The many animal shelter dogs nationwide, which are difficult to place, are usually so-called problem dogs that like to bite and otherwise show behavioral problems. This is also the case at the animal shelter in Kaiserslautern. This is exactly why the animal shelter is taking a step into the future – it will be the location for training as a dog specialist IHK.
“The number of dogs that have to be taken in because of problem behavior has been increasing for years. In order for the animals to have a chance to be adopted at all, they need competent care and animal welfare-compliant training,” says Anne Knauber, veterinarian and chairwoman of the Kaiserslautern Animal Welfare Association, summing up the problem of the animal shelters.
There is a lack of dog trainers with well-founded specialist knowledge
The best possible training and the successful placement of dogs that show problematic behavior is undeniably one of the most pressing problems facing animal shelters at the moment. Only with the support and training is usually such a thing. While the accommodation in the Kaiserslautern animal shelter has changed fundamentally in the past ten years, there is a lack of dog trainers with in-depth specialist knowledge.
It was Anne Knauber’s search for a dog trainer that initiated a new cooperation between the animal shelter in Kaiserslautern, the professional association of dog educators and behavioral consultants (BHV) and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in Potsdam. In her distress, the chairwoman of the animal protection association turned to the BHV, more precisely to the BHV chairwoman Annette Möckel, who herself runs a dog school in Weisenheim am Berg (Bad Dürkheim district).
Pandemic has created a training deficit in dogs
At BHV, the growing problem with conspicuous dogs that are difficult to place has been known for a long time. “The need for good dog trainers continues to increase,” Möckel sees a wave of sales of the dogs purchased in Corona times still coming to the animal shelters. As a reason, she cites the fact that more and more animal protection dogs were imported from abroad, which often ended up in inexperienced families. In addition, the pandemic has long led to a training deficit in dog schools. Now Möckel fears that many pet owners have tried to get their dogs’ abnormalities under control, first at home, then with different trainers. At the end of the chain is the animal shelter. “Good family dogs, for which there is simply no time, are not seen by animal shelters. As sad as it is, they are often sold over the Internet,” says the BHV chairwoman from her experience.
At the Potsdam Chamber of Industry and Commerce, there is already the advanced training course for professional dogs IHK, which is responsible for the entire Chamber of Industry and Commerce. “The higher vocational training to become a dog specialist lasts two and a half years,” says Kerstin Poloni, Potsdam Chamber of Industry and Commerce, presenting the new job description. It is currently the only way to acquire a further IHK degree at Bachelor level for the animal service industry. It is planned that dog specialist landlords can also work as appraisers. A prerequisite for participation in the further training is a qualification as a dog trainer and behavior consultant (IHK) and four years of professional experience.
Practical training in the animal shelter
The training to become a dog specialist takes place in different modules, which are taught via electronic learning and face-to-face classes. “In the future, the numerous face-to-face modules of the training course will take place in the animal shelter in Kaiserslautern,” Anne Knauber is proud that her animal shelter can now participate in the training of the qualified specialists that are so urgently needed nationwide. The opportunities created here in recent years were decisive for the Kaiserslautern location. A state-sponsored training hall will soon be added, the basic structure of which is already in place. The animal shelter has been the state’s dog competence center since 2017 and was awarded the animal welfare prize in 2019. “We are urgently looking for experienced dog trainers and also animal keepers,” says Knauber, addressing the shortage of staff in the animal shelter – and hopes for promising applications.
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