project puppy
The pandemic turned lots of home-bound Oregonians into wide-eyed dog owners. For a while, they survived the puppy blues — until desperation called. Thankfully, trainers answered.
Written by CHLOE STRICKLAND
Photographed by CHARLIE NGUYEN
Emma Garner trains their seven- month-old pitbull mix, Crew, to not jump at strangers when she gets overexcited.
In a spacious, grassy backyard in Eugene, Oregon, Emma Garner held onto a dog leash for dear life. At the end of the leash was Crew, a 7-month-old puppy who jumped and lunged excitedly as unfamiliar faces entered the space. Garner, standing at 5 feet, 5 inches tall, held the 50-pound black pitbull mix at arm’s length as they worked to distract the puppy from the new people.
To keep Crew from unleashing her excitement on the visitors, Garner planted a foot on the slack of the leash and waited for the dog to calm down and lose interest. Once Crew was disengaged, Garner rewarded the dog with cheese from a treat pouch. Garner flooded Crew with words of praise and pats on the head before the pup noticed the strangers again.
A few weeks earlier, Garner was unable to distract Crew when the puppy was introduced to new people. During the pandemic, when Garner first adopted her at 10 weeks old, Crew would jump on people as a greeting and couldn’t be stopped.
“We had this puppy that would jump up to your chest when we came home,” Garner said, “and it was really overwhelming and hard to introduce her to people.”
Garner has plenty of company when it comes to becoming a pandemic dog owner, a special breed of pet parents. A survey by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found that between March 2020 and May 2021, more than 23 million American households — approximately one in five — adopted a dog or cat.
With a majority of pet adoptions coming from animal shelters, the newly acquired pandemic pets brought with them pre-developed behavioral problems such as house training issues, separation anxiety and hyperactivity. While the convenience of working from home made these issues tolerable at first, pet owners grew fearful for what the future held.
The ASPCA survey also found that 52% of respondents were concerned about caring for their pet when COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and 35% were struggling with their pets’ behavior. Since the world has started to reopen, shelters in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, have seen some of the previously adopted dogs return with a complete lack of training and socialization.
Megan Burroughs, the community engagement and humane education manager at the Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, said at the start of the year the shelter had a waiting list of more than 50 people who wanted to surrender a dog — that is, owners giving their adopted pets back to the shelter — and almost all of the dogs had behavioral issues.
“The surrendering of an animal that has major behavior issues is going to affect the long-term outcome of that dog or cat,” Burroughs said. “It does dissuade certain people who would more likely adopt that animal if it didn’t have behavior issues, and a lot of those issues stem from lack of training, structure and boundaries as a puppy.”
On a weekday last winter, Burroughs walked through the kennel space where the shelter keeps its dogs; barks echoed through the facility. Adoptable dogs of all breeds wagged their tails and jumped up excitedly when they saw Burroughs. In a fenced area outside, prospective dog owners mingled with shelter dogs to see if there was a bond before adopting.
With Greenhill’s hefty waiting list, the shelter must grapple with a rise of behavioral problems in its surrendered pets, according to Burroughs. The lack of healthy socialization — exposing a dog to new experiences to boost its confidence and make it comfortable in different situations –– is a leading cause of behavioral problems in dogs. When the COVID-19 lockdowns forced pet owners inside, the lack of socializing with people and other dogs intensified these issues.
“People are surrendering dogs that haven’t been left alone once in their life, and it is really hard to adopt an animal that can’t be left alone,” Burroughs said.
Burroughs has to make tough decisions regarding surrendered animals. The shelter has been forced to turn away some animals. According to Burroughs, the shelter cannot always accept a surrendered animal when it shows aggression toward strangers or is overactive.
“When an animal, especially a dog, is harming humans or is a threat to humans, that’s when we would recommend behavioral euthanasia through a veterinarian,” Burroughs said.
