Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc.

Canine Behavior Issues

Barking

Dogs often bark due to lack of exercise, boredom, or loneliness. The right amount of exercise and time spent with your pet will most often solve this type of problem. When a dog has used up a lot of its energy by exercising and interacting with you, they don't need to expend their energy through natural behavior such as barking. Some dogs may need more exercise than others. It often depends on the breed of dog you have. We recommend all dogs to get a minimum of 3 walks a day: 1 walk in the morning when you wake up, 1 walk when you return from work or in the middle of the day, and 1 walk before bedtime. At least one of these walks should be a high-energy walk or exercise of some kind to get your dog's heart rate up (toss the ball, go for a run, take your dog to a park). You can contact your local Veterinarian to get advice on how much exercise your specific dog may need.

When your dog is behaving well, you should give him more attention and praise. Often owners will ignore their pet when they are lying calm because it's a time for them to rest as well. However, remember to let them know they are being good. This will help to increase this positive behavior. If you only pay attention (or correct/yell) at your dog when he is barking, he sees that as attention. Be sure to give attention to the things you want to see from your dog. They are craving attention and you are craving good behavior so remember to reward it!

Chewing

Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs. Dogs can be trained to chew on only items you want them to chew on; however, until the dog is to the point of understanding this, you may want to crate train them. Crate training can be very helpful to you and your pet. (Please see crate training below.) When you have a new pet, its best to set them up for success. Remove items off the floor that are easy to chew (example: shoes!) It may take a little more effort on your part to clean up your house in ways you never needed to before, but you will be happier in the long run! Set out toys that you want the dog to chew. There are a variety of toys available to you and your pet. Try out a few and see which ones your pet likes best. If you use the toy while you are playing with your dog, you will often find they gain more interest in the toy during times you are not around. Another way to make the toy more interesting is if you put a little peanut butter on the toy or put treats inside of the toy. You will want to rotate through a variety of toys to keep your pet's interests.

Crate Training

If you like nothing better than coming home from a hard day's work and finding that your dog decided to "go" on the couch or use your favorite slippers as a new chew toy, then crate training isn't for you. But if you're like most people, then using a crate to properly train your dog will be time well spent. Crate training takes some time and effort, but it is a proven way to help train dogs that act inappropriately without knowing any better. If you have a new dog or puppy, you can use the crate to limit his access to the house until he learns all the rules-like what he can and can't chew on and where he can and can't eliminate. A crate is also a safe way of transporting your dog in the car or taking him places where he may not be welcome to run freely. If you properly train your dog to use the crate, he'll think of it as his safe place and will be happy to spend time there when needed. Your dogs crate should be just large enough for him to stand up and turn around in. If your dog is still growing, choose a crate that will accommodate his adult size. Block off the excess crate space so your dog won't eliminate at one end and retreat to the other. Crate training can take a few days or week, depending on your dog. It is important to keep two things in mind when crate training: The crate should always be associated with something pleasant, and training should take place in a series of small steps. Don't go too fast. To learn more details about how to crate train, contact the shelter or your local veterinarian.

Potty Training

Consistency is the best policy! Take your dog outside as often as possible, and especially right after eating, when beginning training. Once you get outside do not play with the dog until he/she has gone to the bathroom. Continue to walk the dog around the yard until they "go". When the dog is going to the bathroom outside, calmly repeat one word or phrase that the dog can associate going to the bathroom with. For example you may use "do you business, go potty, etc." Once he is finished going to the bathroom, then get really excited, let him know how good of a dog he is, and give him a treat. This encourages the dog to continue to go to the bathroom outside. Punishing your dog when they have an accident in the house does not work. The dog does not understand why it is being yelled at. You may accidentally teach your dog that going to the bathroom in generally is a bad thing or they may think you are punishing them simply because you came home (especially if you don't "catch" them in the act). Instead you must be proactive in teaching the dog to "go" outside. Make it positive and fun and your dog will learn much faster. It will take effort on your part to take the dog out often and to also learn the body language that your dog is showing you when it has to "go". Crate training is also helpful when housebreaking your dog.

Feline Behavior Issues

Litter Box Training

A good rule of thumb is to have 1 more litter box than the number of cats you have. For example, if you have 2 cats, you should have 3 litter boxes. Litter pans should be kept in an area away from your cat's food and water bowls and they should be placed in different locations in you home. It is also best to scoop the litter pan at least 2 times a day. Having a clean litter pan will help keep the cat from choosing somewhere else to use the bathroom. Just as you do not want to go to the bathroom in an area that is dirty, neither do cats. Cats are very clean and would like their litter pan to be clean as well. Another helpful tip is to make sure that you are consistent with the type of litter you use. Cats will sometimes stop using the litter pan if they do not like the kind of litter you buy. Stick with what you already know works!

If you cat starts going to the bathroom in other locations, and you have been following the guidelines above, your cat may be having a medical problem. If a cat has a urinary tract infection, it will begin to use other locations of the house as a bathroom. Your first step should be to take the cat to the vet to rule out a medical issue. Antibiotics are often enough to treat this condition. If your cat does go to the bathroom outside the litter pan, throughly clean the area and block that area for a few days. De-clawed cats sometimes have litter pan issues as well. Please see the "prevent scratching" section below to learn why this may be a problem.

Spraying

Cats that are not spayed or neutered will often spray to mark a territory. Hormones take a few weeks to get out of the cats system so if your cat is not altered, do it immediately! It is best to have them altered before they reach sexual maturity and especially before the spraying behavior begins. If you are too late, and the cat is already spraying, you will need to train them. The best way to do this is to confine them in an area when you are not home and if you are not able to supervise them. Start with keeping them in an area that can easily be cleaned such as a bathroom. In that area you will also want to put their food, water, and of course a clean litter pan. When you are home and able to supervise your cat, allow them to roam around. When your cat goes into the litter pan, be sure to praise them. Once they have gone to the bathroom, be prepared to give them a treat!

How to Prevent Scratching

Scratching is a normal cat behavior that helps the cat to mark its territory and to maintain their claws. The best thing for you to do is to provide them with areas to scratch and trim their nails on a regular basis. There are a variety of scratch posts and toys available to you and your cat. Try out a few kinds since not all cats like specific toys. For example, scratch posts come with carpet or with rope. Find out which kind your cat likes or try both. Keep the scratch posts in areas the cat likes to hang out. It is often helpful to place a scratch post in areas where you see the cat normally scratching such as the corner of your couch! If your catch your cat scratching on something you do not want them to, immediately remove them from that area and put them near the scratch post. When you see the cat scratch on the post, make sure you reward them! If your cat doesn't seem to like the scratch toys you have collected, you can also try to entice them to use it by putting catnip on the toy.

Trimming your cat's nails on a regular basis is another great way to help with scratching problems. You should begin this training immediately. When you first train this behavior, be sure to have some yummy treats present so that you can reward her for good behavior. The best way to begin is to trim one nail and then give a reward to your cat. When you first begin training, you may choose to stop after one nail in order to make this a positive experience. It may take you a few day or a week to get to every nail at first; but keep in mind it is best to make sure you make the training positive so that you can easily maintain nail clipping.

De-clawing your pet often is not the answer to your scratching problems. (Remember, outdoor cats should never be de-clawed since this is their only protection.) De-clawing can cause many problems with cats; including, litter pan issues. In order to remove the nails from a cat, the bones at the end of their paws are also cut off. Cats like to dig and cover their "waste" after going to the bathroom. Over time, this behavior becomes more difficult for cats and they will start going to the bathroom in other locations.

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