An Alternative Kennel and Boarding Program!

Finding the right place to board your dog is difficult. There are many factors to consider. There are so many new fancy dog hotels and spas to choose from in the city, but they are very expensive and cater to a specific kind of urban dog. I had tried to put Holly in a luxurious dog hotel once and was told she was not welcome back! Even before she had the dog aggression problems she has now, she was a high strung and difficult dog. She got bored easily and was constantly seeking out activity. She was simply under exercised and bored at the doggie spa and went around bullying other dogs, stealing their toys and basically stirring up trouble. Don't get me wrong, my two pooches love lying on the couch with me watching tv, but that is not what I am looking for in a kenneling facility. For me and my dogs it is a question of safety and security.

The next time I went away, I had a friend stay with Holly and was told on my return that he was not interested in taking care of her EVER again. She chewed a $1500 couch as well as a hat and a few pillows, all out of boredom. It went as badly or worse with my other dog, Miko, who is fearful of people, when he managed to escape his dog stay while I was away in Mexico and was missing for over 16 hours. He got hit by a car and ran scared all night. He was recovered about 20km from where he escaped his foster parents yard. Hence my need to find a place where the dogs would be well cared for and kept from harming themselves or anyone else. I had accepted that perhaps, I would never be able to travel, when I discovered the LAPS program at the Fraser Valley Institution.

The FVI is a correctional facility for women under the jurisdiction of the Correctional Service of Canada. On the grounds they have an excellent Dog Training and Boarding Centre for the Patti Dale Animal Shelter. Basically, the Langley Animal Protection Society works in partnership with the Correctional Services of Canada to save animals and provide job skills and experience in animal handling for female offenders, under the leadership of professional dog trainers. Kennel employees train, walk and groom the dogs. The women interested in the program go through an application process and must be approved to work in the kennel. Although the kennel area is off limits to the general population of FVI, the other women can interact with the dogs when they're out being walked on the grounds or if a dog is living in an inmate's house. The dogs get an average of eight outings a day and the women get the opportunity to interact with "woman's best friend". In the facility, they have both full- and part- time staff, plus a couple of volunteers who work a few hours a week. All kennel workers, whether full-time, part-time or volunteer, learn safe handling practices, how to administer medications, animal first aid and the basics of animal care. The animals' welfare is always the priority and they foster a true sense of professionalism and responsibility. The designated staff create an atmosphere similar to what you would find in a work place out in the community.

The FVI kennel program is a job training program, although, for many of the women, just being around the dogs is therapeutic. The individuals involved in the program learn skills that they can use when they are back in the community. In this full-service boarding and kennel facility, everything is done by inmates, with the exception of collecting payment and client's personal information. They offer boarding, daycare, grooming and training. All of the women participating in the program must take one or more of the certificate programs offered. When they have employees who are interested in developing their training skills, they bring shelter dogs from LAPS out to the kennel. These dogs are the responsibility of the woman to whom they are assigned. The animal will live in inmate's house with her and she will keep a log of all the training she does with him. She will receive training instruction and also work with the dog on her own time. When the time comes for the pooch to go up for adoption, people will come to FVI to see the dog. The employee will get to meet the potential adopters and demo her dog's training. This is the way the women in the program gain the experience needed to train client's dogs.

The training programs available are:
Kennel attendant - level one
Kennel attendant - level two
Groomer's assistant
Professional dog trainer

The kennel program provides a safe place for the women to work and gives them practical and realistic knowledge about working in a busy dog kennel. It is a physically and mentally challenging job and working with the dogs is very rewarding.The canine program helps the women develop a good work ethic, work cooperatively as a team and learn to take responsibility for their actions. They develop their self-worth and learn valuable skills that can help them wherever their lives may take them. It is a wonderful way for women to better themselves; however, the thing I like the most about this kenneling and boarding program is that my dogs are happy and healthy when they return from it. They receive 6-8 outings a day on the 10 acre property, where they are walked, set free to romp and play in gated areas, or hang out with the staff and experience the country smells. I just got back from a five day camping trip. I couldn't take my dogs because they are not reliable off leash and have too strong a prey drive to be in the wilderness. I left them with the ladies at FVI and was confident that not only would they be well cared for, but also that they would be loved, exercised and kept safe. For my fearful dog Miko, I knew that being around women only would assure he was not under stress because he is terrified of men. Another bonus is that it is affordable! One dog is boarded at just $23 per day and the two together, only $41 per day. I brought their food and vitamins and the kennel staff was more than willing to cater to their special needs. They came home well exercised and looking great! The best part is, I can now travel or go away from time to time and relax knowing that the dogs are secure.


