New Pet Owner Resources

Congratulations on your adoption!

The key to success will depend on you providing a safe and low-stress environment. One of the easiest ways you can ensure a low-stress home for your new pet is to wait a week or two before introducing other friends or animals. Chances are good that moving from elsewhere to your home, meeting new companions, and getting used to their new environment will be more than enough to take in without the stress of adding more people or animals to the mix.

Avoid taking your new friend on walks through your neighborhood for at least a week or two. The most important thing for your dog will be to continue bonding with you or someone else in your home, not your neighbors or friends. While waiting for the day you can walk through your neighborhood with your new housemate, you can provide your dog with enrichment activities.

As soon as possible, take your new dog to the area where you want them to eliminate. Let them sniff as long as they want to gather information and maybe give them a small treat to make a positive association. If they eliminate right away have a small party with treats and lots of praise.

You can provide your new dog an area in your home where they will feel safe. Options to consider would include selecting a place with an easy to clean flooring material like tile or linoleum in case of accidents. If that is not a good option because of carpet you can get a sheet of plywood and cover it with plastic as a temporary solution. Remember that accidents are likely and that the first thing to check should it reoccur will be medical issues. Select an area of your home where your new friend has a choice between being with people and the other members of your household or being on their own. It is all about respecting each other’s space; if your dog chooses to hang out by themselves for a while it is important that they have that choice. You can begin allowing supervised visits to other areas of your home once you are sure your new friend is housebroken.

Initially limiting access to your home to one or two rooms will help to avoid overwhelming your new friend and will also help to reduce accidents. This is a good time to introduce using a crate in your dog's safe area. You can even start feeding your new dog in the crate at meal times so that it becomes a safe, fun, and private place to hang out. Become familiar with how to properly crate train a dog and do not close the door unless you are sure the dog is already crate trained.

Avoid giving your new friend obedience commands. Imagine having multiple people ordering you around in a language you do not understand, all with different voice ranges and volumes. This is a surefire way to increase stress, the opposite of what you want to do. Instead, it is okay to lure your new friend into places or positions you would prefer and, when they get it right, you can reinforce that behavior by using kibble with a mixture of training treats and/or using a verbal marker like saying the word yes. By trying different treats you can determine what is really motivating.

It is natural to want to show your new friend affection. Keep in mind most dogs do not like close physical contact like hugs which is no surprise since a hug in dog language is interpreted as either aggression or sexual behavior. Most humans like hugs; dogs do not. Always respect their space and let the dog decide how close they want to be. Allow time for trust to build. Every dog is an individual and will take their own time to feel comfortable in their new environment. Check out this video as a reference: Does your dog really want to be pet?

Dogs are very good at picking up on visual cues. Do not allow anyone to stare directly at your dog or hover over them in a stooped position. For humans, looking at the person they are interacting with is considered polite. For a dog, a direct stare is an implied threat. Instead, encourage a brief look and then looking away. Sitting or getting down on the dog's eye level makes humans more approachable.

Establish rules for good contact and bad contact that all members of your household will follow. A general rule of thumb is to keep any petting below the mouth line. Under the chin, the chest, and the sides are safe areas for most dogs. The best time for petting is when the dog moves closer and relaxes. Just as important as safe petting practices, do not allow anyone to pass their hand over the dog’s head or back. These types of hand movements can be very scary depending on what your new friend was exposed to in the past. If the dog moves away, they are sending a signal that should be respected as a sign they need more space.

When interacting with your new pet always watch their body language. Do you see the whites of their eyes? Are the pupils dilated? Is the mouth closed or closing? Are the ears pinned back? Are the body and tail stiff? These are all signs the dog is uncomfortable and needs more space. Time to back off! Check out the videos for some great information on dog body language: Understanding Dog Body Language; Understanding Dog Body Language Part 2.

After your new friend is acclimated to their new home and family, make sure they are getting enough mental and physical exercise. They will need a bare minimum of 30 minutes from you per day. You can play fetch, go for long walks or participate in sports like agility. It will be very important to interact with your pet directly as well as giving them mental enrichment activities to do independently. Do not tie them up outside or leave them unsupervised for long periods of time. Leaving them with nothing to do is a recipe for creating a problem dog. Dogs are social creatures and want to be with their two or four-legged family almost constantly.

Fun ideas for enrichment games you Keep Your Dog's Brain ACTIVE - 4 Games with $1.00can do with your dog during the decompression period and

beyond:

Fun 'Nose Work' Ideas

Brain Exercise For Your Dog. Peace + Quiet For You!

