Guides to help assess pets for rehoming

Welcome to Module one, Understanding Dog Behaviour and Body Language.

In this module, we'll build your confidence in reading dog body language, understanding emotional states and interpreting behaviour in the context of rehoming suitability to help support the use of the guide and the templates contained within it.
I thought I'd introduce myself, so welcome to this module. My name is Dr Kate Mornement.

I have a PhD from Monash University which focused on shelter dogs in Australia, looking at public attitudes towards shelter dogs and also assessment of their behaviour for adoption suitability.
I'm a board certified applied animal behaviourist through the Animal Behaviour Society
and I run a business called Pets Behaving Badly out of Melbourne.
I mainly consult to pet parents but also do quite a bit of industry consulting,
government work and media work as well.
I also established Pet Behaviour Academy a few years ago
which is an online education platform for pet parents and pet professionals.
And if this all sounds like something of interest to you,
please do join my communities on social media. I'd love to have you follow along and learn more
about what I do. Lesson one Introduction. The purpose of these modules is to build some behavioural
literacy in people that are responsible for assessing, handling and rehoming cats and dogs.
Also to help support fair, humane and evidence-based decision making when it comes to
rehoming decisions and to help reduce risk to people and animals by improving early recognition
of stress, fear and behavioural escalation. So why does behavioural literacy matter?
It matters because cats and dogs communicate primarily through their body language,
their behaviour and their vocalisations. This means that if we misread behaviour
it can increase the risk of injury to people and other animals. It can also
lead to inaccurate assessments of behaviour. Misreading behaviour can
result in unfair rehoming or euthanasia decisions. And many animals in care are
experiencing temporary emotional states rather than fixed personality or temperament traits.

