Shelter Dogs: How To Adopt A Dog From A Shelter

Thinking of adopting a shelter dog? Learn more about the challenges of shelter life and how you can help transition a new friend into your home.

7-tips-for-brining-home-a-shelter-dogA while back we featured Abbie’s 10 Tips For Welcoming Home Your Newly-Adopted Dog in this blog, and it was so popular, we’re revisiting the topic with this article written by Diane Anderson, an expert animal behaviorist with the Central Florida SPCA. “When you make the life saving decision to adopt a new furry friend, you have great expectations… unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go quite as planned… now what? Remember, when you adopt a pet you are making a promise to them to provide them with food, water, shelter, training and companionship. Your new pet is more than willing to hold up their side of the bargain by providing you with unconditional love!

Strain is sometimes put on the relationship when human expectations differ from reality. One must remember that any dog has the potential to become an ideal companion under the right circumstances. You must ask yourself what those circumstances might be, and then begin to implement them.

It is important to remember to build your bond with your new dog and always love the dog you HAVE, not the one you wish you did! Once your pet enters your home it becomes your responsibility to deal with their behavior, whatever it may be. If the dog is yours, so then is the responsibility.

Dogs, like us, are a combination of nature and nurture. Every dog has a behavior potential that can be shaped by consistent and positive training. Dogs are incredibly resilient; they can begin to adjust to a new life today, no matter what their past might have held. Adjustment periods can be tough, but the end result is always worth the effort! If your dog just isn’t meeting your expectations… adjust them! Make it a point to seriously tackle each problem.

7 Tips For Getting Started With a New Shelter Dog

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  1. Introductions: If you are bringing your new friend into a household with a resident dog, make sure to introduce the two on neutral ground. Go for a walk! Do NOT walk he dogs right up to one another nose to nose, a side by side walk will encourage companionship and tire them out!
  2. Behavior & Getting Comfortable: Begin obedience classes and have the whole family participate. Learn to shape what is desired rather than punish what is not. Obedience training has a settling effect on a dog and gives you an opportunity to bond and re-direct focus. Take time to touch your new dog all over. (Feet, ears, teeth, tail, paws…) This will make trips to the groomer and veterinarian easier for everyone!
  3. Around the Home: Remember to dog-proof your home. (Especially important with puppies!) Walk around your house and yard and move anything you do not want the dog to get a hold of. If you do not want your new dog in certain rooms of the house, purchase baby gates to block their way. Remember it is YOUR responsibility to keep your dog away from things you do not want destroyed or that might be harmful to them.
  4. Buying A Crate: If you will be crate training your dog, make sure to purchase a crate that is just large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in; no more, no less. If you are buying a crate for your puppy to grow into, you can block off part of it with cement blocks. Stainless steel water and food bowls are recommended as they can not be torn up and ingested. Also, be sure to look for durable bedding; hard to chew up and easy to clean will make your life much easier!
  5. What To Buy: You will want to purchase a simple 4-6 foot nylon leash with collar. No flexi-leads, harnesses or pinch collars will be necessary with proper training. You’ll want some toys as well. Get a nice variety and then rotate them every month so your dog doesn’t get bored. Hard Rubber toys are wonderful for dogs who chew, especially those that can be stuffed with anything from peanut butter and cream cheese to wet food and bananas! (You can freeze them to keep your pooch busy for a longer period of time!)
  6. When Feeding: Feed them their food at set times. As long as they are healthy, when they are hungry, they’ll eat. (If will not eat anything for a day, check with your vet.) Do not leave food down for longer that 20 minutes; after that pick it up. Also, refrain from ‘free feeding’ your dog. It can lead to obesity and makes it difficult for you to monitor their eating habits.
  7. Vet Visits: Even if your pet is healthy, make an appointment for your new dog at your veterinarian about two weeks after they’ve joined your household.
  8. House Rules: Make sure the entire family understands the ‘doggy’ rules and that there is a clear consensus of what behaviors are to be reinforced and which ones will not.

If all of this sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is! But life with out dogs is not much of a life at all… in my opinion anyway!”

This post was written by Diane Anderson, she is an expert animal behaviorist with the Central Florida SPCA: www.orlandopets.org
Learn more about Jennifer, our blog author at Google+

Help my cat stopped using the litterbox!

