego humane

https://www.sdhumane.org

Five domains

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7602120/

https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/a-life-worth-living/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2jUI-30LZHFyRncXNTeosL2HLGFzKuboS6g9Qu_WhAaOQsHrp6q_PRYy4_aem_K-_yW0O_2Ba8D3XSPcKkHA

Resources for community grief

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/grief-ritual-resources?ref=352ff9

Developing Behaviour modification programs in difficult environments

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/behaviorplans?ref=352ff9

How to human- thrival skills for people who love dogs

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/human?ref=352ff9

Emotional wellbeing for animal welfare professionals

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2txO0lMkJND7sbU4iW8Dlm?si=_SAi3Xf1QmWjixEf7LBUVg

Loosing Lulu

https://www.facebook.com/share/1VdCjwkb9HGnFDiz/?mibextid=K35XfP

Blue cross pet loss helpline

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss

Improving photos to promote shelter animals

This week we are joined by Jessica McGovern to talk about how we can improve the quality of our photos in order to improve rehoming and reach of our shelter animals. Not strictly a behaviour topic but still super important when rehoming trickier or longer stay animals. We discuss top tips for pictures and videos, and how to get others involved in taking great pictures!

About Jess

Jessica McGovern FBIPP FSWPP is a Creative working at the highest level in business, marketing and photography through her multiple successful businesses surrounded by an epic hand-picked full-time team. As a CIM Level 6 qualified multi-channel strategic marketer, established graphic designer, 2018 nominee for CodeGirls, one of Hull’s Inspirational Women in Tech and multi-award-winning photographer across a number of different genres, Jess is skilled over a wide variety of mediums.

Having achieved three Fellowships to date, over 200 image recognitions in international competition, launched and developed the renowned online photography tuition platform “That Tog Spot”, and had work published in a number of different online and offline publications, Jess is also a petrent to the dogs Pippi, Alfie, Bryt and Ren, along with her horse, Tuna.

A non-stop whirlwind of quick wit and a fierce desire for students to develop and grow, she’s helped over 500,000 photographers to improve, and counting. You can contact the team to book Jess to speak, teach or judge

Links!

The website- https://thattogspot.com/about/

YouTube!- https://youtube.com/@thatphotographyspot?si=4hVLX2Ss_exGheS9

https://youtu.be/TVPAUzoYmyU?si=2eLRficYj9jXYf2f

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/share/tiYMNo2wf96XxGsL/?mibextid=K35XfP

*New Episode! Separation related behaviours in shelter dogs- with Malena DeMartini*

This week we discussed separation related problems with one of the leading experts, Malena De Martini.

Separation related problems are one of the most difficult problem behaviours we face, and this is even truer when we consider the shelter and rescue environment

In this episode we discuss what are separation related behaviour, how we can assess them in shelter and what plans we can come up with to support and work with dogs facing these issues.

Malena and her team are also collecting information about dogs in shelter with seperation issues and what support YOU think you need complete th survey here

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfodyugvOJ3M6suADfBfYhFncowOXNkkHDQii0OQKhbBfUjvQ/viewform?usp=send_form

About Malena

Malena DeMartini is a Certified Trainer and Counselor (CTC) and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) – Since 2001, she has specialized exclusively in canine separation anxiety, having worked hundreds of cases and constantly innovating to find better ways to treat the condition and support guardians, other trainers, rescues, and shelters. Malena is renowned worldwide for her success in helping countless dogs (and the people who love them) overcome this debilitating behavior issue.

Malena is the founder of the prestigious Separation Anxiety Certification Program (SACP), which has graduated hundreds of Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSATs) across the globe. She oversees a team of top separation anxiety trainers, as well as organizing and leading ongoing professional development opportunities for her international network of CSATs. For dog guardians, Malena has created Mission: POSSIBLE, an online self-paced course that has proven to be an invaluable resource in the industry with an immeasurable success rate. She is also passionate about offering educational opportunities for other dog professionals.

Links

Support for shelter- https://malenademartini.com/support-for-shelters/

Survey for shelter staff- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfodyugvOJ3M6suADfBfYhFncowOXNkkHDQii0OQKhbBfUjvQ/viewform?usp=send_form

Free mini seperation shelter course- https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/separationanxietyrescue?ref=352ff9

Control unleashed for Cats

This episode builds on the previous episode but focuses more on our feline friends! Beth shares her experience of using CU pattern games with shelter cats helping them throughout their rescue journey.

This week we are talking about one of my favourite toolbox hacks to use with Shelter dogs that is. The controlled unleashed pattern games! In this episode we delve into how pattern games can be used to support several situations and behaviours we often see in shelters! So whether you are new to pattern games or have experience with them your bound to find this conversation interesting and useful! In the next episode we will be diving more into CU for shelter Cats with Beth Brown! So remember to subscribe for updates

Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Ea6VTImAPcnlXilJYunij

Podcast on apple https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/simplifying-shelter-behaviour/id1713209314

About Beth brown

Ear To Tail is owned and run by Beth Brown out of her hometown of Houston, Texas. Beth got her start in behavior consulting and training at a local shelter and has never looked back from there. She loves working with all animal species, but specializes in dogs and cats. The more she learns about animal behavior, the more she loves it, and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with the world. She has since decided she can help more animals by starting her own business and being more flexible with the clients and animals she works with. Her goal is to improve the relationships of all the members of the family she’s working with and help them find solutions that are functional for their every day life without feeling like a burden. Beth holds several professional certifications, which sets her apart as one of the most qualified behavior experts. She is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC) and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is also a Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). In addition, she specializes in separation anxiety and is a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT) and is passionate about the power of Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed pattern games, and was certified by Leslie as a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI). In addition, she is committed to using fear free and positive reinforcement techniques, and is also a Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP) and a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG).

