FEATURE
Trainers and behavior consultants
• Whenever possible , have a discussion with people before they add a pet to their home so you can go over the pros and cons , and what to look for in a new pet .
• Encourage adopters to introduce new pets to their other pets before committing to an adoption . Put staff and / or volunteers through a training program that teaches them to set up successful interactions and support the adopter with the transition period .
• Include information in your marketing on basic “ helping new adoptees settle in ” training . Provide a free folder with tips for new adopters to local shelters and rescue groups , or offer a free one-hour webinar once or twice a month .
• If you have the financial wherewithal , offer pro bono services for adopters who would otherwise be unable to afford your services .
• Consider helping to put together or run training programs at the local animal welfare center .
• Encourage adopters to be honest if they do wind up returning a dog , so that the animal welfare center has a better idea of how to proceed .
None of the above steps will solve the problem of adopted animals being returned , but every little bit helps . It ’ s important to keep in mind that the public is not as well informed as we are . For example , most people don ’ t realize that training is something that benefits even the best behaved of newly adopted dogs . If we can help the public understand that , we can make a difference even if we don ’ t directly help the adopter . In fact , that may have a better impact than the training we do with new adopters . So let ’ s help spread the word together !
Irith Bloom , CPDT-KSA , CDBC , KPA CTP , VSPDT , CBATI , is a member of the faculty at Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy and DogBiz ’ s Dog Walking Academy and speaks at conferences and seminars regularly . She has been published both online and in print . She volunteers with NESR , Annenberg PetSpace , and the LA County 2020 HPHF Coalition . Irith is the owner of The Sophisticated Dog , LLC ( https :// thesophisticateddog . com ), a pet training company based in Los Angeles .
Kristina Spaulding , Ph . D ., has been in the dog training and behavior profession since 1999 . She has a doctorate degree in biopsychology — the study of the biological basis of behavior — and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist . She is particularly interested in stress , neurobiology , cognition , emotion , and wellbeing and how to apply these concepts to the prevention and early intervention of behavior problems in dogs . In addition to working with behavior clients , Dr . Spaulding teaches a variety of online courses and webinars on the science of behavior through her website , www . sciencemattersllc . com . She also regularly presents on canine behavior science at conferences and other events . In 2019 , Dr . Spaulding received the Association of Professional Dog Trainer ’ s ( APDT ’ s ) Member of the Year Award . She currently serves on the IAABC Foundation Board and the Fear Free Advisory Group .
References Powell , L ., Reinhard , C ., Satriale , D . et al . Characterizing unsuccessful animal adoptions : age and breed predict the likelihood of return , reasons for return and post-return outcomes . Sci Rep 11 , 8018 ( 2021 ). https :// doi . org / 10.1038 / s41598-021-87649-2
Hawes SM , Kerrigan JM , Hupe T , Morris KN . Factors Informing the Return of Adopted Dogs and Cats to an Animal Shelter . Animals ( Basel ). 2020 Sep 3 ; 10 ( 9 ): 1573 . doi : 10.3390 / ani10091573 . PMID : 32899419 ; PMCID : PMC7552273 .
Radosta-Huntley , L ., Shofer , F ., and I . Reisner . ( 2007 ). Comparison of 42 cases of canine fear-related aggression with structured clinician initiated follow-up and 25 cases with unstructured client initiated follow-up , Applied Animal Behavior Science , 105 , pp . 330- 341 .
48 Building Better Trainers Through Education