To contact FVI: www.lapsbc.ca/fvi or call #604-851-6076

(Special thanks to Becky Hemphill , who runs the program and provided me with much of the information listed in this entry.)

Don't Give Up Dog Training!

It takes time and commitment to condition a dog, let alone counter condition a damaged dog. I found with my two rescues that there were many contributors to their issues. I had to tackle each problem separately, yet all together because many of their triggers and habits re-enforced the others. Although, some of it was basic diet, training and exercise related; I found that most of their problems were related to anxiety. I needed a trainer to help me re-frame things and to assist me in finding the motivations and methods that worked on each individual dog and help me get them on the road to recovery.

Finding your dog's triggers is easy and obvious, but finding how to redirect their energy into something positive is a challenge. A professional dog trainer can help you set up an outline and schedule to follow. The right trainer can set you up with a program that will help you and your dog attain success. Dogs generalize, they don't treat experiences separately like we humans do. They have defaults that they fall into, some good, some bad. For my two dogs, Holly and Miko, anxiety, especially fear anxiety, sent them into a frenzy of lunging, barking and display behaviors that seemed aggressive and dangerous. I had to tell myself "these are only behaviors". These outbursts have to be taken seriously, in order to avoid a bite situation, but behaviors can be modified. Don't give up!

To understand behavior modification use the analogy of dieting:

Let's say you start a diet and you weigh yourself everyday. The first week, you are also exercising and dishearteningly, you actually gain weight...muscle weighs more than fat. (You are progressing, but aren't seeing the results.) The experienced personal trainer knows that to obtain positive lasting weightloss, you need to change a number of things in your lifestyle. Some of these things are going to take a while to manifest. Unfortunately, many people want fast results and give up. They give up on their diet and exercise plan, returning to their old ways, only to suffer the same old plight. Much the same, people give up on their dog and go back to the methods that were not working because they didn't get the results they were looking for fast enough. This leads us back to the same problems, which often get even worse. So don't measure your success daily, gage it by how quickly your dog recovers from situations and how much less they react. One big success is learning to read your dog and prevent situations from repeating themselves. Keep a journal and weigh in weekly, even monthly.

I had to slowly expose my dogs, bit by bit, to their triggers, in a safe and controlled way, not avoid them, to raise their threshold for the things that scared them. This meant setting up a program of desensitization. Ironically, I found that when I started out on my program with Holly and Miko their issues actually got worse! I wanted to give up! Then I read something about response perseverance. Often behaviors get worse before they get better (like the weight gain when you start building muscle from working out). The dog will often get frustrated by being redirected constantly and cling even stronger to old behaviors. Through much reading and studying I learned that the aggression will decrease eventually if you stay consistent. I kept up clicking and treating and redirecting their anxiety in hopes that it would eventually lead to results.

The approach that I had initially (and mistakenly) taken with Holly was correction and punishment (which has been proven to actually increase anxiety and lead to increased reactivity!) The problem was that punishment for growling and lunging made Holly, my dog aggressive dog, believe that I was upset at her BECAUSE the other dog was approaching. She became louder and more aggressive in her displays of grandeur. She became even more anxiety ridden when she spotted an approaching dog, now reacting from greater distances. Perhaps because she thought I was going to get mad if the dog got close. On the other hand it may have just been because I was setting a bad example and losing my cool. More importantly, punishment is dangerous because it feels good for the punisher!

