Why I believe the only way you can help dogs, is to help people

Hi!

My name is Nico Joiner. I am the Training and Behaviour advisor (TBA) at Dogs Trust Loughborough. I started here back in April in the portacabins (before the centre was finished!) with the rest of the management team. However my dog experience started at my nan's rescue shelter when I was around 7 years old.

I spent term times with Auntie Rita and my partner in crime Wilhelmina the foxhound, hosing down Merlin's compound - he was the pot bellied pig. My nan handed the site over to what was then NCDL in 1999. I then returned for work experience when I was 15 and the next 7 years moved on like this:

• Two weeks work experience turned in to 7 weeks!
• My work placement soon became 2 ½ years of volunteering, 
• Volunteering became a full time canine carer role at Dogs Trust Canterbury and I was there for 5 ½ years before the big move to the Midlands.

And now I'm here on this blog, taking this opportunity to explain a theory I have learnt the importance of since working with dogs: prevention is always better than cure. 

In my new role I have the responsibility to put this theory into practice by training the team and helping to get new protocols and procedures in place.  It might sound a bit formal but having measures in place allows us to prevent problems, which is so important as the dogs rely on us.

The early signs of a potential problem can be so subtle.  A skill that’s taken me years to acquire and, as dogs do, one that I keep learning more about every day .

With any problem there is a beginning, a middle and an end; or, more likely, a waving flag. For example, my 7 year old self makes friends with a hungry foxhound, the boy finds it fun to feed the foxhound, the foxhound acts like the boys greatest friend in the world - Wilhelmina gains a kilo or two!

Our assessments and time spent with adopters is our chance to help them deal with a known behavioural problem or combat one that may arise in time, so we try and prepare people to think about the end before its even started.  We want to help before they are waving the flag and thinking there is no way out.

Stage 1 -Assessment

Recent scientific developments relating to the study of dog behaviour, has enabled Dogs Trust to refine our processes to get to know a dog when it first arrive.  Our character assessments are purely based on observations.

One of my tasks as a TBA is to train the staff to carry out our assessments of all new dogs. These assessments give us an insight in to what they may have been through in the past which helps us consider how they may react in future. From this we can profile the dog's ideal home and put in place appropriate training programs.




Stage 2 – Training Programs

All our training programs revolve around avoiding negative emotional responses and creating positive experiences for the dog. That can sound a bit technical so the simple way to think of it is to consider how muscles work.  The more a muscle is worked the bigger and stronger it gets - so if anxiety is the muscle, the more the dog practices being anxious and worried, the stronger the muscle or behaviours will get.  Of course as the behaviours get stronger the reactions seen in the dog get so much the worse.




Stage 3 – Rehoming

Once someone has shown interest in a specific dog and is considering rehoming we use our assessments to inform people of all the behaviours we have seen plus any history we may have. It is also our duty to not only communicate the personality of the dog but show people how it is best to manage and train the dog.

Our ultimate goal is to not just successfully rehome dogs but to securely rehome dogs. We aim to equip our adopters with everything they need to know about their chosen dog to ensure they can deal with problems as they arise.

In our line of work people often say they're more doggy people than people people. I am here for the dogs 100% - I still love driving in to work just as much as I enjoyed running down the woods with ten dogs chasing me as a 7 year old! I have thankfully kept my sincere childlike love for what I do but I have also learnt many tools to make sure I am able to make as much of a difference as I can. Although I am more of a doggy person than a people person I know the only way I can help dogs, is to help people understand how and why dogs do things.  Working with people has now become something that gives me just as much of an enjoyment.

Your dog can be a world record holder!

(Along with 627 other dogs, that is!)

Leslie Gold is the Supporter Relations Officer at our centre in Salisbury. The team often do fantastic events that are a little bit out of the ordinary and their latest twist for the upcoming Open Day is no different! Here, Leslie explains about how your dog could be a record breaker:

"On Sunday 7th August, Dogs Trust Salisbury is holding a Guinness World Record attempt, trying to break the record for the World’s Largest Simultaneous Dog Stay – and you and your dogs are invited to take part!

The ‘Super Stay’ as we’re calling it, will be part of Dogs Trust Salisbury’s Open Day & Fun Dog Show, held at our centre in Newton Tony, eight miles north of Salisbury in Wiltshire (near Stonehenge). People and dogs come from far and wide every year to attend the dog show, and this year the Guinness World Record attempt is sure to make it the best year ever!

Dogs do NOT need to be obedience champions to take part; in fact, most dogs will be able to do this. Dogs will go into the ring with their owner, and will need to sit or lie down for two minutes. Owners can bribe their dogs with treats, speak to them, use hand signals – the only thing owners can’t do is touch their dog or force them to stay – because of course the dogs have to want to stay.

Even if a dog does move from his stay, they won’t let the side down. They’ll simply be subtracted from the total number of dogs taking part – and hopefully we’ll have enough successful stays to hit the magic number: To break the world record we need at least 628 dogs to stay for two minutes.

