We at the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) believe in positive reinforcement, reward-based training methods when it comes to turning our pups into well-behaved pets.

This includes rewarding calm behavior, and providing the skills they need to thrive. In the second part of this series, we will introduce some techniques to help with crate training and curbing jumping behaviors.

To read part one in this series click here!

Crate Training

Crate training should be happening when you are home and when you leave.

This is something that is vital for a dog to learn to be away from you, even if you are still in the house.

This teaches them to be independent from you rather than being attached to you when you are home, and having to be detached when you leave. It is also a great skill when you have family, friends, or someone doing work in your home that aren’t too fond of dogs.

Your pup is used to being in their ‘bedroom’ whether people are home or not. It’s also a great skill to have if you travel with your dog. You could put their crate in the middle of Times Square and they would be happy in it because it’s their safe/happy place!

Jumping

This is a greeting that is self-reinforced for dogs.  Typically it is human nature for us to react to dogs AFTER a dog jumps up on people — but it’s one of the most predictable behaviors that a dog will offer when greeting new people.

Working on greeting skills.

If a dog jumps up we say, ‘No!’ (talk), or push them down (touch) and look directly at them (eye contact) so the dog has actually been reinforced for that behavior.

Instead – we prepare for the dog to jump.

If you are alone – simply ignore the dog even if you have to put your hands up in front of your face so you don’t look at the dog and you can shield yourself from their jumping.

If you have another person in the home then it’s easy, and here’s an exercise to help curb this behavior.

Greeting Exercise

Typically, when people come through the door, the action of a person coming through the door is what triggers the dog’s excitement reaction.

It often does not matter who is entering.  When people enter the home, the dog has the freedom to run to the person and start jumping on them.

This is the only behavior they have learned, and guess what? It works to get what they want because as previously stated, people are forced to respond by talking, touching, and making eye contact.

What we need to do as pet owners is give the dogs an alternative, more appropriate behavior that works to get what they want.

How the Name Game Works with the Greeting Exercise

Fill a treat pouch with high-value, delicious treats.

The higher the distraction, the higher-value the food needs to be.

Have the leash on your dog’s collar well before the person is entering. When the person is a few minutes away call your dog’s name and when she looks at you offer a delicious food treat.

Bring your dog over to a corner far enough away from the door way maybe even in another room. Have the leash loop around your wrist and step on the leash so that if your dog gets up to go she can’t go far and you don’t lose focus or footing.

As the person is entering, feed your dog with delicious high-value food (rapid fire treats!) to where the dog cannot focus on anything else but the food.

Keep feeding and once the person is in and settled, you can drop the leash and go right into Name Game with your dog.

Your dog will probably go right to the person, however, you are the one with the hot dogs, so before the dog gets to the new person simply and excitedly say your dog’s name, ‘Spot!’ and air kiss or click with your mouth. The dog will consider going to you, and when you see that consideration start getting all excited, saying yes and clapping, and when your dog changes her mind and goes running to you, feed delicious food and praise.

Continue name game for a little bit until the dog realizes it pays better to be with you rather than jumping all over the guest.

This can be practiced with family members and used when guests come over.

If you repeat this for the next 100 people that walk through your door, you will soon see your dog running towards you rather than running towards the guest.

Remember – no cues or commands – it is all done with the environmental cue of people walking through the door. And presto, you have created an alternative behavior to jumping on people!

ARL FREE Pet Behavior Helpline

ARL’s Pet Behavior Helpline is a FREE service, and can answer basic behavioral questions about your pet, such as excessive barking, crate training, house soiling, or if you are looking for ways to stave off your pet’s boredom.

If you have questions, please call the Pet Behavior Helpline at (617) 226-5666 or via email behaviorhelpline@arlboston.org and an ARL representative will get back to you within 48 hours.

Dogs will do whatever it takes to get them what they want. That is the only thing innate in dogs.

Therefore, if whining, barking and jumping up on their owners or on visitors gets them attention such as talk, touching and eye-contact, then the behavior is inadvertently reinforced and they will continue the whining, barking and jumping because it works to get what they want.

We tend to forget that dogs are a different species than humans, and we believe that it is ‘rude’ to ignore another human, then it’s ‘rude’ to ignore your dog regardless of what behavior they are offering. However, for dogs it actually works opposite, when dogs are not interested in interacting with another dog, they will ignore that dog — the dog looking to interact understands and simply walks away.

