Author: Jennifer

Nothing can cut the enjoyment out of a walk out with your dog like having your dog go berserk when they see another dog! There may be as many reasons for why dogs bark at other dogs while on leash as there are breeds of dog, but the end result is the same – and not fun for you or the other dog and person being barked at! But how can you convince your dog that this very common and natural response isn’t desired? We’ve discovered one method that works quickly and easily for many treat-motivated dogs!

How this method works…

Barking is fun. If you’re a dog that is. Some of the most common reasons that dogs bark on walks are (1) to to alert you another animal or person is coming (as if you didn’t see them too!), (2) to let you know something is making him or her uncomfortable and that more distance would feel better, or (3) to communicate something else, like to go say hello to the other pooch. Dogs get an adrenaline rush when they bark. Adrenaline feels REALLY GOOD. So, once they’ve started barking… it’s pretty close to impossible to either give them something that feels better, or feels bad enough (and isn’t cruel) to make them stop.

So…

Step #1: Anticipation
You need to anticipate when they are going to bark. Ideally, try to stay as far away from the other dog (cross the street for example) so that they are less stimulated, and BEFORE they get close enough to the other dog to start even thinking about barking (watch for staring, hackling, or growling), give them something to focus on that they really really really like, that’s even BETTER than their slightly fuzzy dog-memory of how good the adrenaline felt the last time the saw a dog and barked. That would be…

Step#2: The BEST treat in the world
You know, the one that makes them start drooling when you open the cabinet you keep it in. Eventually you can “ramp down” to lower-value treats, but when you start… stock up on those Bacon-Flavor Beggin Strips! Just like we’ll work a little harder for $100 than $10, a high value treat will increase your chances of trumping the desire to bark! It will also mean more when paired with the new behavior because the reward is greater.

Step #3: Reward Reconditioning
Currently when your dog sees another dog and barks, he gets the adrenaline reward. You want to retrain your dog so he sees another dog, he instead LOOKS AT YOU and gets the treat reward, along with a verbal reward! And not just one treat… break up your treats into tiny bits, so you can be feeding him with tiny ongoing rewards the entire time the other dog is walking by or you’re walking by the other dog. To get your dog to look at you you can try making kissy or clicking sounds, or speak a command – “watch me”, “look” or a single word like “focus”” tends to work best.

If you dog barks – stop the treats and just try to get past the other dog as quickly as you can. Crossing the street or turning to go the other way are helpful methods to head off an uncontrollable barkfest. Then start again on Step #1 with the next dog that approaches. Remember that working with your dog before he/she escalates is the only way to change the behavior and let the lesson sink in.

If treats aren’t enough to keep your dog’s attention on you and not on the other dog, you can try different treats, and you can try taking you dog to an area where other dogs are but you can stay far enough away – like outside a fenced-in dog park, to work with your dog focusing on you as you gradually move closer, maybe a few feet a day, over a few weeks of reconditioning.

Step #4:  Practice!
The more times you practice this, the more engrained the behavior of looking at you when you see another dog will become. You may find you are able to reduce the number of treats over time, but do so very gradually, if at all.

Note: Some dogs are too aroused or entrenched in their “leash aggression” for this method to work. But is a safe method to try, and you’re not going to make their leash-aggression worse as long as you don’t reward the dog after they bark!

One of the most beautiful things about dogs is that no matter how old they are (you can teach an old dog new tricks) or what their past experiences have been, they learn through association. Therefore, we can give them new associations and thus shape new behavior by positively reinforcing what we want, instead of focusing on and fighting what we don’t want. Be patient with your pup as they don’t speak our language! With patience, time, and practice your pooch will learn to understand you and you will learn to communicate the desired behavior better.

Dog aggression is a very complex issue, and there is no way we could cover all the possible reasons and solutions that a dog might bark, lunge, hackle, growl or generally go bananas when they see another dog when on leash. Very often with young or less-socialized dogs, barking at other dogs on walks isn’t leash aggression at all, rather excitement or anxiety about not knowing what to do. But we’ve found that this one method has helped us and our friends with many leash-reactive dogs, and we hope it will help you too!

Written by Jennifer Warner, Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Director of Shelter Outreach and edited by Katya Friedman, Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Director of Partnerships & Promotions and certified dog trainer.

