Valuable tools to help “Awkward But Awesome” dogs!
Recently, Cadela Carlota welcomed a special visitor to the shelter – Gail from Awesome Dogs, a professional dog trainer with a clear goal: to help our volunteers build skills and confidence when working with the more challenging dogs in our care.
Not every dog arrives at the shelter ready for adoption. Some are nervous, reactive, or simply overwhelmed by their environment. Our volunteers do everything they can to help, and this training session gave us some valuable tools to make that support even more effective.
Here are just a few of the important lessons we learned:
- Feeding scared dogs makes them less scared in time. Positive associations are key to reducing fear.
- Build trust before you set rules. We often do it the other way around, but connection must come first.
- Some dogs have been taught not to growl – and may bite without warning. Never take away the growl. It’s communication, not bad behaviour.
- There are better ways to walk dogs that pull. Every dog is different, and sometimes a small change makes a big difference.
These insights are especially relevant for what Gail calls “Awkward But Awesome” dogs – those with big personalities, anxious habits, or reactive behaviours like barking, lunging, jumping, or pulling on the lead. With the right training, they can become confident and adoptable companions.
The reality is, our volunteers aren’t dog trainers – but they are committed, compassionate, and always willing to learn. They give their time freely, rain or shine, to help every dog in our shelter feel safer, calmer, and more ready for life in a loving home.
Thanks to this training, we’re even better equipped to support our dogs – not just with food and walks, but with the emotional tools they need to thrive. Because when you take the time to understand a dog, transformation is possible.
You can learn more about Gail’s work at www.awesome-dogs.com/trainer, and if you’d like to get involved – whether as a volunteer, fosterer, or supporter – visit www.cadela-carlota.com
Together, we can give every dog the second chance they deserve.