This is an important concept as we begin training.

The Covid-19 Effect

With many of us spending a lot more time at home in the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of animal adoptions has dramatically increased.

We may be home now, but consider what happens when we go back to work full time after the pandemic wanes, and begin to be away from home more.

Animals adopted during the pandemic tend to have a higher chance of developing some level of stress and anxiety when they are left alone for the first time, and the majority of stress and anxiety stems from the above: Pet parents giving their dogs attention (talk, touch and eye contact), even if their dogs behavior isn’t appropriate.

When that same pet parent leaves their dog alone, the dog will try all of those behaviors that work to get what they want, and when none of these behaviors work to get their owners to return – this often leads the animal to experience an increased amount of anxiety and stress.

We can start to help them cope with separation by changing the way they get attention from us by rewarding calm behavior.

Rewarding Calm Behavior

What you can do to alleviate some of the pushy/demanding behavior that might be inadvertently reinforced while you are with your dog is to follow a Rewarding Calm Behavior plan — this will be more challenging for the humans than it will be for the dogs, trust me!

Let’s break the plan down:

1. Ignore

• When your dog approaches, paws, nudges, whines, barks or does any of the ‘normal’ behavior when seeking attention IGNORE them!
• No talking, no touching and definitely no eye contact
• Don’t give them any cues or commands, don’t acknowledge them at all. Simply be patient and wait for them to GIVE UP and leave you alone, walk away or wait until they go to lay down
• Let them settle for a count of 10 seconds or more then go over to them and engage with them by using a simple ‘gooood dog!’ or ‘nice job!’.

2. Staying calm while preparing meals or preparing for walk

• If your dog typically runs all over the place when you start making their meals or go to get their leash — abort mission
• Put the food away or put the leash away and go back to what you were doing — no acknowledgment of them at all
• Try again in 10-30 seconds, and if they run around and get all excited — again abort mission and continue in that regard
• At about the fourth or fifth time they will think twice about running around the house or getting too excited
• Then you can proceed. Keep in mind, if they get amped up again – abort mission!

3. Make your dog work

• Remember – this is making your dog WORK to figure out what works to get them what they want.
• This will help them burn energy and it will help them realize being calm earns love and attention rather than giving into them on every whim.

4. The hard truth

• Your dogs’ attention-seeking/pushy behavior will get worse before it gets better – stay the course and be consistent – they will figure this out!

This will help get your dog on the good behavior path and stay tuned for part II where we’ll cover crate training, jumping, and introduce you to a valuable exercise!

Click here to read Part II of “How Dogs Learn”.

ARL FREE Pet Behavior Helpline

ARL’s Pet Behavior Helpline is a FREE service, and can answer basic behavioral questions about your pet, such as excessive barking, crate training, house soiling, or if you are looking for ways to stave off your pet’s boredom.

If you have questions, please call the Pet Behavior Helpline at (617) 226-5666 or via email behaviorhelpline@arlboston.org and an ARL representative will get back to you within 48 hours.

Looking for one-on-one dog training help? Sign up for a private training lesson at ARL.

Tommy Girl, a 2-year-old cat, was surrendered to the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center in late December and it was clear from the initial intake that she wasn’t well.

She was dehydrated, running a fever and was suffering from pyometra, an infection of the uterus that can be fatal if not treated.

Tommy Girl.

Tommy Girl was spayed, removing the uterus and ovaries, and she was then placed on medication, fluids and a quiet place to recover.

Given the severity of the pyometra, ARL’s shelter medicine staff were unsure if she would survive.

“Due to the chronic pyometra in her abdomen, and potential for life-threatening sepsis, Tommy Girl’s condition was guarded for the first 24 hours,” said Dr. Amelia Sikora, ARL Community and Shelter Medicine Veterinarian. “Luckily, she showed her strength and rebounded.”

With Tommy Girl continuing to have a lack of appetite following surgery, staff and volunteers kept a close watch on her condition and were even giving her kitten food via syringe, just to make sure she was receiving enough nourishment to help in her recovery.

Slowly Tommy Girl began to eat regularly, gain weight and about three weeks following surgery was ready to find her forever home.

While she is still mending, this past week Tommy Girl found her perfect match and will finish her recovery in her new quiet and loving forever home!

You Make This Important Work Possible

Thanks to your generous support, Tommy Girl was able to receive the excellent veterinary care she needed to get a second chance.