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Why does emotional states matter?
So we know that behaviour is driven by underlying emotional states,
learning history and the current context or environment.
Fear, anxiety, frustration and stress can actually suppress normal behaviour in animals.
They can also exaggerate defensive responses, so make animals appear more aggressive than they actually are.
And they can mask sociability or affiliative or friendly tendencies.
These learning modules support the guides to assessing rehoming suitability in cats
and dogs by helping to improve consistency in interpretation of behaviour, by helping
to reduce any subjective biases that might exist, and by encouraging assessment across
time and context, rather than just one-off assessments.
Lesson two, Dog Behaviour and Body Language.
When observing a dog, start by looking closely at key body parts while remembering that no single cue tells the whole story.
We always interpret behaviour in context, so a single signal, like a wagging tail, can actually be misleading.
Instead, we read the whole picture.
Okay, let's have a look at how we read different body parts in dogs and what they mean.
So firstly, the tail.
So the tail can tell us a lot about how a dog's feeling.
A neutral tail tends to indicate a dog that's feeling quite relaxed,
whereas a tucked tail can indicate fear, stress or anxiety.
Sometimes the tail may be held in a high position and quite stiff which can indicate arousal.
The tail can be loose when it's wagged but it can also be a stiff wag and they tend to mean
different things. So a loose wag is more an indication of a calm relaxed dog or a dog that's
feeling social in that moment, whereas a stiff wag can indicate uncertainty or arousal.
It's also important to understand that a wagging tail doesn't necessarily equal friendly. So a lot
of people misinterpret tail wags and they think that any wag is a good sign, but that's not always
the case. So the context is really important. With the ears, can also tell us a lot.
So neutral ears are when they're just in their normal position and signal a dog that's feeling relaxed.
When the ears are held back or down slightly, like you can see in this image on this slide,
that can indicate a dog that's feeling unsure or afraid.
Ears that are pinned right back close to the head often indicate a high level of fear or stress and
will usually be seen in combination with aggression. Whereas forward facing ears or
highly placed ears tend to signal interest or excitement. Ears can also flick back and forth
in different positions which is an indication that the dog's a bit unsure. Alright what about
the eyes? So with the eyes we can have soft eyes that means that the skin around the eyes is relaxed
and the eyes look relaxed whereas a hard stare is when the dog might be staring really intently
at something and often if that's the case you'll also see what's called whale eye or the whites of
the dog's eye that is a clear signal of fear or anxiety or uncertainty. Blinking versus staring
so again a dog that's blinking is feeling relaxed and calm if they're feeling stressed
are anxious or frightened they're not going to blink they're more likely to be staring at the
source of their fear or anxiety. Pupil dilation is something else to look out for in the eyes so if
the pupils are heavily dilated that's often a sign of fear. Let's look at the mouth now. So the mouth
can also tell us quite a lot about how a dog's feeling. So a relaxed mouth is one that is slightly
open, whereas a more tense mouth tends to be closed. You can see that in these two
images here, the dog on the left has a slightly open mouth. You can also see the
tongue lolling, so that just means the tongue is kind of sticking out a little
bit and that's a sign of a relaxed and calm dog. Whereas the image on the right
you can see the mouth is closed and quite tense. Lip licking is another thing to look out for and
that's a stress signal. Panting, particularly if the dog has not been exercising or it's not hot,
panting in that context is a sign of stress or anxiety. So is yawning, so again look at the
context if the dog isn't tired and they're yawning that's a stress signal.
Bearing teeth that's something else to look for. Dogs will tend to bare their
teeth if they're feeling trapped or threatened and then the more obvious
signs are growling or snapping or biting and they are quite late signals that are
often shown when earlier body language is not responded to.
Okay, what about body posture? So a dog's posture can be loose if it's feeling calm and relaxed or
it can be quite stiff if it's feeling unsure or anxious. We want to look for where the weight
is. So is the weight shifted back? That's a sign that a dog's feeling
quite fearful and unsure and is maybe going to back out of the situation.
Whereas weight shifted forward that dog is also probably feeling unsure but more likely to go for
the fight aspect of the fight or flight response so they may be showing some defensive aggression
crouching is another sign to look for that's a sign of a fearful dog freezing again fear anxiety
or stress. When a dog is resting, so laying down, particularly if they have their hips turned to one
side, that's a really good sign of a calm dog. And a play bow is another posture that
most of us are familiar with and dogs will only tend to show a play bow if they're feeling
calm and relaxed and wanting to play.
Okay, so it is important that we look at the whole picture, not just individual body language signs when we're reading dogs.
And this fear in dogs infographic can be really helpful to help you understand what the whole body can look like or what different parts of the body look like when dogs are feeling unsure.
So no single cue should be interpreted in isolation. We need to look at the whole picture
or at least clusters of signals. So this doggy language infographic by Lily Chin is one I
recommend to lots of people just to help you learn the different postures and different things
that parts of the body are doing to signal different underlying emotional states.
So have a look at this, have a good look when you have some time and you can even
print it out and use it as something that you refer back to as a reminder of
the things that you need to look for when interpreting body language.
Let's have a look at a video example of anxiety in dogs.
So you can see this dog, he's lip licking, he's staring at something off in the
distance, his mouth is quite tense when he's not licking his lips, he's panting,
his ears are held back and he's kind of scanning the environment. He's not
looking relaxed at all. Here's an example of a dog that's feeling quite scared and
anxious. He's hanging out at the back of his kennel, not interested in coming to
the front and being social. He's staring quite intently at people at the front of the kennel.
You can see whale eye on occasion and his ears are held back slightly as well. Okay you can see this
dog is sitting lying down right at the back of its kennel. It's not interested in coming up and
being social and it's a bit hard to see but there's a lot of lip licking. This dog's feeling really
overwhelmed. Let's have a look at a couple of examples of relatively calm and relaxed dogs
in a kennel situation. So this dog here is quite happy, he's engaging socially,
his tail is wagging nice and loosely. This little dog is also quite happy and relaxed,
he's approached the kennel, again his tail is wagging, he's looking for social interaction.
He did do a shake off, so he's probably a bit anxious.
But there's some good examples of relatively relaxed.
Let's have a deeper look into fear, anxiety and stress in dogs.
So just to define each one, fear is a response to a perceived threat.
Anxiety is anticipation of a threat.
And stress is a physiological and behavioral response to a challenge in the environment.
So these states are adaptive and they're not signs of bad behavior.
They are also really, common in the shelter environment,
just due to the nature of that environment. It's busy, it's noisy, it's unfamiliar.
So lots of dogs will exhibit fear, anxiety and or stress in that situation.
Let's have a look now at what's known as the spectrum of canine fear, anxiety and stress.
So this is another really useful infographic to familiarise yourself with and it just shows the
different levels of fear, anxiety and stress from quite mild to really significant. So ideally we
want to try and keep dogs within the green zone or the yellow zone. We want to try and prevent
them from going into that red zone if at all possible. Let's now have a look at arousal. So
So this could be feeling excitement, frustration or fear.
High arousal, positive or negative, makes behaviour less predictable
and can actually tip a dog over their threshold quite quickly.
So with positive arousal, that could be things like play or excitement.
With negative arousal, it could be frustration or overstimulation.
Some of the signs of arousal are increased movement or activity, it could be sudden
vocalisation and often reduced impulse control. So that's where a dog may not be able to sit
when asked to, it might not be able to walk on a loose lead when asked to, that may occur due to
arousal. And this is an important consideration for safe handling but also timing of assessment.
Ideally you want to assess dogs when they're not overly aroused, when they're
giving their best version of themselves. Let's have a look at some examples of over arousal.
So this dog here in a large pen you can see she's vocalizing a lot she's kind of pacing up and down
the wall of the enclosure this dog too he's also vocalizing he's jumping up a bit that's common in
this kind of behavior as well it doesn't necessarily occur all the time so it is
context dependent so it can be caused by excitement due to a change of environment or sometimes
frustration at not being able to get where they want to go. Compare and contrast that to these
little dogs they're a lot more relaxed and calm they're engaging socially when people approach
and yeah they're looking more relaxed. So here we have an example of quite a highly
aroused dog so they're kind of jumping up on the kennel gate they're wiggly and obviously quite
social but also quite aroused whereas this dog is looking a little bit shut down and unsure
so they're not showing super social engaging behavior they're kind of hanging back a little
be looking around, lots of lip licking, quite anxious. Okay so a closer look at frustration.
So frustration can lead to vocalisation, lunging, pawing at the kennel or at people
or mouthing. It's common in shelters, particularly in dogs with limited choice or control and maybe
dogs that are not getting enough enrichment or exercise. Common triggers
can be barriers so dogs will often become frustrated at their kennel door or
when they're in an enclosure. On lead that's another common trigger as is
confinement. So it can look similar to aggression but it does have different
motivations. What about relaxation? So what does a calm content dog look like?
So a calm dog tends to have really loose, a loose body and loose body language. So
if you have a look at this image on this slide, this dog is lying down but they also have their
hips turn to one side. So that's a really nice sign of a calm and relaxed dog. They'll also tend
to have soft facial muscles or a soft facial expression and their weight is often evenly
distributed so it's not leaning back and it's not coming forward. They also show the ability to
disengage from their environment and to settle, whether that's in their enclosure or on a bed.
Okay, so let's have a look at how behaviour works. So dog behaviour is influenced by genetic
predisposition, by their current health status, by prior learning and socialisation experiences,
good and bad, but also a lack of prior socialisation, the current emotional state,
and also the consequences that behaviour has received in the past.
So we know that dogs repeat behaviours that work for them.
So when we talk about dog behaviour and training, we're really talking about learning.
So if you haven't heard this statement before, it is a really good one and I'm going to repeat it,
but dogs repeat behaviours that work for them. So what that means is that they repeat behaviours
that result in something beneficial based on their own individual preferences and past experiences
and they tend to stop behaviours that don't result in something that they want.
So one of the most important concepts in learning theory is the four quadrants of operant conditioning.
And these names can sound quite technical or intimidating, but they're really straightforward once you understand what the words mean.
So in this image, I'll go through them in a second, but I just want to explain that in this infographic,
positive means something is added and negative means something is removed.
It doesn't mean good or bad. So positive something is added to the environment, negative something
is removed. Reinforcement simply means behaviour increases as a result and punishment means
behaviour decreases. So these terms don't mean good or bad they just describe what happens to
the behaviour. So with positive reinforcement something the dog likes is added after a behaviour
making that behaviour more likely to happen again in future.
So as an example, if the dog sits and it gets a treat,
it's more likely to sit again in future.

