Shelter and Rescue can be difficult environments for workers and the animals in their care. This podcast, hosted by Tom Candy BSc (Hons) MSC CCAB, CSBS, CDBC. Brings together some of the leaders in the field of animal behaviour to discuss practical tips and tricks that can be utilised by shelter workers, volunteers or anyone with an interest in animal sheltering or rescue. The podcast aims to bring high quality education, to improve behaviour and welfare of animal using up to date thinking and methodologies.
Simplifying Shelter Behaviour
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5.0(31 reviews)
66 episodes
Updated Weekly
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53
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality75
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YouTube0
Engagement77
Podcast Overview
Shelter and Rescue can be difficult environments for workers and the animals in their care. This podcast, hosted by Tom Candy BSc (Hons) MSC CCAB, CSBS, CDBC. Brings together some of the leaders in the field of animal behaviour to discuss practical tips and tricks that can be utilised by shelter workers, volunteers or anyone with an interest in animal sheltering or rescue. The podcast aims to bring high quality education, to improve behaviour and welfare of animal using up to date thinking and methodologies.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/15/2023
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53
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality75
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement77
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51 minutes
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Recent Episodes
June 30, 2026
Ep. 65 Open Paw to Support Shelter Animals with Kelly Dunbar
<p>Episode Summary</p><p>In this episode, Tom Candy and Kelly Dunbar to talk about Open Paw, the training and enrichment programme reshaping how rescue centres care for dogs and cats. Co-developed in the US in 2000 by behaviourist Kelly Gorman Dunbar and, British behaviourist and author Dr Ian Dunbar, Open Paw has spent over two decades proving that shelter animals don’t have to be “unlucky inmates” waiting out their stay, they can be active “students” building the social and life skills that make them irresistible to adopters.</p><p>• What Open Paw is, a structured enrichment and training programme for shelter dogs and cats, designed to maintain good habits from previous homes and teach new ones that help animals settle into new families faster.</p><p>• The shift in shelter philosophy, moving away from viewing animals as inmates serving time, toward treating them as students at a “university of life skills.”</p><p>• Minimum Mental Health Requirements, how the programme sets enrichment standards to keep animals calm, stimulated, and ready to learn while in care.</p><p>• The four-level training programme:</p><p>◦ Level 1 – Hand-feeding kibble at the kennel front, regardless of the dog’s reaction, so dogs learn to enjoy people approaching</p><p>◦ Level 2 – Calm behaviour when people enter and exit the kennel, including lead handling</p><p>◦ Level 3 – Basic commands, manners, handling, and play</p><p>◦ Level 4 – Calm, loose-lead walking, even around people and other dogs</p><p>• Why first impressions matter, research shows potential adopters spend roughly a minute at each kennel deciding whether to meet a dog based on calm, front-facing behaviour, then make a final decision within about eight minutes of meeting them.</p><p>• Ditching the food bowl, how feeding meals through Kongs, treat balls, and dog mazes turns mealtime into mental stimulation instead of a five-second event.</p><p>• Toilet training and spot cleaning, how scheduled toileting breaks let kennels be spot-cleaned daily rather than fully hosed out, preserving familiar scents and freeing up staff time for training.</p><p>• The early results, calmer, quieter dogs within 24 hours of the pilot, most clean in kennels within days, and happier staff and dogs</p><p><strong>Kelly Dunbar</strong> is a respected behaviourist who co-founded the Open Paw programme in the United States in 2000 alongside her husband, Dr Ian Dunbar. Open Paw has since become a proven model for shelter enrichment and training, now adapted for both dogs and cats.</p><p>With 30+ years in professional dog training, and deep roots in puppy development and shelter dog programs, I now focus primarily on dog trainer mentorship, plus a limited amount of highly personalized work with dogs and households. </p><p></p><p>I teach dog training as a craft, not a doctrine. I’m pro-dog, anti-dogma, and I’m here for trainers who want clear standards, practical skill, better judgment, and a broader view of the work. </p><p> </p><p>My work helps dog trainers bridge the space between education and real-world practice, where handling skills, training methods, client communication, program design, and professional judgment all have to come together.</p><p> </p><p>• Open Paw at NAWT: <a href="https://www.nawt.org.uk/open-paw/">https://www.nawt.org.uk/open-paw/</a></p><p>• Before & After video — Open Paw for Dogs: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5jmGEstyQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5jmGEstyQ</a></p><p>• Before & After video — Open Paw for Cats: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e342PUjhX74">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e342PUjhX74</a></p><p>• Kelly Dunbar https://www.kellydunbardogtraining.com</p><p>In This Episode, We CoverGuest BiosResources & Links</p>
June 17, 2026
Ep. 64 Quality of Life Research for Shelter Dogs
<p>In this episode Tom is joined by Dr. Karen Griffin to discuss quality of life in shelter dogs and how her current research project is exploring this topic. Focusing on adapting Maslow's Hierarchy the research group aims to better understand QoL in dogs pre and post adoption </p>
June 3, 2026
Ep. 63 The Cognitive Currency of Recovery with Jo Middleton
<p>Here's a focused episode summary based on those two core ideas:</p><p>In this episode, Jo Middleton introduces the idea of an animal's <strong>emotional bank account</strong> — a framework for understanding how every interaction with a shelter or rescue animal either deposits trust, safety, and positive association, or withdraws it. For animals arriving from neglect, abuse, or prolonged kennel stress, the account is often deeply overdrawn. Jo explores how carers and new adopters can shift the balance through consistent, low-pressure positive experiences: predictable routines, choice and agency, calm handling, and simply being a reliable presence. The emphasis is on understanding that even well-intentioned interactions can constitute withdrawals — rushed handling, forced contact, or unpredictable environments all cost the animal something — and that genuine recovery requires a sustained surplus of deposits before real trust can take root.</p><p>The second half of the conversation turns to what Jo calls the <strong>stages of cognitive freedom</strong>— the progression an animal moves through as their emotional account moves from deficit into credit. In the earliest stage, cognitive bandwidth is almost entirely consumed by threat-monitoring and survival responses, leaving little room for learning, play, or connection. As the account builds, animals begin to show curiosity, engage with their environment, and tolerate uncertainty without shutting down. Jo describes the later stages as a kind of mental spaciousness — where the animal is no longer spending its cognitive currency just on staying safe, and can instead invest it in relationships and new experiences. It's a quietly profound reframe: recovery isn't just the absence of fear, but the gradual emergence of the freedom to think.</p><p>About Jo </p><p>Meet Jo, a leading expert in ethical dog rehab and Canine Principles Director. With years of experience working alongside rescues, trainers, and behaviourists, Jo has developed a unique cognitive-led approach that goes beyond traditional obedience or training or behaviour modification. She focuses on giving dogs the freedom to think, make choices, and regain control of their lives, fostering lasting behavioural change through empowerment, not enforcement.</p><p>Links </p><p>https://www.canineethics.org</p><p>https://www.donoharmdogtraining.com/hierarchy-of-dog-needs-english-download</p><p>https://www.canineprinciples.com</p>
66 total episodes available
Recent guests on Simplifying Shelter Behaviour
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Lawrence Minnis
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Kim Palermo
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Sarah Ellis
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Vicky Halls
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Dr Lisa Gunter
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Dante Camacho
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Dr. Melissa Trevathan-Minnis
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This podcast updates weekly.
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This podcast is available on 7 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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