Tell us your story about using clicker training in your shelter, humane society, or rescue group.
Send us pictures if you like!
We can't promise to post everything but we will certainly try!
Share your shelterstory [at] clickertraining [dot] com (Shelter Story)
Clicker Praise from Shelters and Adopters
"We have been clicking around here for some time, but we are doing it more than ever now. We have decided to do more work in the kennels, despite the noise and confusion, and have had far better results than anticipated in just one week. We are planning to put together a video for you shortly with BEFORE and AFTER footage, since I think we will be able to show dramatic improvements in front-of-kennel behavior."
Sarah Babcock, Director of Education and Training, Richmond SPCA.
"I teach clicker training to our veterinary students. This past summer I obtained a grant to hire a 3rd year veterinary student to work with the dogs at our local humane society (clicker training). We are developing a program whereby student volunteers will condition more well-mannered behaviours in the dogs and then act as follow-up counselors for new owners. This shelter previously had no such program and very little knowledge of shaping behaviour etc. A VERY interesting side-effect of the program so far is that the shelter management has noted that the staff is calmer and working together more as a group. Two supervisors mentioned this to me without knowledge of the other's comments. Although this is n=1, I strongly believe that we have improved the working/emotional environment for the staff indirectly through the use of positive reinforcement in the dogs."
Dr. Norma C. Guy DVM MSc
Clinical Behaviour Service
Atlantic Veterinary College
University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Ave.
Charlottetown, PEI
Canada C1A 4P3
Bus: (902) 566-0950
To: patridgeVE [at] Npt [dot] NUWC [dot] NAVY [dot] Mil
From: Karen Pryor
Congratulations on training shelter dogs; I think your observation that a special bond develops between you and the dog is very important. Everyone who works in shelters does so because they love animals; but ordinarily you don't get many satisfactory interactions to repay your efforts. Clicker training gives YOU, the volunteer, a wonderful reinforcer from each animal, without making you and the animal dependent on each other.
Dear Karen and other team members,
I would like to thank you. I come in contact with many dogs who have high prey/chase drive and own 2 GSDs who also fit this category (and we visit with many friends and family members who own great cats!). Your May letter on using clicker training to help deter dogs from cat chasing will hopefully bring peace to many more homes. Thank you for writing that up in your "Clicker Training for Cats" book.
I also wanted to let you know that your website has been a tremendous resource. As a former user of traditional practices, I am grateful to have this new knowledge and my dogs are happier for it too. Not to mention learning with great enthusiasm!!!! The difference between the two training methods is unbelievable -- my dogs are always eager to train, learn faster, and more behaviors in shorter periods of time. You have made a difference in my life and the life of my dogs, and I thank you!
Molly Moore
Subject: AWESOME TRAINING
Hi Emma,I just wanted to thank you for a great training at our shelter. Everyone loved it!!!!! All of the staff got excited, and really seeing it made a huge difference. Everyone here was very happy about learning how to do it from someone knowledgeable, approachable and with an understanding of the shelter environment. I hope that we get a great volunteer base up and running to take part in this too. I would love to pick your brain more when the time comes to actually train our volunteers, but that is still a little ways away. Thank you again for all your time and effort-it is greatly appreciated.
Martha Cutt
"I bought your clicker starter kit when I brought a new Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy into my home. I haven't owned a dog for 10 years, so I really wanted to make the most of having a new pup. I could not believe how incredibly easy and effective clicker training is. In only a few days my pup learned sit, down, stay, roll over, sit up, and growl when I say Democrat. I am by no means an expert dog trainer or anything like that, but I now have my girlfriend's two squirmy out of control terrier mutts trained to lie down and sit on command (took about three 5 minute clicking sessions for both of them). I trained one of them to bark on command in about five minutes. I trained my friend's super-active loopy Siberian Husky pup to sit up in about 10 minutes. Just unbelievable!! The part I really love is that once the dog really "gets" the whole concept of clicking, it is so hilarious how hard the dog will try to do what you want and how happy the dog is to try to make you click! Thank you again for teaching me clicker training!!"
Bryan Golder
bryan [at] goldermedia [dot] com
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