Behaviour of shelter dogs - advice?

[Miss Z]

I hardly ever post things on the dog side! I just need to draw from the well of PT canine knowledge if that's OK.

I've never owned a dog and so the animals I probably have the most trouble with at my voluntary job at the shelter is the dogs. Recently I've observed the behaviour of a handful of dogs when I've taken them out of their kennels and just want to ask a few questions.

The first one may seem a bit daft. A lot of the time I take the dogs out and let them run in the field, they seem to like jumping up and trying to nip my hands. I realise they're excited to get out of the kennel environment and to get some attention, but sometimes it gets a bit out of hand. Yesterday as I was taking the lead off the dog got over-excited and just whipped round and grabbed me. It wasn't a bad bite and it didn't break the skin but it did hurt and bruise. I'm pretty sure the dog didn't do it because I hurt her in any way.

Of course with a lot of these dogs we don't know their history and most of them are unsocialised or don't like being touched in a certain way, but sometimes I just think the dogs are nipping at my hands more so than with other people. Could it be some way I'm behaving that is making them do this? I do play fetch with them quite a bit, but quite often, I throw, the dog runs, but nothing is brought back, and that's when they try to nip. With the more soft-mouthed dogs it isn't so much of a big deal but when it's staffies (which we have A LOT of) with their jaw power it could be a little more serious.

Next question, we have a sweet staffie cross in that wants to play with rocks all the time. I don't mind her picking them up and pawing them but she drops them at my feet and whines like she wants me to play fetch with them. The rocks she picks up are usually fist-sized at least and I'm not going to throw a rock that heavy about! I throw her toys but she doesn't bother, she wants the rocks. I then feel bad because she's not really getting as much fun out of her freedom as the other dogs. Has anyone else experienced this?

Finally, for people that own staffies, how much grass do they eat? I know dogs will eat grass sometimes, but with staffies, they seem to run around like mad things, then stop, and graze like sheep!! Zsa-Zsa (RB cat) used to eat a lot of grass now and then and it would make her sick. Should I let the dog eat as much grass as it wants, or should I stop them after a while? I don't want to make them sick, because one, we have to clean it up () and two, it often means they bring up their dinner with it, meaning they'll probably go to bed on an empty stomach.

Thanks in advance, any advice appreciated.

[Glacier]

Fetch is a learned behavior. Very few dogs, even retrievers, get the bringing it back part without some training. The dogs are likely viewing your hands as toys, part of the fun. I'd treat like training a puppy not to nip...when it happens, no matter how soft the nip is, yelp like they ripped our hand off, turn your back and ignore the dog as much as possible. Nothing most dogs hate more than being ignored. Don't respond until they settle down again.

As for the one who grabbed while you took the leash off, lots of shelter dogs have serious issues with their collars being touched, especially if done from over top of their heads. Many of my dogs are shelter dogs and I'm sure that some of them were dragged by their collars. Founder used to do the exact same thing you described, every single time I touched his collar. Hoodoo would go limp and refuse to move. Touch that area slowly, gently, and as calmly as possible and frequently. Make it as pleasurable as possible so the association will change to one that's positive. When putting a leash on or off, don't come over the top of the dog. That's a highly dominant position and will make an already nervous dog freak out. Get down to their level, reach under their head, and move slowly while talking in a happy voice.

I've had no success at stopping dogs from eating grass! Some of mine graze like cows, some hardly ever eat greens! As long as they aren't eating foxtails(No idea what they would be called or if they exist in England), I just let them graze.

[Giselle]

Nipping:
Because of the behavior you're describing and because most shelter dogs are in their adolescent stage, I'm going to guess you deal with a lot of 1-3 year olds. During these years, dogs transition from puppyhellraisers to teenagemonsters. Not much of a transition Yes, they are nipping and acting like little monsters because of their age and excitement. However, you need to help teach them manners. Nipping is never ever ever ever okay. In dog world, they often communicate by mouthing each other, but, in human world, human skin can not be nipped. It also has a bit to do with bite inhibition, which you can try, but I would suggest teaching impulse control more and rules more.

It's perfectly okay to play fetch with the pups, but do not tolerate them nipping you. If they ever nip you, find an exit and completely take yourself out of the situation. I'm not sure how your shelter is constructed, but if there is a door you can use, go out the door and ignore the dog. Come back in. If dog is still jumping or nipping, walk back out. Repeat until dog keeps all 4 legs on the ground and is showing self-control. At that point, you can reward with a treat or praise or play. In the cases where the dogs don't bring the toy back but nip you instead, I would reward with calm praise because it's clear that they enjoy playing with you more so than with the toy. If you don't have an exit route, cross your arms and face the wall. Do not give the dog any attention whatsoever. Then go about it as above (turn around if dog is calm, keep turning back if dog is being rude).

