TETON VALLEY, Idaho — Questions about raising your puppy? Not understanding why your dog jumps on everyone who comes to the door? Or are you wondering about your newly adopted fur baby’s adjustment to your home? Aska’s Animals is set to host a Virtual Behavior Workshop Friday, March 1 offering guidance for pet owners grappling with common canine conundrums.
Teton Valley’s resource for canine behavior support is hosting a free workshop this Friday. Aska’s Animals, a nonprofit based in Teton Valley, hosts free Zoom workshops during the winter months to help residents on both sides of the Tetons form positive relationships with their new puppy, recently adopted or aging pal, to help ensure that four-paw friends stay in homes and out of the shelter.
Aska Langman has always found dog behavior an interesting topic since her days at the University of Vermont, where she earned her B.S. in Animal Science Recognizing that behavior is one the main reasons dogs end up in the shelter, Langman has developed a curriculum for humans and canines acknowledging that animals have maturity cycles just like children and react to their surroundings like most humans. She extends that sometimes the best advice to creating a healthy relationship means accepting the dog you have.
“Dogs go through adolescence just like humans,” Langman said. “Between the ages 10 months and three years is the most common time for dogs to be surrendered to an animal shelter.”
“It’s because people get a puppy, they think it’s so cute and then all of a sudden they have a teenager on their hands and they are like, ‘who is this monster living in my house?’ ” and then she added with a chuckle, “I was a monster, too, at 13.”
For Langman, one of the biggest hurdles for dog owners is understanding the dog they have, the temperament of the breed, and the reactions a dog might have. And sometimes that doesn’t always match up with the vision people have for their dog.
“A lot of people want to be able to take their dogs with them everywhere and in public, but that might not be the dog you have. Some breeds are not able to go be these social beings, some dogs can’t stand fireworks and loud noises,” she explained.
“And many people, especially here, think they are the most intense athletes in the world, but they are only the most intense athletes in the world on Saturday and their dog is sitting home the other six days of the week,” she added.
The workshop is a great chance to ask questions about how to create realistic expectations for your dog–who can’t verbalize their needs even though they can chew and bark–and for dog owners to understand the expectations they can meet. Attendees will also learn about how a dog’s personality can evolve over its lifetime. Most puppies go through a fear stage, and older dogs’ behavior can change with health problems. The workshop will also tackle the really big conversation that never gets old: being responsible about leashes and training for good recall.
Langman’s team includes canine behavior specialist Ramsey Schatz, who attended the Karen Pryor training academy, as well as Krissi Goetz from JH Positive training. In the summertime, Aska’s Animals offers in-person training for individual dog owners as well as collaborations with the Animal Adoption Center to provide Puppy Preschool sessions.
Aska’s goes even further with puppy education by providing what Langman refers to as “puppy palaces,” where young dogs get an ideal environment to grow in, and people get a chance to better understand how to work with young dogs. “One of those things we do is provide a physical space that bridges a permanent home and shelters.” she said.
Register in advance for this free workshop taking place on Friday, March 1, 5 to7 p.m. at:
