Head Start Behavior Volunteer Training Manual - Quebec and Buddy Center

Transcription

1 Head Start Behavior Volunteer Training Manual - Quebec and Buddy Center Thank you for volunteering in the Behavior department as a Head Start volunteer. This packet includes information to familiarize you with the Behavior area and Dumb Friends League policies and procedures. Head Start volunteers teach basic behaviors, socialization and self-control exercises to shelter dogs in order to reduce stress and improve their chances of adoption. TRAINING: 1. Attend a 2-1/2 hour orientation program. 2. Interview with the Volunteer Services Manager or designee. 3. Attend the DFL 101 training session covering the League s philosophies, policies and procedures. 4. Complete BC-AC-D Hands on training class 5. Complete 3 shifts in in AC-Dogs 6. Complete Dog Walking Basics, Learning Theory class and Head Start class. 7. Purchase DFL approved leash (required) and optional treat pouch. Both are available at the DFL Sit Stay Shop.(Leashes $6.50 to $8.50, pouches $10.00 to $12.00) 8. Complete 3 shifts in Dog Walking 9. Complete BC-HDST hands on training class. Please do not attempt any of these processes or techniques until you have been trained by a DFL staff member. Attendance and Vacations: If you are unable to work your shift, please contact Volunteer Services at or volunteer@ddfl.org. This way we know that you will be out and we may be able to find another volunteer to fill your shift. If you would like to permanently change your position or the day or time of your shift, please contact the Volunteer Services Manager at volunteer@ddfl.org. Getting Started Please wear your volunteer nametag, t-shirt and closed-toe skid resistant shoes for all shifts. 1

2 Individual hand sanitizers are in a bin on the table at the lockers. Please return the sanitizer when your shift ends. Clock in at the time clock for every shift. Make Sure You Have A clicker Your treat pouch stocked with treats A slip leash Dogs are enrolled in our Head Start program to help with different behavioral concerns. Dogs available for adoption are enrolled in Head Start or dogs who have graduated from K9 Courage Dogs currently enrolled in K9 Courage Talk to the behavior manager, supervisor or a behavior staff member if you re an experienced volunteer that wants to work with K9 Courage Dogs. Note: The average assignment is 6 dogs per shift, each dog will require about 20 minutes and about 10 minutes for note input. Notify the staff if you feel there are too many dogs and/or if there are any dogs that you are not comfortable handling. Before Training a Dog An assignment sheet with your name will be posted in West Obedience and highlighted with the dogs that have been assigned to you for the day. Before training a dog it is important to read through all of the notes in Chameleon to get as much information about the dog as possible. If the dog has been worked previously, read through the existing Head Start/K9Courage memo to see the progress that has been made. Make Sure You Have all the items listed above You can log in to chameleon from any computer with these credentials: Location: Q Userid: bhvol Password: PASSBH Navigating to the Headstart or K9Courage note will lead you to this template. If someone has worked the dog before you the baseline section will be filled out. Do not erase this section. Read through the notes to determine the dog s progress. Make sure to make note of the dog s subtype to determine which instructions to 2

3 follow under Behavior Guidelines. Common Abbreviations that may be seen in Head Start and Canine Courage Memos: HS Head Start CC K9 Courage LL loose leash, walks well on a slip lead Leash Made NPH Use a slip lead to make a no pull harness FC Friendship Circle HD hot dogs PB peanut butter NILIF Nothing in life is free, i.e., Ask for sit before proceeding through a door, etc. SX surgery C/T- Click/Treat Training Session Ideally, every dog training session should start with a clicker training session in the kennel, at least one outside and then another Clicker session when back in the kennel. Please be sure to move with the dog s comfort level and take your time. Focus on two primary behaviors- Sit and Target o Remember not to ask for any one specific behavior more than 2 times! If they haven t performed it by then, move on or work on teaching it to them. o Some dogs will already know other behaviors, such as shake and down. Please make note of these behaviors if they are observed. Nothing in Life is Free Use a behavior the dog clearly knows such as sit or target or even waiting for 4 paws on the floor before going through doors or meeting new people if they are very excited/jumping up. Be sure to follow the behavior guidelines for each subtype listed below Only work with your assigned dogs and let staff know if you were not able to work with certain dogs (not in kennel, not enough time, uncomfortable) Use any computer to write notes in the dog s Chameleon record. Note if the dog has made any progress or has not made any progress. Record any extreme behavior, submit a needs attention slip if the behavior was concerning such as snapping/snarling/becoming unmanageable. Be sure to put a memo in that the dog has been walked o In Chameleon go to the Windows tab, then Animal then To Do o Enter the A#, the date and time using the F5 key in both the start and completion times, the Ref Type is Adoption, the Task is Dog Walk o In description write Head Start session. Behavior Subtype Guidelines 1) Glass Charging: These are dogs that are reactive to people/dogs through the glass. a. Unfortunately some of the kennels are predisposed to encourage glass charging due to their location. 3

