Dog Companion 101
Thank you for volunteering as a Dog Companion for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB).
Your help is a critical part of our canine enrichment programs. This document contains the
basic information you need to know if you are going to handle dogs at the Shelter. These
guidelines are in place for the safety of you and the dogs.
At the end of this document is a link to the Level 1 Dog Companion Quiz. Once you have passed
the quiz then you can begin volunteering as a Dog Companion.
All Dog Companions who have a Facebook account should join the HSTB Volunteers Facebook
group. Send an email to Leslie Menichino at [email protected] and ask to
join. Any questions or comments about this document should also be emailed to her.
This document and training was developed by Glen Hatchell, Certified Professional Dog Trainer
(CPDT-KSA), for Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow, Tampa, and the Humane Society of Tampa
Bay.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
1
V1.0
Dog Companion 101
General Guidelines
Leave It in the Car Dog companions should not be wearing headphones or ear buds while
handling dogs. Please leave these items in your car. Also, the dogs can’t wait to see you so feel
free to leave the stress of your day outside as you step inside.
Dress Code You should always wear your HSTB volunteer shirt and name tag. No sandals or
flip-flops are allowed. Dogs will be jumping on you and they might scratch you and have poop
on their paws, so wearing long pants is strongly suggested.
If You’re Injured If you are injured, immediately yell HELP. A staff member or volunteer might
hear you and come to assist. If you can get to the front office, tell a staff member.
Attend Training Dog Handling and Body Language classes are taught regularly at HSTB. New
Dog Companions and those who need a refresher should register through the Volunteer
Manager for the next scheduled class.
Recognize your skill level Handling a dog at HSTB is unique. If you are a new dog companion,
your first few hours should be taking out the small dogs in Kennel 2. Once you are familiar with
the routine of taking dogs out, start taking out larger dogs that you are comfortable with.
Never take out a dog that makes you uncomfortable.
Kennels and Runs New dog companions will handle dogs in Kennels 1 and 2 and the Doggie
Dorm. (As a note, there are also dogs in Temporary Holding, Patio and Animal Intake). Dogs
over 40 pounds are generally located in Kennel 1, smaller dogs in Kennel 2 and puppies in the
Doggie Dorm. There are 24 “runs” in Kennel 1 (1-24) and 19 runs in Kennel 2 (25-43). A run is
the space where a dog is housed. The run number is painted on the back wall of the run.
Animal Intake is where all animals that come to HSTB go first. If you walk dogs housed in
Intake, do not walk the dogs on the training yard. This is the area covered with rocks under the
red and blue shade sails.
Only One Dog at a Time A dog companion can only walk one dog at a time and can only have
one dog in the play yard at a time. If two dogs are together in one run, two volunteers can take
the dogs to a play yard and let the dogs play together off leash.
Acronyms and Definitions on the Walk Board
PG = The dog was in Shelter Dog Playgroups that morning. Don’t take out again until
after 12p.
LWO = The dog is Leash Walk Only. Don’t let the dog run loose in the play yard.
SX = The dog had Surgery that day. A dog is LWO for a minimum of 3 days after surgery.
HB = The dog is Housebroken and will eliminate in run only if necessary.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
2
Dog Companion 101
HW+ = Heartworm positive. These dogs are Leash Walk Only, no exceptions! HW+ dogs
may also be designated by a
written by the name. They will also have a pink kennel
card.
P = Puppy. Puppies cannot be walked until they are 6 months old.
Your Hands, Holding a Leash and Walking a Dog
Most dogs are fearful of a stranger’s hand coming toward their face or head. Always keep your
hands low when leashing up a dog. Always let the dog always see your hands. Move slowly
and use a big loop on the slip lead when you are leashing up the dog. Don’t surprise the dog!
This video talks about slip leads and big loops.
Most dogs at HSTB pull on the leash. Keeping your hands in a normal low and relaxed position
gives you more control of the leash and the dog. It takes practice to keep your hands relaxed,
low and natural. If the dog pulls, stop walking. When the dog does anything to make a little
slack in the leash, start walking again.
Use the Outside Gate As a general rule, dogs are taken out and put back using the run gate on
the outside, not the gate inside the Kennel. This applies anytime the Shelter is open to the
public.
When the Shelter is being cleaned in the morning, take dogs out or put dogs back from the
inside gate if the outside of the kennel is being cleaned at that time. Do not walk dogs on the
sudsy wet cleaning solution on the floors. It is strong nasty stuff that has lots of strong
chemicals that are bad for their paws.
Do’s and Dont’s There will be a test on this.
DO
DON’T
Move slowly
Speak calmly
Pay attention to the dog’s body signals
Find something the dog likes (fetch, being
petted, following you)
Keep your face out of the dog’s face
Make sudden moves
Be loud
Sit on the bench texting/talking on the phone
Think the dog is OK being handled like your
dog at home
Put your face in the dog’s face
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
3
Dog Companion 101
The remainder of this document is organized in the flow that your day at HSTB might go.
Arrive at HSTB and Sign-In on computer outside Volunteer Manager’s office.
Get a Leash from the Volunteer Manager’s office. We use Slip Leads at HSTB like you saw in the
earlier video. You must return the leash to the Volunteer Manager’s office when you are
finished. If you would like to purchase your own slip lead, contact the Volunteer Manager.
Get Poop Bags Poop bags are located in the poop bag stations around the Shelter. Before you
leash up a dog, you should put a couple of poop bags in your pocket. If you see poop on the
ground, pick it up. It’s up to us to keep HSTB clean.
