Petsalive Doggie 911

I Need A Forever Home

Girl Peanut has been waiting for her forever home for a long time.  She has had many interviews but each time her shy nature is more than the adoption family can handle.  I have worked with her for several months and made so much progress.  She trusts me with every aspect of her being.  We go to Pets Mart for walks on Sunday’s.  She interacts with humans and dogs.  She looks up at me with those loving eyes with so much trust.  She hears my truck and starts to jump all over as I walk to the kennel.  When she trusts humans she is such a different dog. The entire staff at PA has work wonders with her trying to get her out of her shell.  She has come so far, now she needs your help.

I posted a note on the Volunteer Board asking volunteers to walk her and sit with her on the bench, talk to her, pet her, let her know that all humans are good.

Girl Peanut did not have mush human contact before she came to PA.  She has never been in a real home.  She needs to look into your eyes and know she can trust humans.  Please help her.  She is very shy and does take some time to get to know.  If you go into the pen and just sit on the dog house for a while each time you visit she will come around.  Yogi can be a pest but he quickly quiets down. Let her come to you, once she does she is your friend forever.  Talk to her when you pass the pen, offer her a treat each time (Yogi gets treats also..:).

We want her to have a forever home real soon…Thanks Nancy

How do I introduce my dog to the cat?

There are several steps that cat owners should take when introducing the new dog to the resident cat. A pet owner cannot simply throw the cat and dog into the same room and expect harmony; the dog-cat introduction process will take several days, even as long as several weeks.

• Create a “safe room” for the cat. Place the cat inside a “safe room” that can be closed off to the dog. A spare bedroom is ideal for this purpose. This safe room will be a place where the cat can feel comfortable and safe; as the dog-cat introduction process progresses, this room will be somewhere the cat can go to be away from the dog if the need arises.

• Bring the dog to the door of the cat’s safe room. During the first few days, the door to the cat’s room will remain closed. Bring the dog to the cat’s door and allow him to become acquainted with the cat’s scent. Reward good behaviors on the dog’s part with treats or praise; discourage negative behaviors like barking with negative reinforcement like verbal correction or a spritz from a water bottle.
• Perform a scent exchange. Place a towel or blanket in the cat’s room for a day or two. Place a towel or blanket in the dog’s bed or favorite sitting area for a couple days as well. Then, switch the towels or blanket; giving the cat the dog’s blanket and vice versa. This allows the dog and cat to become familiarized with the other animal’s scent.
• Allow supervised visitation with the dog and the cat. Once the dog’s excitement about the cat has worn off (usually after a couple of days), it is time to allow the dog and cat to spend time in the same room. Two people will be required for this exercise, which should be performed several times a day. One person must supervise the dog, while another person must supervise the cat. Sit with the dog and the cat in the same room. Begin by sitting on opposite sides of the room and reward calm behaviors in the cat and in the dog. If the dog begins to bark or get excited, he should be given negative reinforcement like a verbal correction. The key is to promote peaceful co-existence. As the dog and cat become more comfortable, lessen the distance between the dog and cat until they are sitting side by side.
• Allow the dog and cat to interact. Once the dog and cat are peacefully co-existing and they’re comfortable sitting side by side, allow the dog and cat to interact. These interactions must be supervised, especially in the beginning. Be ready to separate the dog (have a leash on the dog) and the cat if signs of agitation or fear are observed (i.e. hair raised on the cat’s back).
• Allow unsupervised contact between the dog and cat, but maintain the cat’s safe room. Place a baby gate (or two if the dog is large and able to jump over one baby gate) at the doorway to the cat’s safe room. Leave the door open and allow the cat and dog to interact through the baby gate. As the cat feels more comfortable with the dog, he will venture out of his safe room. Always leave the cat’s safe room open and accessible. With time, the cat and dog will learn to peacefully co-exist.

How can you help a dog overcome thunderstorm anxiety?

Does your pooch bury his head into your side every time it thunders out? Does he dive under the bed whenever rain starts to fall? From your point of view, this may seem like cute and endearing behavior, but it’s a sign that your dog is terrified of storms. Some owners are willing to simply put up with symptoms of storm phobias like hiding, trembling, whining, drooling, and pacing. In more severe cases, however, panicking dogs have been known to chew furniture, tear drapes, break windows, and more during thunderstorms. In either case, the behavior is a sign of a terrified, unhappy dog

Causes
Storm phobias are one of the most common behavioral problems dog owners face, but their cause is not entirely clear. Behaviorists are not yet sure what part of the storm frightens dogs most, whether they’re reacting to lightning flashes, the sound of thunder, wind blowing around the house, or the sound of rain on the roof. Some dogs even start to pace and whine half an hour or more before a storm. They may be reacting to a sudden drop in air pressure or the electrical charge of the air.

Read the rest of “How can you help a dog overcome thunderstorm anxiety?” »

Smokey came to Pets Alive from a landfill shelter in Arkansas.  Smokey was surrendered along with his brother Bandit
when their owners were unable to keep their home.  Bandit was found to be Heart Worm Positive so he stayed behind in Arkansas for treatment and was ultimately adopted down there.