4 b. Start work from inside the kennel, hold your hand to the glass and click and treat. Then move to the outside of the kennel, you can do this even if patrons are around. c. When you are on the patron side of adoptions, in front of the glass, work on having the dog targeting to your hand through the glass. If the dog reacts negatively to you - stay in place, wait for a pause in the behavior and then click and treat (throw treat over the glass) and slowly back away. Come back and continue working under the dog s threshold. d. If you are working with a dog in the kennel and a patron approaches click and treat the dog if they are showing appropriate behavior. 2) Control Mouth: Dogs that have used their mouth with pressure especially during handling( these are dogs over four months of age) a. Work with targeting and body handling, click treating whenever the dog is not mouthing you while you are handling them. Keep handling brief initially then build up to longer/more invasive handling. b. Control mouth is different from puppy nipping in that this is a dog that has learned that when they use their mouth when someone is touching them in a way they don t like the person will stop, so they are using their mouth to control your actions. c. NILIF 3) High Energy: Dogs that display jumping and mouthing behavior with little to no boundaries a. These dogs respond better to training after energy release in the play yard, they are very easily stimulated which can lead to mouthiness or even aggression. b. Before opening their kennel door make sure to wait for all four feet to be on the floor or a sit. Use treats to toss to the other side to easily get in and out of the kennel c. Play lots of fetch. Always make sure to trade out the toy for either another toy or treats. d. If they jump up ignore them and redirect them into an appropriate incompatible behavior such as sit or targeting your hand down low with 4 on floor. e. Try to always toss the treats, otherwise they can become mouthy f. NILIF 4) Reactivity: Dogs that either have a history of or shown significant reactivity to other dogs while on the leash. a. Focus should be on making positive associations when the dog sees another dog and keeping the dog under threshold so they do not rehearse the inappropriate behavior of barking/lunging at other dogs b. Work on watch me : clicking and treating whenever the dog looks at you, this can be spontaneous or prompted by calling their name or making a noise to get their attention. This keeps the dogs attention on you and not the other dogs/distractions around. c. If they see another dog while on leash and have no reaction, click and treat. d. If a dog is close to or does go over threshold and starts barking/lunging towards the other dogs, call their name in a loud happy voice and 4

5 encourage them to walk in the other direction until the other dog is far enough away to re-gain their attention. Keep that distance in mind and try to keep your dog far away enough so they can keep their attention on you. e. Playing find it is another fun game of tossing some treats on the ground for the dog to search for to eat, it keeps their attention off any distractions and onto you and the treats. f. If a dog at any point starts to redirect onto you try to step on the leash to keep them from jumping up/mouthing you; if you are inside either return the dog to the kennel or get a staff member to help you; if you are outside either return inside, get away from the other distractions or you can place the dog in a play yard to let them calm down and get a staff member to assist you. 5) Puppy Nipping: Puppies that have shown a high level of mouthiness and are under four months of age. a. Remember to always bring 1 or 2 toys potentially a soft and harder rubber toy for the puppies to appropriately mouth on during the session. b. If the puppy nips during the session, make a small yelp noise and redirect the puppy onto an appropriate toy. If the puppy ignores the toy and continues to mouth stop the interaction by standing up, re-engage with the puppy after a 10 seconds. If the puppy continues mouthing after redirection and a time-out, end the session and come back later. c. Work on hand targeting to encourage appropriate behavior with your hands. You can start on the other side of the kennel door (not in the donut) so the puppy knows what you are asking for when offering your hand without letting them mouth you through the bars. 6) Stress: Dogs that show continuous movement, vocalization or other high stress behaviors. a. These dogs may be overwhelmed by the environment and showing signs of kennel crazy b. Take them out for energy release and fun interactions. c. They will benefit from time outside their kennel d. After some energy release these dogs will typically be more responsive to engaging in training 7) Fear: Dogs displaying fearful behavior with people or of environment (may occur indoors or outdoors) a. At the kennel door practice W.O.A.A Watch, Observe, Assess and Act. By doing these steps gauge your interactions with the dog to keep them comfortable enough to engage with you to eat treats and train. Sometimes this involves working with the dog through the closed kennel door initially. b. If a dog is exceptionally fearful and wont engage in eating in front of you, clicking then tossing in a few treats over the kennel gate or glass then walking away can be a very effective way to associate seeing people with something positive, do this a few times to see if the dog starts eating. If they do try a toss and wait to see if they will now eat in front of you. If they don t that s okay, laying this groundwork will help the next training session tomorrow. 5

