FEAR IN SHELTER DOGS TRISH KING, CPDT-KA, CDBC Dogs arrive in shelters in many different ways some are found stray; others are brought in by their owners or their representatives. Virtually no dog can make the transition from the real world to the shelter world without any emotional impact. And 99% of the time, the dominant emotion is fear. FEAR, AS WE KNOW, MANIFESTS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS FEAR OF PEOPLE The dog cowering in the corner or completely shut down. The dog that investigates each and every person, only to draw back when she discovers they are not her human. The dog that snaps when approached The dog that snaps when handled The dog that will not allow a person even to enter the run The dog that connects with one person and one person only, trying to drive all others away Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 1
FEAR OF DOGS The dog that barks at other dogs The dog that barks/lunges at other dogs The dog that waits til they are close.then lunges The dog that cannot accept the appearance of another dog (person or child) VIDEOS Minpin Pit bull eval Chi Stress Pit unsocialized If we placed ourselves in a similar situation taken from our home and loved ones and thrust into a prison where we didn t know how to communicate we would have similar emotions, though we might express them differently. Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 2
Some dogs are quite resilient and within a few days, their personality begins to emerge. Others take longer, and still others never do seem to recover. Perhaps they were always fearful, or perhaps they cannot handle the constant overstimulation in a shelter environment. HANDLING FEAR IN A NEWLY ARRIVED DOG The dog should be allowed to chill for up to three days more if needed He or she needs to get used to the routine to the extent that it becomes predictable. During this time, depending on the dog, you can start the process of building some trust and decreasing Ulight distance. WHAT DOGS EXPERIENCE IT IS VITAL FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT THE WORLD THE DOG LIVES IN IS NOT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN To us a room is a place with furniture in it. To the dog a room is the furniture When you move something in a room, the room has a different shape than it did before In addition, a shelter run or cage constricts a dogs view of the world her perception is not at all what you would expect Fearful dogs take much longer to acclimate than do more confident dogs Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 3
HABITUATION & DESENTIZATION Sit with the dog in the run, if possible. Reading a book, chatting without staring, being cheerful but not overwhelming. If the dog will take treats, so much the better. Treat/retreat working towards the dog getting a treat when he is in close proximity to you while you are looking at him If you can t get into the run, then walking by & tossing a treat is a good start. You may need to toss it towards the rear of the run so the dog can escape from nasty you. If you look in the run, make sure you are dropping to their level Some dogs will not take treats you can Change the treats (chicken or cheese) Just let them pile up eventually the dog will eat them (even when you re out of sight) and you ll be making progress Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 4
Stage two would be to get the dog to take a treat from you when you are outside the run Stage three ask the dog to sit and give him or her a treat with you outside of the run When you re ready to go into the run, toss a treat to the back and slip in. Squat or sit down, presenting your side (non- threatening). Better yet, curl into a slightly submissive posture! Then go to the techniques mentioned above When the dog is ready to come out, you can either loop him in the run or let him walk into the looped leash as he walks out the door. *There are some dogs that are extremely fearful in the run, but once you get them outside, they tend to feel much more comfortable. It s generally still a good idea to get this dog used to daily routines before you take them out. Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 5
When you take a fearful dog out, keep her leash on! Many will try to increase the distance between you, which can make catching them difuicult.and it will make the fear much worse! The leash can cause inhibited behavior, but it s better to be a bit conservative here. If you have a slip leash with a way to tighten it it s best. Many shelters do not wish to use these, but they are a necessary safety There are times when a dog is so fearful that he or she cannot recover from any new experience. These dogs may not be appropriate for adoption, at least for most shelters. Here are some general guidelines: The dog does not seem to remember you after you have visited several times The dog is so fearful he or she cannot be handled, even after several days (or weeks in the case of some shelters) The dog likes only one person and cannot successfully interact or be handled by anyone else EVALUATIONS OF FEARFUL DOGS Some of the protocols used in many evaluations might prematurely eliminate fearful dogs from consideration. After careful thought, I believe we can modify the eval and still get a good idea of who the dog is Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 6
