Intermediate Shelter Class Part Two

After the discussion we took a short break and went to Maddie's Adoption Center. For the next two hours we began to work with a dog named Lex and learned several techniques on how to get a shy dog to warm up to you. It may take longer with other dogs but it is a process. The idea is not to crowd the dog but rather let him/her come to you. We learned "raining food" which is where we lightly toss food around the room and the dog will slowly be more willing to come to us. We then worked with Touchdown who used to be an extremely shy terrier mix but is slowly progressing. We used treats to allow him to let us pet and touch him within his comfort zones. The key is timing and patience. We then worked with Dodger and Tasha who were bigger yellow dogs. Dodger was very rowdy and jumpy which made him a yellow dog. Tasha is reactive on a leash which made her a yellow dog. With these bigger dogs we were taught how to teach them to sit then lay down. It isn't rushed but instead you get the dog to sit, reward the dog, place your hands behind your back and then lead the dog in a laying down position ,then reward again. We also taught them to stay and several other techniques which were very useful and will come in handy to help with other future yellow dogs. At the end of the class we were given our blue aprons and I became a blue apron volunteer.