The meeting emphasized that aggression in shelter dogs is a contextual, emotion-driven behavior, most often fear-based, but sometimes rooted in frustration, rather than a fixed label. Key strategies included reducing stress, observing behavior instead of using labels, managing distance, intensity, and duration. Safe handling, environmental management, and assessing dogs outside kennels were highlighted as critical to welfare and prognosis.
This session focused on practical, welfare-driven strategies for understanding and supporting high-arousal dogs in shelter environments. Laurie and guest speaker Aditi (Director of Behavior & Training at Gigi’s Shelter for Dogs) explored how stress, adolescent development, and limited early socialization contribute to heightened arousal, and what shelter teams can do to help these dogs succeed.
In this session, we unpacked what it really takes to build and sustain effective behavior teams in today’s shelter world. Guest expert Christina Lee shared her approach to smart hiring, intentional onboarding, and creating team structures that actually work.
In this session, Tom and Laurie will explore how understanding the emotional states of shelter dogs can improve both welfare outcomes and behavior support strategies. Drawing on a multi-dimensional model of emotion assessment, Tom will help attendees go beyond surface behavior to better recognize what dogs are experiencing on the inside.
Join Laurie Lawless for an exclusive webinar featuring Christen Trayah, Shelter Manager at the Humane Society of Chittenden County, as she shares how HSCC's innovative Pathways program revolutionized their approach to animal intake and adoption in just one year.
Featuring Jessica Wheatcraft of Guidance by Jessica