Burroughs speaks from personal experience; she put down her own dog because of its aggressive behavior. She explained that locking an animal in a kennel out of fear of an accident is not a way for it to live. “We want to do what’s best for the animal,” Burroughs said, “and that might mean giving them peace and dignity to go without a tragic situation.”
Owners of pandemic dogs have turned to dog trainers to remedy behavior issues and avoid surrendering or euthanizing. Garner said they always intended to find a trainer when they adopted Crew, but the task became more urgent when Crew proved to be overexcited. Even as Crew became a challenge, Garner said they have never considered surrendering their puppy.
“We were so committed from the beginning,” Garner said. “That’s like a worst case scenario, but I can’t even fathom not having her, or having to surrender her.”
Garner searched for the perfect trainer to meet Crew’s needs before finding the Eugene-based Well Mannered Dog. The facility’s founder, Debbie Schaefer, has been working with dog owners to remedy their issues caused by poor pandemic socialization. According to Schaefer, a dog with unhealthy socialization is more likely to react with aggression, barking or by chewing furniture and other household items when they are afraid.
“Socialization is about the dog’s choice to interact with the things that are in the environment,” Schaefer said. “People got the idea that they need to expose their dog but forgot that it needs to be a positive experience and a confidence booster.”
Garner contacted Schaefer last December to arrange training for Crew. After a few weeks of taking Schaefer’s “Polite Greetings” class, Crew learned the training games and was able to greet new people politely.
“I feel like I’ve learned how to communicate with my dog,” Garner said, “which feels powerful and comforting when we’re in public spaces.”
At a weekly beginners’ class last February, Schaefer stood in the middle of the room with a microphone clipped to her mask so her clients could hear her. Owners led their canine students to their assigned spaces of the room before Schaefer began her lesson. Schaefer’s training style consists of games that owners play with their dogs to help build the dog’s confidence and develop cues to listen to.
While some owners start training before their dog’s behavior worsens, others turn to trainers as a last hope.
Schaefer’s training assistant, Courtney Reinen, owns a 2-year-old black pitbull mix named Bert, who is highly reactive to other dogs. Before Reinen became Schaefer’s assistant, she was worried about the fate of her dog, whom she adopted at the start of the pandemic.
While on a walk one day, Bert lunged at another dog. Reinen tried to pull him back, but Bert bit the other dog and Reinen in the process. The incident resulted in Reinen paying a pricey vet bill and a medical office reporting the bite.
Overcoming a difficult past, Bert and his owner, Courtney Reinen, found help through behavior classes that allow him to better interact with other dogs.
“I was worried that someone was going to tell me to put him down,” said Reinen, who also feared she would be sued by the other dog’s owner. Reinen also considered surrendering Bert if his behavior didn’t improve.
As a last resort, Reinen reached out to Schaefer. Because Bert can’t be around dogs, Reinen trains with Schaefer via Zoom. Since training began in March 2021, Bert is in a much better place. Reinen doesn’t have to worry that he’ll chew up her shoes or furniture or start a fight with her cat while she’s gone. She still avoids taking him to places with other dogs to avoid potential conflict, but is hopeful Bert will be able to coexist with his canine counterparts.
“I am primarily a people trainer, not a dog trainer,” said Schaefer. “And part of that is helping them understand how the things they are doing now are going to help them meet their future goals for their dog’s long term.”
On a sunny spring afternoon, Bert trotted beside Reinen as she led him by the leash to her front yard. She rewarded him with treats after asking him to sit, jump and shake her hand. He lunged into the air when she tossed a treat for him to catch. As a couple walked past, Bert stayed focused on his owner. His ears perked up when he heard the neighbor’s dogs barking across the street and his eyes searched for the sound, but he stayed by Reinen’s side.
This wasn’t possible before training with Schaefer. In the past she would have had to hold Bert back to keep him from running after his distractions. Now, Reinen can peacefully sit in the grass of her front yard with Bert beside her and not worry.
“Recognizing the small wins and who he is now versus how unmanageable he was before is important,” Reinen said. “But we still have a long road ahead of us.”