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Playing with Your Dog- Part One

August 2019

Who doesn't like to play? Dogs play because it's fun, but it also helps them to develop coordination, strength, and confidence.

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What To Do If Your New Dog Is Aggressive

August 2019

Aggression is a form of communication. Keep pets and people safe by preventing aggression from occurring.

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Dog - The Right Rewards

August 2019

Reward-based training is humane, fun and helps you build a communication style with your dog. Reward based training also bonds your dog more closely to you and your family.

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Scent Games for Dogs

August 2019

Dogs rely on their sense of smell to identify the world. Imagine how much fun you and your dog will have if you encourage your dog to find stuff you need or a game to keep them occupied.

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Teaching Your Dog To Stay

August 2019

Goal: Teach your dog to remain in a sit, down or stand with the cue "stay." When and where to use "stay".

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Teaching Your Dog to Come When Called

August 2019

Goal: Teach your dog to come close to you when you give the cue "come."

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Teaching Your Dog to Down

August 2019

Goal: Teach your dog lie down on the ground when you give the cue "down."

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Teaching Your Dog To Drop It

August 2019

Goal: Teach your dog to drop or let go of objects in their mouth with the cue "drop it."

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Teaching Your Dog to Leave It

August 2019

Goal: Teach your dog to ignore things you don't want them to have or pay attention to with the cue "leave it."

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Playing with Your Dog- Part Two

August 2019

Playing is fun, but it can also relieve stress, provide exercise, teach self-control and instill confidence. Follow the tips below to encourage your dog to play.

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Children and Dogs - How to Keep Interactions Safe

August 2019

Children and dogs can be great, lifelong friends, but it is up to us as their guardians to keep their interactions safe. Children may not be able to read a dog's stressed body language, and injuries can occur.

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Food-Dispensing Toys for Dogs

August 2019

By offering your dogs meals in a food-dispensing toy, your dog has something to play with, instead of your furniture or favorite shoes and they get exercise.

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Cats and Kids

August 2019

Cats can greatly enrich your children's lives and teach them many valuable lessons about the human-animal bond. There are a few things to consider to make this endeavor a success for your family as well as for your cat, and to ensure happy and safe interactions for all.

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Keeping Your Cat Happy Indoors

August 2019

It is important to provide enrichment for cats living indoors. Enrichment makes the indoors more exciting and provides an outlet for excessive energy.

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Cat - Aggression Toward Dogs During Play

August 2019

Play between cats and dogs can be fun for both species. However, cats that have not been socialized with dogs from an early age will almost always behave defensively.

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Cat - Aggression During Play with Other Cats

August 2019

When dealing with aggression between two cats that appear to be playing, it is important to understand that play behavior is natural, especially in kittens.

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Cats - Destructive Scratching

August 2019

Cats are loved for their companionship, playfulness, and fun they provide to a home. However, when people and cats live together, some natural feline behaviors can lead to destruction of property and injury to guardians.

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Cat - Aggression During Play

August 2019

The term "play aggression" can be misleadingas it can lookslike intense playand occur in cats of any age. Cats with play aggression can target other cats, dogs,or even people in the household.

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Playing With Your Cat

August 2019

Play isn't just for kittens; adult cats enjoy play too! Play strengthens your bond with your cat and provides them with needed mental stimulation and physical exercise.

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Cat Toys and Cat Play

August 2019

There are a variety of cat toys on the market, including food and puzzle toys and toys that bounce, flutter, or move in a way that entices the cat to chase. The best toys for active play are string or wand toys that look like feathers or streamers or a toy dandling from a fishing pole. Even a peacock feather makes a great interactive toy due to its length. With timid cats it's best to stay away from large or noisy toys. Some cats are more attracted to things in the air while others prefer staying closer to the ground. Knowing whether your cat prefers air or ground play hunting will be an advantage, and you may have to try several different toys and rotate them frequently before you find the ones your cat likes best.

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Straining to Poop in Cats and Dogs

June 2019

There are many causes of straining to poop in cats and dogs. The most common causes are diarrhea, constipation, or overly full anal glands, which are usually an "easy fix". Other causes, like gastrointestinal blockage, are more complicated to treat. In this class you will learn how to identify the symptoms of a cat or dog who is straining to poop, recognize when emergency veterinary attention is needed, and learn what you can do at home to help your dog or cat.