At the beginning of the evaluation, approach the dog in the way she has been used to, and offer food and affection. Take your time getting her out of the run Allow as much time as possible for the dog to acclimate to the room or area where you are evaluating When handling, do be gentle and affectionate, moving slowly and deliberately If it seems feasible and the dog likes other dogs, have one in the same room as the fearful dog for at least a portion of the evaluation Video small dogs playing THE TEST Do not do a startle or reprimand test (we already know the dog will not do well Add the following: Leave the area for a period of Uive to ten minutes, then return and see whether the dog remembers and greets you Ask a friendly stranger to take the dog, then leave. See if the dog can transfer affection/trust from you to the stranger WORKING WITH FEARFUL SHELTER DOGS Try to have consistent handlers more than one, but not random More than one because the dogs do need variety just not too much! Trainer/handlers should be very experienced almost better not to train than to have inexperienced, impatient trainers work with the dogs Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 7
TRAINING Concentrate as much on habituation as possible Take the dog to places where there is a certain level of noise/activity and sit on the outskirts In a car or a fairly secluded location Don t make the dog interact until she tells you she is ready Use a cape or leash that says Dog in Training if necessary TRAINING Teach one or two default behaviors Much better to teach two things well than 5 things badly Sit and Touch Don t ask for a watch me unless the dog tends to offer it Watch requires eye contact, which can be scary to some dogs ADOPTION Make sure potential adopters are aware of the pitfalls of falling in love with the sweet, fearful dog It may take some time before the dog reveals who she really is Three to four week honeymoon period, during which the dog is generally Uiguring out her new living quarters Behavior generally deteriorates after three weeks (though sometimes it gets better) Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 8
LIVING AT HOME The dog will probably take longer to get used to the world than they want, and may never completely be comfortable in alien environments The dog may protect his home and people from strange dogs and humans He or she may close his circle of friends after a fairly short period of time just a few weeks. After that, all strangers will be suspect and the dog may become aggressive Video Fearful reactive lab/shep in home LIVING AT HOME The dog may develop separation anxiety, particularly if she has bonded most strongly to one member of the family The dog may become stranger aggressive on walks, either to people or dogs or both This may become heightened if the people or dogs have a certain look the dog can identify. EDUCATING THE OWNER HOME VISITS Find out as much of the history of the dog as you can Discuss current living conditions and what the owner would like to see as far as the dog s behavior is concerned Discuss the reasons why a dog might be fearful Genetic Lack of socialization and exposure Trauma Combination Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 9
DISCUSS THE PROGRESSION OF FEAR BASED BEHAVIOR ISSUES Anxiety (pan,ng, yawning, ears twitching, paws swea,ng, pupils dilated, skin sensi,ve to touch, tails under, hackles raised, etc.) Avoidance (I just won't look at it, and it will go away...i'll just check out this corner over here ) Freeze (if I don't move, no one will see me...) Escape Threat (If I look mean, maybe it will go away) Aggression (It s not going away I have to chase it or kill it) Learned helplessness (shut down) BEHAVIOR MOD Discuss the time it may take to modify the dog s behavior Discuss the different types of training available to owners, and which they should choose Make sure they do not enable the dog by buying into the fear to much In all likelihood, the dog was not abused by men, or someone with a beard, a hat, etc. Even if he was, better to reinforce appropriate behaviors than to dwell on the fear CONCLUSION Many fearful dogs can make a successful transition into a home but many cannot. It is our responsibility to place appropriate dogs into loving homes, not to just place dogs, whether they are appropriate or not. Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 10
Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 11
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 RESOURCE GUARDING - SHOULD WE WORRY OR NOT? TRISH KING, CDBC, CPDT-KA RESOURCE GUARDING The tendency of an organism to retain that which is in its possession This is a natural behavior Mine COVETING/STEALING The tendency of an organism to try to take something that is in the possession of another This is also natural, although it is usually bound by the societal rules Puppies learn early to respect that which is owned by another.and that they have their own rights Jesse and pups possession Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 1
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 THERE ARE MANY DEGREES OF RESOURCE GUARDING From half-hearted to full on aggression each puppy learns what he can get away with Pup SCS Some puppies can learn just how powerful they are With other dogs Pups Or with people Pup 2 RESOURCE GUARDING TAKES MANY FORMS Food Chewies Toys Beds Humans Long distance Body parts! TESTING FOR RESOURCE GUARDING SHELTERS OR RESCUES Why test? We may be able to identify a potential problem that we can: Work on in the shelter Tell adopters about and give them instruction on how to work with the issue Make sure the appropriate people adopt the dog Euthanize if the problem is too severe Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 2
