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  • 1.  Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 09-28-2022 10:02 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    I work in a small town shelter in Maryland. During my short time here I have noticed that there is a lack of dog fosters specifically for the behavior cases. I was wondering if anyone here was in a similar position and what have you found to work to get in fosters for these behavior dogs. None are aggressive to people they have resource guarding, or cant be with small animals or kids, ect. We do have a behaviorist on staff that would be working with the fosters as well.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! Thank you all for your time!
    #FosterPrograms


  • 2.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-28-2022 11:52 AM
    I highly suggest starting with Gateway Pet Guardians Unicorn Bootcamp!
    https://gatewaypets.org/unicorn-foster-squad-implementation-bootcamp/


    Michelle Harmon | Foster and Behavior Programs Manager
    LifeLine Animal Project | Fulton County Animal Services
    860 Marietta Blvd NW | Atlanta, GA 30318
    404.613.9135 FultonAnimalServices.com
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  • 3.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-28-2022 12:38 PM
    Thank you Michelle!

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    Megan Stalb
    Adoption Manager
    Queen Anne's County Animal Services
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  • 4.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-28-2022 02:21 PM
    Hi, 

    Here's a few ideas: 
    1. Many volunteers and fosters want education and training. Offer training (so much of it is available for free  online these days) to learn what volunteers want to learn more.  
    2. Encourage volunteers to specialize with certain types of dogs, if they're interested.   Want to be a resource guarding pro? Awesome, we'll help you learn how!
    3. Develop processes and protocols for learning more about dogs who may have behavior concerns - some of these problems are solely related to shelter stress. Other problems don't show up due to shelter stress.   Educate staff and volunteers about the incredible importance of getting to know dogs in foster care.
    4. Develop processes and protocols for documenting behavioral info  - so its easy to access the info you need.
    5. Make sure the dogs are available for adoption OR foster. Offer short term foster options so people don't have to commit to so much (and many will decide to adopt or long term foster).
    6. Focus on the dogs' good qualities. I've fostered many dogs with behavior concerns over the years. Because i fostered dogs who were a good match for my skills and abilities, the positive aspects of having these dogs in my life and helping them far outweighed any potential behavior concern.  Most people will tell you they don't want a dog that doesn't love all dogs.  However there are tons of people out there who don't understand what being 'dog selective' means and would be happy to take a dog who would be good with their own dog but not dogs out in the world. 
    7. Grow your foster program in general. More people involved equals more potential behavior fosters.
    8.  Some of the most important qualities for behavior fosters are: paying close attention to body language and being good at communicating with the behavior team.  Pay attention to  and encourage the fosters who join your program and have these qualities. (note that none of these qualities require dog expertise)
    9. Use a step down approach to fostering. If you have dogs where you're concerned about whether they're safe, start them with your most experienced foster people. Once you determine that that dog is safe, you can step down or move that dog to a slightly less experienced foster, freeing up your MVP foster home for another dog.
    10. Appreciate your foster caregivers. Celebrate them.  Encourage them to take breaks from fostering.  Don't always give them more challenging dogs. If you typically foster more challenging dogs, its super nice to get an easy one every so often.

    Sheila

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    Sheila Segurson, DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Director of Outreach and Research
    Maddie's Fund
    9258608284
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  • 5.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-29-2022 06:21 AM
    Good Morning Sheila! This is great information and a wonderful start for us. Thank you so much for the information :)

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    Megan Stalb
    Adoption Manager
    Queen Anne's County Animal Services
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  • 6.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-29-2022 10:49 AM
    Hi neighbor! I'm in VA. Here are some resources that might be helpful:

    • I recommend taking our Growing Your Adult Dog Foster Program course if you haven't already-- it will help you learn to start recruiting fosters for big dogs, some of whom may be interested in behavior foster
    • This video about building behavior foster programs and describing the one at Austin Pets Alive!: https://youtu.be/IOSfgdrdzjc
    • This blog about recruiting behavior fosters
    • In the meantime, here are some ideas:
      • If there's a volunteer or staff member who works well with the dog already, ask them to take them home for a few days (ideally a week or more) so you can see how they do in a home. Even just getting the dog out on a hike for a few hours could be helpful. Outside of the shelter, for example, jumpy/mouthy behavior may decrease or stop altogether soon after leaving the shelter's grounds. Changes like this don't happen every time, but knowing how a dog is in a home is crucial. 
      • Often the people closest to the dog have their own pets, which prevents them from being able to foster the dog. If this is the case, think about asking a volunteer to dog-sit this person's pets for a few days so they can take the dog, or even rent a quiet Air BnB or a hotel room for a few nights. Often, volunteers who know the dog will chip in for this type of thing.
      • Can the dog be fostered in individual staff office in the meantime to get more information?
      • Offering a small stipend to these special fosters has been successful for other organizations.

    I'm also happy to chat about your program offline if you'd like to send me a direct message.

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    Kelly Duer
    Senior Outreach Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 7.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-29-2022 11:09 AM
    Hi Kelly, Thank you for this information! It is a lot of great info to go through and I might just take you up on the offer of reaching out directly :)

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    Megan Stalb
    Adoption Manager
    Queen Anne's County Animal Services
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  • 8.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-29-2022 12:14 PM
    The information and suggestions made by others is really great! One thing that we have found helpful for some of our foster volunteers is having a behavior training plan put in place prior to the dog leaving for foster. We have a trainer that we work with that tailors plans to our dogs. It's very helpful training information that we can pass to our fosters and help them to be successful!

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    Erin Ellis
    Community Engagement Director
    Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe

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    Foster Program & Volunteer Management Specialist
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  • 9.  RE: Behaviorally Challenged Dogs

    Posted 09-29-2022 01:00 PM
    Hi Erin! Thank you for the suggestion :) I will see if the behaviorist has that set up already!

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    Megan Stalb
    Adoption Manager
    Queen Anne's County Animal Services
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