No, not a dog, I’d never advise anyone to ever give a dog away! What I’m hoping to go “Free to a Good Home” are our booklets on house and litter box training whose prices have been radically reduced so that shelters, rescue groups and veterinary clinics can give them away for free.
I began thinking about this when the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League ordered 2,000 Way to Go booklets early this year. Kristi and the adoption counselors originally bought the booklets because their research showed that house breaking problems were a common cause of dogs being returned to their shelter. I talked recently to the shelter’s Director, Kristi Jackson, who said that since they began giving the booklets out in their adoption packets, their returns and hotline questions have decreased. Of course, this is a far cry from a carefully designed experiment (please someone do one!), but that’s their strong impression.
In my own practice, I found that potty training problems had the potential of destroying relationships between people and pets. It’s hard to imagine when all is going well, but when your dog or cat disagrees with you about the location of the bathroom, things can get stressful very fast. I also learned that, although it’s not rocket science to house train a dog, it’s not intuitive either. And once you’ve had a few accidents (“Oh No! I dropped my urine!) in the house, knowing what to do next makes a huge difference in the outcome.
Litter box problems were equally destructive (if not more so). Most of my cat cases related to eliminating outside the box, resulting in ruined carpets, houses impossible to resell without new flooring, and in a few cases, some nasty divorces. It’s true that most cats are fastidious about their bathroom behavior, but that doesn’t mean they agree with their owners about the location of the bathroom. I had many clients whose cats avoided the litter box for reasons that seemed logical once we sorted it out (box too small–common, box in a place the cat felt insecure, litter with an off-putting smell (to a cat), and on and on. That’s why I wrote The Fastidious Feline.
After thinking about it awhile, I realized that nothing would feel better than finding a way to drastically reduce the price so that shelters, rescue groups and veterinary clinics could afford to hand them out for free. I don’t know for sure (again, research anyone?), but it seems as though people would be more likely to read a small, booklet with a pretty color cover than a one page, black and white hand out. Luckily, we found a printer who can print the booklet in large quantities that allows us to sell it for a radically reduced price. Make no mistake, we’ll barely break even on it, but it feels worth it. Now that I’m not seeing individual clients, it feels even more important to find ways to help dogs and cats anyway that I can.
The price for each booklet is only one dollar, if purchased over 50 at a time. If you work with a shelter, rescue group or clinic, I hope you’ll consider buying in bulk to take advantage of the cost savings and handing the booklets out for free in adoption/new pet packets. If you don’t have the money, what a great fund raising idea: People love to give something specific, so perhaps a funding drive could include a purchase of a month’s/quarter’s/year’s worth of booklets? If you don’t work at this kind of organization, I’m hoping you’ll find it in your heart, if budget allows, to buy a bunch and donate them. I’ve already donated a bunch myself, and will continue to do so as time goes on.
I’d love to hear from you about your experiences with house/litter training, and if you think the booklets will help. If you adopted animal, what were you told about house or litter training? Were you given a handout? Did you read it? Do you think a booklet would help? Any ideas for me to get more dogs and cats using the right bathroom?
MEANWHILE, down on the farm. Fall, glorious fall! Cooler. Fewer bugs. Lovely colors. I’m never sure if fall or spring is my favorite season–I’m just grateful that I get them both where I live. The dogs are liking it too.
Maggie and I are working hard on progressing on our weak points when working difficult sheep. Here’s a Maggie eye view of the field at friend Donna’s place.
The ram named Little Big Man, also at Donna’s, is poking his head out of the barn in the photo below. Donna and I co-own him, and we’re telling him it’s time to start getting into shape. Won’t be too many months now that he’ll be coming over to do his work. In the front is his best buddy, Jackson, the billy goat.
Patty crandell says
I have recent experience with house/litter training since we adopted an orphaned kitten from a large shelter last summer and a 6 month old street dog from a larger shelter half year before that. Both shelters gave me potty literature, and I read all of it because there are always new tricks to learn. They also offered post-adopt assistance. A booklet would have been great especially if either animal had been reluctant to go along with the program! There is something comforting about having a book to read when having a problem, especially late at night. Well, I think I answered your questions but this is dry as heck. What do I really believe? That a booklet would help verify this is a real issue, and that the new owner is not just a lousy trainer. It would segregate this training problem from problems that are easier to fix or live with. It would give that new owner a tool they can mull on their own time, something solid that is less likely to be pitched in the recycle bin. Seems to me that a booklet is a great idea.
That said, the younger folk I work with do not appreciate paper, do everything electronically, and would be looking for something to download to read, perhaps with a supplemental app to help. I believe they are also the ones who are more likely to return an animal.
Margo says
What a fantastic idea.