What I just described is a form of negative punishment (removing something the dog wants to decrease a behavior). Use this liberally!! If you're walking out and the dog is jumping and nipping already, stop and don't move. don't walk forward, don't look at the dog. Wait until it calms down and then proceed walking. If you're about to take the lead off and the dog is mouthing you, stop and stand straight up. Don't move, don't talk, don't look at the dog. Don't proceed until the dog shows some self control. Whenever the dog is being overly enthusiastic to the point of rudeness, take away whatever the dog wants and do not give it back until the dog shows some self-control. It's a very effective, non-physical, non-forceful way of teaching impulse control While you're at it, you can also teach "wait" and Nothing In Life Is Free, aka NILIF.

Re: Rocks. Don't give in. Rocks wreak havoc on a dog's teeth. *sigh* Ivy somehow lost a front tooth and I firmly believe it was the result of chewing on stupid, hard objects (i.e. rocks and raw pine cones).

Re: Grass. A little grass eating isn't harmful. Also, dogs will run their teeth over grass blades to gather scents of who was there. So, you might want to check if the dogs are running their teeth over the blades or actually eating it. And if they're excessively eating it, then you can discourage it, but it's really no big deal in the long run (unless they're eating foxtails! )

[Miss Z]

Thanks you two, I'll try those suggestions out next time I take the dogs out.

When putting a leash on or off, don't come over the top of the dog. That's a highly dominant position and will make an already nervous dog freak out. Get down to their level, reach under their head, and move slowly while talking in a happy voice.

I can see what you're saying. The only thing is I've been told not to get on a dog's level as you risk being bitten in the face. In the past they had a volunteer who has bitten badly on the nose and since then they have been quite cautious about how we are permitted to handle the dogs. There is a chair in the field I take the dogs in; would it help if I sat down whilst taking the lead on and off? That way I'm not really in their face but not over the top of them.

As long as they aren't eating foxtails(No idea what they would be called or if they exist in England), I just let them graze.

I don't think we really get foxtails in the north of England. The fields I take the dogs in are pretty weed free anyway.

I'm not sure how your shelter is constructed, but if there is a door you can use, go out the door and ignore the dog.

It probably wouldn't be the best of ideas for me to leave the field. It's well fenced in and of course I wouldn't go anywhere far, but I like to keep my eye on them whilst they're running around. When I get them out their kennel, I don't really mind them jumping up and stuff - they know it's playtime and they're happy (plus the kennel doors are a nightmare, if you aren't quick enough they can dart past you as it opens and run off! I don't want to be opening and closing them more than I have to. ). But of course I can use the negative punishment method, that could definitely work out. Thanks.

Re: Rocks. Don't give in. Rocks wreak havoc on a dog's teeth. *sigh* Ivy somehow lost a front tooth and I firmly believe it was the result of chewing on stupid, hard objects (i.e. rocks and raw pine cones).

So I guess I should also ignore her when she's picking up the rocks? I'd hate for her to damage her teeth.

Once again thanks for your help!

[lizbud]

You have gotten some good advice here & I hope it helps. I wouldn't
just ignore the pup who chews rocks, but try to re-direct her attention
elsewhere. If they don't have a lot of toys they might not get the "play"
idea at first but I'd keep trying to re-direct her some other way.

They do sound like they are releasing a lot of energy after being caged
for so long.

[Giselle]

Indeed, it is difficult to get them in and out of the kennels (I had one dog escape on me - thank GOD another volunteer had just walked into the hallway). But I'm not saying you have to break their spirit. Of course, we want them to be happy and excited, but they need self-control. They can wag their tails and bodies all they want, but they need all four paws on the ground. AS SOON AS they hop on two feet, you close the kennel door and wait for four paws to hit the ground. Open the door again, if dog is too excited, close the door and wait. Repeat until you can open the door wide open and the dog isn't even thinking about escaping. Honestly, it takes all of about 5-10 minutes. You just have to do a lot of quick repetitions. You get two birds with one stone: you teach the dog to wait and you teach him self control - all by opening and closing a door

When you're in the field and there are no doors or walls to help you, do this same thing by staying stone still when the dog is hyper and nipping you. Fold your arms, stand tall, and look away until dog is on four paws. Give attention when dog is calm. If dog is hyper, become a statue. Repeat repeat repeat. You can also quicken the process with a clicker and treats or some type of behavior marker like, "Yes!" or "Good!".