by Mike
Jones / PAWS Advocate
Buddy pranced
on his hind feet, front claws scraping denim. Luke turned a blind
hip to Buddy’s behavior and the Rottweiler/Labrador mix settled
back on all fours.
"He
must have lived with a man before," said Carol Gannaway.
"It’s usually the men who like to wrestle with their
dogs."
In the fenced
yard outside the PAWS Companion Animal Clinic, Buddy’s temperament
evaluation continued. Carol handled the clipboard in a role referred
to on the form as "scribe." Luke, Buddy’s "evaluator,"
knelt to examine Buddy’s teeth in a test of his response
to dominance. "’Easy to handle,’" Luke proclaimed.
Carol created
the Good Dog Program, Luke coordinates it and Buddy benefits from
it. Carol touts the program as a way of "helping the dogs
maintain their sanity in the shelter while they await a new home,
and matching the appropriate owners with their new dog."
There is no reference on the temperament form to "sanity,"
and while he’s not exactly a candidate for committal, Buddy
probably wouldn’t get high marks. There is a space for "behavior
observations," one of which ranges from "serious"
to "silly," 1 to 5. Buddy rates a 4. His tail would
wag during all his waking hours if someone hadn’t docked
it to a lump. Instead, his whole bottom wags.
Luke waited
with Buddy while Carol fetched another dog from the shelter for
the next temperament evaluation. Buddy’s path was intentionally
allowed to cross that of Wally, a pit bull mix. The dogs’
response to each other was observed before Buddy made his exit
and the evaluation of Wally began. Some Australian cattle dog
in his breeding may account for Wally’s squat build and the
fact that when he sits and his head tilts back, his ears stand
up.
"If
Wally sat more and more people noticed these ears, he may be adopted
more quickly," noted Carol.
His evaluation
may be over, but Buddy’s participation in the PAWS Good Dog
Program has just begun. Buddy has lived at PAWS for five weeks,
and the first month was less eventful than the past week has been.
Since Carol began training volunteer dog walkers and kennel attendants
a few days ago, Buddy has been learning to sit at the front of
the kennel, sit for the leash, sit before doors, sit when his
walker gives him nothing better to do. "Sit, sit, sit,"
was Carol’s mantra to the volunteers. "Sit all the time."
Buddy’s
new behavior is achieved through positive reinforcement. Treats
all the time. Carol advocates for very little or no correction.
In her training manual, Carol quotes nationally respected dog
trainer Morgan Spector. "We are talking about establishing
a training bargain," said Spector. "If the dog sits,
give him a treat. That’s the training bargain in its simplest
form."
Carol’s
program represents a bargain for PAWS and its dogs. In early 1999,
Colleen Smith, director of Companion Animal Services for PAWS,
was considering what more PAWS could do for dogs. For potential
adopters, dogs represent a steeper incline of commitment than
cats. Some dogs pose a greater adoption challenge than others.
Morale can slip when a dog spends more than a month at PAWS without
finding a home. A case like Buddy’s can foment a creeping
emotional malaise, not just for Buddy, but for staff and volunteers
who care so deeply for his welfare.
Colleen was
familiar with Carol’s work at Whidbey Animals’ Improvement
Foundation (WAIF) on Whidbey Island. While at WAIF, Carol’s
reputation grew through public speaking, television appearances,
publishing, and her efforts at her training center, Canine Potentials.
As Carol recruited and trained volunteers for WAIF’s Whidbey
Island Animal Shelter, the length of stays for its dogs began
to decrease. Not only was the dogs’ time at the shelter more
pleasant and involving, but this shift toward happier, more attentive
dogs was subtly noticeable to human visitors. Adoption rates climbed
while the rate of dogs returned due to behavior and temperament
problems dropped.
Colleen met
with Carol at WAIF in January. "The most impressive thing
I saw at WAIF," Colleen recalled, "was all those dogs
in a row sitting at the front of their kennels." Dogs who
endure weeks at a shelter can develop lethargy or show symptoms
of kennel craziness, pacing, circling, gnawing on chain link,
barking wildly. But Colleen noticed this wasn’t the case
with the WAIF dogs. "I was stunned."
Leaving with
good feelings about WAIF’s Good Dog Program, Colleen considered
methods of funding a contract to adopt Carol’s methods for
PAWS. The Humane Society of the United States had posted a grant
to support programs beneficial to dogs. The PAWS application for
the grant netted $3,150, Visio Corporation contributed $5,000
through a grant, and Carol’s work at PAWS was underway.
A key piece
of the Good Dog Program is Luke Oakland, a veteran shelter staff
member. Some of the attributes that led Colleen to appoint Luke
as program coordinator are obvious (Carol pointed out, "He’s
a tall, strong guy who can handle some of the more challenging
dogs"). Other qualities are revealed only after observation
and conversation. Luke’s stature is sizable, but his heart
is disproportionately big.
"I’m
really impressed with the program," said Luke. "I’m
seen so much improvement in the dogs in just the first few days.
It’s great that it’s based on positive reinforcement.
Hopefully the days of yanking on the pinch collar are disappearing."