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 WHY NOT TEST? Some dogs are very different at home than they are in shelters Some show resource guarding in the shelter, which never shows up in a home, or It does show up, but the adopters don t worry about it they just leave the dog alone It is rarely identified as the reason for relinquishing But as we know, people don t want to see the dog they are surrendering die, so they often fail to mention aggression or other serious issues THEN WHY TEST ANYTHING? Because ultimately, we are responsible for the dogs we adopt to the public, and ignorance of a potential problem is not an excuse RESOURCE GUARDING TEST SHOULD INCLUDE Food (good food!) Bone and/or chewie Toy Lap Dog to Dog if possible Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 3
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 POSSESSION SCALE 1. None (none) 2. Minor (eats faster) 3. Medium (freezes, stares) 4. Medium (freezes, walks away from tester) 5. Serious (freezes, stares, snaps) 6. Very serious (freezes, stares, bites hand) 7. Extremely serious (just bites no warning) 8. Guards more than one thing food/chewies/bed/ person WHAT DO YOU WORK ON Levels 3 through 5 This is level 7 in a home consult this is what we don t want WORKING ON RESOURCE GUARDING IN A SHELTER Easy fixes (hungry or deprived dogs) For food - free feeding will help some For chewies flood with lower level chew toys will help some If that doesn t work.. Teach the dog he has nothing to fear from people (possession is all about insecurity) Add food to bowl on the ground Give treats as he or she finishes her food Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 4
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 RESOURCE GUARDING PROTOCOL Teach the dog to sit upon approach (method popularized by Sophia Yin) Give the dog a bowl with a little food in it As she finishes, step towards him and ask her to sit When she sits, reward with hand treat Continue this method until the dog sees the approaching feet as the cue to sit. WHY THIS WORKS (IMO) Most dogs eat automatically, without thinking. They are in their reptilian brain (amygdala). They react to the approach of anything as they would to a serious threat When you cue a dog to sit, you bring him into his frontal brain (cortex). He must think; when he does so, the urge to bite recedes with most dogs As time goes on, the dog starts eating less automatically and more mindfully WORKING ON POSSESSION IN THE HOME Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 5
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 CASE STUDY COCKER SPANIEL Two year old cocker adopted at a year Started showing possession right away They had tried various methods of punishment nothing worked They were expecting a child and needed to either fix the problem or rehome the dog We started the above protocol and this is what happened Cocker Video CASE STUDY BELLA, RED LAB Couple acquired Bella from Craig s List family had several small children, husband had gotten 6 week old puppy without wife s consent puppy was kept primarily in a crate. Jeff and Paula got her at 8 weeks BEHAVIOR ISSUES According to owners, Bella is very sweet, compliant (though demanding), obedient and growls when eating food Does not like wife, although she will tolerate her Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 6
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 ANALYSIS What are the circumstances of the threatening or aggressive behavior? When Bella is eating and one of the two people is in the room attempting behavior mod When does the issue occur? Morning? Day? Evening? When the dog is resting? Anytime the dog eats Where is the behavior likely to occur? Kitchen, bedroom, dog s bed? In the kitchen and near dog s bed WHAT HAS THE OWNER BEEN DOING TO ADJUST THE BEHAVIOR They have tried multiple methods First, tried putting treats in bowl as she ate she growled Took advice to pin her when she did it behavior got worse Leashed her and fed her in the middle of the room, leash correction when she snarled behavior got much worse BEHAVIOR MOD Put her on a GL, fed her by hand, and corrected her for growling (which she did consistently) After all this, Bella actually bit Jeff while he was hand feeding her Followed Sophia Yin s method (it s the one I use), where you teach the dog to sit when approached Worked for awhile, then Bella bit Jeff as he walked toward the cabinet Video Bella growling Also lunged when they walked past bed Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 7
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS What do we believe Bella was feeling? Suspicious of people s motives with regard to food fearful, controlling What do we want her to feel? Safe when eating Comfortable, controlled, dependent BEHAVIOR MOD We did a Skype consult with video Analysis Inappropriate treatment for two weeks at least (6 to 8 weeks) Too much pressure on the dog from the time she was acquired any proximity by people was considered threatening (BTW, she was great when not around food) BEHAVIOR MOD Remove bowl of food Feed her on the floor (they moved to a tray) Leave her strictly alone put food down, release her to eat, then leave the room After a week, begin wandering in and out of the kitchen Pay attention to Bella only when she has finished and approaches for affection Bella Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 8
Resource Guarding in Shelters and Home 1/9/15 IN ADDITION. They reduced the amount of attention they were giving her both positive and negative They thought they were shunning her, I thought they were taking the pressure off her So far things are going well J RESOURCE GUARDING It s called the hidden behavior problem for a reason. You don t see it if you don t look for it and you need to look for it. Trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair It's not about whispering, it's about paying attention and accepting the dog you have Trish King, CPDT, CDBC 9