I’ve always wondered why shelters don’t give “instructions” (!) when someone adopts a dog or cat. And having a booklet is great because it is so easy to refer to when you don’t know what the heck to do. My dogs are from shelters, (2 were strays) and over the years your booklets have really saved me and them. One dog, Pippin (hound/sheltie mix) had me at my wit’s end… I had never dealt with a defensive, reactive, resource-guarding dog before (“she was fine at the shelter!!!”, we kept saying in astonishment, of course) and I was quite over-whelmed. Then I discovered your booklet How to be Leader of the Pack (and Have Your Dog Love You For it) and everything changed. I remember saying to my husband, “well, it turns out I’m doing pretty much everything wrong with Pippi!” That was a relief, because I could fix it.
Thank heavens for that booklet. I wrote notes all over it, and reminders, etc. (“DON’T YELL!!!) And Pippi turned out ok, in fact quite a wonderful little dog, and we all survived. Now they are all old, and our oldest, Charlie, was finally put to sleep last Fall. Down to only 3! Charlie was quite wild when he came to live with us, and although he did become house-trained fairly quickly (depends on your expectations!) he could not figure out why it wasn’t ok to pee on the “tree” (big plant) in the front hallway. He was so funny, he would go up to it and get this expression on his face like “Great! This is kinda like outside!”, and pee on the plant. Eventually we got rid of the offending plant.
Love your descriptions of Fall where you are. Here in Lanark County Ontario, Fall is also THE BEST time of year to be alive. We have retired horses here, and I’m sure they prefer the Fall/Winter to summer… no flies!
Wanda says
Maybe I missed it, but how can one order your booklets for the $1.00 price? I will pass this info on to my vet’s office, the local humane shelter, and city control office.
lee williams says
It’s a wonderful idea that I hope shelters and veterinarian offices will use! And sometimes it doesn’t matter if it’s a scientifically validated experiment (e.g., Dr. Coren’s blog post about dogs not liking hugs), what matters is the big picture. Many pet owners don’t have the information to help them train their dogs and cats. What *is* readily available are myths and the overall punitive culture that’s predominated the way animals, especially dogs, are treated.
A more concerted effort is needed to change the “punish first” attitudes, and your booklets are a wonderful way to do that. We’ve known for a long time that most dogs are surrendered because of behavioral issues, and house training is one of those issues. If dogs aren’t surrendered, often they’re banished to the yard to live a lonely life.
I have been really disheartened with the recent “animal articles” written either by journalists, who have misinterpreted the study (e.g., fMRI study that says dogs like praise more than food), or even the researchers who don’t seem to understand the damage that they can do by declaring “animals understand language” from their one fMRI study.
The articles validate the myths that the general public has believed for years and what trainers have been trying to dispel for decades:
1- Dogs don’t understand English. It astounds me how many people will say “no!” and “stop” to their puppies, expecting them to comply. Of course animals can be taught cues for certain behaviors or objects, but declaring dogs understand language I believe does dogs a disservice. (I’ve often used your example of what to do if your called dog doesn’t return to you, but once he does, use happy tones, even while saying, “Ooooh you bad, bad dog!!” because he is not understanding every word we say as much as the tone.)
2- Food is a primary reinforcer, so use it when training (I still have pet parents in class believing dogs should work for praise).
First the public is exposed to (and highly influenced by) the “dog trainer” on NATGEO, who was the worst thing that happened to dogs since the shock collar, and now there are articles and papers declaring “science says” and validating many of the pervasive myths that have been damaging to dogs for decades.
When Dr. Coren’s article came out, most of the response was “no, science didn’t say dogs don’t love hugs.” Aarrgh! They were more concerned with nitpicking the study than the overall point that behaviorists and trainers have been trying to teach in order to prevent humans from being bitten and save dogs from punishment and/or death.
There is something odd going on in the “scientific dog world” right now–it seems that many must be far removed from the trenches of trying to change the public’s understanding of dog brains–they aren’t human so don’t have high expectations. Instead, teach them and parent them using the scientifically validated methods of R+!
Here are some links if you’ve missed them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/08/17/what-does-a-dog-want-more-good-boy-or-treats/
hehornnews.com/dogs-understand-language-study-shows/
And this one re: fMRI studies:
http://www.vox.com/2016/9/8/12189784/fmri-studies-explained
Please consider joining Twitter, if only to tweet your blog posts!
A long time fan,
lee
Monika & Sam says
What a terrific idea! Best wishes on a successful launch helping people work through a potential landmine with a new pet, especially one who’s been in a shelter and whose background is a bit sketchy. Way to go! Love the pics of Maggie working as well as the goats.
Jan says
Here’s a different perspective . . . I’ve had dogs all my life, raised all of them as puppies, had a bunch of fosters, a few needed housebreaking training. I never had a problem until I did.
For one dog, mine, they were fine until I went out of town on business for a week and my dog sitter got the days mixed up. I came home to unfed, and not let out dogs. One of them had a problem holding it throughout adulthood and would also mark on furniture
the other instance, 2 intact males competing with each other, one of them started marking on my pillows on my bed.
Now, I’ve had conversations where they consider ‘marking’ behavior, to be a totally separate issue from housebreaking. I’m not sure I agree, but either way, marking behavior is just as likely or more likely to end up with a dog being abandoned as it’s perceived (and in my experience was) way more difficult to correct.