We recently received the following letter.  We just love helping make matches like this!  Dear Adopt-a-Pet.com, If not for your Search Saver emails, I would have missed the opportunity to adopt the world’s best little dog. On July 12th I received an email  from you telling me there was a dog available at Wood’s Humane that met my criteria. Fortunately, I was able to drop everything and go down to see her. It was pretty much love at first sight. Mimi was a Beagle Cocker mix with beautiful brown eyes and a gentle manner and a loving personality.She also seemed to be bright, eager to please and well mannered. What’s not to love? She is wonderful and seems to think I am too.

I decided to crate train her which was new to both of us.  Within 24 hours she was entering her crate on her own and napping in her bed. She has perfect manners and is now walking well on a leash and is riding well in a car.  Both experiences were new to her. She needs these skills because she goes nearly everywhere with me.  We start obedience school on August 10th. You have probably guessed that we have also moved from the crate to the bed at night. I can’t thank you enough for the message that got me to her.

By the way my  friends and I have been making up breed names for her a la the doodle craze.  So far we have Beaker, Cockle, Spangle and Coggle! I’m thinking about having a contest.

Again, my deepest gratitude,
Georgie A.

Did Adopt-a-Pet.com help you find your best friend?  Would you like to share your Happy Beginnings story?  Email us at info@cms.adoptapet.com!

 

We just love it when animal-loving sites like the Wet Nose Guide feature pets for adoption! This week their adorable dog blogger Sweetie The Papillon picked another equally adorable adoptable to highlight and help find a home. Chewie, a mature Cocker Spaniel mix, is available through Adopt-a-Pet.com. He’s located in the Manhattan area, neutered, house trained, and up to date with shots. He gets along well with children, but doesn’t see eye-to-eye with cats. He’s one of the friendliest dogs around and found his way to a shelter after his owner became too ill to care for him.

He enjoys the company of others so much that his whole body breaks out into a wiggle of excitement!  At 8 years of age, Chewie is an adult and although he is evenly tempered, at times he can be nervous with new people and places. Those who know Chewie best believe he’d be a great addition to gentle families with children ages 9 and up. He enjoys meal time most, but prefers to enjoy his food on his own (he may growl or snap if you try to take it away from him)…but, who can blame him? After a long day of waggin’ he needs his energy, right? Check out a video of that tail in action! You can see his Adopt-a-Pet.com listing here: http://www.adoptapet.com/pet5841396.html

Thanks Wet Nose Guide for supporting pet adoption!

Do you have a blog or website that is featuring an Adopt-a-Pet.com pet for adoption? Let us know about it, and maybe we’ll feature your blog and pet pick here too! Email jennifer@cms.adoptapet.com.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is not an automatic death sentence! Franny, our lovely adoption-promoting friend and Guide of About.com Cats, has a very personal, detailed article posted on her site with that title. She knows how a positive result from an FIV test can be devastating to a cat owner – she herself went through it with her cat Shannon, who shared her life and her heart for 19 years. Shannon (in the photo at left) tested positive for FIV two years before he died, and Franny tells how her first instinct was to learn everything she could about the FIV virus. Her second instinct was to share it all her About Cats Guide readers, and she’s done a wonderful job! She answers such important questions that arise when the test results first come in: How could my cat have FIV? What can I do? How long does he have? I thought he had been vaccinated against FIV. Isn’t there some miracle medication he can take? She talks about the FIV Diagnosis, the different tests vets use to confirm the antibodies are present, and what an owner can do once the tests confirm that your cat does have FIV. You can click here to read Franny’s two page Cat FIV article in full. Thank you Franny, for sharing your experience to help other cat owners who’s cats have FIV!

