On this page: stimulus detox & decompression, resource-guarding, potty training

STIMULUS DETOX & DECOMPRESSION:
When bringing a new adoption or foster home, it’s tempting to want to share the new arrival with friends, family, and sometimes other pets. However, one of the most important things we can do when we put an animal in a brand-new environment, is to provide plenty of time to fully decompress, and limit exposure to new things while gradually introducing our new friend to the house, the yard, and very slowly to other members of the home. Decompression takes longer than a few days or a week, it can take as long as 6 months to a year or longer depending on the individual, which is normal. Below are steps to take to help your new family member feel comfortable and set everyone up for success.

1. Keep their world small for the first several weeks – a stimulus detox, no guests (any species), no walks into town or around the neighborhood, just in the yard. Allow your new adoption to explore at his or her pace, and very gradually provide access to larger areas of the house/apartment.
2. Use barriers/gates! This allows your new friend, and resident animals, to safely sniff and check each other out while avoiding conflict. The timing can vary depending on the animal, but several days to a week or more are timelines to consider.
3. When they’ve become familiar and comfortable enough with each other through barriers, and you’re ready to do an intro, make sure to leave the leash on in case you need to grab it quickly. Don't punish (yell, scold, jerk leash etc.) simply remove and separate without a fuss. Keep interactions happy.  
4. Keep these initial interactions brief, happy, and end on a good note!
5. Pick up toys, treats, and food so there aren’t any items in play that may cause a resource-guarding incident.
6. Feed furry family members separately to avoid anxiety during mealtime. This is a safe practice no matter how well resident pets get along, even a tiny bit of worry about another animal approaching while eating can be a starting point for resource-guarding.
7. Don’t leave a new adoption alone to roam freely with resident pets. Even if you don't have other pets in the home, take the time to get to know your new adoption/foster before leaving alone and unsupervised. For some dogs, this may not be an option.
8. Dogs are flight risks during decompression. Be sure windows and doors are not easily accessible to your nervous new adoption/foster and keep the leash on even in a fenced area. If your dog becomes lost, please visit Lost Dogs - What to Do for crucial first steps, and report to TJO immediately. 

RESOURCE-GUARDING:
Resource-guarding is a normal behavior that tells others, ‘This is mine and I want to keep it.’  Resource-guarding can occur around food, toys, beds, rooms, favorite spaces, people, or anything else that's of value. Resource-guarding is often mistaken for ‘protection’ when it involves a person, but instead of protecting a human, it's a desire to keep that human for themselves. Very often we view resource-guarding as rude, but if we think about our own mealtime, we would become quite annoyed if someone came along and tried to take a bite out of our sandwich or stuck their hand in our food. While it is normal for dogs to want to keep items to themselves, it can also escalate quickly and become dangerous, especially when the body language is missed. The best way to manage and improve resource-guarding, is by understanding the root cause of the behavior and changing the dog's feelings about prized possessions. Setting up the environment, ‘management,’ is also an important part of a behavior plan.   

1. Resource-guarding is rooted in fear/anxiety about losing something deemed valuable. It's a survival instinct. Using confrontational methods such as arbitrarily removing an item, touching the item, and/or using any form of punishment, are all methods that lead to further anxiety and aggression.
2. Signs of resource guarding: growling, baring teeth, lunging, freezing, biting, whale eye, lip licking, eating more quickly if someone approaches, stiffening and/or hovering over an item, positioning the body to block the approach of a person or other animal - ‘body blocking,’ taking an item and moving to another location, are all signs a dog may be resource-guarding. (For examples of body language indicating discomfort or anxiety, please visit Dog Body Language & Bite Prevention).
3. Trade up! When you need to remove a valued item, use another item of equal or preferably higher value, and toss it to the side. Once the dog goes to retrieve the second item, pick up the original item with plenty of distance. This prevents the dog from feeling threatened or afraid of losing something while keeping everyone safe. This method also helps a dog learn that good things will frequently be available instead of removed. As you become viewed as a source of good things, your approach will become less threatening.
4. Once you've identified resource guarding, it's important to limit or prevent access to the item/s being guarded. Practice makes perfect for both desirable and undesirable behaviors, so if a dog continues to resource-guard something, the guarding will intensify and become more dangerous. For example, if a dog is guarding a couch, prevent access to the couch. Feed animals separately to be sure everyone feels secure while eating. If there's a toy bin, pick it up and provide access to toys separately. Use gates and separate areas to prevent conflict.
5. If there is lunging, growling, snapping, or if you feel unsafe, please call the shelter for immediate assistance at 413-781-1484 xt. 2.   

POTTY TRAINING:
One of the most frequent questions we receive about adoptable dogs, is whether or not they are potty trained. While some dogs do seem to exhibit signs of being potty trained during their time at the shelter, it’s best to assume a dog is not potty trained, and start from the beginning. This helps keep expectations realistic, and meets the dog where he or she is. Transitions from one home to another are significant and it’s a time of anxiety and confusion as they decompress and learn they are safe. –  start fresh, establish a routine, and create a good association with the process of being leashed and going outside. Once a dog appropriately eliminates outside, quickly offer a reinforcement such as high value treats (not kibble but pieces of chicken or other smelly treat) and lots of praise. Avoid scolding or becoming annoyed if there are accidents, accidents should be expected, adding fear or anxiety around potty habits can make it more difficult to establish a successful routine. Smaller dogs need to go outside more frequently, but it’s important to remain consistent and select times such as first thing in the morning (whatever time that might be in your home), after meals, midday, evening, and prior to bedtime. Naps are usually followed by a need to potty. Puppies and young dogs may need additional potty breaks.

Ever take your pup outside for a period of time, only to come inside and then your pup potties? Frustrating and confusing, but it either means learning isn’t taking place as intended, or there’s another issue. When changes in behavior occur, or if teaching a skill is a challenge, it may be time to consult with a qualified professional (positive reinforcement practitioner), or it may mean there’s a medical issue interfering with learning. We can’t train away a urinary tract infection, or any other medical issue including pain, so a vet visit may be necessary before your positive reinforcement training plan continues. Dogs change at various intervals in their lives. An older dog will experience changes as well, and it can sneak up on us. Please feel free to reach out if you’re having difficulties.  

If you have questions about the information on this page, please reach out for assistance here.