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So this is the most modern and humane quadrant
because it focuses on helping dogs feel safe,
motivated and engaged in the learning process.
And when dogs are reinforced positively for behaviours,
they enjoy the learning process so it's much more humane.
With negative reinforcement, something unpleasant is removed when the dog performs a behaviour,
which increases the likelihood that behaviour will occur again.
So some examples, so pressure on the lead is released if the dog stops pulling.
The example I have here, a horse moves forward when leg pressure is removed.
So the dog learns how to escape or avoid discomfort.
And negative reinforcement is common in both animal and human learning,
often without people realizing it.
So for example, a really common example in our lives is using seat belts.
So fastening your seat belt when you get in the car stops the beeping alarm in the car
and that is actually an example of negative reinforcement.

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So with positive punishment, something unpleasant is added after a behaviour
which reduces the likelihood the behaviour will happen again.
So as an example, a dog barks and is sprayed with water, or a leash correction is applied
when the dog lunges, or a dog jumps up and is yelled at as a consequence.
So positive punishment may suppress an unwanted behaviour, particularly in the short term,
but it can also create unintended side effects including fear, anxiety, frustration and reduced
trust. Using punishment can also increase the likelihood that a dog will show aggression in
future, especially if they don't understand what to do instead. So one of the biggest problems
of using punishment-based approaches is that while they may stop problem behaviour temporarily,
they often fail to address the underlying reason the dog's showing the behaviour and the underlying
emotional response that is driving that unwanted behaviour in the first place.
Okay, and with negative punishment, which is P-, something the dog wants is removed after a
behaviour which reduces the likelihood of that behaviour occurring again in future.
So an example is you stop patting your dog if they mouth your hands, so you're removing the
attention that your dog probably wants. Another example is your dog jumps up on you and you walk
away removing attention. So this quadrant is commonly used in reward-based training,
usually alongside positive reinforcement. So the dog learns that certain behaviours make good things
go away while alternative behaviours make those good things return. So dogs are always learning
from consequences, the context and the environment as well as their previous experiences and
reinforcement history. So effective behaviour change isn't just about
stopping unwanted behaviour, it's about teaching dogs behaviours you want to see
more of, teaching them skills and changing underlying emotional responses.
It's also about setting dogs up for success. So while all four quadrants
exist in animal training and learning. Modern behavioural science supports the use of reinforcement
based approaches that prioritise animal welfare, that build trust between animal and trainer,
that are safe and that really help nourish that human-animal bond.
So the role of socialization and early life experience really do mold how dogs view the world.
So poor socialization and or traumatic experiences can actually create long-lasting fear responses,
noise sensitivities or low tolerance for novelty or new experiences.