Playing Mind Games - TheTennis Ball and Muffin Tin Game

Keep Your Dog's Brain ACTIVE - 4 Games with $1.00

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THE NAME OF THE GAME: This game is great for teaching name recognition for a puppy or recently adopted dog and is also great for helping to teach your dog to respond when their name is called. Simply say your dog’s name and if they look at you respond with a “yes” and treat or click and treat. If the dog does not respond, show them that you have treats and once you have their attention, say their name, and then mark and reward for them looking at you when you say it. Do not repeatedly say your dog’s name if they are not paying attention or responding. This can cause their name to lose meaning and they may be less responsive to it.

For more information: Name Game PDF

TUG GAME: Tug-of-war can be a really great game to play with your dog, as long as it is structured. The rules to tug are that the dog must drop the item with prompted with a learned cue, treat, or another toy, and that they must sit and wait for you to say take the toy before they take the toy to begin tug. See the following website/handout for more in depth rules and hints on how to troubleshoot: https://centerforshelterdogs.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/4.0.4b_Tug-Game-and-Training-1.pdf

FETCH GAME: The fetch game is innate to some dogs, while others have a more difficult time learning to bring the toy back and drop it. For a dog that enjoys chasing toys, throw a toy and when they retrieve they toy, show them that you have another toy ready to throw. Once they drop they toy they are holding, throw the other toy. Repeat this until the dog is reliably dropping the other toy when coming back. Next you can begin adding a sit before the toy is thrown so that the dog must retrieve the toy, drop the toy, and sit for the next toy to be thrown. You can also use a treat to trade the dog for ropping the toy if this works better for your dog.

COME GAME: This game is great for making a recall reliable. Remember to start this game in minimally distracting environments first before adding distractions. Begin by asking your dog to come when in a low distracting situation. Lavishly reward your dog when they do come. Continue to practice and reward your dog for coming when cued. As the dog becomes more reliable in low distractions situations, add distractions and continue to reward lavishly for the dog coming to you. This will teach your dog to come when cued and to check in with you on your own. Remember that if you cue your dog and they don’t listen, not to continue cuing and to reduce environmental distractions and/or increase your reward. See the following video for a fun and amusing demonstration onClicker Training: Bacon Recall (come when called) how to do this: Clicker Training: Bacon Recall (come when called)

FIND IT / NOSEWORK GAME: Simply ask your dog to sit and place a treat on the ground several feet away, but in view. Ask your dog to then “find it” and motion toward the treat. Reward the dog with praise once they find the treat. Repeat this step several times until the dog is readily going to the treat. Then add some more distance. Once the dog is reliably finding the treat with this step, begin hiding the treat in an easy to find place that is just out of sight. Continue to add more difficulty as your dog gets better with this exercise.

HIDE AND SEEK: This game is super simple, but often very fun for your dog. If your dog is engaged with an item, simply leave the room, hide, and then call your dog’s name. Reward them with praise, a treat, or a quick game of tug/fetch when they find you.

NOSE WORK

Nose work is a fun and low stress way to engage your dog’s instinctive sense of smell. In this sport, dogs learn to search for and find specific scents. To read more about what nose work is, go to the following link:

https://www.k9nosework.com/about-us/what-k9-nose-work

TREIBBALL

Treibball is a relatively new dog sport which focuses on teaching a dog to herd exercise balls into a goal. To read more about Treibball go to the following link: https://www.americantreibballassociation.org/

RALLY OBEDIENCE

Rally is a fun way to further your dog's basic, intermediate, or advanced obedience skills. It is It is like an obedience obstacle course in which you and your dog work together to navigate through a course of 10-20 signs with different cues or chained cues on them. For more information on rally visit the following link:

https://www.akc.org/sports/rally/

RALLY FREE

Rally free is similar to rally obedience, as the dog and handler must execute obedience cues, however, it adds more creative maneuvers. To learn more about Rally free visit the following link: https://www.rallyfree.com/

AGILITY

Agility is an active and fun way to keep your dog mentally and physically engaged and healthy. This sport focuses on the handler and dog maneuvering an obstacle course. This does require some finesse and foundation skills on the handlers part before being able to fully engage and get into the action. For more information on agility visit the following link: https://www.akc.org/sports/agility/

This is not an exhaustive list of enrichment ideas and you can find more ideas by googling or searching Pinterest for Canine Enrichment Ideas. Again, all dogs should be supervised while interacting with enrichment items to ensure their safety and that they do not ingest inedible objects. Have fun!