Cat Sniffing LitterboxOne of the most frustrating behaviors for a cat owner is litterbox issues. If only cats could talk to tell us why they weren’t using their litterbox! There are so many reasons cats stop or won’t use their litterbox 100% of the time, it can take some detective work to figure out the reason or reasons. This blog article will give you a step-by-step process to figure out why and fix the problem. Myself and many cat owners I know have personally used these steps to solve litterbox problems with many cats, from young kittens to seniors. Litterbox issues are one of the main reasons cats are surrendered to shelters, but often it doesn’t have to be that way. To make these steps easier to understand, I’ll call your litterbox-avoiding cat Kitty.

PLEASE NOTE!!

This article was originally published in 2010. Since then, with two more years of using these steps, we tweaked them for slightly FASTER and easier (on both you and your cat) fixing of litterbox problems. So…

Click here for our current improved steps to help your cat litterbox issues!

Our original steps still do work! We’ve kept them here for archival purpose:

Cats can be sensitive and effected by your mood. They might not show it in a way you understand, but if you are stressed or unhappy when your are cleaning their litterbox, Kitty will pick up on that and may think that’s a reason to avoid the litterbox! Can you change your litterbox habits? Sometimes buying a pretty new litterbox and scented litter makes you feel better, and then “miraculously” your cat will start using it again! Also, as your Kitty gets back on track, don’t forget to lavishly praise Kitty each time they get it right, and reward him or her with their favorite treat.

Step 1.
The easiest and instant thing you can try is a second, brand new litterbox with new litter in a new location. If possible, remove any items they went on outside the box (carpets, etc), clean the area with an enzyme pet-cleaner, and keep them way from that area by covering it with a plant, coffe table, or best yet, close them out of that room.

Sometimes the new location is not where you want the litterbox, but you may have to start with it there, and try gradually (one foot a day) move it back to where you want it located. Many cats prefer scented (or unscented) clay litter, or even potting soil or sandy dirt. Nothing fancy! There is even a litter product called “Cat Attract” that is specially scented to attract cats to use it, and it worked instantly for my friends new foster cat who was peeing on all her dog’s beds. But I’ve had the same instant “fix” with regular clay clumping litter. I prefer the all-natural litters for the health of my cats, but some cats just don’t like them!

Step 2.
If the brand new box, litter & location didn’t fix your problem in one day, next you should take Kitty to your vet ASAP to rule out any medical causes. Often times cats will stop using their box when something is medically wrong and they aren’t feeling well. Once you’ve ruled out a medical problem, you can continue the detective work it takes to find out what is the problem, and then be able to fix it! Here are the steps most vets will recommend:

1. Your vet does a urinalysis to check for infection.

2. Your vet does for urine CULTURE for elevated bacteria.

3. While you’re waiting for the culture test results (they can take up to a week) confine Kitty in your bathroom with their litterbox, bed, food water. Kitty will likely not be happy being locked in the bathroom, but this step is essential, and it is only for  a week – by comparison, if you boarded your cat at the vet, they would be kept in a kennel smaller than most bathrooms.

4. Make sure the box is REALLY clean. Dump all the litter out, scrub it with a cat enzyme cleaner (not an ammonia product!), start with 100% fresh new litter.

If Kitty’s two test results both come back negative, and the vet says Kitty is healthy, then see if Step 3a or 3b applies to your cat…

Step 3a. Kitty did NOT use the box while confined (skip to 3b if he did)

Kitty may not like the type of litter, the depth of litter, or the style of litterbox. Try one of these changes for a couple of days, then try another one if that didn’t work. Yes, this takes a while, but there are so many options! In this order, try:

  1. A brand new litter box – as big as possible, uncovered, with the lowest sides possible.
  2. A different type of litter – unscented, clay, pine, clumping, etc.
  3. Use plain dirt. Potting soil is often irresistible.
  4. A different depth of litter (shallower, deeper).

Some cats have a painful association with going inside a box. So if all the above fails, cover the floor with newspaper-  every square inch! If Kitty was going in the tub, put the newspaper in there. Most cats will go in one spot on the floor. Gradually pick up the newspaper where the cat is not going (one or two sheets removed a day). When you are down to two sheets where Kitty is going regularly, take a sheet that has some urine on it and put it on top of a flat piece of cardboard box, or on a cookie tray.

