Best ways to reduce stress in shelter animals - Ep 2

Guest: Kelley Bollen, a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with a master’s degree in Animal Behavior Main Question: What are the best ways to reduce stress in shelter animals? Takeaways: 1. Have an immediate hiding place for cats when they come into the shelter. Cats get sick very quickly; having a hiding place, decreases their stress. 2. Try to give dogs lots of aerobic exercise – it wears them out, it decreases their stress, and makes them less likely to bark. 3. Volunteers can help with a lot of this. They can bring in boxes for cats to hide in, they can walk dogs, they can play with the animals to destress them. So be sure you're tapping into your volunteer program to decrease stress for the animals in your shelter. Guest bio: Kelley has worked in the field of companion animal behavior for 20 years. Kelley consults with animal shelters across the country on the design and implementation of comprehensive behavior programs to improve the welfare of the animals. Show links * Kelley Bollen Consulting * More on the Ivy Lee Method * Comment and ask questions on the podcast's Facebook page Recorded pre-COVID.