alleviate canine stress in a shelter environment CHOICES MATTER

r e s c u e Choices Matter

Maria Zarate presents three options she uses in the shelter environment to provide enrichment for the resident dogs

This article is a Selected Entry in our PPG Writers’ Competition which invited entrants to submit an article on the topic of Animal Shelter and Rescue. Find them all on the BARKS Blog under the Shelter & Rescue category.

As a veteran shelter professional, I’ve always sought outside the box to find effective and efficient methods to help residents build skills. Here are three “go to” methods we use regularly in the shelter environment and I hope you find them helpful too.

Pillow Case Feeds

What to do with all those donated pillow cases? Don’t toss them, use them instead to feed the residents who eat quickly or who enjoy a good game of “find it”. Pillow case feedings make meal times fun and help slow down fast eaters. They can also be incredible tools to use with residents who struggle with food bowl guarding as well as with dogs who are noise sensitive. In addition, they help dogs save staff time with bowl upkeep.

Kong Wobbler

Another neat practice is using Kong wobblers for feeding time. I find that placing the wobbler in a bowl with a little kibble in the bowl is a great way to initiate the “find it” game. Kong wobblers can be scary to a fearful dog and confusing to a stressed dog to use and a mistake handlers sometimes make is to overfill it. To avoid this, the mix of some kibble in the bowl and some in the wobbler is a great combination. Another tip: add a little wet food to the mix.

Go Find It Save Lives

Anyone who does kenneling work can attest that stress brings out the worst in some of the resident dogs. One negative behavior that can arise is lunging forward towards a handler’s feet or legs. Even allowing residents to practice this behavior can have detrimental effects. We train staff to always use treats with residents that fall into this category. Know your dogs and what motivates them on the food spectrum. Once you have that information, start to deliver a few pieces in front of them first, then slowly start throwing them behind the dog to encourage him to go back. Teaching dogs to go backwards is more desirable for cases like these. Exit calmly while facing them and throw enough reinforcement to keep them busy in the game. n

© Maria Zarate Shelter residents Chico and Lola; Chico would lunge at people’s feet when they were leaving the kennel

Maria Zarate CPDT KA KPA CTP CBCC (in progress) is the Enrichment Lead and Kennel Manager at Camp Papillon in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where she and her staff dedicate their effort to improving the quality of life of shelter residents.

© Maria Zarate By feeding creatively, shelter professionals can find effective methods to help resident dogs build skills