I’ve been curious about Reiki for some time, ever since I read about a farm animal, I think a horse or a cow, getting helped at the Gentle Barn by a series of Reiki sessions. I’ve always been fascinated by scientific studies on plants that show how intention can affect a plants growth. Intention has been studied by philosophers, theologians, and legal scholars for centuries, but scientific interest is relatively new – and its spreading to fields as diverse as chocolate production, and in the case of cats and Reiki – animals! It might sound a little “out there” but I’m a big believer that there is a lot more in the world that we don’t know, than we do. And anything safe that could potentially help a sick or hurting animal is worth exploring. One of our favorite cat bloggers, The Conscious Cat,  has a great article that talks about the use of Reiki on cats. As a Reiki Master Practitioner, she explains “Reiki is a hands-on healing method that originated in Japan.  The practitioner channels healing energy through her hands to a person or a pet through a light touch either directly on the body or from a distance.” She goes on to add, “Animals, especially cats, are naturally receptive to the Reiki energy and tend to gravitate toward it readily.  Although it may be a little far-fetched, some people even say cats invented Reiki.   Cats are sensitive to energy, and because of this, they are ideal recipients for any kind of energy therapy, including Reiki.” You can read the rest of The Conscious Cat’s article on Cat Reiki here.

Several times our AdoptaPet.com staff and outside adoption experts have covered how to pick the RIGHT pet for your home. We do like focusing on the positive actions you can take, but it’s important to know what to avoid doing too! So we’ve matched some common mistakes that can result in picking the wrong pet, with some suggestions of how to avoid making them. You want the result of your pet-selection process to be that you and your family choose a pet that is the best possible match for your home and lifestyle. So along with being prepared for the work that it can take in the beginning with any new pet, knowing what common mistakes that enthusiastic, often first-time future pet owners make when they pick a pet to adopt, you can do your best to avoid them! Here they are, to help you avoid picking the wrong pet…

1. Don’t decide on a breed of pet that sounds like the best match for your home, without taking into consideration the often WIDE variation in physical and personality characteristics of individual pets. Make sure to spend time and get to know the actual pet you are going to adopt as much as possible, before deciding to adopt that individual pet.
2. Don’t adopt a new pet without doing some self reflection, planning and research first. How much time do you have in your life right now to bring in a new pet that may require training? Are you financially ready if your new pet is injured, or gets sick? For more questions to ask yourself, see our past blog article Tips to Finding the Perfect Family Pet.
3. Don’t make an impulse decision on-site. It can be overwhelming at a shelter when there are so many adorable furry faces begging you with their sad yes to “pick me pick me” and take them home! If you get emotional in a shelter setting, take a more objective family member or friend along to make sure you are making as good and rational choice of a match for your lifestyle and pet experience.
4. Don’t let your kids sway you to pick an inappropriate pet. While involving your children in the pet adoption selection and adoption process is a wonderful way to teach them about responsible pet ownership and many other important life lessons, you as the adult need to make sure the pet you adopt is a good selection. Do involve children in age-appropriate decision-making parts of the adoption process: they can help pick out the new pet’s toys, or a color of collar, and certainly making sure they and the pet get along is important too! See our past blog article for more ideas at: What Can Adopting A Pet Teach Your Children.

We hope these four tips will help you avoid picking the wrong pet, and find the right pet for you to adopt!

Home. Some cats and dogs never have one to call their own. PeoplePets.com would like to help change that by introducing you to an extraordinary homeless pet from Adopt-a-Pet.com every month. This month it’s Indira, who’s being fostered for a local rescue group by one of our own Adopt-a-Pet.com staff! Indira is a sweet-natured senior dog who may have missed her calling as a supermodel. This 7-lb. Chihuahua has legs made for the catwalk. “Some Chihuahuas have little short legs, she’s got long legs,” says foster mom. Much like a sashaying model, “she floats when she trots.” The 10-year-old pooch was at a Pasadena, Calif., shelter when Molly’s Mutts & Meows animal rescue scooped her up in May. The housetrained and well-mannered pooch was obviously someone’s pet, judging by her skills. “She’s trained to wait at the door and only go out when you say, ‘Okay, go,'” says Warner.

“She’s a little doll, one of the easiest fosters I’ve ever had,” she adds. Quiet and super friendly, Indira loves other animals and is great with gentle, calm children. “I call her Miss Social,” says Warner. “Because everyone that passes on walks she’s like, ‘Hi, hi, hi, hi.'”

The cuddly canine (who will “jump in your lap if you invite her”) has a unique white stripe on her shiny black coat, reminiscent of her namesake Indira Gandhi. And like the famous Indian politician, “She’s very politically correct in everything that she does.”

If Indira sounds like the model canine you’ve been looking for, fill out an application on the Molly’s Mutts & Meows website. To view her full profile on Adopt-a-Pet.com, click here.

