A Doggie Do Over

Athena is available for adoption at the Humane Society of Warren County

Athena is going through a transformation. A kind of doggie do-over. She is beautiful and filled with possibilities and potential -- something that has always been true, even before she came to our shelter. But it was when she arrived at the homeless shelter -- some mistakenly would say it's the end of the line -- that she got her big break.  She is part of the HSWC Good Buddy Program, and her Good Buddies (Donna and Emily) are helping her with finding her true potential -- being all that she was meant to be.  Making her more adoptable so that when she finds her forever home, she has the confidence and knowledge to show them just what she's made of.  It's a doggie do-over!

One of Athena's issues is that she jumps.  She is full of energy and doesn't know what to do with it.  So she jumps -- when she wants to leave her kennel, when she wants to go for a walk, sometimes she just jumps because she likes to jump.

Here's the really, really good news.  By the time Athena finds her forever home, she won't be a jumper anymore.  Really!  Her Good Buddy, Donna, has a plan to cure this jumping and it's something we want to share with all of our Good Buddies (and guardians of other Jumpers out there) so that you can put this in your toolbox of ideas that might come in handy one day. 

Here's Donna's plan:

Everytime she enters Athena's kennel and Athena starts doing her jumpy-thing, Donna will turn her back and not engage Athena in any way.  And Donna will wait for the jumping to stop.  No touching, no talking, no correction.  Just cause and effect.  Donna might have to wait a minute, or two, or thirty.  It's a patient waiting game, but it works.  Athena will learn that the effect of her jumping is that she gets ignored.  It's the same way our dogs at home learn when they hear the doorbell it means someone is at the door and barking is required.  (Well, it's true, right?)  Athena may not give up her jumping on the first day, or the second day, but by the third day, Athena should figure out that her jumping creates a dead-end.  Her doggie-problem-solving skills are going to kick in and she's going to figure out that when she stops jumping, she gets hooked up to her leash.  Her kennel door opens and she goes outside to do something fun.  No delays, no getting ignored, no having her humans turn their backs on her.  No words are required, and never, NEVER is negative reinforcement used to teach a dog anything.  It's sorta like magic, but it really works! 


We are so very, very excited to see the progress that Athena makes and we promise to update you!  We invite you to visit Athena at the Shelter and watch her "not jump."