Now there should be newspaper only on top of the box/tray, and none on the floor. If Kitty continues to go on the paper on the box/tray, try a brand new low-sided uncovered litterbox (so it won’t smell anything like litter) in the same spot, and put some urine scented newspaper in it. Then the next day, try putting a handful of a new kind of litter in it, that doesn’t smell anything like their old litter. So if they were using clay litter, try the pine dust or ground up corn litter. Often with baby steps you can have them graduate back up to a real litterbox with litter, but sometimes you may have to stick to newspaper or dirt. Its better than your laundry basket! If at any point during the re-introduction process they revert to going on the uncovered floor, do not panic. An accident or two may happen. But if it’s more than once or twice, you should take a few steps back and proceed more slowly. If the cat was really traumatized, it can take weeks. But a few weeks in a bathroom, while not fun, is worth the chance of getting your cat back to using his litterbox (and it’s a lot nicer than returning your cat to the shelter).

Step 3b. Kitty DID use the box while confined

  • Location issue. If that is not where you had the litterboxes before, try letting the cat out and leaving the box in the bathroom. If they continue to use the box there, that means they did not like the other non-bathroom locations. If you don’t want the box in the bathroom, try a 2nd box in other new locations (not the old location) until they start using the 2nd box, then take up the bathroom box.
  • Stress. He could be upset over a change in his routine, by someone or something new in the house, or something you can’t figure out! Whatever the cause, you can try these three stress-fixers:
    1. Daily dose of the homeopathic remedy Rescue Remedy, available in most health food stores (it’s for people too) and some pet stores. Effects are immediate.
    2. A spray on or plugin that has helped many litterbox-avoiding cats is Feliway www.feliway.com
    3. Your vet can prescribe Kitty the cat version of prozac while you “retrain” them to use the box. This generally takes a couple of weeks to take full effect.
  • Stress over your absence. If he only does it while you are gone, it might be your absence that is causing the stress. The cat may need bathroom time (close him in the bathroom with a litter box, food, water and a bed) even if you only go out for five minutes. Also try the remedies in the above ‘stress’ bullet point above.
  • Cleanliness. Your old litterbox may not have been kept clean enough for him. Continue to keep the box super clean, with weekly scrubbing.What are you cleaning up with?  If the old smell is not removed, he may continue to go on that spot. There are articles and articles on getting cat urine smell out of household items – a lot of finding one that works for your cat is trial and error. We’ve hear that a biological laundry detergent with water soaking the area for 24 hours and then flushing it can remove it. With carpets, often the only solution is to remove them. Clean all the areas where your cat has gone and then rub a soft cloth over his cheeks, then rub the cloth where he went to the bathroom. This spread the cat’s pheromones and scent onto that surface, and should stop your cat from feeling the need to put them there himself.
  • Smell. There may have been something the cat smelled it was trying to mark or cover up. If the cat is urinating in a particular place it could be new smells it feels must be covered up, such as a garbage bin, a door leading to the outside, laundry, a new bag of groceries, even a new family moving in next door whose smells are now coming into your home. If this is the case, you can either wait it out, confining the cat to a smaller room where the urinating will not be as much of a problem (a bathroom), or medication from your vet might help until he gets used to the change (a few months) or is confident his old routine is established.
  • Territory. Does Kitty go on the door, or the rug by the door?  It could be territorial marking. Try blocking off where Kitty can see/hear/smell any other cats or dogs outside.

Step 4.
If you’ve tried the first 3 steps without success

With patience, deductive powers and our suggestions, we hope your cat will be using his litterbox very soon!
Learn more about Jennifer, our blog author at Google+

New Puppy Tips: What To Do When You Get A Puppy

Getting ready to adopt a new puppy? These guidelines will help you prepare for the arrival and first few months with your new pup.

why puppy-proofing is importantGetting ready to adopt a new puppy? These guidelines are not a complete guide to raising a puppy (there are entire books devoted to that topic!) but will give you some of the basics, to help you prepare for the arrival and first few months of your new puppy. This basic training, socialization, and guidelines can be used starting at the age of 8 weeks, the earliest age at which most people would be bringing a puppy into their home. If your puppy is slightly older, as long as they are under 6 months old, these steps can still be followed. For puppies older than 6 months, many of these tips still apply, but start with our 10 Tips For Welcoming Home Your Newly-Adopted Dog blog article, and stay tuned to this blog for future older puppy & dog training articles here too.

Prepare for puppy’s arrival

Being prepared can mean the difference between getting a good start, or getting started off on the wrong paw. A puppy needs a safe, warm environment. Being raised indoors with as much human contact as possible is critical at this stage. Make sure you have all the basic supplies you need, including a great dog food. For tips on dog nutrition, click here!