So come along on Sunday 7th August and be part of a Guinness World Record attempt while also having a great time raising money for a good cause in the process. Special thanks go to Animal Friends Insurance, for kindly sponsoring this very fun and hopefully record-breaking event!

The Open Day runs from 11am to 4pm, in the field opposite the centre in Newton Tony, Salisbury, Wilts, SP4 0HW. Admission to the event is just £1.50 per adult, with kids and OAPs entering for free. The Super Stay will take place at 1pm, and it’s free to enter.

For more information, please ring Dogs Trust on 01980 629634 or visit the website.

Rules of the Super Stay:
• All entrants must register on the day, and will receive a numbered runner’s tag which must be visible throughout the Super Stay attempt. This is theirs to keep.
• Dogs must sit or lie down in an alert position for two minutes, from the official start time.
• Dogs may switch from sitting to lying or lying to sitting, but cannot move from their location.
• Owners can talk to their dogs, use hand signals, and give treats to their dogs, but cannot touch their dogs or in any way force them to stay.
• Any dog who breaks his stay during the two-minute attempt will be noted by a supervisor but must NOT leave the ring, as this will distract the other participating dogs."

To find out more information, please come and join our Facebook page.

Love is in the air... and here at Dogs Trust, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Mixed emotions are a hallmark of this day (no pun intended)! There are those that hate the abundance of hearts, chocolate, and flowers on principle or think it is just a holiday manufactured by greetings card companies to cash in. There are those that think it is the most romantic day of the year or will take it as an excuse to wine and dine their loved ones. Here at Dogs Trust, we’re always in love with our dogs. If Valentine’s Day gives us an opportunity to share that love, we jump at the chance!

This year, we thought it would be a great chance to remind everyone about how they can improve their doggy relationships with a fun, vintage training film. It’s a 1950’s look at building a relationship with your dog. It is not hard to see that things haven’t really changed since then! Check it out here:



This relevant, fun, and quirky video shows how an improved relationship with your dog can make any home a happier place. So, whether you have a special someone, or no one to pamper on this Valentine’s Day, why not celebrate the bond between you and your dog?

We’re also proud to say that we used some home-grown talent in this video! Can you spot Stephanie from our Sponsor a Dog team? She was made for the era, wouldn’t you say?

Dogs Trust Rescue Dog Agility Team at the Ultimate Pet Show

Just in case anyone still needed convincing that rescue dogs have just as many talents as their lucky counterparts who have had one home since birth, the Dogs Trust Rescue Dog Agility team swept into the Birmingham NEC for the Ultimate Pet Show.

The team of dogs, owners, Dogs Trust staff and four beauties from Kenilworth looking for homes had a grand weekend out at the show, as the photo above shows! For more photos from the event, check out our Flickr stream. Also on site was a Dogs Trust Dogmobile, one of two mobile stands that are taken all around the country promoting dogs looking for homes - you can follow that link to find out more about Dogmobile events in your area.

Among the agility team members was girl called Saskia, who had spent most of her life at Dogs Trust Kenilworth. When she finally found her forever home, it was with Oliver, who immediately got her started on agility. In this video he introduces them both:

Dogs Trust Blog Book Review: A Dog Year by Jon Katz

As part of the Ebury Book Club which has begun on DoggySnaps, I was sent a copy each of some of the books that will be offered to our members to review. Here's what I think...

A Dog Year is a book aimed to appeal to anyone who's ever had an intractable pet. Despite the fact that I grew up with cats the marked difference between Jon Katz's docile, well-mannered and lovable Labrador Retrievers and the new, unexpected arrival into the family - troubled two-year-old Border Collie Devon - certainly struck a chord with me as I try to integrate a defensive, semi-feral kitten into my household after ludicrously straightforward experiences with two of the gentlest cats that ever lived.

Katz's autobiography is part-comedy, part-drama, with a hint of pet care manual thrown in. Although Devon is clearly an exceptional case, he bears many of the typical hallmarks of his breed: fierce intelligence, strong attachment to his pack leader, boundless energy and a physical need to be gainfully occupied every waking minute. That this is, in Devon's case, mixed with a severe lack of confidence and chronic separation anxiety is the crux of this alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking book.

I do feel I need to add a warning here, however. While Jon Katz is merely reporting on his own experiences and talks about all he has to learn about training, it is important to remind potential dog - and Border Collie -owners that his methods are not to be followed blindly without research. It's important to see this as a learning curve for both Devon and Katz; not only because I work for Dogs Trust but because I simply don't believe in punishment-based training, I would focus on positive reinforcement from the outset. Katz came to it late, having achieved some success with aversive methods that ultimately didn't really solve the underlying problems but made Devon easier to communicate with. The dominant behaviour strategy is a hot potato in dog training circles, and I'll be interested to see what comes out of the discussion on DoggySnaps (come join us!).

