Dog Shelter Volunteer Training 101
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- Опубликовано: 12 дек 2016
- Knox Botz FIRST Lego League Team #17682 is presenting this video as their solution to the FLL Animal Allies Project. We wanted to come up with a solution that would help decrease the stress of dogs in shelters. This video will provide shelter volunteers basic training so that they will interact with dogs in the same way. Shelters are a stressful environment for all dogs. If each well-meaning volunteer uses different gestures and words with a dog, this only adds to their confusion and stress. Many smaller shelters do not have the staff or resources to hold regular training sessions for new volunteers. We hope this video could be incorporated into training for these shelters.
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I am on this FLL team, and am the one doing the voiceover. This season has been a trip and with this we ended up in first place for the project. We did not have the opportunity to move on due to lack of points in the robot, but our propose was accomplished. I would like to thank all who is reading this, and hope you will utilize this well, and that it is helpful.
Great job, I'm a volunteer and this video was helpful to me.
A great way that's worked for me when trying to leash a dog is by entering the kennel calmly and ignoring the dog until it calms down. Once it's calm, slowly start the leashing or harnessing process. If it starts jumping or moving again, immediately pull away and ignore the dog until they are calm. The really smart ones catch on fast. Once they realize they have to be calm before you take them out, it will help them so much behaviorally. It definitely takes patience but it's worth it. If you can only volunteer for a short amount of time, choose only a few dogs to work with and work with them each time you come in. You won't burn out that way. If you see that a dog gets taken out a lot by other people, choose a dog that doesn't get to go out as much.
Awesome video! Another point I've learned through experience is when you want to help a nervous or shy dog (obviously get permission first), quietly and slowly enter the kennel and while watching the dog out of the corner of your eye, face away from the dog and slide your back down the wall until you are seated. This is a none threatening way to enter the dog's territory. Never stare at the dog or loom over it. Then just play with your phone or read. Or stare at the wall and sing a calming song. The key is to not actually initiate the contact. You are letting the dog get used to your presence and they have the control and they can decide whether to interact with you or not. Don't look at the dog and don't reach for it. You'll be surprised how many will very quickly come to you and start rubbing on you and try to sit in your lap. At this point you can slowly start to pet the dog and acknowledge it by looking at it and talking to it. Keep your voice calm and soft. This has never not worked for me. Even if the dog doesn't come to you, you are still accomplishing something by helping the dog to see that humans are not always a threat. But please do everything carefully and at your own discretion so as to not cause harm to you or the dog.
Beautifully said t.y.
Thanks! 🐶
Absolutely on point. I use the same concept. Though I sometime use a bag of chips. There was a aggressive dog placed in one of my kennels that wouldn’t have anything to do with any staff. (This is before I was actually taught what you said earlier). So I decided this was going to have to come to an end and get on the same page. So I opened the door. Realized quickly don’t look at him. Lol. I proceeded and slid down the wall, praying he wasn’t going to reach up and bite me. Armed with a bag of chips I say and ate one at a time staring at the wall. I happened to look over and there he was staring at me with a look that I thought was give me a bite. I ate one gave him one. Over and over until the bag was gone. We became really good friends from that point. He was a Great Dane/Catahoula mix. Beautiful loving dog…if he liked you. Problem was he only liked two people. Myself and my co-worker. But he adopted him and lived with him on a farm. Worked out great. Anyway, yes that’s the only way I’ve been successful in dealing with nervous or aggressive natured dogs.
@tgrdn79: Thanks! I’ve really only tried it with dogs that I feel confident are not going to lunge to bite me. As a volunteer, if I get bit, there’s no worker’s comp or anything like that to cover the medical costs. So I’ve usually just done that technique with smaller dogs or simply ones that are very scared and shaking but aren’t necessarily being “aggressive” other than barking. That being said, the same technique can be used just by sitting in front of the kennel door with your side facing the kennel so neither your back or front are facing the dog. That way I basically accomplish the same thing while the kennel door is there to protect me in cases where the dog is really acting like it would actually lunge. Smelly meats like a hamburger patty are great huts with dogs. They shouldn’t be fed to them on a regular basis but when used in these situations that’s fine (as long as staff say it’s ok). Since it’s so smelly, it just takes a little pinch at a time tossed into the kennel to get their attention. So you can end up sitting there for a while using just one small patty. Some may still bark when you get up, but I always make sure I stand slowly and with my side still facing them.