6 c. Use clicker training to build up the dogs confidence and create positive associations with yourself and new people. Teach the dog to target to your open hand; you can also use just your finger if the dog is really fearful. d. Once the dog is targeting your hand well you can offer treats to pet the dog, some dogs readily enjoy petting but some fearful dogs are nervous of any handling, practice WOAA and take things slowly. e. Offer the leash to the dog, some dogs readily want to leave the kennel, some dogs are fearful of the leash, use the hand targeting practiced earlier to encourage the dog to target your hand through the wide leash loop. See Leashing guidelines below. f. Outside depending on the dogs fear you can take them to a play yard or just walk around the Friendship Circle. g. Another really important part of working with a fear dog is to make sure if you get them out of their kennel is to meet other people. Have someone kneel down with their side to the dog and offer their hand, the dog will recognize the hand target game! Have the dog target their hand a few times click treating each time. Then if the dog is comfortable have the stranger pet the dog or give the dog some treats. h. Dogs are very aware of your body language, move slowly and let them approach you, talk in a happy quiet voice i. Never make direct eye contact for more than a few seconds or lean over the dog, this is assertive body language and can be interpreted as threatening 8) Body Handling: These dogs displaying head whipping, snapping or mouthing during handling. a. The goal when working with these dogs is to be able to complete whatever part of the physical exam they didn t pass. A physical exam includes a five second teeth check on both sides of the mouth, and the dog allowing all over general handling on their body. b. Start with short brief petting/handling click treating for relaxed postures. Repeat each of these steps a few times making sure the dog remains relaxed throughout the interaction. c. Touch the muzzle briefly, click then treat. d. Carefully lift their lips, start it briefly then build up to a longer time e. Celebrate any win with a treat jackpot! 9) Leash: Dogs that may not have been walked on a leash before and/or are fearful of the leash, either being leashed and/or walking on leash a. If they are afraid of the leash set it on the ground and click and treat when they approach or smell it. b. Hold the leash with a wide loop up in the air and use hand targeting to get the dog to come close to the leash the eventually place their head through the leash. This may be a gradual process and they may not stick their head all the way through right away. Do not tighten the leash at this point. c. Pendulum swing the loop over their head 10 to 12 times, but do not tighten it. Click treating throughout for relaxed postures. 6

7 d. Eventually loosely keep the leash around the dogs neck and let them drag it around the kennel, keeping things positive and engaging them in targeting your hand while on leash e. If the dog is hesitant to walk on leash outside of the kennel use hand targeting you practiced in the kennel to encourage them to walk towards you i. You don t have to go far, especially if it one of their first times out of the kennel f. Continue working on targeting with the clicker while walking around with the leash. g. The stairs are another challenge for many dogs and using targeting on them can help encourage the dogs to go up or down as needed. Taking Notes After working a dog, navigate back to its Head-start or K9Courage Memo and write up your experience either in a blank entry or replace the earliest entry that s not the baseline. Please be sure to illustrate in detail the dogs behavior and any interactions for the next person working the dog to go off of. Kennel Enrichment Upon returning a dog to its kennel, you can provide some extra kennel enrichment to make the dog more comfortable. Make sure you are returning the dog to a clean kennel; you may need to clean the kennel if necessary. To clean a dirty kennel: Bedding should be shaken out to remove any loose fecal matter. If there is a large amount of diarrhea or feces stuck to the bedding it should be thrown away. If the bedding is dirty or has a small amount of dried feces, put it in the laundry. If it is still clean, you may return it to the kennel. If there is a small about of feces use a poop bag to pick up then spray with Rescue Cleaner and wipe up with a paper towel Rinse the kennel thoroughly with the water hose if there was excessive feces or urine. Use a doodlebug to scrub the kennel surface to remove organic material. Hose off the doodlebug. Use a squeegee to remove as much water as possible. Be careful not to squeegee water into the water dish. Return the dog to its kennel. Dogs Needing Extra Attention Quebec: If you are working with a dog and you notice any of the concerns listed below, stop your interaction and please fill out a Needs Attention slip located in the dog walking kitchen or in West Obedience. Some signs to look for if a dog is upset or uncomfortable: 7

8 The dog is in quick/frantic motion to get away from its current location, attempting to avoid touch from people or other perceived threats. Ears Back Fur standing up around the neck or back Whale Eyes, where you can see the whites of the eyes Growling, lip lifting or snarling Tail tucked under body Other Needs: o A dog needs grooming has severe matts or extremely long nails o A dog is sneezing, potentially sick, or has vomit in the kennel o A dog has bloody stools or diarrhea Buddy Center: Please tell a staff member that is available when you see the concerns listed above. Other Responsibilities If patrons approach you, please answer questions or direct the patrons to someone who can answer their questions. Let them know that you re training the dog to help reduce stress and improve behavior Do not let the patrons pet the dog you are working. If they are interested in meeting the dog, they can sign up for an adoption counsel. 8