In particular, what makes A Dog Year stand out from similar books of its type is the writing style. Katz's prose is journalistic, swapping tenses and focus to string together a series of vignettes with the different dogs in his life at the centre. It reads far more like a novelised diary than a literary autobiography; in fact, it reads almost like a blog stitched into a book. Perhaps it's for that reason that it's a quick read; before you know it, you're almost finished.

Katz is particularly adept at pulling the emotional heartstrings, and it's clear he deeply loves every dog that's passed through his home. Do I agree with his methods and some of his choices? No. But I cannot fault his writing or his honesty when he owns up to the mistakes he's made, and I find it important to read things that challenge my opinion and open my mind to other possibilities - even if I find out in the end that my mind hasn't been changed. As far as I can tell, Katz is not trying to revolutionise training, however; he's just telling a story.

Video: Teaching a deaf dog new tricks - Daphne @ Dogs Trust Snetterton

Training a bouncy Boxer puppy is always going to be quite a hands-on experience, but the fantastic team at Dogs Trust Snetterton had a new challenge to face when it came to Daphne. Born deaf, the 10-month-old pup has been taught to recognise hand signals instead of the traditional audio cues. Here's the girl herself in action:



[Video credit: Norwich Evening News 24]

It makes their job a little easier that Daphne's very friendly and shows a real aptitude for learning. She's mastering the basics - "sit" and "down" - and would need to find a family willing to continue the process of training and socialisation. She came to Dogs Trust because she could not get along with a fellow dog in the home she was in, so she'd prefer to be the star attraction in any family and cats are not on her list of favourite things.

If you have a calm, adult household, lots of time to devote to a pup and think you can help Daphne learn and grown in confidence, give Dogs Trust Snetterton a call on (01953) 498 377 .

Queen's Park dogs and owners to be taught good canine manners

Westminster Council has responded to complaints about anti-social, irresponsible dog owners by providing £5,000 worth of training for residents of Queen's Park, reports Jennifer White in K9 Magazine.

Sessions, which will be free of charge, will cover diet and exercise, basic commands, controlled walking on the lead, cleaning up after the dog and separation anxiety.

The aim is to reduce the number of incidents of dog fouling as well as increasing the number of better behaved dogs (and owners, who are, after all, the ones responsible) on the streets.

A BBC report on the news quotes dog trainer Chrissie Chambers as saying:

"The classes are called socialising as it is to socialise people and their dogs and to try and give them a better perception of different breeds and owners. Young people, many of whom have pets for macho reasons or as a fashion accessory, are generally given quite a bad reputation…but a majority of them are good owners and want to learn to socialise.”

Great to see a council tackling the problem in a positive way!

George's Diary of a Collie's forever home

When two-and-a-half year old George first arrived at Dogs Trust Harefield (West London), he was such a nervous wreck that he wasn't even available for rehoming for six long months. As staff painstakingly built up his confidence, they began to wonder if a really special family would come forward to work with the timid boy and get him enjoying life.

Step forward Toni and Brian. Having just lost their beloved dog, Bonnie, they were looking for a pet who could help fill the depressingly empty space in the house. Having spotted George, they came back to visit him several times before finally taking him home just eight weeks ago.

In those eight weeks, George has begun to undergo an amazing transformation. He's able to walk off the lead and is mastering basic recall and other commands. Best of all, he's starting to display the confidence and friendliness we all knew he was capable of in the right hands.

Toni and Brian know that it can be a challenge to train a dog who has had a rough start in life. So they've put George online, where 'he' writes a blog explaining his achievements such as the first time he managed to spend a night away from home.

Well done Toni and Brian and most of all well done George. We're proud of you too!

Animal Photograph Competition: raise money for Dogs Trust and Blue Cross while you compete!

Always wanted to be a nature photographer? Just got a camera and want to show off your skills? Well, here's your chance!

Between now and the 22nd of November 2008, Leonard Bros. Veterinary Centre & Aricia Dog Training are looking for great photos in six classes, with the winners being displayed in the veterinary centre. Photographer John Harding, local artist Rosie Rees and the Leonard brothers, Tom and Steve, will be the judges.

The categories are:

Man's Best Friend (that's one we're familiar with...!)
Portrait of My Pet
Pets at Play
Wild Life
Humorous Clips
Animal Photo Junior (entrants up to 14 years old)

As you can see many of the categories aren't restricted to dogs so if you have other four-legged (or two, six or eight-legged!) pals in your menagerie / household, then there's no reason to exclude them from the fun.

To enter, send prints no bigger than A4 plus a £1 entry fee per photo to Aricia Dog Training, Bridge Farm, Whitchurch, SY13 3NE.

Cheques should be payable to Aricia Dog Training (Photo Comp), and an SAE should be included if you want your prints returned.

Proceeds from the entry fees will be divided between Blue Cross and Dogs Trust so you will be helping animals in need while indulging in a fun and creative hobby. Plus if you've already got lots of photos of your dog(s) that you'd love to show off, why not visit our community site, DoggySnaps, where you can do just that?