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Straining to Pee in Cats and Dogs

June 2019

There are many causes of straining to pee in cats and dogs. The most common causes are bladder inflammation or urinary tract infection, which are usually an "easy fix". Other causes, like urinary blockage and bladder stones, are more complicated to treat. In this class you will learn how to monitor for straining to pee in your cat or dog, recognize when an emergency veterinary visit is necessary, and what you can do for your pet in the meantime at home.

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Solutions for the Top Five Reasons Dogs are Dying in Shelters

Mike Kaviani, Director, Orange County Animal Care and Aaron Caldwell, Dog Behavior Co-Manager, Austin Pets Alive!March 2019

The presentation will provide you with practical and manageable solutions for the top five reasons dogs are dying and being killed in shelters today.

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Saving Dogs with Behavioral Challenges

Aaron Caldwell, Dog Behavior Co-Manager, Austin Pets Alive! and Mike Kaviani, Director, OC Animal CareMarch 2019

Viewers will learn about cutting edge ways to solve non-shelter created behavior problems in shelter dogs.

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Introducing a New Dog to Pocket Pets and/or Birds

September 2018

Introducing a new dog to pocket pets and/or birds can be risky, and needs to be carefully planned and done slowly.

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Feeding Your New Dog

September 2018

Nutrition and the food you choose to feed your dog will have a big impact on their overall health and energy.

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What Do I Need? Training and Walking Supplies for Your New Dog

August 2019

Here are some basics that will help to be prepared for the best walks of your life with your new dog.

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Housetraining - Building Healthy Elimination Habits

August 1, 2019

With a good plan, your new dog can quickly learn to use the outdoor bathroom area you establish.

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Play and Toys - Your New Dog's First Few Days

September 2018

Play is a great way to release stress and tension, and a dog occupied with toys or games will also be a dog that isn't chewing on your personal belongings and furniture.

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Behavioral Pharmacology in Shelter Settings

Dr. Sara L. BennettNovember 14, 2017

Learn about common behavioral concerns and diagnoses in sheltered pets and what medications might be most appropriate for their conditions.

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How Numbers Can Tell Your Story - and Save Lives!

October 2017

Understanding the vital roles of data and transparency is fundamental to our efforts to save homeless pets. Here are three illustrative case studies of communities that have used data and transparency to increase lifesaving impact.

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Behavioral Pharmacology: Common Behavior Problems in Sheltered Dogs and Cats, Part 1

Sara L. Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVBJanuary 2018

A variety of common behavior problems experienced by dogs and cats in sheltered situations. Part 1 shows examples of working with sheltered cats.

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Behavioral Pharmacology: Common Behavior Problems in Sheltered Dogs and Cats, Part 2

Sara L. Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVBJanuary 2018

A variety of common behavior problems experienced by dogs and cats in sheltered situations will be presented. Part 2 shows examples of working with dogs in the shelter.

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Veterinary Psychopharmaceuticals and their Use in Shelter Medicine

Sara L. Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVBJanuary 2018

Psychopharmaceuticals can be a helpful tool to manage and address behavior concerns in sheltered pets.

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Introducing Your Foster Dog to Strangers in Your House

Rebound HoundsMarch 2017

This short video, on introducing your foster dog to a stranger at your house, will demonstrate easy and ultimately rewarding steps to help your foster dog greet new people in a safe and relaxed manner.

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Bringing Your Shy Foster Dog Home

March 2017

To help start a foster family of a shy dog get off on the right foot, er paw, this short video will provide helpful tips for bringing your foster dog to your house for the very first time.

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Fostering and Socializing Unsocial Kittens

January 2017

The good news is that many unsocialized kittens can learn to not only tolerate interaction with humans but even enjoy it.

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Helping Shelter Pets find Health, Happiness and Homes with Fear Free

Dr. Marty BeckerNovember 2016

Learn why fear is the worst thing a social species can experience, and how it causes permanent damage to the brain.

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Stress Reduction: Happy and Healthy Shelter Dogs

Dr. Sara L. BennettJune 2016

Everyone wants to make sheltered life better for dogs while they wait to get adopted. Learn what works and what doesn't in this webcast.

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Stress Reduction: Happy and Healthy Shelter Cats on a Fast Track to Adoption

Dr. Brenda GriffinMay 2016

Stress can trigger physical, emotional and behavioral problems for cats in animal shelters. What can be done to help overcome stress and its negative outcomes?

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How Stress is Sabotaging Your Cat Adoption Efforts

Dr. Sheila D'ArpinoFebruary 2016

It's well known that cat health is quickly and negatively impacted by stress. But is it also making it harder for them to get adopted? Learn strategies to identify those effects not only in individual cats, but in the entire population of cats in a facility.