The PAWS
Good Dog Program is backed by Carol’s dozen years of studying
dog behavior. Her canine career began in 1987 with volunteering
at an animal shelter, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center in Seal
Beach, California. First as a dog walker, and later as a trainer
and instructor, Carol noticed a need for greater activity and
engagement in shelter dogs. She developed a program for walking
and training the dogs at Seal Beach, and the center’s reputation
began to grow. Potential adopters drove extra miles to meet the
dogs at Seal Beach, who had a reputation for being "good
dogs."
Carol later
served as an animal-control officer, columnist and author, whose
book, Living With More Than One Dog, was published in 1995. She
brought her expertise to the Whidbey Island Animal Shelter five
years ago.
Inspired
by a presentation in Spokane by New York-based canine behaviorist
Sue Sternberg, Gannaway adapted Sternberg’s concepts of environmentally-cued
training, and the Good Dog Program was born.
Carol’s
focus differs from that of most animal trainers, who often work
more at training people that training animals. "My draw has
always been the shelter dogs. I prefer hands-on dog training as
opposed to people training." Not that the outgoing Gannaway
is some kind of social misfit, but she adds the disclaimer, "I
just enjoy watching the dogs."
Of course,
the people must be trained before the dogs can be trained. Volunteers
who walk dogs and tend to the kennels are advised to be prepared
by wearing appropriate clothing and carrying a leash and collar
or an animal control lead. Attached to their belts should be a
spray bottle filled with water and, of course, a pouch with the
all-important treats.
At a training
session, Carol showed the volunteers a simple method for placing
a training collar around the head of an energetic dog. "Put
the treat in your hand and the hand through the collar. As the
dog goes for the treat, slip the collar over his nose and head."
Dogs are
taught to sit at doorways by using the opening of the door, not
the treats, as the reward. Once the walker has passed through
the open door, with or without the dog, praise is in store. The
approach is reinforced by moving to a new door only after the
dog has mastered the sit at the original door.
Once outside
even a dog who appears lethargic in the kennel can pull a walker
like a horse pulling a surrey. The volunteers stop this behavior
simply by stopping. It may take time, but the Good Dog Program
requires a dog to learn that a tight leash means no forward progress.
Pulling means stopping. A loose leash means freedom to walk and
explore, maybe even a savory treat.
According to Carol, the only correction should be directed toward
aggression. If a dog starts lunging and barking, the spray bottle
should be employed. The PAWS dog walkers carry a small spray bottle
with the trigger tucked into a pocket or belt. As soon as the
aggressive behavior begins, the spray bottle is drawn and water—only
water—is sprayed at the dog. The moment the behavior ceases,
the dog is praised and rewarded.
Carol has
seen this approach work for most dogs, but occasionally a dog
comes along who considers the spray a reward, and other approaches
must be considered.
As Carol
and anyone else who works at the PAWS Companion Animal Shelter
knows, there are lots and lots of good dogs, but no perfect dogs.
Except mine.
Cheever was
called Jasper during his stay at PAWS. During the two months he
lived in the kennels, PAWS adoption posters displayed at area
pet-supply stores pictured him over the text: "Don’t
overlook Jasper! He’s one of the best in the shelter: likes
other dogs and cats, bonds well with people, and is sweet-natured."
So how could
one of our best be repeatedly passed over for adoption? Potential
adopters who were intrigued by this handsome and intelligent Chow
mix would be disappointed during "visits"—interaction
with family members supervised by a staff member. He was perceived
as aloof, more interested in sniffing the ground than in meeting
a new person.
Some adopters
want a dog that will bound up to them and worship them like they
are God’s gift to canines. Cheever isn’t like that.
A temperament report generated by the PAWS Good Dog Program would
have informed potential adopters of this trait prior to a visit.
(A recent temperament evaluation of Cheever, conducted for the
purposes of this article, ranked him as a 1 on the "aloof"
to "needy" scale).
With no Good
Dog Program in place at PAWS in the fall of last year, Cheever,
the perfect dog, sat for two months until I woke up to his wondrous
qualities and filled a void in my life by adopting him. He still
spends his days at PAWS (next to my desk), but now he gets most
evenings and weekends off.
The presence
of a temperament report, currently attached to the kennel door
for every PAWS dog, may have prevented some disappointing visits
for dogs at PAWS prior to the Good Dog Program. Potential adopters
would have had a glimpse into temperament and behavior tendencies,
and may have been drawn to qualities that weren’t apparent
through the kennel door.
But can too
much information be a hindrance to adoption? Could someone who
loves the look of a dog or the brief interaction through the chain-link
door be dissuaded by the results of the temperament evaluation?
Colleen Smith,
the shelter director, believes the more PAWS knows, and the more
an adopter knows, the better. "It’ll make a difference
for us because we’ll know the dogs better and we’ll
know what they need." She predicts the program will have
a positive impact on adoption rates and will decrease the rate
of return.
About potential
adopters, Carol said, "They should know everything they can
about the dog. We’re looking for a lifetime commitment."
Wally, the
pit bull mix with the flip-top ears, had little experience with
the Good Dog Program before a family made him their own good dog.
Buddy, the smiling dog with the wagging butt, is getting better,
not worse, as his stay at PAWS continues, thanks to the Good Dog
Program. He knows there are lots and lots of people out there,
but he’s waiting for the perfect adopter. Maybe you.
"There
are so many dogs for adopters to pick from," said Carol.
"Their perfect dog is there."
