Shelter dogs who receive just 20 minutes a day of simple
training get adopted almost 50 percent more often than
untrained dogs.

In a study at an Indiana dog shelter, dogs were randomly
assigned to a trained or control group for a period of 8
weeks. Dogs in the trained group were trained once a
day, during which time they were desensitized to wearing
a head halter, learned to come forward in the cage when
approached, trained to walk on a leash and sit on
command, and taught not jump up on people.

Results showed that just 20 minutes of daily positive
training of shelter dogs increased their chances of being
adopted. The only other factor that improved an
individual’s chances at adoption was being good with
other dogs.

It sounds good, but how does a shelter squeeze out
another 20 minutes per dog when resources are already stretched to the limit? By creatively
using volunteers from the community.

At the shelter in this study, university students are involved in training dogs as part of a service
learning course, and volunteers are also utilized through a student-volunteer organization.

Luescher AU, Tyson MR. The effects of training and environmental alterations on adoption
success of shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2009;117(1-2):63-68.