We watched video's of dogs interacting with environmental enrichment such as moving kids toys, sheet metal surface, statues and more. How these dogs interacted with their environment indicated their strengths and possible weaknesses. The BIG take home was that none of the dogs evaluated were "bad". They might not be the best fit for a specific job like a seeing eye dog, but if that was the case maybe they would be a better therapy dog or just a companion dog.
For the shelter dog video, the potential adopter was very hands on. He wanted a lot of close contact including petting of this one shelter dog. The dog on the other hand wasn't as interested in all of the closeness. During the video the dog displayed calming signals when pet, moved away from the man and tried to make a lot of space (as much as he could on leash). Would this be the right pairing? Should the man just learn to stop being so close and hands on? Are either parties bad?
No, it wasn't that either party were bad. They just weren't the best fit. The man needed a dog who really enjoyed all of the closeness and affection. The dog needed someone who wanted to have more space in between each other. While it's possible to train the dog or human to change their behavior it's not their natural response. Ideally, finding both of them a natural fit would be key to success!
Nice! We regularly try to talk to adopters about this. Just because we don't think a particular dog is a good fit for them doesn't mean we don't think they'd be good adopters, it just means we need to look for a dog with a different temperament. It's about more than just what a dog looks like.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the point! As you well know that can be challenging for a potential adopter, but always worth it in the long run for them both.
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