Does Foster Dog Training Require a Specialized Approach?

Shelters—in NYC and beyond—are the saving grace of the dog-loving community. They shoulder the responsibility of dogs who, for one reason or another, have found themselves without a permanent home. As the last lifeline for so many dogs, shelters are often overpopulated and understaffed. One way the system alleviates the burden on these rescues is through fosters—volunteer human families who welcome dogs into their homes while the dog is still technically in the shelter system and treat them as their own until they find a permanent home.

Fosters take on cases from all walks of life, from places as different from NYC as Puerto Rico or Aruba, and often know little about the history of the dog. Shelter animals are often shuffled from location-to-location in the quest to find space. Many have shared small, cramped spaces with dozens of other dogs. Some have been ripped from the only life they’ve ever known, and are facing an uncertain future in a brand new environment. Fosters provide a stable home, a loving family, and one-on-one attention when these dogs need it the most. 

However, being moved from shelter-to-home (and subsequently, home-to-home) has lasting impacts on a dog’s worldview, and ultimately the behavioral ramifications of this period of their life can make fostering a challenge. When dogs enter a new home, it’s advised to give them time to decompress—that is, to keep their world small and contained by gradually exposing them to new people, animals, and environments to avoid sudden overstimulation. This is often not possible and can create problems that last through fostering—and beyond, but is such an important part of the process that we created a free Decompression Workshop earlier this year. 

AGDT has always supported the local shelter system. We are also lucky to have Melissa Arbitman as a senior trainer and full-time staff member. Melissa has spent over a decade in the shelter system and has developed an expertise in developing training plans for dogs within the shelter system—with consideration both for what these dogs are experiencing right now, and for what their life will be when they are finally placed in a forever home.

Dogs within the foster system require a special approach that must be personalized toward any and all information we can gather about the dog, and the humans temporarily caring for them. When asked about the difference between training plans between dogs within the shelter system and our normal roster of clients, Melissa said: “These are transitional homes that may be short term, and the dog will be moving on before they’ve even really had a chance to decompress. Fosters, who are taking in dogs to try to help, may need quick solutions to issues that take time to work with, or they may not be able to continue fostering. And those fosters may be the dog’s best option. If they cannot continue to foster, the dog may be placed in a boarding kennel, or brought into an overcrowded shelter, where conditions will be worse.”  

Melissa’s experience and AGDT’s relationship with Muddy Paws Rescue formed a natural partnership—and we’re pleased to announce that AGDT—to express our gratitude to the amazing humans that choose to foster dogs— is now providing training services for fosters of Muddy Paws Rescue. Our mission has always been to set dogs up for the best life possible, and by providing this service to our community, we hope our intervention makes it easier for more dog-lovers to foster, catalyzing a better life—during and after—for dogs in New York City.