Links!

If you want to find out more about control unleashed, you can look at the links below or check out

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/patterns?ref=352ff9 and for LATTE https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/latte?ref=352ff9

Please note in the episode we talk about friends of control unleashed, unfortunately Leslie’s group got hacked! The new group can be found here https://www.facebook.com/groups/419113494071244/

Beth’s new webinar will be advertised here soon

https://iaabcfoundation.org/courses/

This week we are talking about one of my favourite toolbox hacks to use with Shelter dogs that is. The controlled unleashed pattern games! In this episode we delve into how pattern games can be used to support several situations and behaviours we often see in shelters! So whether you are new to pattern games or have experience with them your bound to find this conversation interesting and useful! In the next episode we will be diving more into CU for shelter Cats with Beth Brown! So remember to subscribe for updates

If you want to find out more about control unleashed, you can look at the links below or check out

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/patterns?ref=352ff9 and for LATTE https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/latte?ref=352ff9

About Leslie McDevitt

Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, TAGteach Level 2, is the author of the internationally popular Control Unleashed series of books and DVDs published by Clean Run Productions. Her books have been translated into many languages; people all over the world have learned how to use her science-based and empowering methods to help companion, performance, and working dogs learn how to function optimally without stress in very challenging environments.

Leslie also certifies qualified trainers to teach her program and is proud of her Certified Control Unleashed Instructors all over the world. If you have a dog that worries about stuff—other dogs, people, noises, dog show judges, the unexpected—Leslie has many fun counter-conditioning games just for you. Leslie is a popular conference speaker and has held two Control Unleashed conferences with Clean Run.

Links!

Please note in the episode we talk about friends of control unleashed, unfortunately Leslie’s group got hacked! The new group can be found here https://www.facebook.com/groups/419113494071244/

Leslie is Hosting the unleash the rainbow conference along side Bobbie Bhambree and Kathy Murthy’s resilience rainbow! Which we have in an up-and-coming episode, for more information check here

https://www.unleashtherainbow.com/

Leslie and some previous podcast guests Dr. Pachel and Mike shikashio are all hosting a case study webinar at the end of the month

https://aggressivedog.thinkific.com/courses/YouDon'tKnowJack!TroubleshootingComplexCases

and Finally Leslie will be attending the ppg summit in the uk in October!

https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/pet-professional-guild-british-isles-summit-2024/

use code PPGBI15 for 15% off if you work in shelters

In this episode we are joined by Marissa Martino (paws and reward) to discuss how we can track our behaviour programs to make sure they are having the correct impact to help animals move through the rehoming and sheltering system. Marissa has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, and is the host of the paws and reward podcast! A great resource for dog lovers, shelter folk and trainer and behaviour staff

https://pawsandreward.com/meet-marissa/

Emotional Wellbeing for Animal Welfare Professionals with Tamsin Durston

In this episode we cover the difficult but important topic of Wellbeing for animal welfare professionals. Often as caregivers we do a bad job of looking after ourselves, we know there is a growing evidence base for poor mental health in the shelter world, particularly when the live release rate is lower.

We discuss what are signs that we may not be meeting our own wellbeing needs and how we can work to improve how we are feeling.

This episode may really resonate with people, and recently I went through a period of burnout so this was quite a tricky topic to cover so please feel free to take breaks and come back to the episode as needed and if there are any concerns please speak to a suitably qualified professional. It is also important that we recognise the importance of looking after and championing our own health and wellbeing.

One of my big take aways from this discussion is. Treat yourself like a friend!

Tams book is a great companion for shelters and rescues and can be purchased here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emotional-Well-being-Welfare-Professionals-Concise/dp/1789247799/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GFTK2UPN7ART&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sH6Dg56qtxRwFppGwaUjWyLHiFfTYmppbDwJNOZmHbc.ckqzat5ZKtJi_OAwQsHA-akwVqutlKTZOU6g_Jm4Pgg&dib_tag=se&keywords=emotional+wellbeing+for+animal+welfare+professionals&qid=1713904544&sprefix=emotional+wellbeing+for+animal+welfare+professionals%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Well-being-Animal-Welfare-Professionals-ebook/dp/B0B56Y43VC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HS5UUB7CI7G7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8Xz9NlV30At8I27jleFFopPTF_mRUZ3cyNNxHlz1ZvqXdBO2mFDKjjUsBcGhQ3DQR2NWFKSJaqCBa5MiZuaqKkR0Se4acqxyBgLN409dPcUa-WBelgi-iL_cEjfA6-3pp-0V-nHieduh9WkcVdAjUa-1GJswv7gT9XaAuWnd1cqyUMbtfYyjOSMmGEcuXuqK-eb1cQGM-cfkkGnAfXLthonfpvYEyicaZTmpQPwfQEA.vRnxBuxVnT53G-S_NcbKJLYuUumJH7Y9TWGRC20geEg&dib_tag=se&keywords=emotional+wellbeing+for+animal+welfare&qid=1713904587&sprefix=emotional+wellbeing+for+animal+welfar%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1

Grisha Stewart also runs a great course called how to be human which has tons of useful resources, exercises and discussions around emotional wellbeing.

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/human?ref=352ff9

Imposter Syndrome

https://school.grishastewart.com/courses/imposter?ref=352ff9