ep. 71 Supporting Adopters to Settle in Rescue Dogs with Samantha Wayland

<p>In this episode, Tom is joined by Samantha Wayland of Samantha Wayland Dog Training, co-founder of the Rescue Dog Care Network (RDCN), to explore how rescue staff, volunteers and trainers can better support people adopting dogs from overseas. Drawing on her experience fostering 60 to 70 dogs, Samantha shares why preparing adopters before their dog arrives is so important, particularly when it comes to setting realistic expectations and helping experienced owners recognise that every dog is different.</p><p>They discuss how we can help adopters understand their individual dog&#39;s needs, encourage them to offer choice and go at the dog&#39;s pace, and empower them to advocate for their dog. Samantha and Tom also reflect on the value of being a sounding board for adopters overwhelmed by conflicting information, building trusting relationships so people feel able to ask for help early, and why investing time upfront saves time, and placements, later on.</p><p>about Samantha </p><p><br></p><p>Samantha Wayland is a dog trainer and rescue behavioural consultant based in Thurrock, Essex, and co-founder of the Rescue Dog Care Network (RDCN). Her journey began in 2015 when she and her family started fostering overseas rescue dogs, and as more fearful and shut-down dogs came into their care, Samantha immersed herself in canine behaviour, trauma-informed training and fear-free approaches. Today she specialises in nervous and shut-down dogs, supporting both dogs and their people to build trust and confidence at their own pace, and works with rescues to deliver pre-arrival sessions for adopters of overseas dogs. Her approach is force free, science led and non-judgemental, and her own rescue dog Zylvie, who arrived completely shut down, remains the inspiration behind her work.</p><p><br></p><p>Links </p><p>Supporting overseas rescue dogs with Toby Craze https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wNuKRbYkY6jMNghSCJXA4?si=92deb75fe500420a</p><p><br></p><p>Rescue dog care network</p><p>https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/997555108739648/&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjz57zhKaXAxXJVfEDHYRpCagQFnoECCMQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Xk9WuSnRtOO_UEpAwYjmL</p><p><br></p><p>Samatha Wayland </p><p>https://www.samanthawaylanddogtraining.com</p><p><br></p>