Exercise is vital to keeping your animal healthy, but did you know that mental stimulation is incredibly important in keeping your dog happy and healthy too? Mental enrichment helps to stimulate your dog’s senses and instinctual behaviors and can come in many different forms. Below is a list of enrichment ideas to help keep your dog mentally satiated and engaged (Note: It is important to always monitor your dog with enrichment items to ensure they do not ingest inedible items).

KONGS

Available for purchase at most pet stores and online, the original Kong (pictured) is great way to provide your food motivated dog with enrichment. Simply stuff the Kong with the desired food item and cover the large hole with peanut butter, squeeze cheese, or another dog safe food of similar consistency. To add extra difficulty freeze the stuffed Kong before giving it to your dog. See the Kong website or additional ideas: https://www.kongcompany.com/recipes/

STUFFED BONES

Stuffed bones are also widely available for purchase and can be bought pre-stuffed or empty and then stuffed at home. Again, for added difficulty, freeze the stuffed bone.

BUSTER CUBES

Available for purchase online or at pet stores, the buster cube is a hard plastic cube with a hole in one face. You place kibble or small treats in the hole and the dog must manipulate the cube to get the treats to fall out. This is often a more difficult form of enrichment than some of the other items listed.

KIBBLE NIBBLE

Available for purchase online or a pet stores, the kibble nibbler is an egg shaped, hair plastic toy with two holes on either end. This is a great item for feeding your dog out of as it will easily fit kibble and larger treats. Again, the dog must manipulate the kibble nibble to get the food to fall out.

TREAT BALLS

There are many different brand of treat balls available for purchase (The Omega Paw Treat Ball is 1 example). These balls typically have a hole or several holes which can be stuffed with treats and kibble and which the dog must manipulate to get the treats to fall out of.

HOLLEY ROLLER BALL

This ball is great for dogs who enjoy de-stuffing things. You can take pieces of fabric or paper, place treats in them and then stuff them into the ball. The dog will de-stuff the ball by pulling the fabric/paper out to get the treats. Simply re-stuff the ball once they have finished.

COMMERCIAL TREAT PUZZLES

There are a wide variety of commercial treat puzzles for sale at pet stores and online. The type and difficulty of the puzzles vary.

TREAT BOMBS

This is a DIY food dispensing toy that anyone can do at home with household items. Simply take an empty cereal box (or any size appropriate box), empty toilet paper/paper towel roll, or piece of newspaper and place kibble/treats inside. Twist or roll up the end(s) so that they are closed and give to your pup. Most dogs with tear or shred the cardboard/paper to get to their kibble/treats. Feel free to make this more difficult by placing a box inside a box or rolls inside of a box.

BUSY BUCKETS

Busy buckets are a great summertime activity for your dog! Simply fill a bucket or bowl with water, chicken/beef broth, treats, and or toys and freeze. Once completely frozen, give it to your pup. Most dogs enjoy licking at/pawing the ice to attempt to get out the treats/toys. This activity can be done inside, but it quite messy and recommended for outside use.

SNUFFLE MATS

Snuffle mats are a great way to engage your dog’s amazing sense of smell and natural ability to forage for food. You can purchase one online, make one yourself, or simply use a grassy area in your yard. Just sprinkle some treats/kibble on the mat/in your yard and give your dog access. Watch as they sniff out the treats.

MUFFIN TIN AND TENNIS BALLS

This is another DIY enrichment item. Using a muffin tin and tennis balls, simply place treats in the muffin cups and then cover with the tennis balls. Ask your dog to find the treats and watch as they figure out how to move the tennis ball around to obtain their reward.

STACKED CUPS

The stacked cups is a DIY enrichment activity in which you can place treats in between the stacked cups. Watch as your dog attempts to figure out how to get the treats.

PVC FEEDERS

PVC feeders are another item which you can purchase or make for yourself. Simply cut a small section of pvc pipe, drill holes into it, fill with kibble/treats, and cover the ends (you can use the pvc caps or stuff with newspaper), and watch as your dog manipulates the pvc to get the kibble/treats out.

Perches and hiding spots are also very important component of a cat's behavioral health. Comfortable hiding spots allows the cat to go to a safe and quiet space when they are feeling fearful, stressed, or just want to relax. Perches allow the cats to easily observe their surroundings and also give an appropriate outlet for natural behaviors like jumping and climbing.

CAT TREES

Cat trees often provide both perching and hiding environments. They also come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, etc.

CAT PERCHES

Cat perches come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors as well. You can purchase or build simple shelves that attach to your walls or windows or buy stand alone items.

HIDING SPOTS

Hiding spots can be a simple as a box with a hole cut in it or having access to go beneath a bed. They can also be purchased as stand alone items.