 

 

If you’re a resident of Florida’s Emerald Coast area and looking for a four-legged addition to your family, let us draw your attention to Chula, a 10-month-old German Shepherd/American Bulldog mix recently rescued from a kill shelter. Chula is a medium-sized pooch who will be about 60 or 70 pounds when she’s done growing. She’s a very sweet pup with an eager-to-please personality. Although Chula does require frequent walks and regular exercise, her temperament is calm and gentle. Chula gets along well with children and other dogs. She hasn’t had any experience with cats, but she is very submissive, so we think she could learn to befriend a feline or two.

Chula walks well on a leash and understands basic commands. She’s both house and crate training, spayed, and up-to-date on all shots. To learn more about Chula, visit Alaqua Animal Rescue and Adopt-a-Pet.com.

Gerbils are social animals used to living in packs. As a matter of fact, if you have a gerbil, consider rescuing another! They prefer to live in pairs or small groups and it will increase their lifespan as well as their happiness to have other gerbil friends around. They will commonly interact with each other by boxing, jumping, and chewing which are all ways in which they love to play. These little furballs tend to be very active and need mental physical exercise. It’s easy to make sure you’re keeping your gerbil(s) entertained with the many good toys out there, most often toys which incorporate climbing or exploring — 2 more activities gerbils love to do! Keep your adopted gerbil mentally stimulated and having some fun using exercise wheels, run-about balls, tunnels and hiding toys, dust baths, and gerbil-designed chew rings and toys. Avoid to toys made out of soft plastic or any other non-gerbil-safe materials that can be chewed and swallowed, causing intestinal irritation or blockage. If you’re currently looking for a gerbil to adopt click here!

Fireworks are part of many celebrations, and are tons of fun for humans… but not so much for our furry family! July 4th especially can be a day of terror for our dogs and cats. At night the bangs and screeching of fireworks elevate your pets’ fight-or-flight drive. This can cause them to panic, wet the floor, tear up things, try to escape, run, or exhibit other distressed behavior. Be aware! This is the busiest time of year at shelters across the U.S.A. for a reason. Even if your dog or cat has never tried to escape or run, this may be the time. They may seem fine and then suddenly bolt out an open door or gate. Fireworks can start days in advance, so use our tips as soon as needed. There’s lots you can do to help your dogs and cats stay cool and safe this day of independence. Here’s how:

1. Keep your pets inside during fireworks times. Some neighborhoods this can be every night for a week leading up to the July 4th! Even normally calm pets can be startled enough by fireworks to bolt over or through a fence they previously respected. 
   
2. Keep windows AND doors closed & locked. Startled pets have been known to push or jump through screens or even cracked windows. Keep doors to the outside closed during and after when fireworks are going off, to prevent pets from bolting and slipping past you as you exit or enter. Pets can stay stressed for hours after the fireworks stop – don’t discount they may bolt even after the fireworks have died down. If possible, keep pets locked out of rooms where a door to the outside might be opened.
3. Pet ID: Check that your pets’ collars are secure, with up-to-date and readable pet ID tags. Call your microchip company to verify that their microchips have your current contact information.
4. Turn on the TV or music. Put the volume as loud enough to muffle any fireworks noises, but it doesn’t have to be blasting! If you have a CD player, definitely check out Through A Dog’s Ear — the Adopt-a-Pet.com staff uses this for their anxious dogs and they really help!
5. Don’t coddle pets if they are scared. That rewards and encourages scared behavior. Talk in a normal voice, act indifferent to the sounds. If you are calm and relaxed, this will encourage them to follow your lead.
6. Distract with a toy or chew. Give your pet a special food-stuffed toy or long-lasting chew treat, to encourage their mind focus on that, not the noises outside.
7. Daily exercise. Give your dogs and cats their normal “big” exercise session every day leading up to, on, and after the holiday. Exercise helps relieve stress.
8. Homeopathic anxiety remedies. Try one like Rescue Remedy, sold at Whole Foods and at many pet stores too, or at  rescueremedy.com. If you know your pet gets dangerously distressed during fireworks, talk to your vet about possible short-term medication.
9. Thundershirt. This reportedly helps with fireworks too! Order online at thundershirt.com.
10. Stay home with your pets. If possible, do not leave your pets alone, (and never outside), during Independence Day fireworks celebration nights.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!
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