Animal shelters and rescues work diligently to adopt out as many dogs and cats as possible. However, for many dogs, a bigger challenge is keeping them in their adoptive homes for the long term. In order to address this problem, two of the largest animal shelters in Berks County, Pennsylvania, have started using a modern training program, designed by Awesome Dawgs Dog Training, LLC, to help ensure that the adoptive homes that are found for dogs are their forever homes.

Steve Smith and Mary Jo Carabello started Awesome Dawgs Dog Training in 2004. Both were educated in what Steve describes as “modern training techniques”; Mary Jo was certified by Animal Behavior College in 2004 while Steve received his certificate of completion through the canine training and management program at Kutztown University. Awesome Dawgs utilizes the principals of reward-based training in all of their group and individual programs. This type of training is based on the notion that “the animal can think and make a decision on their own,” says Steve. This training is done by using a reinforcer that is more of a reward than the benefit of the behavior that they are engaging in. While the rewards are often food-based, there can be a variety of rewards, depending on the individual dog, says Steve.

The program started when Steve was approached by Barrie Pease, president of the Animal Rescue League's board of directors. Barrie had been concerned about finding ways to keep the dogs who were adopted through the Animal Rescue League from being returned after adoption. “The worst thing that can happen, is that you do an adoption, and it doesn’t work out,” Barrie says, “After that happens a couple of times, usually the inevitable end is that the dog is listed as a behavioral problem and winds up getting put down.” He says he wanted to find a way for potential adopters to be aware of some of the problems they may run into with adopting shelter dogs and rescue dogs, particularly those from puppy mills and breeders.

Steve began to work on a curriculum and design the class in its entirety to address the specific issues that shelter and rescue dogs experience, including, abandonment, anxiety, and lack of socialization. Steve also wanted to address some of the “people issues” that occur when adopting a dog, including lack of knowledge and overcompensating for a dogs history.  

The final result, the B.A.R.C. program (Beginning Animal Rescue Correctly), is a training program focusing on educating potential adopters of the issues that are associated with adopting dogs, and teaching guardians basic behavioral training techniques to assist them with managing behaviors in the home.

The first class of the program, held during the fourth week of every month, is free to the public. It is for anyone who has adopted a dog, or is thinking about adopting a dog. The lecture consists of learning the basic facts about choosing the right dog, including understanding breed, size, and characteristics of the dog being adopted, and learning about what happens after the dog is brought home, says Steve. “This lecture can give people safeguards to head off problems before they bring them into their home,” says Steve. 

The behavioral training portion of the class begins the following week. Steve used the basic principals used in their six-week training program and condensed the program to three weeks. The classes work on basic obedience skills for people to utilize in everyday living situations. In learning these basic techniques “Every dog that comes in [the Animal Rescue League’s] doors has a chance to be in a training class to learn the basics within a month of getting the dog," Steve says. Additionally, every dog that is trained through Awesome Dawgs has accessibility to the trainers for the remainder of their ownership of the dog, via phone or e-mail, and has the opportunity to use the trainers for future trainings, either individually or in a group setting.

In the spring of 2010, Steve talked to Damon March, the director of operations for the Humane Society of Berks County. The Humane Society of Berks County already utilizes a follow up adoption program where adopters are contacted within three days, three weeks and three months after adoption, says Damon. However, “often times the issues that come up with adopted dogs come up within the very early stages and a lot of times those problems have to do with the dog learning how to live in a home again,” says Damon. The Humane Society of Berks County did not see any programs that specifically addressed adopted dogs transitioning into new homes. In prior years, he had discussed starting a similar program with Steve. The shelter now had the availability to begin the program, and months later, Steve was able to begin the B.A.R.C. training program to the Humane Society of Berks County.

Through offering the lecture part of the program free to the public, Damon is hoping to help potential adopters with the adoption process before it begins, “Oftentimes we don’t get a opportunity to talk to people before they are in the selection process,” Damon says, “[Once] they are so invested in the adoption process, it can be hard to change the expectations at that point.”

According to Damon, these expectations can be a key factor in whether the dog gets returned to the shelter. “Sometimes people just have an idea in their head of what happens when you bring a new pet home," says Damon, “Sometimes the dogs coming back to the shelters just have to do with the dogs living up to the people’s expectations, whether realistic or not.”

The goal of the training program is to work to reduce the number of adopted dogs who are returned to the shelter. “Getting out of the door is just the first step,” says Damon, “Making sure that they stay in the home is as much as a challenge.”

Additionally, to help educate shelter dogs that are not yet adopted, a volunteer with the Humane Society of Berks County brings one of the current shelter residents to class every week to assist with teaching the dog some basic skills that he or she may have not had before, says Steve. This basic education may occur with a different dog every week, but can be a start for building a foundation for further training when the dog is adopted.

The B.A.R.C. training program started its classes at the Humane Society of Berks County in January 2011, and in the same month, reached its one-year anniversary of conducting the training program at the Animal Rescue League. The program has been successful in the fact that with the exception of one dog, every dog that has completed its training program has remained with its adopted owner and has not returned to the shelter. The one dog that was not successful was due to “a poor adoption match” says Steve. He was able to properly assess the dog and work with the shelter to get the dog placed in a rescue, so that a better long term home could be found for him.

Despite the positive results of the program thus far, Steve describes the program as having only “moderate success,” due to lack of enrollment by adopters. However, even if only one person enrolls for the class, Awesome Dawgs will run the class, despite the fact that it may not be financially beneficial for them to do so. “We don’t think that the one person who needs it really badly should be underserved because three other people didn’t need it.” He hopes that enrollment will increase as adopters become more aware of the classes at both shelters.

Awesome Dawgs, as well as both the Humane Society of Berks County and the Animal Rescue League, plan to continue the training program for the long term, and continue to look for ways to improve their ability to identify the most appropriate type of home placements for dogs entering their shelters. Currently, Barrie says that the Animal Rescue League is looking for grant funding to help fund a training program for every dog that is adopted through the shelter in addition to instituting an upgrade to assessment program in the shelter prior to the dogs being placed up for adoption. The Humane Society of Berks County is working on developing an adoption package that will include training classes, and will cost less than if adopters are paying individually for the services, according to Damon. Additionally, Steve is hoping to work with both shelters on developing specific temperament testing programs to help assist in finding the most appropriate placement for the dogs.

“Our number one job is to keep animals in their homes,” says Steve.

• Awesome Dawgs conducts the B.A.R.C training classes at the Animal Rescue League every Wednesday night and at the Humane Society of Berks County every Tuesday night. For more information on the program, contact Awesome Dawgs at 610-944-7630 or www.awesomedawgs.com.

Photos courtesy of Awesome Dawgs Dog Training