Dogs and all animals feed off of our emotions. They can read us all like a book. The calmer you are with an animal the better it is. Spending time with them and giving them love and attention is worth more than gold. I've learned alot about animals and their behavior. They are often just scared, not aggressive.
It really covers some stuff that people don't understand, this video is pretty good, and easily understandable! Thank yoouuu.
Great video! I just started as a volunteer today and this was helpful and to the point, while still being entertaining.
I would love to do this. I'm a big fan of dogs and have been around them all my life. I am always willing to learn all the time. Shelters are depressing, but at least most of them are good and take good care of the animals. Knowing their behavior is important. If we're stressed then THEY will be also. They pick up on all of our moods and feelings. The calmer you are, the better it is.
This is really sad. Some of those dogs are clearly upset and desperate for attention. I think I want to find a local shelter and do this as well.
@Goad Said: Your comment is four years old now so it made me curious if you’ve tried volunteering yet. How did it go?
@@xradelox Idk about them. But i work at a shelter and have loads of experience working with and training animals of all kinds and managing them in large numbers. We actually get lots of volunteers at the shelter i work at, there comes a point where the volunteers just introduce a lack of consistency and are counter productive to any training goals me or the trainers are working on. We need people to help do chores and stuff like dishes, laundry, yardwork, etc etc. and we do have some people who do some of that, but the ones that come in and play with dogs for the most part aren't really adding anything of value. i train a dog to walk on a loose leash and the volunteers come in and undo it. its incredibly hard to actually get anywhere past the basic stuff like sit and being calm for leashing and stuff. Or just give shelters more money so they can hire more knowledgeable staff, there is such a high turnover rate and its not like the level of knowledge the employees of a shelter have is all that high, even the ones that have been there for many years. im the most knowledgeable person there working with the dogs and im only there because i needed a job and it was close to where i live. Realistically i can;t afford to work there forever, i am not paid a livable wage. You have to be young like its your first job, or married, or retired, or something for it to remotely be possible of living off of it. I fell on hard times like everyone else and had to move back home, if i had to pay rent or a mortgage this job would not be an option, yet i am the most experience, knowledgeable, and productive by a huge margin. By the time anyone gets my level of knowledge and experience they are doing something else. The very structure is backwards, at the end of the day the people working with the dogs every day is the most important part, people should grow into this position, not out of it. Shelters need money enough to hire actual dog trainers. im looking into getting my certification out of SPITE because i work with a bunch of people who refuse to learn. But then what? i won't get a raise and i already said its not a livable wage. If i get my dog training certification i might as well use that and all that experience i touted to make more money just being a dog trainer. And i already know the crappy side of being a dog trainer, people don't listen, so even if i did get certified its not like my coworkers will take my advice to heart anymore than they do now. they don't listen to the trainers we have access to currently, they might think they do but they really just don't get it. i talked to the trainers when i first started months ago and they saw it then and they see it now nothing has changed, i think its gotten worse tbh. oh yea volunteers. i think they get in the way for the most part, there are some benefits, we get little flurries of families with kids coming in giving out treats to dogs its a little crazy but thats okay. the leash walking kills me though, bro, i have to walk those dogs every single day multiple times a day, please don't let them pull for the love of god, id rather them not walk the dog at all. i think the trainers agree with me but think its a lost cause. The advice in this video about getting the dog excited on the leash made me want to cry. please no. fosters are the ones that i think help the most, they give us fewer dogs to take care of. The people who do dishes and laundry are dope af too i miss them when they are not around. A few of the dog walkers are really good, some are or were trainers, but the vast majority i kind of wish weren't there or we structured the program different.