Scratching is also a very normal behavior for cats. This helps them to remove the dead outer layer of their claws, leave their scent and a visual mark, to stretch, and to relieve energy and/or frustration. Providing cats with appropriate scratching items is incredibly important and these items should be provided on both a horizontal and vertical surface. The items listed below are just some examples of different DIY and commercially available scratching items.

REMNANT CARPETING

Remnant carpeting is an easy and affordable way to provide scratching spaces. You can cut the carpet into small squares and hang on a wall or off of furniture.

CORRUGATED CARDBOARD

Corrugated cardboard is also an easy and cheap way to provide a scratching surface. Simply cut the cardboard into desired lengths/widths and place in a position for your cat to scratch.

SCRATCHING POSTS

There are many different commercially available scratching posts that provide a great vertical option for you cat to scratch.

SCRATCH BOXES

Scratch boxes are a great way to provide your cat with a horizontal surface to scratch. These are often sold as cardboard rectangles.

Normal cat behaviors include running, exploring, digging, scratching, and hunting. However, many home settings do not provide adequate outlets for these instinctual behaviors which results in problem behaviors and frustrated adopters. Feline enrichment provides easy ways for us to give cats outlets for these behaviors and reduce issues in the home. It also helps make for an overall happier and healthier kitty. This list is not exhaustive and there are many more fun enrichment ideas you can use for your cat, simply Google "cat enrichment." It is important to remember that you should always supervise your cat when you give enrichment to ensure that your cat interacts with it safely.

TOILET PAPER ROLL ENRICHMENT

Take an empty toilet paper roll and close off one of the end by folding it. Then place some food or treats inside and fold the other end shut. Poke some holes throughout the roll just large enough so that the food cat fall out when battled around.

TISSUE PAPER ENRICHMENT

Place some treats or catnip into a small piece of tissue paper and then crinkle up. Give to your cat as a fun new texture and also so

they can figure out how to get the treats/catnip out. This also works well with small pieces of newspaper

PIZZA BOX ENRICHMENT

Take an empty pizza box and cut some holes in the lid just large enough for the cat to stick their paws into. Place treats or food in the box and close the lids so that the cat has to fish the food out.

PIPE CLEANER ENRICHMENT

Take pipe cleaners and wind them into spirals. You can either attach the pip cleaner to a handle or object or you can toss it on the ground for them to bat it around.

PAPER BAGS

A simple paper bag with some catnip or treats sprinkled inside can be a lot of fun for your cat. The bag itself provides a novel hiding place and texture and the catnip and treats make the item more enticing.

MILK CAPS/WINE CORKS

While these items may seem like trash to us, they can be lots of fun for your cat to bat around and chase. Simply toss them on the floor!

When you adopt from Humane Indiana, your adopted pet is set-up for healthy living in its new home. Learn more about how OUR PETS’ HEALTH MATTERS. We also provide adopters with a full medical record and history so that you may share it with your pet’s veterinarian.

SHELTER MEDICINE

Shelter medicine focuses on an entire population and infectious disease management versus an individual customized care plan. Shelter medicine does not aim to diagnose illnesses and instead focuses on preventing them. Humane Indiana does not have many of the same diagnostic tools that a full service clinic would as a result of this.

VACCINATIONS

Vaccination is an essential component of any shelter’s overall population health management. The likelihood of exposure to disease in a shelter is usually very high, and the consequences of infection can be severe for both the affected animal and the shelter population. A well-designed vaccine protocol can be a life-saving tool to keep shelter animals healthy. Some vaccines provide protection within a few days or even a few hours after administration, and can drastically reduce the frequency and severity of disease within the shelter and after adoption.

At Humane Indiana, vaccines must be administered within 15 minutes of arrival to the shelter. Puppies and kittens receive their first vaccines (DA2PP/RCP) at 4 weeks of age. Puppies and kittens will receive vaccines every two weeks until 18-20 weeks of age. When adult dogs and cats come to the shelter, if they have no record of vaccine history, they are vaccinated upon intake and get boosters two weeks later. Due to unknown past vaccine history, it is Humane Indiana shelter protocol to booster all adult dogs and cats.

SPAY AND NEUTER

WE SPAY/NEYTER ALL, WE ALSO DO PEDIATRIC SPAY/NEUTER . . . With the risk of a potential disease within a shelter, it is best to get the animals spayed/neutered as quickly as possible so they have a lesser chance of getting sick. Spay and neuter in a shelter setting is done at the age of 6 weeks for puppies and 8 weeks, or 2 pounds, for kittens. In shelters, we want to get the animals into homes as quickly as possible because the risk of infectious disease is high. The longer a puppy or kitten stays in the shelter, the bigger of a chance they can get sick as they are exposed to shelter pathogens for a greater amount of time.

PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE

Many animals arrive at the shelter with little to no medical history. Preventive medicine aims to prevent sickness before it happens. At Humane Indiana during intake, a full exam is performed to determine the condition of the animal (healthy or unhealthy). All animals receive vaccines, deworming, flea and tick prevention and heartworm prevention (if of age and heartworm negative) at the time of intake.

At the shelter, we do not wait to get a fecal before deworming because sometimes they are not in our care long enough to obtain a fecal sample and it is best practice to deworm all animals upon entrance to the shelter. We also don’t wait to do a fecal test as we know that fecal samples are not always reliable. The fecal sample tested on that particular day may not have parasitic eggs in it, but that does not mean that the animal is free of parasites completely, it just means that particular sample taken on that particular day had no signs of parasites. Therefore, deworming every animal on intake is the best way to prevent intestinal parasites from spreading through the kennel. Puppies and kittens can begin their deworming at the age of 2 weeks. Puppies and kittens will be dewormed every 2 weeks until they are 18-20 weeks old. Adult dogs and cats get dewormed the day of intake and two weeks later. The dewormer used by our shelter is Pyrantel pamoate. Pyrantel helps remove roundworms and hookworm species from the body.

COMBO TESTING

We do not routinely test incoming cats for FIV/FeLV because we have found through various studies that the risk of transmission is incredibly low and the disease itself is rare. FIV is only transmitted if an infected cat bites and punctures the skin of another cat. Because cats don’t often resort to aggression to solve conflict, transmission risk is low. The risk of transmission for FeLV is also low. FeLV infection is found worldwide in approximately 1-2% of the cat population. A cat with FeLV sheds virus in bodily fluids such as saliva, urine and feces. FeLV virus cannot survive longer than a few hours in the environment outside of the cat. Transmission requires a prolonged period of close contact between infected and susceptible cats, including bites. Susceptible cats are kittens and adult cats with weakened immune systems. Because these diseases are not common and transmission is low and often require further testing to confirm diagnosis, we do not routinely test shelter cats. We also do NOT test cats under 6 months old at all as they can often give false positives.

BEHAVIOR MEDICINE

Humane Indiana utilizes behavioral drug therapy when an animal is regularly experiencing signs of fear, anxiety or arousal such that it is significantly impacting the animal’s quality of life and/or impairing the animal’s ability to learn/ cope with the environment. Humane Indiana will also consider behavior medicine when an animal’s physiological responses to specific events or stimuli are so intense as to make learning (without the help of medications) difficult or impossible. Behavior medicine helps to provide relief from mental anguish and suffering, as in the case of anxiety and panic disorders, helps properly regulate an animal’s internal, physiological state, so that learning can take place, helps provide the ability to bridge the gap from one stressful situation till they have had time to decompressing in a more natural setting (adopted home) where the need for medication may be discussed with the adopter’s own vet.

EXAMPLES OF SYMPTOMS WE LOOK FOR BEFORE CONSIDERING BEHAVIORAL MEDICATIONS

Anxiety/Fear

If an animal is continuing to show signs of fear/anxiety even with strategic housing and additional enrichment techniques are being provided and foster homes are unavailable, drug therapy is recommended to better help the animal cope with the environment. We will also address the concerns with our Behavior Department and create treatment plans but as a shelter we are limited in our ability to manage the animal’s stressors or even modify the behavior since a shelter environment is always changing and unpredictable.

Compulsive behaviors

These behaviors are known to be: repetitive, sustained, and behaviors out of context. These behaviors can be genetic disorders or brought on by frustration from prolonged periods of confinement. This is when drug therapy must be executed quickly to avoid the animals from furthering their mental decline

Pet Emergency Preparedness Kit PDF

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All dogs adopted though Humane Indiana come with one week of FREE training through GoodPup to get them started on the right paw in their new home. Training is essential to building a bond with your dog. It’s easier, more enjoyable, and more effective when done in the dog’s home with its owner.

GoodPup is the nation's leading positive reinforcement dog training service over live 1-on-1 video chat. The service provides private training with certified trainers who teach cues and advanced behavior on topics like crate training, barking, begging, and jumping. GoodPup matches you with a certified trainer who will provide you with personalized dog training on your own schedule.

GoodPup makes a donation to Humane Indiana for every adopter who signs up and continues training past the free trial week.

Questions about this service? Learn more when you complete your dog’s adoption process at the Shelter, or contact info@humaneindiana.org.