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| Empirical Dog Training at the Animal Shelter: Training for Adoption Outcomes With a Focus on High Populations of Animals |
| Friday, May 25, 2018 |
| 4:00 PM–7:00 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom F |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Erica N. Feuerbacher, Ph.D. |
| ALEXANDRA PROTOPOPOVA (Texas Tech University), MEGAN ELIZABETH ARANT (Texas Tech University), ERICA N. FEUERBACHER (Virginia Tech) |
| Description: Training the family pet differs from the training of dogs in the shelter setting. Typically dog training has the purpose of improving the dog-owner bond and improving the behavior of the dog to make life easier for the owner; however, in the shelter environment, dog training has the purpose of altering the behavior of visitors towards the dogs, thus resulting in an adoption. This workshop will cover research on determining effective reinforcers, conducting crucial toy preference assessments to incorporate into meet-and-greets, and providing empirically assessed behavioral interventions. The workshop will involve reviewing the literature, demonstrations and practice with live dogs, as well as role-playing. Content has peer reviewed, published support beyond those publications and other types of communications devoted primarily to the promotion of the approach. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants would be able to: (1) Describe the importance of using an effective reinforcer to train dogs; (2) Employ the most efficient and effective toy preference assessments for the shelter environment; (3) Provide empirically-assessed behavioral training programs for a high-capacity shelter; (4) Train other staff/volunteers in these techniques to ensure success of the programs. |
| Activities: Workshop objectives will be achieved through lecture, discussion, role-playing, and demonstrations. |
| Audience: Participants should be interested in learning how to effectively implement dog training programs at animal shelters. Participants may be behavior analysts (no specific boar certification required), students in animal behavior, and animal professionals and enthusiasts. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Keyword(s): animal shelter, dog training, human-animal interactions, preference assessments |