A Sound Beginning – Using Music Therapy with Shelter & Rescue Dogs

Using music to reduce and eliminate stress in the transition period of bringing a new shelter or rescue dog home.

A Sound Beginning is a fourteen day program designed to make it easy for anyone to prevent mistakes and create a positive start from the first day you bring your new dog home.  This unique program reduces and eliminates the stress that is part of transition period for an adopted dog to acclimate to it’s new home. Based on the book of the same name, A Sound Beginning Program is used in shelters and rescues around Chicago to help abandoned dogs get positioned for a healthy, happy, long-term adoption. Julie and Steve discuss their program and the successes they’ve experienced with dogs and pet parents they’ve worked with.

Julie Dorsey-Oskerka is the co-author of “Adopting a Dog? Start Off Right With A Sound Beginning” and is founder of A Sound Beginning Program, a 14 day program designed to reduce and eliminate stress during the first days you bring your new dog home. She is a rally judge and member of APDT, the Pet Professionals Guild and Dog Writers Association of America.

Steve Frost, KPA CTP, SBA, CPBT-KA, is a Karen Pryor Academy certified trainer, a Shelter Behavior Affiliate of the IAABC and a Knowledge Assessed Certified Professional Bird Trainer. He is the shelter program manager and in-home behavioral trainer at A Sound Beginning.

Kim Merritt is a serial entrepreneur who started her first company, Kim’s Khocolate, at eleven years of age. As a teenager, she was discovered by Guy Kawasaki who invited her to make custom Khocolate for Apple. Kim went on to do business with The Rolling Stones, AT&T, MCI, Becton Dickinson, Bausch & Lomb, and Range Rover. Her second company, an e-commerce play, sold brand name dinnerware and home decor items across North America. She founded Good Dog in a Box with her sister, professional dog trainer Jenn Merritt, CPDT-KA. Her love of dogs and kids has pushed her to develop and co-develop a number of products, online training courses, and curriculums revolving around dog bite prevention and dog safety. Her latest endeavor, Good Dog Pro, is a subscription based online education system and community for dog professionals.

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1 reply
  1. Isabella R
    Isabella R says:

    This is such an interesting article! I never thought that using music could reduce dogs stress, more people need to see this and give a rescue dog a chance. When you adopt you truly are saving a life.

    Plus, I think rescue animals are much more thankful and loving as they have experienced neglect and sadness.

    Regards,
    Isabella.

    Reply

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