Treat Up! Food is the top motivator, so make sure you have some treats. There are two
buckets with treats hanging inside of Kennel 1 and one bucket outside of Kennel 2. There are
also treats in the cabinet to the left of the log in the kitchen. Feel free to also bring your own!
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
4
Dog Companion 101
Check Walk Board and decide which dog to take out
The Walk Board contains information you need to know as a dog companion. The Walk Boards
are located inside of Kennel 1 and outside of Kennel 2. There is a row for each kennel run with
the run number, dog name and each day of the week. The time the dog was taken out is
written for each day. Before you take a dog out, write the time under that day. Don’t write
minutes, just hour. For example, write 1 if you take the dog out between 1:00 and 1:29. Write
2 if you take the dog out between 1:30 and 1:59.
Choosing What Dog to Walk When you are deciding which dog to take out, look at the time
the dogs were last taken out. Give priority to the dogs that have been waiting longest and
those marked HB (house broken). A dog that is marked PG should not be taken out again until
after 12p.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
5
Dog Companion 101
Verify the Kennel Card is in plastic sleeve
The Kennel Card is located in a plastic sleeve hanging on the inside gate. Always check the
kennel card before taking a dog out. If there is no card, do not take the dog out since an
adoption visit could be about to happen. If the Kennel Card is pink, the dog most likely has
demodex (a non-contagious type of mange) or the dog is heartworm positive (HW+). There are
four pieces of information on the Kennel Card for you to check.
1. First is the how the dog got to HSTB, or Intake Reason. If it reads Transfer In, then we
assigned the name when the dog arrived at HSTB.
2. That means the dog won’t know the second piece of information—Name.
3. The third piece, Age, might give you an idea of how active or playful the dog will be.
Dogs must be at least 6 months old to be walked. Puppies under 6 months cannot be
taken out.
4. The fourth piece is Adoption Info. For a pink Kennel Card, this is where you will find if
the dog has demodex or is heartworm positive.
Take dog out
Approaching the Kennel Many of the dogs show signs of being scared and overwhelmed when
they are at HSTB, especially when they are put somewhere new. You don’t want to add to that
fear so be calm and quiet when you approach the gate. You should stand upright with your
shoulders slightly forward. Pause and watch the dog’s reaction. If they come to the gate
wagging their tail, continue on. If the dog backs up and appears to be scared, pick another dog
to take out. A fearful dog poses the greatest bite risk.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
6
Dog Companion 101
Gate Latches There is a chain-link gate on the inside and outside of each run. The gate is
secured by a horizontal latch and a vertical safety latch. The safety latch must be moved out of
the way for the horizontal latch to be raised up. Become familiar with the latch on the gate.
Because of age and usage, each latch has its own characteristics.
Locks Many gates have a padlock. Always put the lock back in place after you have put a dog in
the run. Put the lock back in place, but DO NOT lock the padlock.
Leashing a Dog A treat in your hand might help a scared dog forget to be scared. With a treat
in your hand, slide your hand through the loop of the slip lead. With your hand below the dog’s
snout, bring the treat toward his nose. Most dogs will go to take the treat. As he takes the
treat, use your arm as a guide to slide the slip lead over his head. Click to view video of three
dogs being leashed and taken out: Sadie, Josie and Sadie again. This video is a difficult to leash
dog who wants to put everything but his snout into the slip lead loop. Be patient!
Harnesses If a dog is wearing an Easy Walk Harness, you should use a regular clip leash, not a
slip lead. There should be a clip leash hanging on the outside plastic sleeve. You should go into
the run to attach the leash to the harness hook in front. Watch this video for an example.
Taking a Dog Out As you saw in the videos, once you get the dog on leash, walk into the grass
and move away from the kennel gates (doesn’t apply for runs 1-12). Anything can happen, so
be calm and take your time.
When you are walking a dog, keep the dog at least 5 yards (15 feet) away from any dog that is
inside a small pen on top of the hill or a dog in a play yard. Dogs on leash should be kept at
least 10 yards (30 feet) apart. Don’t let dogs get nose to nose! This is for your safety and the
dog’s safety.
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
7
Dog Companion 101
If the dog is LWO, you cannot let the dog run loose in the play yard.
Toys and a pool are in the play yards. Find something that the dog likes to do. You are there
for the dogs so focus on her rather than your phone or to the volunteer in the next yard.
Don’t let the dog dig holes. Moving dirt around to make a cool spot is OK, but do not let the
dog dig holes in the play yard. Of course, pick up all poop you see!
NO TUG-OF-WAR. Don’t engage in tug-of-war play with a dog.
Don’t let the dogs “fence fight.”
Often, the dog will let you know when she is ready to go back. A dog is generally out for about
20 minutes. If it’s a really hot day, 10 or 15 minutes might be enough.
If the dog has a flat and wide skull (Pug, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel, Boston Terrier, Shih Tzu, Pekinese or Bull Mastiff), it should be out no longer than 1015 minutes. These breeds can overheat quickly!
Take dog back. Go back to Check Walk Board if you have time.
Return leash to Volunteer Manager’s office
Sign-out on computer outside Volunteer Manager’s office
The dogs can’t wait for you to come back again!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LEVEL 1 DOG COMPANION QUIZ
(You might have to Allow access, depending on your Adobe settings)
Or enter this link into your browser: http://bit.ly/dogcompanion101quiz
Join the Facebook group to see videos and frequent updates about our adoptable dogs!
Humane Society of Tampa Bay
8