tools , but I ’ ll intervene when it ’ s necessary . I want them to see me as a source of safety . I want them not to think oh , you ’ re going to bring me to that pet store , you ’ re going to bring me to that park where there ’ s a lot of dogs . I want them to look at me and say ‘ I need help . I need support . Bring me to safety .’ That ’ s what I want to teach them .”
Ferdie said trainers can create a sense of safety with a blanket , a snuffle mat that can be taken anywhere and just sit with the dog and work on relaxation . “ Nobody is allowed to touch the dog or approach the dog when they ’ re in their safe zone . If the dog shows interest in somebody they want to greet , I will get them up off the safe zone and go meet them . But when they ’ re on the safe zone , I am protecting them … nobody ’ s touching them . Ferdie said even a car can be used as a safe zone while working with a dog in different environments . “ I ’ ll go back to my car to establish a safe zone and give the dog some time to process the world and bring it down a little bit . And you ’ d be surprised when I bring them back out , they ’ re OK , I can try . And I think part of it is knowing that they have shelter nearby . When they feel like they have no shelter , it ’ s ‘ get me out of here .’ But if there is shelter nearby , they feel , ‘ OK , that might be scary , but I ’ m willing to do this with you as long as you bring me back to that safe zone .’”
Mental & Physical Well-Being includes is diet and nutrition , physical and social environment that provides enrichment , medical ( prevention of illness or rapid diagnosis and treatment of illnesses ) and REM sleep . Ferdie elaborated about the importance of sleep , stating quality of sleep is more important than quantity . “ Insufficient sleep inhibits the creation of new neurons in adults . Disturbed sleep impairs communication between brain areas needed for emotional regulation . When our shelter dogs have an overnight stay in the foster home , they sleep . They sleep a lot . So that ’ s a really important part of resilience .”
Social Support is interesting because it involves being present and available without the need to force or control , Ferdie said . “ The amount of social support any individual needs in any given situation will vary . Social support can come in conspecific social support , meaning other dogs , or interspecific , like a human or maybe even a cat . Again , you want to be present and provide enough support to support coping and ultimately resilience . But you don ’ t want to be like a helicopter parent . You don ’ t want to put so much pressure on the dog that you actually impede opportunities for the individual to develop adaptive problem-solving abilities and social skills .”
Agency is the feeling of having control over actions and their consequences . For this part of the Relisience Rainbow , Ferdie quoted Dr . Patricia McConnell : “ Being traumatized in a way you have not recovered from ; it ’ s basically about losing choice . Something happened to you that you have no control over . You feel like the world is out of control . So the ability to make your own choices that result in favorable outcomes is crucial to being able to rebound from stress .” Since shelter dogs have little control over their lives , Ferdie said trainers / staff can safely give them agency in a variety of ways :
• Reward-based training because you aren ’ t forcing them into these things ; they are active participants in the training process .
• Hikes on long-leads where the environment is safe enough to do that . Walks where you just let the dog guide you where they want to go and your only job is just to keep him out of danger or trouble .
• Consent test petting – always ask the animal if they are enjoying being touched , and when they say ‘ I ’ m done ,’ take your hands off them . Leave them alone .
“ For as long as I remember , dog trainers have been espousing that humans have to be in control all the time , that we have to show we ’ re dominant over dogs , that we have complete and total control of them , even telling them when and where to sniff … it would be like me telling you when and where you can look at things and gather information . That ’ s so ridiculous . I can ’ t imagine it ,” Ferdie said . “ I sometimes see people taking a hike with dogs in the woods and the dog is on six inches of a lead . Like how is that even fun for any of you ? Instead of taking control , give the control back to the dogs . We ’ ve been getting this all wrong . Play is a great sign of recovery because wild animals don ’ t play when they don ’ t feel safe . It makes them vulnerable to predators . It ’ s a reason why you don ’ t see adult animals really play that much . It ’ s important for young animals to build some motor skills .”
As Ferdie wrapped up the session , he stressed resilience conditioning exercises can be integrated into any type of training currently being done at a shelter . “ The Resilience Rainbow Framework guidelines complements behavior therapy . It ’ s flexible . And you can individualize it to the animal in front of you and help you focus on bringing those animals down from arousal and stress . Bring them down after they play and it strengthens that neuropathy to relaxation . It ’ s hard to imagine because we can ’ t see it . It ’ s inside the body under the skin . But this is what we can do to help build resilience .”
Ferdie Yau is the director of shelter and communication and community outreach at behavior vets staff trainer at the Humane Society of westchester and an instructor at catch canine trainers academy , he ' s an animal trainer and wildlife biologists , who trains dogs and studies urban coyotees . He specializes in treating behavior , cases related to fear anxiety and aggression that behavior vets and he ' s really good at it .
Fertie started his animal training career at the Bronx and Central Park zoos where he trained dozens of exotic species including California , sea , lions , river , otters , arctic foxes , and polar bears . He has a master ' s degree in conservation biology from columbia university , and as study jaguars and Belize and coyotes in new york , Resilience is the ability to adopt successfully to or recover from stress and resist the negative .
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Spring 2024 51