spca of texas animal handling part 3

Animal Handling ~ Part 3

Reducing Behavior Problems

Rev. 1-5-16 ~ Kellie Snider

Even in the best of animal shelters like ours animals are living with a lot of stress. It is our job to show them that they will always be treated kindly and will receive all the things they need to survive so they don’t feel the need to protect themselves from us.

Food & Water

Shelter

Enrichment

Training

Obviously they need food and water to be healthy and happy. And they need shelter. But they also need environmental enrichment and even training.

Enrichment refers to giving animals stimulating environments that let them enjoy themselves, and that give them some choices about what to do during the day.

It can include objects, sounds, smells … a favorite yellow tennis ball out in the grass …

Cozy places to snuggle and rest with a soft toy …

Cooling off with a friend …

Taking a stroll with a different kind of friend …

Even things to do that help them get them moving and make them feel more like themselves during their stay here.

And we can’t neglect their brains… training can be used to entertain them as well as to improve their manners and help them get adopted. But how we train them is important.

Bark!Bark!Bark!

No!No!No!

YAY!!! He’s barking, too!

Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!!!!

Animals don’t always respond to what we do or say the way we expect them to. And this can lead to a lot of frustration. To reduce HANDLER stress, we have a few guidelines about how to improve animal behavior here in the shelters.

Vet Check

Animals that don’t feel well often don’t behave well, so if you see any signs of illness, fill out a vet check form and give it to the supervisor right away so that the vet can take a look.

Next, if you notice a behavior problem in any of our shelter animals, write a BVAL, or Behavior Evaluation Report. There’s a slide show on this that will tell you exactly what to do. This is very, very important and we need to see the BVALs as soon as possible after the behavior happens. The Behavior specialists are also glad when you talk to them about behavior problems the animals are having.

No!No!No!

While you wait for the Behavior Specialists to take a look, avoid scolding the animals and being forceful with them.

This makes them worry about their safety here…

No!No!No!

And while some animals may stop what they’re doing, even if it’s only for a moment, others may behave aggressively, and still others may be so afraid they completely shut down.

Punishment=Nope

Corrections=Nope

So while you’re working here, it’s really important to avoid using punishment and corrections. That means the old-fashioned technique of kneeing the dog in the chest to get him not to jump up isn’t allowed here. Neither is pushing his hips to the floor to get him to sit. And we absolutely don’t allow swatting, hitting, spanking, kicking or any other form of corporal punishment for our shelter animals.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

= YEP!

We use Positive Reinforcement.


= YEP!

This means whenever a one of our shelter animals does something good we give him something he likes. And when he does something we don’t like we redirect him until we can get into a situation where we can reinforce something better.


= YEP!

So when ever an animal you’re working with does something you don’t like, ask yourself …

What do I want him to do instead?

If you work with a shelter animal that doesn’t cooperate with you, talk about it with a Behavior Specialist. We’ll help you come up with a plan.

When the Behavior Specialists write a behavior plan for the animals, do your best to pitch in and make sure they get the kind of handling they need to get them out the door and on their way to their loving home!

Dog Body Language


There is an enormous amount of information we can pick up just from taking a look at an animal’s body language. While our body language and canine body language is different, if we’ve spent any time around dogs, we tend to understand quite a bit from their bodily cues.

Take little Rusty here. He was a shelter dog that got very excited about tennis balls. See how his tail is raised and his eyes are looking off to the side? He’s excited and wants to engage someone in play with that ball.

These two brindle pals were in play mode out in our play yards. How do we know they were playing rather than getting ready to fight?

Well, we see the one on our right with his rump in the air and his elbows on the ground in a position we call the play bow, and his ears are cocked to the side. It’s likely that at any moment he’ll pop up and either make a fake lunge at the standing dog, or run off and try to get the other dog to chase him. The standing dog is doing what we like to see friendly dog friends do… he’s taking a little bit of a break from high energy play. This not only helps them rest physically, but it helps to keep the play from getting too rowdy. That’s not to say rowdy play is always a bad thing, but behaviorally healthy dogs take breaks to regulate their behavior.

Wendy is in her kennel scratching at the gate for attention. Her ears are back, her eyes are squinty, and she’s inviting me to pet her. I took the picture, and she was so wiggly it was impossible for me to get one that was clear!