* Puppy-proof a play area. Puppies will chew everything, from electrical wires to socks and shoes. You need a secure, puppy-proof, enclosed area and a crate for those times you cannot directly supervise your puppy (see our article about crate training for tips). Puppies typically are not housebroken, and should be kept in an area when it is ok to have accidents.

* Establish a daily routine from day one. A puppy feels secure having dinner, playtime, lessons and walks at the same time each day. Also, being left alone all day on Monday after having spent his entire first weekend with you can cause lots of anxiety! If you do bring him home on a weekend, leave him alone for progressively longer periods of time. Schedule your puppy’s feedings so that all meals are fed by 5-6 pm (if you go to bed at 11), and so your puppy drinks very little water after that. Be regular about your (and your puppy’s) bedtime and time getting up in the morning to help your puppy learn to hold it through the night.

* Establish your house rules. If you do not want your adult dog on the furniture or jumping up, do not allow the puppy on the furniture or to jump up. Ask all visitors (and family members!) to follow your house rules. No matter how cute it is when he’s tiny, most people do not want their full grown dog jumping on everyone.

* How you deal with crying, whining and barking. This depends your puppy’s age, temperament and experiences. There are preventative steps you can take for training your puppy not to cry in his crate during the night (which we will detail in our future crate-training blog article) but we’ll mention a key point: The worst thing to do is to let the puppy cry and bark for a long time, and then go get it out or give it attention. When you do that, you teach the puppy to PERSISTENTLY make noise in the crate, because you have shown the puppy that persistence pays! You don’t want to respond quickly to a puppy making noise in the crate, provided you are sure the puppy’s needs have been met.

Teaching basic commands

At the minimum, your dog should learn to come when called, walk on a leash and sit/stay.

* Never repeat a command. Repetition is dulling, and having the puppy ignore you when you say “come here come here come here” is training him NOT to come when called.

* Try saying “come here” in a fun, high tone of voice every time the puppy starts running towards you,and give the puppy lots of rewards/tummy rubs/verbal and food treats whenever he comes running to you.

* Say “Good sit!” every time the puppy sits for the first week. Then begin asking for a sit, and use a treat to lead the puppy by the nose toward you, then put your hand over the puppies head to so he looks up, and backs into a sit (this can take some practice – on your part!). You can also use your other hand or a wall to gently stop the puppy from backing up as you lead the nose up and back. Do not push down on their behind to ‘make’ them sit. You want to teach them to sit on their own!

* If the puppy does something undesirable, you can use a calm, firm “no”, but avoid a harsh tone and never yell and NEVER use physical punishment. Punishment and yelling serve only to make your puppy afraid of you. Cowering does not mean your puppy ‘knows’ he did something wrong, he is just reacting to your voice right at that moment and showing submission. It will not help him learn what is the right thing to do. If your puppy is cowering when you are verbally correcting him, use a softer tone of voice, and focus on rewarding the positive and avoiding/redirecting negative behaviors.

* Be consistent. Always use the same command to elicit the same result. Don’t use the same word to mean two different things. When you say “down” do you mean lie down or get off the counter? When you clap, does that mean “come here” or “stop chewing on that sofa leg”?

* Socialization during a puppy’s early months is critical. Time spent with the family means the puppy will become comfortable with the sights, smells and sounds that people make, and grow up accustomed to them, rather than afraid of them. Puppies can usually be left alone in a puppy-safe area (crate, kitchen, puppy run) for 1-2 hours for every month of age (i.e., a 2 month old puppy can be alone for 2-3 hours). Leaving young puppies alone for too long means they are not being properly socialized. Try to plan your absences during naptime, or play with your puppy to tire him out before leaving. Using safe toys to entertain while you are gone, such as rubber toys stuffed with goodies, can make time alone easier. Crates can make being alone less frightening as well, by giving them a small secure “den”.

What’s next?

With the basic guidelines above, you are off to a good start getting ready for your new puppy! You’ll want to read up on housebreaking, teaching bite inhibition, possibly crate training, and when your puppy is fully vaccinated (usually at 4  months old), walking on leash and exploring the world outside your home. Enroll your puppy in a puppy socialization class, and then follow up with  a good dog obedience class. Dog training and socialization are an ongoing process usually throughout a dog’s adolescence, and are a wonderful way for you and your dog to enjoy time together, and with other dogs.

How To Introduce A New Puppy To Your Adult Dog

Introducing a new puppy to your dog? Get expert tips for a seamless introduction between your new dog and adult dog.

