• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Free Korean Dogs

  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Media Coverage
    • Contact Us
  • Adopt
    • Available Dogs
    • Adoption Application
    • Adoption Process
    • Adoption FAQs
    • Adoption Resources
    • Adoption Stories
  • Our Work
    • Siheung Dog Meat Farm Closure 2022
    • Dangjin Dog Meat Farm Closure 2018
    • Jeonju Dog Meat Farm Closure 2016
    • Community Rescue
    • Public Awareness
  • Get Involved
    • Flight Volunteer Application
    • Flight Volunteer FAQs
    • Foster Care Provider Application
    • Volunteer Application
  • Community
    • Our Partners
    • Amazon Associates & Wishlist
  • Blog
  • Donate

The Charley Diaries Part 3: Expanding Horizons

October 23, 2020 by Sara Liao, Board of Directors & Adoption Manager Leave a Comment

Training a dog to get settled is not something that happens overnight, because dogs don’t understand human languages or the circumstances of the fate we’ve chosen for them. Settling in takes time and patience. The process isn’t black or white, nor is progress linear. There is no ‘typical’ timeline in which things are expected to happen (or not happen). Along the way there are pushes and nudges; a hop, skip, jump, and leap here; hurdles, obstacles, and setbacks there. We (dogs and humans) work together towards mutual trust and understanding in order to persevere, and when we’ve hit a wall, we pivot our approaches to march upwards and onwards.

Training should not be a mundane and tedious task of rehearsing tricks over and over again. Instead it should be fun and interactive, which is what keeps Charley’s Einstein brain engaged and on his toes. In his training, whether for obedience, desensitization, or confidence building, his foster parents have found innovative ways to do just that. Together we have borrowed ideas from other methods, practices, and techniques in areas of force free, positive reinforcement training and applied them to our own approaches. 

Charley’s foster parents have devised a number of “games” for him to provide mental stimulation, all the while helping to subconsciously desensitize and build his confidence. One of these activities is as simple as providing a puzzle toy to work on. The ability to engage his nose is a simple instinctive behavior dogs naturally find satisfying. While he may think he is simply doing “dog things”, being to successfully solve a problem makes Charley feel good about himself, and subsequently builds his overall confidence. He also practices his exercise while the dishwasher is running the background, something that previously triggered his anxiety. Working on his toy and affirming feelings of confidence in the presence of the once scary dishwasher has provided a welcome distraction and helps with overall desensitization.

Charley is also very sensitive about his paws, and we knew come winter without the help of the asphalt to file them down during walks, managing his nails would be quite difficult. Visiting the vet for nail trims send his stress levels through the roof, so it became clear desensitization was a necessary starting point to help him overcome these sensitivities. 

With the help of a DIY customized “nail filing station” (shown in the video) made by his foster dad, Charley allows his curiosities and playfulness to override his apprehension. He has wiggled into a small space. He has a large object hovering over his head. There is this funny feeling everytime his paws graze over the sandpaper. These are all circumstances he would have once cowered from, but he doesn’t even notice. He is having fun without even knowing he has conquered his insecurities and has effectively pushed himself out of his own comfort zone.

His foster parents have also borrowed techniques from the Tellington T-Touch method, an integrative and holistic training approach originally developed for horses. This method uses different types of touch (pressure, pattern, and location) with the main goal of desensitizing and decreasing stress and reactivity. When the animal, be it a horse or a dog, is relaxed it allows them greater confidence and in turn, more focus, self control, and emotional balance so they can better focus on making conscious choices instead of strictly reacting.

Training is not universal. It is not a “one size fits most” system, or a guarantee that the magical approach that was successful with one dog will work for the other. It requires an understanding of personalities on a deeper level and often pushes us towards collaborative, innovative, and interdisciplinary approaches. We are far from experts, but if we’ve learned anything in the process it is the importance of keeping an open mind and trusting our intrinsic instincts and experiences. 

Written by Sara Liao, Board of Director & Adoption Manager  

Read The Charley Diaries Par1: Settling in

Read the Charley Diaries Part 2: Getting to Know Each Other

More like this:

  • The Charley Diaries Part 1: Settling In
    The Charley Diaries Part 1: Settling In
  • The Charley Diaries Part 2: Getting to Know Each Other  
    The Charley Diaries Part 2: Getting to Know Each Other  

Share this:

Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on RedditShare on TwitterShare on SMSShare on Email

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: Dog Rescue, Fostering, Korean Dogs, Toronto Dog Adoption, Training

About Sara Liao, Board of Directors & Adoption Manager

Sara has always been active member the non-profit community, both professionally and in volunteer roles. She is also a lifelong animal lover and known to always stop to pet stray dogs and cats during her travels. Her two passions match well in her role in helping dogs find their forever homes. Along with dogs, Sara is a lover of pigs, cows, and goats, and believes in the words of her favorite activists, “be kind to all kinds”.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe

Sign up for weekly email updates.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Make a Donation

Footer

About Us

Free Korean Dogs (FKD) is a registered charity in Canada (BN:80580 0166RR0001). Free Korean Dogs US (FKD US) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization #85-2573367 in the USA, with charitable organization registrations in the following States: Washington #2004912, Oregon #58908 & California #0274571. Learn more

ADOPTION PROCESS

Animal welfare is our top priority; especially because many of our rescued dogs were harmed either physically and/or emotionally in the past. Learn more

Navigation

  • Go to the front page
  • Adopt a Korean dog
  • Make a donation
  • Read news and updates
  • Read the terms of use
  • Read the privacy policy

Contact

Free Korean Dogs
ATTN: William Yang
2803-16 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M5E 2A1
Canada

Send us a message

© 2023 Free Korean Dogs