Creating an atmosphere that's calm helps dogs get adopted. Try this simple focusing exercise as a first step. Put a good treat in your closed hand (e.g. a tiny cube of cheese) and put your fist against the wires. When the dog sniffs your hand, click and toss in the treat. Repeat twice, then put your empty fist against the wires; click for touching, and give the treat from your other hand.
Just for Shelters
Tell Us About Your Shelter Experience!
By KPCT on 11/06/2002"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.
Clicking with Cats in the Shelter Environment
By Karen Pryor on 10/01/2002With cats we need not use the clicker to 'train' the cat in the traditional sense; we can use it to enrich the cat's environment, to give it some control over its world, and if possible to widen its own perceptions of that world. We are communicating to the cat so the cat can learn healthy ways to communicate back.
Online Discussion with Karen Pryor: Clicker Training in the Shelter Environment II
By KPCT on 09/19/2002Hi, everyone. Welcome again to our members from the first Discussion, and to our new members, thanks for joining us. Today we'll be continuing to talk about clicker training in the shelter environment. Since last time, I've visited and given clicker introduction workshops at several more shelters in New England, and I've had the pleasure of seeing how quickly a shelter can get involved. It doesn't require everyone's participation, just a few, to get things rolling. A handful of volunteers, and maybe one or two interested staff members, is enough to get those kennels quieted down, and start dogs and cats, and other people, learning to learn.
Online Shelter Discussion a Big Hit
By Karen Pryor on 09/01/2002Our first on-line discussion, "Clicker Training in the Shelter Environment," was a smash hit. Great questions, great solutions, great new ideas-and participation from all over the world.
