(Working with Rescue Dogs: The Shelter Environment, 2012. [user generated content Youtube] FernDog Training. 14th November 2012. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iROv9XlZo8 [Accessed 29th November 2014].)
KEY QUOTATIONS FROM THE VIDEO CLIP:
0.28 - 0.48: " What is the shelter environment? ... A lot of physical and psychological effects for the dogs inside that craziness of a shelter. Number one - a lack of exercise. These guys don't get out much, and because of that they're coiled springs of excitement ..." 0.49 - 1.03: " There's also a lack of socialisation. They don't get much exposure to people, to dogs, to the outside world ... the more a dog is in a shelter environment, the more that really takes hold of them. " 1.04 - 1.18: " There is a lot of mental stimulation that is not there ... they're bored there. Everyday a dog is in a shelter, their psychological state is spiralling downward because of that lack of stimulation."
1.19 - 1.42: " There's a lot of barrier frustration and aggression ... a lot of people see it as just aggression but that's not always true, it could just be frustration - and a lot of these dogs are labelled dog aggressive because of this barrier aggression ... once you get them out of the kennel and out of the shelter environment they actually do quite well with other dogs, so it's really just a by-product of the environment "
3.12 - 3.56: " Walking is one of the most simplest yet powerful things you can do with dogs ... Do this before you do any play sessions ... Don't just take them from the kennel to the play area, that is chaos ... We want to provide this dog as much structure as possbile and give them a couple of minutes to shake off this crazy shelter environment he was just in. This is a chance to get to know the dog ... We provide this structure first then we can go play ”
3.58 - 4.04: " The reason this is important is because we have to keep the ultimate goal in mind, and that is to make these dogs more adoptable. "