Following the Leader
In this case, our leader is Georgie. When I got home from work yesterday, she leapt off of the couch to greet me, all happy wags. She was so sweet […]
Tag Archives: management
On Transporting and Decompressing Groups of Shelter Dogs
The landscape of animal welfare is slowly changing and it is apparent that different types of dogs are more available in different areas of the United States, depending on what […]
The Risk of Fostering
I have been fostering animals for over 12 years, am an animal behavior guru, active in the rescue community and a veterinarian. I know many animal professionals, rescuers, and fosters […]
How to Integrate Imperfect Dogs in 8 Steps
Imperfect Dog Integration Compendium This is a guideline compiled of 8 individual articles I recently wrote to help people understand some of the best ways to introduce dogs that have […]
Jonah Update: Let’s Re-think that Whole Off-leash Idea
We are still working with the best way to completely integrate our Pet Haven foster dog Jonah into our home. It turns out, what’s best for him right now may […]
8. Imperfect Dog Introductions: Sharing the House
The whole point of our imperfect dog introductions is to (hopefully!) end up sharing the house with difficult dogs who may not have initially trusted each other. Each positive or neutral […]
7. Imperfect Dog Introductions: Yard Introduction
Yard Introduction I prefer introductions to be performed outside. It gives everyone some breathing room and space is important. I will perform a yard introduction before using an indoor leash […]
The Importance of Being Aware
We have been taking our time integrating our foster dog (Jonah) with our resident dog (Frankie) because of Jonah’s unknown background and odd, shut-down behavior. Jonah has been really coming […]
5. Imperfect Dog Introductions: Interacting Through a Baby gate/Exercise Pen
Interacting through a baby gate/exercise pen–realize that these are NOT secure. Dogs can knock them over or jump over them. That doesn’t mean they can’t be great tools when used […]
1. Imperfect Dog Introductions: Crate & Rotate
With reactive/selective dogs, I start out with crating and rotating when I bring them into my house with my resident dogs. What is crate and rotate? Essentially, it’s keeping the […]
The Imperfect Dog 