Debbie says
I never trained a dog till this one…we always adopted when they were trained! It was an eye opening experience. I read everything I could and it was easy once I understood the needs of my dog. Your brochure will help many!!
Jean says
Where? I looked on your site where I usually purchase books for my training classes. I’d love to donate to my local shelter but the prices on the website are still the same.
Thank you!
Jean says
Ok! Found it on another site. Thanks!
Kat says
Finna began her life with us doing the whole submissive pee thing. We’d praise and reward her for going outside and worked hard to teach her that her new home was a safe place (my impression is her previous home was a very inconsistent place) and that the expectations were clear and fair. Gradually the problem corrected itself. The only time I really got upset was when my son used my brand new towels to clean up an accident. Dozens and dozens of dog towels in the house and he had to use my new good towels. Lesson learned 12 year old boys do not distinguish between good towels and dog towels. I guess I should have been grateful that he cleaned up.
Judy says
Hi Patricia, are your booklets also available as ebooks? I think postage to Australia would probably prove to be prohibitive but eBooks would be the next best thing.
Roger of CaringDog.com says
Ah, I really thought one of the pups are included! That’s a great initiative, by the way. As it will help spread the word on how things “should” be done.
Trisha says
Judy, yes, booklets are available as books too. Hope that helps!
Chris from Boise says
What a wonderful idea, Trisha! On behalf of many shelters, thank you for your generosity.
You may have included this in the booklet: one of the best things we ever taught our dogs has been to potty on cue. They both are so interested in their surroundings that they can easily get distracted; having a “go potty” reminder gets them down to business. We’re working with our vet to figure out some recent urinary incontinence Habi has been experiencing (in her elder era – a different issue from housebreaking, of course); getting up and taking her outside every couple of hours at night is so much easier/faster when she squats on cue. Plus (looking on the bright side), it’s reminding me to at least glance up and admire the moon and stars…:-)
Donna in VA says
Adopted Sheltie, around 2nd or 3rd year of living with me decided it was OK to go to basement during the night and poop. For several weeks I leashed him to my bed at night (so I would be awakened if he tried to leave) and started and have continued to reward *every* outside poop. Never had a problem again. He whines pretty insistently now if he has a problem. Probiotics were started about 2 years ago and he is Mr. Regularity now.
Indoor pee problems only arose when he encountered snow outside and felt compelled to eat it throughout our walk. Thus having to pee again early. If he has eaten enough snow I now know he needs to go outside again an hour after the snow-eating walk.
Our shelter cat came with an incomplete spay and started coming into heat twice yearly after we had her a while. Wallpaper ruined in the dining room from spraying. Vet did not believe but checked her hormone levels. We had her re-spayed and I learned how to strip wallpaper.
I’m sure housebreaking problems are really discouraging. I don’t know if a booklet would have helped me solve these problems, I am pretty good at figuring things out. My shelter offered for us to call back with any problems of course, but I did not resort to that.
Mindy Cox, MS, CPDT-KSA says
That is awesome and generous. I am going to give them out to every owner that registers for puppy class. Thanks!
Susan says
I think the booklets are a great idea. So many folks view their unhousebroken pets as “defiant.”The booklet is such a nice counter argument, and if it’s gotten at the same time as the pet is, the way forward is so much clearer.
At one point I had an “outside the box” adventure with my wonderful cat, Kilgore Trout. It seemed random, as he would use the box for a good while then stop using it. I finally narrowed it down to the litter. I had started using the Pine Pellets litter, which I thought was just wonderful. Unfortunately the instructions said not to put more than 2″ of litter in the box, for any reason. So I complied. The pine pellets soak up urine and decompose into saw dust which becomes deeper than the original amount of pellets were. Mr. Trout was great when the sawdust was deep, but I saw him once trying to urinate into the measly amount of pellets. Silly cat has always put all 4 feet on the edge of his box when he goes, all in about a 4″ line. With just the pellets, there wasn’t enough ballast and the litter box flipped over on him. It was like a booby-trapped toilet! I’m surprised he ever went back to using a litter box.
Diane says
To Kat: 12 year old boys…..and, at times, husbands (hopefully much older than 12) don’t seem to recognize which household item is suitable for messy clean up work !
To Susan: I get it for your cat. I remember (a very, very, very long time ago) in kindergarten, the toilets had seats that automatically flipped up and flushed when your bottom left the toilet seat. Scared me to death….luckily I had a “positive” kindergarten teacher who recognized the dilemma and let me use the teacher’s bathroom. How astute of you to recognize what your cat needed….silly cat or not!
Although I am not affiliated with shelters, or vets, etc. I hope I can help contribute someway, some day, and will definitely keep the booklets in mind. I think it is wonderfully generous.
Deborah says
I would love to use these with new puppy parents. Where can I find a site where I can purchase them in bulk?
Many thanks for the info