Think Like A Behaviorist

Think Like A Behaviorist

So, now it’s time for you to think like a behaviorist. In the following slides you will be observing photos of shelter dogs.

Think about what the dog is doing, then we’ll show you our answers.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?So, take a look. What do you think about Atilla’s body language? We know that a photo is just a snap shot in time and that things change, but what was his body language saying in this moment?

Ears back and relaxed

(not pinned back)

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?

Mouth is relaxed and holding toy


Eyes round and soft (a little white showing indicating

some mild anxiety)


Curved body, facing towards person


YES!


It looks like Atilla is a friendly dog but always keep an eye on the animal as well as the environment because behavior can change at a moments’ notice. Anything from an unexpected person or animal coming around a corner to a thunderstorm can drastically change an animal’s behavior.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?Is Lucy safe to handle?


Exposing belly

Elbows bent, legs are not stiff


Eyes are soft and gentle


YES


While Lucy can be handled she looks timid or submissive. Go slowly and invite her to come to you before initiating interaction to keep her from becoming worried.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?What do you think about Betty’s handlability?

Ears forward and erect


Eyes round, no white showing


Mouth open, lips long, tongue out,

with drool puddled at end of tongue.


Body facing you(Think about what she did before the photo was taken… is she starting to

square off toward you or is her body

curved? Is she loose and wiggly or

stiff? )


Maybe

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?It’s hard to tell from a still photograph whether Betty is safe to handle or not. It would be wise to conduct SODA observations for as long as you need to make a wise decision.

If in doubt, get a second opinion from a behavior specialist. Sometimes when we are uncertain there is something we’re seeing that we just haven’t put into words yet.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?Is Joni safe to handle?

Ears back


Cowered


Leaning away


Mouth closed tight


Averting her eyes


Proceed CarefullyIs This Dog Safe to Handle?

Move slowly with Lucy, invite her to come to you but do not force her to interact. Watch for this dog to have some sort of forward movement (sniffing, moving head forward, leaning toward you). If you do not see any signs that she wants to interact, write a BVAL. We need a BVAL whether she has acted like she might bite or not. We want to help her gain confidence so that she can move ahead into her forever home.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?Is little Harry safe to handle?

Mouth shut tight


Stress wrinkles in between eyes


Body very stiff, rigid


Tail tucked tightly


Proceed CarefullyIs This Dog Safe to Handle?

Harry appears very fearful and concerned. Fearful dogs may shiver/shake, shed excessively or attempt to hide or escape. If he feels trapped or overwhelmed he may bite.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?What do you get from Tina’s body language?

Doing unrelated activities

(scratching)


Keeping an eye on the camera.


Lips long


Probably


Tending to unrelated things (like this dog scratching when she probably doesn’t have an itch), may indicate that a dog is uncertain about interacting.

Go slowly and invite this dog to interact with you, get her buy-in. You might engage her in play with one of her toys or toss her some treats to take her mind off of being so nervous.

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?What vibe is Jake giving you?

Hackles raised (piloerect)


Eyes wide and

staring


Lips short and

puckered


Body stiff, rigid



NO

This dog is afraid of being approached but feels that he has no other option than to behave aggressively since he is unable to escape while in a kennel. USE CAUTION! Though he is little, he is fierce!

Is This Dog Safe to Handle?Now, what do you think of Wolfie’s behavior?

Teeth exposed, lips puckered


Eyes squinting


Body curved


???


Body off Balance

Eyes soft

Body curved, side presented

YesSubmissive Grin!


Body off Balance

Eyes soft

Body curved, side presented

Submissive grins are often mistaken for aggression. By observing the context of the behavior as well as the rest of the body language (animal is usually approaching person with a very soft, wiggly body) we can determine that this is a friendly animal.

So, how did you do? Did you have the same notions about these animals’ behavior that we did? If so, your next step is to start putting what you see into words every time you work with the shelter dogs so that you can describe and understand more fully what you see and understand from their behavior. If you have questions about their body language, ask the Shelter Behaviorist. They’re a wealth of knowledge about our shelter dogs.

Click and proceed to Part 4.http://www.slideshare.net/secret/i3CelLh7Pt4BAr

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/i3CelLh7Pt4BAr



spca of texas animal handling part 3

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