Dog Mentoring
It is all about the Dogs
Being a dog mentor is very rewarding! Think of it as being a big sister or brother...to a dog. You are there to develop and nurture a positive relationship between dog and human, supporting the dogs development and guiding them into being confident adoptable pets.
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Working with shelter dogs is very unique! You are handling a very wide range of personalities, and attitudes. Some dogs are very well behaved/trained when they arrive because someone took the time to work with the dogs unique personality, while other dogs are a little more difficult because they were less fortunate, not learning how to direct their behaviors in a positive way, unique to their personality. The well behaved trained dogs get homes almost as fast as they get brought to the shelter, while the more "difficult" dogs wait, and wait, and wait for the right person to come along. This is where your efforts are needed the most! Key word up there, 'WORK WITH'.
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Working With Shelter Dogs
Help give them a better chance at STAYING adopted
If your shelter has a behavior department, make sure to follow managements protocols. But, if your shelter does NOT have a behavior department, you will have to figure out how to enrich the animals in a variety of ways by learning a few tips and tricks on your own. Being a dog mentor is more then just throwing a ball and tossing some treats. Create trust with humans & enrich their needs...
GRAB YOUR TREATS FOLKS!
Let the dog get to know you and you get to know the dog your first time meeting. It is vital that you allow the dog some time to adjust to you, and you adjust to the dog, before you move into trying to work with him/her on some basic manners/cues; though, some dogs just want to cuddle (you'll see what I am talking about if you start volunteering). I also encourage you to take some time to learn about breed specific behaviors. Yes, all dogs are unique, BUT there are breed specific behaviors that you should take into consideration to help you be the best mentor you can be for the dogs. Mixed breeds do tend to have a dominate behavior that is breed specific, with a little sprinkle of the other breeds. This will help you cater to the dogs' unique personality..
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Take it slow and let working with the dog be fun! Take into consideration that every time you are with a dog, make sure to help the dog learn its' name. You can do this by saying its' name, wait until the dog looks at you, and reward with a treat. Also, spend some time studying reputable trainers (YouTube is a great source) to get some basic obedience techniques down to help you enrich the dogs minds. You don't have to learn anything fancy. Just a little something to engage the dogs with. A first easy step is to get the dog to engage in eye contact with you, followed by a verbal "Yes name" and reward (treat) when he/she looks you in the eyes. If you have the dogs attention, you are doing great already!
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Once you can establish name response, eye contact, and few basic cues, there are many other ways to enrich a dogs mind; sensory stimulation (scent work), teaching beyond basic cues (spin, turn, etc.), and working on walking well on leash, no bolting through doors, no jumping when you are trying to open the kennel, no jumping on people, etc. If you sense a dog can move beyond basic cues, pick one thing at a time to research and work on (too many new things at once can over stimulate a dog and confused him/her).
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Once the dog has some tricks down, or is just a fun happy dog, it is fun to create a spotlight collage or video on social media about the dog; and make sure to tag your shelter/rescue so people know where to go. This gives the public a chance to see the dogs personality without having to drive all the way to the shelter. Or, if they have been to the shelter, they probably didn't get to see the dog at its' best...unless they saw your picture(s)/video(s). DO NOT use the word "Trained" in any of your spotlighting, we do not want to encourage the public to think that a dog is pre-trained.
Be Their Advocate and Outreach!
Apps I use to spotlight the dogs: InShot & Canva