Train to Adopt Program
Thanks to a grant from the Petfinder Foundation, starting February 1st and continuing throughout 2011, Friends of Pima Animal Control in Tucson, Missouri Humane Society in St. Louis, Charlotte Mecklenberg Animal Care and Control in North Carolina and the Pennsylvania SPCA in Philadelphia will have four trainers practicing the Train To Adopt method developed by well-known dog trainer, Sue Sternberg.
Basically, her method uses physical objects, food and mental stimulation to retrain behavior in shelter dogs. “Calming a shelter dog is one of the most important things that you can do. Teach these dogs how to learn and instantly they will connect with a person, which equates to adoption,” says Sue.
- Watch a Video of the Training
- Watch Arizona shelter dog, Howie, get trained
- Watch Pennsylvania SPCA trainee Steven learn to "sleep"
- Meet Our Students - Train to Adopt
- Read the Petfinder Foundation's Train to Adopt blog
The four shelter trainers were required to collect pre-program data on their respective shelters. This includes, but is not limited too: the measurement of barking duration periods, instances of pacing, spinning, rebounding off kennel walls, licking, adoption rates, return rates, frequency of diarrhea and dog adoption fees.
The Train to Adopt Program developed from the idea that kennel life is stressful and unnatural for a dog, which can result in abnormal behavior. If any of the above behaviors are witnessed, it is a quality of life emergency and needs to be addressed immediately. The minimal requirements to ward off this behavior: 20 minutes of human touch daily, two minutes of daily reward based training and play time with a human or other dogs three times a week.
As Sue stated, toys and proper bedding are huge factors in improving the quality of life for dogs and puppies in kennels. That is why we are thankful to Kuranda USA and to KONG Company who have partnered with us to donate beds and toys for this program.
As part of the program, the four shelter trainers will also be required to train shelter staff and volunteers. Karen Owens, trainer at Charlotte Mecklenberg Animal Care and Control, has received positive feedback from volunteers who she recently trained in the Train to Adopt Method.
"Great program - will help the animals. Like the idea of consistency in training methods for volunteers. So glad that you are here to help!"
"I think the program has already helped in the first two months. Dogs who would otherwise be bored and frustrated in the kennel are learning useful skills that improve their chances of being adopted and not returned. "
"I have been volunteering at CMACC for almost eight years, and last week I noticed a positive change in the atmosphere in our kennels. I have never seen and felt our dogs' stress levels this low. The dogs seem calmer and far less stressed. I am certain that the change is due to you and our training program. Many, many thanks to you and our sponsors for our fine training program. I am seeing many positive changes, and I am deeply grateful. I know the dogs are too!"
Help shelter dogs learn how to connect with humans and get adopted - Donate to the Train to Adopt Fund today
This grant has been made possible through the generous support of The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org.
Important to Note: The Train to Adopt Program does not involve any assessment protocols or temperment training. The program is strictly covering dog behavior and quality of life improvement.
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