@Doggo:
I totally feel you. It’s absolutely a double edged sword. I have things I do that I feel are common sense and easy and that everyone should do but then I see others taking the lazy or just plain stupid way to do things and it drives me nuts. I’ve worked with and for five different shelters over the last nine years and the one that I saw worked the best was very structured. Each dog had its own Easy Walk Harness (brand Pet Safe) that hung on its cage. The leash clips in the front so it really helps most dogs stop pulling or pull a lot less. When I signed up as a volunteer, I was given a few options of when I wanted to come for my volunteer training and tour. They had those 20 minute classes a few times a week. That way the employee could show everything to a big group all together which saved time. They showed us how to properly put on and use that harness, even to not put it on until the dog sits in the kennel so it learns to be calm for having its harness put on. Each dog had its own that was already properly adjusted to its body. They went through “walk/yard etiquette” to avoid altercations between dogs. They had color coded dots on cage cards for “beginner volunteers”, “experienced volunteers” and “staff only”. They went over some other stuff too. I just thought it worked really well and I felt very confident because of that. Then at another shelter there was no training whatsoever and that whole experience was a complete disaster. Needless to say I don’t go there anymore but last I checked, they actually implemented many of the changes I told them needed to take place. Part of the problem is that at the time I went, they allowed anyone to go in and remover dogs from kennels to walk them without any training or supervision. I kid you not, I saw one person use a slip lead by making the “collar” end out of the handle end and they expected to be able to hang onto the lead with their fingers holding the tiny D ring at the other end 🤦🏼♀️ But all that being said, shelter management at any shelter can greatly improve everyone’s experience and safety by having proper training take place and enforcing rules, even if it pisses customers off. Having too many volunteers is a wonderful problem to have, they just need to be managed and told their proper place, while at the same time, they should feel free to be able to talk to management and offer new ideas on how to improve things because lots of great ideas come from outsiders and new people.
Thank you,I go to church and god cares deeply for animals and can't read
The meaning of words with out action, the boat that he built for animals says volumes about our loving creator,surely god has not
Changed thank you for that
Heads up on how to with dogs
This is a great video and not just for training. I am looking to find a dog and I always went to the shelter for all my animals with the exception of the last two who I rescued. One was an older male cat who was solid black with the most beautiful green eyes. I gentled him over time and when he allowed me to cut the burrs out of his fur I knew he was ready. I brought him to the vet and they ran tests because he had a bit of a wheeze and it turned out that he had feline leukemia and feline aids. It didn't matter it was just him and me so I had him fixed and we spent a short but eventful life together and although it was short it was lovely and when it was his time he passed away in my arms. The next one was a kitten dumped in the neighborhood and he left a gutted pigeon to show he was a good provider. He was my first kitten in 20 years so it was an adjustment for me but he was as smart as a whip and he and the dog I had, named Taggert by his previous owners, so I called the kitten Tigger because of his coat and they became Tig and Tag. I know really bad joke. They got along well but Tag was getting older and I would rescue him from Tig so he could rest. When Tag developed a lump on his back the vet did a biopsy and it was cancer and it was a fast moving cancer and inoperable because it was against his spine. It wasn't long before Tig and I had to adjust to life without Tag, he was in a lovely carved box on the mantel, but Tig didn't know that. Tig was there when he left this earth so he understood that Tag wasn't coming back. I think that is important for animals. Tig was quiet for a while so knowing how intelligent he was I decided to distract him with games that required he solve problems and I taught him a new word a week and we eventually developed a good life with just the two of us. 15 years later and now Tig is gone too, pancreatitis that would not respond to medications and I was left with no choice and he is on the mantel in a wood box along with Tag. I'm alone and I decided I wanted to see what volunteering at the local shelter would be like but they don't seem interested in taking on new volunteers, although one volunteer told me that they had more dogs dropped on them than ever before. So I decided to teach myself how to be a good volunteer so I had more than just ownership training. Thank you for making this video.
What a wonderful video! Very informative & great narrator!!
Excellent presentation! Thanks!
Very awesome!!! Helpful tips for dog training and human training thanks for sharing
This is really helpful for me. I've never cared for a dog besides very occasional dogsitting for friends, but I love em and plan to start volunteering at a shelter soon. I've volunteered at a wildlife hospital in the past, which was super interesting but obviously there wasn't much interaction besides feeding since they are wild animals, and briefly at a bird rescue- unfortunately my night job at the time made it nearly impossible to be awake during operational hours so I had to stop :( but now I do freelance work so I have lots of open time!
Thanks! This is helpful.
Great video thank you :)
Well done,thank you,very well spoken! Great information as well,my wife and I are trying to start a shelter!
Were you and you wife able to start your shelter yet?
Well spoken great job! Make more videos! 😁
Many people like animals it means love ,where I can find a real good heart people ,even just only one ,I have at least 6 people well educated and each own at least 2 properties constantly bullying a serious disabled pensioner and have found nowhere to turn to
Nice
I’m voulenteering at a local centre with 3 of my friends
I volunteer at union County animal shelter
Thank you! It's very helpful.