(Read the entry below on leash aggression)

Eventually, I became better at handling their outbursts. As I became calmer, the dogs became easier to control. It wasn't so much that they weren't reacting, but they were recovering faster. Eventually, I was able to get them to do other things in place of aggressing. It sounds simple, but even getting Holly and Miko to take a treat rather than bark and lunge was not possible in the beginning. Think of it this way, when you are scared, the last thing you want to do is have a snack! After five months of counter conditioning, which in this case was linking a marker (a click or phrase) to good behavior (calmly enjoying a treat or receiving a lot of praise) I can now get them to focus on me...not always without growling and barking, but at least without lunging. I can now get them to preform simple default behaviors, like sit or turn around and heel or touch my hand. This is the beginning of recovery. This is the beginning of success!!!!

(If you aren't familiar with clicker training visit: http://www.clickertrain.com/whatis.html )

The key to success is to be a good handler. Don't set your dog up to fail by forcing them to face their fears too quickly or at too close a proximity. Work your dog below it's threshold, that is the distance from it's trigger that it requires before it gets too worked up. Eventually, you can get closer to the scary thing by creating positive associations with the trigger. Keep calm and remember to forgive! Dogs are so forgiving of us, we owe them the same. Be a generous and positive leader, rewarding all good behavior. Lead by example! For instance, my friend says hello to everyone who passes her when she is walking her dog. It makes the approaching person relax and tells the dog that you are happy to see this person or approaching animal. I try to warn people (in a cheery voice) that my dog isn't friendly, or doesn't like other dogs. This allows the other person an opportunity to keep their distance. I also move off the sidewalk and allow people the space that makes them comfortable. Being a good handler is about respect, for the dog, for others and for yourself.

Finally, I can't stress the importance of reading books and gathering information from trainers. Not everyone can afford a personal trainer, but in the long run, you can save time and money by finding someone that has experience with the issues you face. Aggression is a symptom of underlying problems. You need to treat the real problem in order to see a decline in aggression. (I have discovered that my dogs don't sleep enough. That is something I never would have considered had my trainer, Sarah from Rocket Dog, not pointed it out. They only sleep eight to ten hours because they are anxious all the time. Most dogs need 16-18 hours of sleep.) It could be your dog has a lot of energy and needs more things to do and more exercise to tire it out. It could be that there are things you haven't considered that will aid in your dogs recovery and make your training go much smoother and faster. Reading about basic dog behavior and fear aggression, I realized my dogs are not beyond repair. I started this blog in hopes to share my experiences with others, as so many people have shared with me.

Growly Dog Reading List:
(from Rocket Dog trainer and founder, Sarah Giammarino)

Brenda Aloff. "Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention and Behaviour Modification". Aloff describes theory and practical information. She details both how to avoid aggression and how to deal with it when it occurs. This book is rated highly by many trainers.

Brenda Aloff. "Canine Body Language".
A picture book on dog body language. You must own this book if you want to rehabilitate your dog aggressive dog!

Emma Parsons. Click to Calm: "Healing the Aggressive Dog".
Parson’s describes the rehabilitation of her dog reactive Golden Retriever. Full of how-to's and practical instructions.

Pamela Dennison. "How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong".
Great idea book on controlling your dog. It really is a roadmap for re-training aggressive dogs in a pet-dog environment.

Jean Donaldson. "The Culture Clash".
Although not very well organized as a reference book and seems presumptuous about the state of knowledge that most dog owners actually have, it is a good starting point to the study of behaviourism. Many people read this book again and again.

Patricia B. McConnell, Karen B. London. "Feisty Fido". Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog.
(Booklet 56 pgs) A starter package for dealing with on leash aggression using positive-based training techniques. No resocializing socializing discussed, but great for new students!

Karen Pryor. "Don’t Shoot the Dog!"
The grand-mother of dog training. Pryor’s book details theory into practice (human, dog, exotic animal behaviour). Recommended by veterinary behaviorists and trainers alike. This is not a “how-to” book, but a “why-to” book.

Stanley Coren. "How Dog’s Think".
Discover how your dog is viewing the world! Great book on the five senses and types of learning dog’s experience.

Leslie McDevitt. "Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog". Great for people who have a reactive dog yet want to compete in dog sports. This book is changing the landscape of rehabilitating dog reactive dogs and dogs with general anxiety.