Mayor Morgan,
My name is Tristan Flynn and I’m a dog trainer and behaviorist located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I have been following the Cape Breton SPCA story for several days now and wanted to write you to express my concern for an issue that got no oversight from the recent veterinary review – the mental health and well-being of the animals in the CB Shelter.
I have read that you expressed a desire to see all recommendations from the recent independent veterinary analysis of the shelter implemented which I applaud. However in the report it’s noted that this review was done quickly, that the vets themselves did not have exact expertise in many aspects of shelter management, and that critical aspects of the operation were not evaluated. Quote:
“Due to time constraints, there were a number of areas that we could not assess. These include but are not limited to: vaccination and de-worming protocols, visitor protocols,inspection of outdoor runs and outdoor play areas, staff training, how cleaning products were being mixed and used, behavioral health and mental well-being of animals, temperament testing prior to adoption.”
Clearly this report does not go far enough to evaluate the operations of this shelter. A full and complete evaluation of the mental and behavioral health would likely have brought you another 27+ recommendations.
It is critical that dogs (and cats) be provided with toys, positive training, and a chance to interact with other dogs while in a shelter environment. Dogs should also be receiving several walks per day in addition to outside playtime. A dog that is left in a kennel for long period of time with no activity will become frustrated, bored and their mental health will deteriorate rapidly. Frustration and boredom are directly linked to dog aggression.
The oversights by this facility are a recipe for creating aggressive and hyperactive dogs in your community.
It is also concerning that there is no mention of temperament testing of dogs at this facility. Shelter staff should have continuous training on how to evaluate a dog for things such as aggression around the food bowl, handling issues, aggression towards children / other animals and what special training or considerations an animal may need. Failure to identify and make the public aware of these issues when adopting out a dog is putting your community at risk.
Based on my conversations with people visiting and adopting from this shelter, none of these mental health protocols are in place.
These recommendations regarding mental health cost little money and have been a shelter standard for decades. It’s clear the current management at this shelter are not providing a standard of physical or mental care for their animals.
I urge you to support the provincial SPCA in removing this shelter manager and board of directors. Either through complacency or lack of knowledge, Its clear their leadership is not in the best interests of the animals or people in your community. It’s truly shocking that a quick evaluation report can produce so many deficiencies when the manager has over 30 years of experience.
I understand you are in a tough position since this is the only facility that can meet the needs of your animal control contract however I would urge a more complete report on the activities happening in this shelter in regards to mental health and behavior immediately.
--
Best Regards,
Tristan Flynn
www.goldenruletraining.ca
(902)-469-GRDT (4738)
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/goldenruletraining
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Oh, My dog already knows "Sit"
The title of this blog is one of the things I hear most in my obedience classes - "My dog already knows Sit"
Do they now? What does "Sit" really mean to you, or to your dog? Most dogs when given a Sit command when close to their owners will Sit in front of their owner.
Since the most common place dogs are rewarded is in front of their handler, it's very often the dog will orientate himself to the front, even if the command was given when the dog was beside the owner.
This is where context and reinforcement come into play. Often the dog is only reinforced while sitting in front of their owner, this is the position they automatically assume when the command "Sit" is given. So already our definition for most dogs knowing Sit has changed from "Sit" to "go in front of my owner and Sit".
If you reinforce the Sit from other positions, this will start to fade away and its likely you dog will start to sit on command rather than re-orientating himself then sitting. You can do this by simply moving yourself beside your dog and delivering the reward. The key is that the dog sees a reward can come from you even if your directly beside him. This is a critical thing to train when starting to learn heeling, since often when stopping and asking the dog to sit, he will start to creep in front of you. It's important he know its OK and also reinforcing to sit BESIDE you.
Distance is another big throw off for dogs. Again, since the reward comes from you, naturally the dog assumes he needs to be close to you when the command is given. More importantly, the dog may not understand the command if he isn't beside you. Training your dog to respond, at a distance, to a simple Sit is a very challenging thing to train. It's almost impossible without the use of a marker word or clicker since you need to reinforce at a distance.
Doing this exercise is a great way to show people that dogs are not 'stubborn' or 'dominate' when they refuse to listen. I can hold a ton of treats in my hand in an empty room with my dog, block her off from getting to me, and ask for a "Sit" and it's ignored.
