Sherry Woodard, CPDT-KA

Increasing Dog Adoptability: Quick and

Creative Canine Enrichment Tips – Sherry

Woodard

Best Friends National Conference

July 14 – 17, 2016 1

Increasing Dog Adoptability:

Quick and Creative Canine

Enrichment Tips

Sherry Woodard, CPDT-KA

What does it mean?

Physical Needs

Emotional Needs Instinctual Needs

*Graph above borrowed from avianenrichment.com



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Physical needs

• Diet and nutrition • Exercise • Environment • Health • Hygiene • Safety

Emotional needs

• Social interaction

• Mental stimulation Training Sports Problem-solving

• Independence, agency



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Instinctual needs

• Safety

• Security, comfort

• Crepuscular schedule Mid-day naps Morning and afternoon activity

• Sensory stimulation

• Foraging

Setting dogs up for success



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Latest research on adoptability

• Interested or move on: 20-70 seconds

• Interaction: 8 minutes

• Key factor: Dog engagement and interaction

• Increase desirability: Simple enrichment techniques

• Common beliefs may be myths

Sasha Protopopova, Ph.D., Texas Tech University


Adopters who stop in front of a kennel to look at a dog decide whether or not to move on within 20-70 seconds.



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Once out of the kennel, adopters give dogs an average of 8 minutes.


Aside from physical attributes, the most important thing to adopters is dog engagement and interaction.



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Simple enrichment techniques, including training some easy behaviors, can increase a dog’s desirability to adopters.



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Overcome perceived barriers

• Do I have to be a trainer? • Do I have to hire a trainer?

• Do I need to spend extra money to fund training?

• Do I have to pay for extra staff?

All of these techniques can be done by volunteers with minimal instruction for little or no extra cost.

Build your volunteer team. Build your item donation list.

The good news!



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A lot of common beliefs about what drives adoptions turn out to be myths.

Some behaviors that had no effect: • Jumping up • Mouthing • Licking • Obeying cues (or not) • Taking food (or not)

Environmental management

Tools for working smarter, not harder.

• Choose a space that isn’t distracting.

• Choose a space that is smaller.

• Allow the dog to eliminate before meeting the potential adopters.

• Use volunteer help with enrichment for adoptability.



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Realistic expectations

• There are many ways to achieve the same goal.

• Choose the approach that works best for that individual dog and your environment.

Meet-and-greet room

Provide a clean mat

Outdoor area

Get to know dogs as individuals

• Learn how to listen to each individual dog.

• Hone your skill at reading body language and teach others.

• Use various strategies to motivate individual dogs. Luring Capturing Shaping



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Enrichment for greeting skills

Name recognition



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Recall

• Teach recall games

– The name game

• Reward all recalls and check-ins

• Hide from your pet

• Run from your pet

• Teach “come”

• Never punish your pet for not coming or for coming slowly.

• Practice calling your pet when you can let him go again.

• If recall is only used to end fun, the animal will stop coming.

Playing games

Toy-type test 1. Lay out five toys with different characteristics, such as a plush toy, rope toy, soft ball,

hard ball and squeaky toy.

2. Let the dog into the area and observe how he interacts with each type of toy.

3. Record which one he continues to play with.

4. Use this type of toy only for special interaction with potential adopters.



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Recommendation

Start teaching “trade and retrieve”

• Use two of whichever type of toy the dog prefers.

• When the dog retrieves or retains one of the toys, show the other toy to initiate a trade, without your hands near the dog’s mouth.

• When the dog releases one toy, throw the other to continue the retrieve game.

Treat games

Remember: Only the individual animal decides what is reinforcing!



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Treat games

How to identify effective reinforcers

Observe what the dog enjoys most.

Remove that item from daily life. Use it only during practice and when meeting potential adopters.

Find the middle ground between too intense and little interest: eager interest.

Observe the dog’s reaction to the reinforcer.

Don’t overuse: Identify multiple reinforcers and alternate among them.

Enrichment for settling near people



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Mat work

• Easy to train

• Everything good happens on the mat

• Powerful forms of calming enrichment – Frozen Kongs

– Lickable treats

– Chewable treats

Teach dogs to love a mat

1. Get a mat, blanket, dog bed or towel.

2. Ideally, each dog should have his/her own.

3. Place the mat on the floor and show interest in it yourself.

4. Have the dog on a loose lead or long line.

5. When the dog approaches and shows interest, verbally mark or click, and treat.

6. Keep rewarding for more body contact with the mat. Any behavior offered with more of the dog’s body on the mat is rewarded. Play this as a game.

7. Begin to lure the dog into “sit” and “down.”



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8. Use at least two types of treats. The higher-value treat is used only for “down.” The lesser-value treat is used for any other behavior if the dog is on the mat.

9. Once the dog is offering the desired behavior on the mat, reward in position and then give your “release” cue — such as the word “release” or “free” — and encourage him to come off the mat.

10. Encourage him off the mat by tossing a treat and walking him to the treat.

11. The second the dog steps off the mat, all rewarding ends.

12. Stand quietly by the mat and wait.

13. Each time the dog returns and is on the mat, verbally mark

or click, and treat.

14. Remember, the highest-value treat is used for “down.” The dog may still need to be lured.

15. Be sure that the dog understands that he is being rewarded for returning to the mat.

16. When the dog is committed to being on the mat, start to increase the time between rewards.

17. Your goal is a dog who is happy to spend time on the mat with potential adopters nearby, offering treats, praise and gentle touch.



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Tethering or leashing

• To help any dog to settle

• Needs to be a good experience

• May offer licking or chewing treats during practice



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Look at me: Click for eye contact

Head on lap or leaning



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Proofing

Practice in multiple locations so dogs can do this with anyone, anywhere.

Calming enrichment



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Spend time reading to dogs near their run or in another calm environment.



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Volunteers can do even more



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Sounds

Scents



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Mid-day naps

Licking and chewing



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Licking and chewing

Massage, T-Touch, Jin Shin Jyutsu

Jin Shin Jyutsu jsjforyouranimal.com T-Touch ttouch.com



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Sherry Woodard, CPDT-KA

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