Animal behavior training with the Downsy dude

Yesterday Lewis and I went to our first animal behavior training at our local animal shelter. The goal of the program is to train volunteers to help train animals waiting for their forever homes. Experience has shown that well trained animals are more apt to be adopted and stay in there new adopted homes.

One example  of what we will be doing is taking  tongue depressor and placing cat food on the end of it to entice cats and kittens to get in the habit of coming to the front of their cages when they see people.

We will also be learning how to clicker train dogs. Clickers are used to reinforce desirable behaviors such as following a command or keeping all four paws on the ground. The clicker creates a universal sign for the dog that can be easily transferred to the new owner. Often the differences in voice pitches between trainer and new owner can confuse a dog and make it less likely to obey a command. The clicker eliminates that confusion.

Lewis preferred to work with cats yesterday so we spent most of our day teaching grown cats how to give a high five in exchange for a cat treat. Lewis seems to be a natural at this and has taught all four cats at home this trick. He has also taught one of our cats to fetch a ball. Yesterday he had pretty good luck with two cats learning this trick after just a few tries.

We ended our day with a visit to the kitten nursery where we were able to take two very frightened
 6-8 week old kittens and play with them in a visitation room. The goal was to get the kittens to associate humans with fun cuddles and play, rather than hunkering down and hiding in the back of their cages. So far we love the animal behavior training.

Dogs that bite

On another forum I frequent we had a discussion about dogs that bite. Should they be put down? Anyone with a pet knows that this is always a last resort. A few alternative suggestions would be to mildly sedated or use a muzzle if needed. Usually animals who bite do so out of fear, but sometimes it is a form of possession guarding. It can be a favorite toy, food or property.

If you have taken in a stray often there is no way to know the back ground  of the animal and there may have been a reason that the animal learned to bite. This is common in severely abused dogs as they have had to defend themselves from beatings and such. It may be a form of hording if your dog has gone hungry some time in its life.

Many of the large shelters have behavior specialist and often offer this service free of charge as an attempt to keep dogs in their homes and keep numbers down at the shelter. Before deciding to put your dog down if it bites consider at least one consult with a professional.

Walking Scotties

Recently my son and I were invited by my best friend, Teresa, to go for a walk with her and her 3 dogs. She has a pair of twin Scotties and a black spaniel. One Scottie is black and one is blond. The black one is know to be the easiest to manage on a leash so she was given to my Down's son for the walk. The spaniel is the most insecure of the group and also the most demanding. She can be very difficult to walk. About half way through our walk, my son volunteered to give a try to the spaniel as she was pulling and giving my friend a very hard time. Interesting, as soon as my son was handed the leash, the spaniel was a perfect angel.

My friend had become annoyed with her, and I am sure that she was picking up and reacting to that energy. My son, being the calmest most loving person I know, seemed to calm the little spaniel right down. It has been a few days now since the walk and my son is still talking about how much he loves that spaniel. They seemed to connect.

Starting in a few weeks my son and I will be volunteering at one of the local animal shelters. One of the things that will be an option for us is walking dogs on a trail they have out in back of the facility.
What a difference this will make in the lives of the dogs who are confined. Just another example of how Downsy dude is making this world a better one.

Thank you Teresa for the practice walk, it was lovely and affirming.

Man's best friend- key to brain cancer cure?

Here is a hopeful video about the progress being made in the search for a cure to cancer.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7390631n