Why? Clearly she wants the treats I have, clearly there's nothing else better to do in the room, so why not listen to me and get the reward?
Many owners would assume she knows Sit, since she will often Sit when asked - but because I'm standing far away from her, the context has changed, and thus she needs to be TRAINED to understand that Sit, still means Sit from a distance.
What about distractions? Is your dog being stubborn or dominant or disobedient when it ignores a command while playing with other dogs or walking in the park? Unless you have done training in those areas, its likely you'll be ignored too. While the reinforcement of playing with dogs may be greater than what your offering, if you have practiced this enough times under gradually increasing distractions, chances are they will listen - specially if they know they can resume playing or sniffing after!
What about releasing the dog? When does "Sit" actually end? Many dogs know to Sit on command, but the duration which they hold it, and the communication on that from the handler is usually lacking. Some trainers teach that Sit also means Stay, so a simple Sit actually means "Sit until I tell you something different" which can be another command or a release word. Owners will often get mad at their dog if they break a Sit that the owner is hoping they will hold (perhaps you told your dog to sit expecting them to remain that way while another dog passed by) but rarely will people teach this.
In summary - just because you THINK your teaching your dog something, doesn't mean your teaching the exact thing you hope your dog will understand when you give that command! Remember to practice variations, distance, distractions and duration!
Do they now? What does "Sit" really mean to you, or to your dog? Most dogs when given a Sit command when close to their owners will Sit in front of their owner.
Since the most common place dogs are rewarded is in front of their handler, it's very often the dog will orientate himself to the front, even if the command was given when the dog was beside the owner.
This is where context and reinforcement come into play. Often the dog is only reinforced while sitting in front of their owner, this is the position they automatically assume when the command "Sit" is given. So already our definition for most dogs knowing Sit has changed from "Sit" to "go in front of my owner and Sit".
If you reinforce the Sit from other positions, this will start to fade away and its likely you dog will start to sit on command rather than re-orientating himself then sitting. You can do this by simply moving yourself beside your dog and delivering the reward. The key is that the dog sees a reward can come from you even if your directly beside him. This is a critical thing to train when starting to learn heeling, since often when stopping and asking the dog to sit, he will start to creep in front of you. It's important he know its OK and also reinforcing to sit BESIDE you.
Distance is another big throw off for dogs. Again, since the reward comes from you, naturally the dog assumes he needs to be close to you when the command is given. More importantly, the dog may not understand the command if he isn't beside you. Training your dog to respond, at a distance, to a simple Sit is a very challenging thing to train. It's almost impossible without the use of a marker word or clicker since you need to reinforce at a distance.
Doing this exercise is a great way to show people that dogs are not 'stubborn' or 'dominate' when they refuse to listen. I can hold a ton of treats in my hand in an empty room with my dog, block her off from getting to me, and ask for a "Sit" and it's ignored.
Why? Clearly she wants the treats I have, clearly there's nothing else better to do in the room, so why not listen to me and get the reward?
Many owners would assume she knows Sit, since she will often Sit when asked - but because I'm standing far away from her, the context has changed, and thus she needs to be TRAINED to understand that Sit, still means Sit from a distance.
What about distractions? Is your dog being stubborn or dominant or disobedient when it ignores a command while playing with other dogs or walking in the park? Unless you have done training in those areas, its likely you'll be ignored too. While the reinforcement of playing with dogs may be greater than what your offering, if you have practiced this enough times under gradually increasing distractions, chances are they will listen - specially if they know they can resume playing or sniffing after!
What about releasing the dog? When does "Sit" actually end? Many dogs know to Sit on command, but the duration which they hold it, and the communication on that from the handler is usually lacking. Some trainers teach that Sit also means Stay, so a simple Sit actually means "Sit until I tell you something different" which can be another command or a release word. Owners will often get mad at their dog if they break a Sit that the owner is hoping they will hold (perhaps you told your dog to sit expecting them to remain that way while another dog passed by) but rarely will people teach this.
In summary - just because you THINK your teaching your dog something, doesn't mean your teaching the exact thing you hope your dog will understand when you give that command! Remember to practice variations, distance, distractions and duration!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)