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How Stress is Sabotaging Your Dog Adoption Efforts

Dr. Sheila D'ArpinoJanuary 2016

Are dogs in shelters developing health and behavior problems because of stress? And does that make adoption more difficult and less likely for those pets? Learn to recognize the harmful effects of stress on sheltered dogs, and strategies to alleviate that stress in this free webcast.

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Avoiding Dog Fights in the Shelter

Ehren Melius October 2015

Dog-to-dog aggression can be challenging, but there are myriad ways to keep your canines happy and safe.

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Enrichment for Shelter Cats

Rebecca Lohnes, MS October 2015

Hear about enrichment options to increase quality of life for the cats in your facility, including low cost enrichment options, and positive training techniques.

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Enrichment for Shelter Dogs

Rebecca Lohnes, MSOctober 2015

Positive reinforcement training and enrichment exercises are some of the best ways to reduce kennel stress and increase adoptability for shelter dogs.

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Getting Big Dogs Out of the Shelter via Canine Good Citizen Training

Marian Cannell and Amy LewisFebruary 2015

Through a partnership with Best Friends Animal Society, Austin Pets Alive! embarked on a six-month pilot program to test the effectiveness of Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Training on adoption rates. The results have been very good and show a clear adoption rate difference between dogs who undergo training and those who don’t.

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Saving All the Little Dogs: Small Dog Behavior Issues

Faith Wright and Deaven WilsonFebruary 2015

Do you know how many small breed dogs are euthanized in your community shelter? In Austin, Texas in 2008, it was many more than would have been expected (roughly 500). Do you know that nearly ALL of them can be saved and although many are marked "aggressive", they rarely are?

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Taking Troubled Tabbies from Naughty to Nice

Sara Cookson and Kristin Hill February 2015

Every rescue encounters troubled cats with issues that go beyond tortitude. The Austin Pet's Alive! Cat Behavior Team will teach you how to prevent behavior problems before they start.

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Behavior Modification for Cats in Shelters and Foster Homes

Sara L. Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVBOctober 2014

Getting a leopard to change his spots sometimes seems easier than getting a domestic cat to change her behavior. Fortunately, the science of feline behavior modification has come a long way in recent years, leaving animal shelters, rescue groups, fosters and adopters with plenty of new tools to help cats become happier and well-adjusted companions.

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Physical and Behavioral Development of Kittens for the First Six Weeks of Life

Susan Krebsbach, DVMDecember 2013

Early behavioral development of kittens is governed by the extent to which other body systems and senses have developed. An understanding of both is vital if we are to comprehend the antics of the kittens in our charge.

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Helping Cats Who Hiss and Hide: Pre-Webcast Survey Results

November 2013

On November 14, 2013, Maddie's Fund® presented the webcast Helping Cats Who Hiss and Hide: Assessment, Behavior Modification and Re-Homing Strategies for Shy and Fearful Cats, with Dr. Sheila D'Arpino, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. Those who registered for the live webcast filled out a short questionnaire regarding their own experiences with shy and fearful cats.

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From Helpless Newborn to Skilled Acrobat: Feline Development and the Orphaned Kitten

Susan Krebsbach, DVMApril 2013

Kittens may start out tiny and helpless, but they rapidly develop into some of nature's most agile and active creatures. Making sure they grow up with their social and behavioral needs met is as important as making sure their physical needs are fulfilled, says Susan Krebsbach, DVM.

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Canine Body Language in the Shelter

Dr. Sara Bennett, DVM, DACVBSeptember 2012

Have you ever wondered how dogs communicate? Are we even close to understanding them? Dr. Sara Bennett, graduate of the Purdue Shelter Veterinary Behavior Residency Program, goes through an overview of canine body language and interpretation. She discusses welfare implications of different behavior states, as well as how this can affect and be affected by length of stay in a shelter and the animal shelter environment.

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Enrichment and Training for Dogs and Cats

Kelley Bollen, MS, CABCJuly 2012

Ms. Bollen talks about the benefits of enrichment and training for both dogs and cats, as well as the value of these programs in enhancing opportunities for adoption.

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Stress Reduction for Shelter Cats

Kelley Bollen, MS, CABCJuly 2012

Various strategies for reducing the stress experienced by cats in a shelter environment.

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Stress Reduction for Shelter Dogs

Kelley Bollen, MS, CABCJuly 2012

Various strategies for reducing the stress experienced by dogs in a shelter environment.