Pet Resource Center
Getting help for your pet
Regardless of your dog or cat's behavior, we offer several free options to help!
Our team of behavior specialists provides enrichment, daily training, and when necessary, additional behavior support to pets in our shelters so that they become the best possible candidates for adoption.
Other resources
Schedule a Behavior Help Line appointment:
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Congratulations on adopting your new family member! Here are some important resources and information that will help keep your pet healthy and happy.
Learn how to gently integrate a cat that's come from an under socialized situation into your house and life.
Dogs that come from hoarding situations may have never lived with people. Learn what to expect, how to handle them and how to best ease them into their new living situation.
Many of us at some point have experienced horses that don't respect us very much, or we experience trouble on the ground or in the saddle. These problems can be frustrating and intimidating, leaving us not knowing what to do.
Clicker training uses a precise sound (a click) to tell the cat that he has done something to earn a reward. Think of the clicker as the shutter of a camera: you click when you see the correct "picture" of the behavior you're training your cat to...
Training Tips
By this time, your cat can probably perform a few behaviors, such as "sit," "touch" and "watch me," some of the time. However, you've probably found that with any small change in the environment your cat may "forget" what he's just learned. Teaching your cat the new behavior...Crate training your dog may take some time and effort, but can be useful in a variety of situations. 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 house rules, such as what he...
Many behavior problems in dogs are the result of boredom or excess energy. Toys offer mental and physical stimulation and enrichment. Directing your dog's energy into play with toys can prevent or help resolve such problems as digging and chewing on furniture, shoes or shrubbery.
Toys We Recommend
Interactive Toys:
...This article by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers addresses the ramifications of a reliance on dominance theory as it relates to understanding dogs, interpreting their behavior, and living harmoniously with our canine companions. Please download using the link above to read the article.
Your dog is a living, breathing animal that relies on you for almost everything (food, water, shelter, play time, potty breaks…). Taking care of your dog's physical and mental enrichment is part of being a dog owner. Dogs that get enough mental and physical exercise are going to be happier...
Horses, donkeys and mules are very big animals. This may seem like an obvious fact, but it's crucial to keep it in mind any time we interact with or train horses. Every day I get to work with these awesome creatures and teach folks how to act around them. More...
Finding Professional Help
When your pet's behavior problem calls for professional help in your home, you should seek advice from a veterinarian and an animal behavior specialist. Knowing where to turn can be confusing. People who work with animal behavior problems are not regulated by any government agency and may...The easiest way to start clicker training is to teach your dog to hand target. During this process your dog will learn that the click sound ALWAYS means a treat is coming, and he'll learn that offering a specific behavior earns a click/treat. This will become the foundation for teaching...
by Brent Winston, equine trainer As winter began and the busy part of riding season came to an end, a lot of folks started calling Harmony to recap their rides or ask for advice on issues that had come up for their horses over the summer. One of most common...