Rescue dogs waiting for new homes in kennels

We will be showcasing some of the fabulous dogs waiting for new homes and some of the work we are doing to help them on their way.

Please meet Mr Murphy! What a stunner.

For the first couple of walks we kept them short and quiet, while we got to know each other and Murphy learned some new skills.

As with all things, if we don't get the foundation right, everything will fall apart. We must think of supporting dogs with behaviour change as a process. 

He can be a little worried when he sees other dogs when out on a walk which, if too close or if they bark at him, can result in barking and pulling. However, in kennels, for the most part he walks past all the other dogs beautifully, completely ignoring them although he does like to say hello to some of the ladies .

After a couple of quiet walks over a period of time, next we headed off on a short road trip to see how he travels in a car and to see how he would walk somewhere new. You can see from the video he is pretty chilled and very interested in sniffing. It is so important to avoid rushing the process.

We chose a very quiet place to walk where we wouldn't see too many people/dogs - it is important to set dogs up to succeed.

Today we went on another road trip (photo was taken when parked)!

We chose another quiet place for a walk. We spotted a dog coming down the path towards us and moved over to the side. Space away from triggers can help dogs calmly observe and learn there is nothing to worry about.

What a superstar!

You can see he is quite alert but manages to quietly observe. We don't shovel food down him while he does this - he needs to calmly observe without any interference from us.

Murphy and I have been practicing some skills in a quiet place while he learns that he can engage with me or choose to watch. This short video clip is one of the pattern games he has been learning - up/down game. Pattern games are predictable and dogs like predictability. Murphy can choose to look around or engage in the pattern game with me.

We will post updates about Murphy's progress over the coming weeks. If you are interested in rehoming Murphy he is with German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund and is in kennels in Lincolnshire.