Teacher’s Pets

Anyone who’s had a dog knows they don’t come knowing everything…and some have never had the chance to learn anything. That’s why we started the Homeward Pet Dog Behavior Team.

Kimberlee (left) with her Kodiak, Erin (right) with her Noodle.

The Dog Behavior Team works with dogs who arrive at Homeward Pet lacking social skills and basic manners. Forest, a 2-year-old Corgi mix, was reactive to people and dogs and sensitive to handling. Our team worked on exercises to focus his energy and get him accus-tomed to being touched. Trager was an extremely shy, 3-year-old Chihuahua who just needed someone to spend time calmly reading to him, to build up his comfort and confidence. In every case, the goal of the Dog Behavior Team is to help our dogs be better behaved, less stressed and more adoptable.

Kimberlee leads this team, working with Erin, our Shelter Manager, and our professional training partners to identify dogs needing help and creating individualized plans. Seven of our most experienced volunteers and staff work with every dog, every day, teaching them new skills and helping them overcome bad habits. Positive training techniques teach our dogs that it’s rewarding and fun to behave in ways we like. When each dog gets adopted, their training plan goes home with their new family, so they can ‘keep up the good work’ in their new home, and Kimberlee is also available to advise our adopters through our Adopter Support program.