This is a fantastic outcome, but there are many animals like Tommy Girl who need your continued support.

Click here to ensure ARL can continue providing emergency, follow-up and preventative care for animals like Tommy Girl through 2021 and beyond – thank you for being a Champion for Animals!

Many people welcomed a new animal family member in their homes during 2020, and this will be their first holiday season together.

While the holiday season can bring joy to the humans in your household, it can also be a sensory overload for pets.  Bright lights, shiny objects, trees inside the home, new sounds and smells can make pets both anxious and curious about the abrupt change in their surroundings.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) shares these 5 tips for keeping all the furry members of your household safe during the holiday festivities:

1. Decorate with care. Ribbons and tinsel are especially attractive and hazardous to cats. Holiday plants like mistletoe, holly, lilies, and poinsettias can cause vomiting, upset stomach, and blisters in your pet’s mouth.
2. Secure your tree. Your frisky feline won’t be the first to topple over a 6-foot fir! Support your tree with a sturdy stand and wires to prevent tipping, should they decide to make a leap for it. For your canine companions, consider surrounding the base with a baby gate and hanging fragile ornaments higher on your tree. Also, watch for tree water spillage that might contain fertilizers and other toxic chemicals.
3. Menorah or candle placement. Avoid placing the menorah, or lit candles anywhere your pet can reach or on a surface that can be toppled over.
4. Watch out for wires. Chewing on electrical cords can cause severe oral burns and even fatal shocks for cats and dogs. Secure cords with plastic casing you can find at a hardware store, or cover with a bitter-tasting, non-toxic product from your local pet supply shop.
5. Plan your pet’s meal around yours. This will keep your pet occupied and will make them less likely to try and partake in your holiday. Common holiday foods that can be toxic to our pets include: turkey skin, poultry bones, mushrooms, onions, grapes, raisins, certain types of nuts, raw dough, chocolate, and dairy products.

Planning on adopting a pet for a family member or loved one?  Please don’t make it a surprise!  Bringing a new pet into a home is a huge decision and commitment, and the entire household should be involved in the process. There should be a conversation to see if the person not only wants a pet, but also what type of pet would best suit their lifestyle and living situation.

Yes, the puppy with the big red bow around its neck is a great image, but if you really want to get a pet as a gift, I would recommend giving a stuffed animal as a place-holder until the recipient is ready to take the next steps.

If you’re spending your holidays with a new pet than you’ve already received the best gift! Please, keep these tips in mind so we can all have a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.

“Lexi” overcoming health and behavioral issues

Every animal in the care of the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) deserves a loving home for the holidays, and every adoption is special. But sometimes animals have to overcome hurdles in order to find their perfect match, which was the case for Lexi, a nine-year-old cat who recently found her new home.

Lexi’s journey with ARL actually began in 2017.

Lexi was adopted and returned twice, both for the same concern: house-soiling.

There are numerous reasons as to why a cat would house-soil – it could be a serious underlying medical condition, age, or, in Lexi’s case, her house-soiling was ultimately a byproduct of anxiety.

Additionally, this past summer Lexi was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism — a common disease of older cats in which a benign tumor forms on the thyroid gland.  This tumor secrets excess thyroid hormone and can cause symptoms such as weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, behavioral changes, and a voracious appetite.

Aside from her medical concerns, Lexi is an incredibly affectionate, easy-going and gentle lap cat, but needed to find her perfect match.

As with any animal in the care of ARL, she underwent a thorough veterinary exam and diagnostics revealed the hyperthyroidism, which she is currently taking medication for. Additionally, through close observation, staff at ARL’s Brewster Animal Care and Adoption Center realized that Lexi’s house-soiling was likely due to stress and anxiety.

Lexi began a regimen of anti-anxiety medication, and with her medical and behavioral issues in check, she was ready to find her new home.

With Lexi’s loveable personality, it didn’t take long to find her the perfect forever home, and she is thriving in her new environment!

Double Your Impact for Animals in Need

The COVID-19 pandemic has created so much uncertainty and strained our limited resources—animals like Lexi need you now more than they have before.

Extraordinary need calls for extraordinary measures, so our Board, past Board members, Leadership Council, and President & CEO will MATCH gifts received now through midnight on 12/1, up to $155,000!

This is your chance to DOUBLE your impact for an animal in need and give them hope, comfort, and stability during a tumultuous time.