This is the first in our series of puppy, dog, and cat behavior articles, to help readers with their newly adopted pets! The method I describe below is for DOG-FRIENDLY adult dogs. If you do not know if your dog is good with other dogs, or has ever shown any type of aggression to another dog (growling, snarling, barking), please do the introduction with a trainer or behaviorist present.

Ideally, you’ll have assessed your household’s current dog(s) before you add a puppy to the mix. Consider the physical condition of your current animals. Many people think getting a puppy will ‘liven up’ their older dog. Most older or calm/quiet dogs are quite content as they are and may be intolerant and very unhappy with a puppy’s boisterous behavior. In multi-dog households, a new puppy can throw off the balance and everyone might need some reminding of their training. A temperament and energy level match for your current pets is usually the best match, but if you do end up with a puppy and older dog, here are some suggestions to get it off to the best start!

– Get ready. Make sure your dog(s) are current on all their vaccinations, including bordatella (kennel cough) especially if the puppy is coming from a shelter or rescue kennel, or has been exposed to other dogs within the last 2 weeks that were from or in a kennel. Get your vet’s recommendations whether total separation (quarantine) is needed and for how long. There are many potentially fatal diseases that puppies can be ‘incubating’ that will not show up for up to two weeks. Altered pets are less likely to be territorial, so getting your current dogs fixed at least 1 month before introducing a puppy is recommended. Also treat your current dogs for fleas and other parasite prevention as recommended by your vet.

– Total separation. Just having the new puppy in the house is enough for your older dog to get used to, without having to deal with the puppy jumping all over him and his toys, bed etc. Try to have the puppy’s starter room be one that your adult dog does not use for sleeping or eating and is puppy-proof (bathrooms work well), or use a crate. Feed, play and train separately, giving equal time to both dogs.

– First introduction. Pick neutral and unfamiliar territory, such as a street or park you don’t usually visit, or if the puppy has not completed his vaccinations yet, ask a neighbor if you can use their yard. All dogs and new puppy should be on leashes. If you have more than one dog already at home, introduce them to the puppy one at a time. Start with the most friendly and submissive of your dogs.

For a really young puppy (4 months and under): start by having a friend holding the puppy in their arms. With your friendly adult dog on leash, let him take a good sniff. Then separate them, put the puppy down (puppy also on leash) and allow the dogs to approach one another at their own speed. For an older puppy or one that’s too big to be easily held, you can start with both dogs on leash, and let the adult dog approach and stiff while you restrain the puppy from jumping or doing the sniffing, it’s his turn only after the adult dog is done.

Stay relaxed! The dogs can sense if you are tense. Try to keep the leashes slack at all times. Verbal encouragement, such as “good dogs!” reinforce any good behavior. If the adult dog wants to stay away from the puppy, do not “force” him to say hello.

If there is any growling or other signs of aggression, you may need to do a slower introduction, such as walks around the neighborhood together, with the puppy walking behind (not able to touch) the adult dog. If the aggression continues, consult a behaviorist or trainer. If all goes well, allow the dogs to spend five or ten minutes together and then proceed to the next step.

– Short sessions. Going on walks together is a wonderful bonding activity! Even one or two walks a day is enough time together for the first week. If all goes well, you can progress to supervised off-leash access to one another, often after a big walk together, when both will be more relaxed after the exercise. Pick the largest play area possible so the dogs have room to move around. Remove all toys from the mutual play area to avoid possible fights over toys. End the play session if the older dog repeatedly exhibits ‘lay off me’ behavior such as trying to avoid the puppy, showing teeth, or growling/snapping. See next section.

– Allowable behaviors. Especially before the age of 4 months, or if they have not been around other dogs, puppies may not recognize subtle body language signals from adult dogs that they have had enough. Well-socialized adult dogs with good temperaments can set limits with puppies with a growl or lip-curl. These behaviors should be allowed, within reason – once or twice is ok, especially if puppy “learns” and stops the behavior. Do NOT correct an adult dog that is showing “correct” back off signals, but do step in to stop the reason for them: don’t allow your puppy to continue to harass your adult dog with too-rough or unwanted play. Step in and redirect puppy’s teeth onto a toy and get him to play with you instead, or end the play session completely.

For the most part, dogs adjust to puppies over time, but since the consequences of a problem can be severe, it is wise to follow a slow introduction process as outlined above to ensure all goes well with adding a new puppy to your home.

For introducing adult dogs, see our Multi-dog Home tips here.