Smokey is one of those dogs you just fall in love with when you look at him.    But he did have one problem behavior. Resource guarding, this dog would guard any stuffed toy and then destroy it in seconds.   His behavior was due to fear,  which lead to anxiety.  Smokey would chew up anything that squeaked

The first time I worked with Smokey was on January 18, 2010.  He demonstrated resource  guarding to a very high degree. In Smokey’s case it was any squeaky toy.  I suspect his prior owner may have encouraged the behavior.  This is a common human problem.  I say human problem because humans think it is funny or entertaining to tease a dog that has a compulsive behavior.

Read the rest of “Smokey’s Success Story” »

Hope is in foster care now.  She is living with a family that has really given her the opportunity to grow and become social.

Feb 21, 2020

Hi Nancy,

Please excuse the delay in emailing.  I’ve been a bit under the weather.  Marty and I both noticed you have a winning personality with a great bubbly voice.  Our trainer that worked with Bosco and a little with Angel had that same personality about her.  Also, you were so kind to spend that much time on the phone with both of us.  We were very grateful for that.

Read the rest of “Hope is doing great with her foster family” »

2/14/2010

Peanut (girl) was real happy to see me.  She comes right over and nuzzles my hand when I enter the pen.  What progress from the first time I met her.  She is a great dog and will warm up to any human that spends the time with her.  She really needs a forever home.

We go for a nice walk in the snow on the doggie path.  Peanut always does poop as soon as we hit the trail.  Good sign, she does not like to go in her pen.  She will be housebroken when her new family gets her.  She loves to walk and she is a pleasure to walk.

Read the rest of “Peanut (girl) is making progress” »

2/1/2010

Mukie is a great big boy.  Full of energy and always looking for some fun.  He is ok on the leash once he gets some of his anxiety out.  He stops frequently when we walk to pee, grunt and kick up the dirt…otherwise known as marking the territory.  He does this often.  Each time the give him the “Eh, Eh”, cue and redirect him.

We walk the doggie path two times just to see if he calms down.  Yes he does, so a word to the wise.  Mukie is not a short walk dog.  His new owners will want to walk him at least one hour a day rain or shine.

For now I would encourage the volunteers to walk him at lest two times around the entire doggie path when they take him out.

Read the rest of “Muki: Working to Desensitize his cat aggression” »

Dogs are talking to us all the time.  Learning to listen and watch for the signals can make your dog successful.  It will also make you a better leader.   By paying close attention to the signals they offer and reacting with flexibility, you will have a better relationship with your dog.

Dogs use signals  at an early state to prevent things from happening, avoiding threats from people and dogs, calming down nervousness, fear, noise, and unpleasant things. The signals are used for calming themselves when they feel stressed or uneasy. The signals are used to make others involved feel safer and understand the goodwill the dog is trying to communicate to us. They are used to make friends with other dogs and people.

Many of the signals dogs give are to reduce conflict. If you unleash an exuberant Labrador Retriever with a small Maltese, you may see the Lab offer a play bow. His head will lower while his rear remains raised.  This is an invitation to play. The Lab is lowering his head (and the scary teeth) and making himself appear smaller to the smaller dog, so he is less intimidating. He is inviting the dog to play with him.  If he had wanted to harm, he would have stood on his toes, with hackles raised, and made himself look even bigger.

Read the rest of “How Dogs Communicate: Part 1″ »

We had room this week.  Carmel is now at Pet’s Alive. Safe and waiting for a forever home.

Remember him, we wrote about him last week (Jan 29).  His owner decided to surrender him because he nipped.  The owner knew he was afraid of the dishwasher sounds but grabbed him and dragged him into the kitchen.  WHAT’S  A Dog gonna do when this happens.

His owner feared  he would bit again.  Dog must go was the mandate given by the owner.  What a tragedy.  When training could have helped him.  They did not want to talk about training him.

I know he can work through this and can be desensitized to the dishwasher sounds.  It will just take some time and effort.  Can you help….will you take the time?

Mufasa is probably the tiniest adult dog to ever grace Pets Alive! However….he considers himself to be a roaring lion and thinks he has a growl that makes him big & scary. Once he knows he can’t scare you, he will melt in your arms. He longs to be held but takes awhile to warm up to new people. Mufasa is currently wearing the crown of “office dog” and keeps us all in line. He has really warmed up to Jen & Kerri and defends “evil office predators” with a virocious bark, protecting his turf. We can see right through him, knowing he might have the roar of a lion, but the heart of a teddy bear. Mufasa is an older gentleman at 10 years old, sporting just a couple of teeth (legend has it that the rest are embedded in the ankles of those who dared to cross him). Please consider giving our “Evil Mufasa” a warm & loving retirement home! He will easily become your best friend, loyal & protective to the end

Training Needed For:   Napoleon Complex, Does not like some people and sometimes lunges and nips

2/1/2010

Mufasa does not have the skills to interact with strangers.  He has lots of fear and anxiety.  His fear drives him to lunge and bite at strangers.  Can we fix this…YES we can.

Read the rest of “Mufasa can ease his anxiety by walking” »