Training and behavior modification for the shelter

Constructional fear treatment: Teaching fearful shelter dogs to approach and interact with a novel person

“…Tail wagging and sniffing often appeared as or shortly after the dog began approaching but before the dog began interacting with the experimenter, when the dog's behavior was still being shaped by the removal of the experimenter. Current procedures often seek to use positive reinforcement to directly change a fearful animal's emotions and behavior (Horwitz et al, 2015; Reid & Collins, 2015; Wright et al, 2005). Instead, the results of this study suggest that behaviors needed for friendly interactions maintained by positive reinforcement can first be maintained by negative reinforcement.…”

“…Common training procedures for treating fearful dogs include flooding (Baum, 1970; Pryor, 2009; Reid & Collins, 2015; Walker et al, 1997), habituation (Pryor, 2009; Wright et al, 2005), operant conditioning (Parsons, 2005; Pryor, 2009; Reid & Collins, 2015), and desensitization with counterconditioning (Levine et al, 2007; Martin & Martin, 2011; McConnell, 2002; Pryor, 2009; Reid & Collins, 2015; Walker et al, 1997; Wright et al, 2005). Some veterinary behaviorists and researchers believe that dogs can be genetically predisposed to be fearful and often recommend long‐term medication to supplement a behavior modification program (Ibáñez & Anzola, 2009; McConnell, 2002; Ogata & Dodman, 2011; Pryor, 2009; Reid & Collins, 2015). Other methods that shelters and dog owners may use in an attempt to reduce a dog's fear include playing music or recorded sounds (Simonet, 2005; Wells, 2009), releasing scents such as lavender or chamomile (Graham et al, 2005), or diffusing dog‐appeasing pheromones (DAP) (Tod et al, 2005).…”

“…One behavior change approach that is commonly used for fearful dogs is desensitization and counterconditioning (DSCC). DSCC aims to change the dog's emotional response by providing an unconditioned stimulus (US) while the fear‐producing stimulus is presented (London, 2011; Martin & Martin, 2011; Reid & Collins, 2015; Wright et al, 2005). It is based on the notion that eating in the presence of a mild version of the feared stimulus will override the feeling of fear (Horwitz et al, 2015; Tryon, 2005; Wolpe, 1958; Wright et al, 2005).…”

Interobserver agreement and sensitivity to climatic conditions in sheltered dogs' welfare evaluation performed with welfare assessment protocol (Shelter Quality protocol)

“…improve welfare is to reduce the time dogs spend in the shelter environment. This could be achieved through successful adoptions and a decreased return rate (Posage et al, 1998;Diesel et al, 2008;Luescher and Medlock, 2009;Braun, 2011;Reid and Collins;. The detrimental effects of a shelter environment can be mitigated through providing adequate housing and management which meet the dogs' ethological needs, and ensuring the highest quality of care in the case of long-term sheltering (Miller and Zawistowski, 2015).…”