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So as much as is possible to provide early and ongoing socialisation for puppies, we
really want to try and do that to set them up for success.
However, with lots of dogs that come into shelters or rescue organisations, there's
not much that we can do if they do miss out on that early socialisation.
It's important to understand that socialisation is an ongoing process, but that critical period when puppies are aged around five through to 12 to 14 weeks and the first year of life are incredibly influential.
So this doesn't mean that behaviour cannot improve if they have missed out.
It just means that they may not reach their full potential.
So the environment can also impact behaviour. So the shelter environment can be really stressful
for a lot of dogs. So you may see that dogs might show certain behaviour in a shelter that they
don't show in a foster home or in their new adoptive homes. And this is because there are
different levels of noise, different routines and different kinds of social
contact that occur in these different environments. So behaviour observed in
one context may not reflect behaviour in another.
Let's have a look at some strategies to address fear, anxiety and stress in dogs.
So to support dogs that are showing signs of fear, anxiety and stress,
we can do things like modify the environment, we can use low stress handling or fear-free handling
principles. We can provide them with enrichment in the form of sniff walks or
high-value food puzzle toys, that kind of thing to give them an outlet for sniffing
and exploring. We can try to create predictable routines where possible and
And we can use counter conditioning and positive reinforcement to help build confidence and positive associations with triggers for fear, anxiety and stress.
We also want to try and keep dogs at a distance from any known triggers for fear, anxiety and stress.
And for some dogs we might want to try and use foster care if it's available
to get them out of the shelter environment if that's what's contributing to their fear, anxiety
and stress. So I mentioned before desensitisation and counter conditioning to triggers can help a
lot so that involves very gradual exposure to triggers of fear, anxiety and stress while
pairing those triggers with something the dog absolutely loves and high value food is a very
effective tool for this. But it's a gradual process and it does take time so it's not something that's
going to resolve in a couple of sessions. And if you find you're really struggling with a dog that
has chronic fear, anxiety or stress, referral to an experienced behaviour professional is highly
recommended to help create a program that's targeted to that dog to help them overcome
their fear, anxiety and stress. Something I just want to touch on because it remains
to be an issue in the general dog owning population is dominance theory. So there are still
a lot of trainers out there who advocate or who push this way of training or
relating to dogs. So yeah it's important to clarify that behaviors that a dog
might show in a shelter or rescue environment are not caused by a dog
trying to dominate humans. This is a really outdated theory and it's not
supported by the current science at all. But it can lead to harmful handling and training approaches
which some dog trainers are still advocating. Dominance doesn't explain fear, aggression
or non-compliance and modern evidence supports that behaviour is context dependent
and influenced by all those things we spoke about before.
So actually fear and reinforcement history are usually primary drivers of behaviour that
is misinterpreted as dominance. So it's really important to understand this for reducing
you know punitive responses to behaviour. Dogs are always just doing what works for them in
every situation and if we mistake it for dominance it often means that those
people will use techniques that they think are appropriate but really are not.
Lesson three Stress and Welfare Indicators
Assessing behaviour requires knowing what's normal for the species, for the breed and for that particular individual.
Abnormal behaviours can include things like pacing, circling, repetitive barking or shut down behaviours like freezing.
It's also important to understand that normal behaviours can actually increase in stressful environments.
So normal behaviours are things like barking or jumping up.
So lots of dogs do that, but they might do it a lot more frequently in stressful environments.
So abnormal behaviours could indicate things like chronic stress, particularly if they persist for
a long time. They could also indicate poor welfare, that an animal is just not coping in that
environment. They might signal an underlying health issue, so it's really important to keep
those vet checks regular if you're worried about an animal's wellbeing.
Common shelter stress signs include pacing, so some animals might just pace around in their
enclosure. Excessive barking is a common one and often to the point where a dog sounds like they're
losing their voice. Panting when it's not hot and again with that sweaty paws, so leaving
paw prints when it's not hot. Lip licking constantly is another sign of stress. Jumpiness,
so dogs that continually jump up on their kennel door. And mouthy behaviour.
Let's just touch on some red flags when it comes to welfare. So red flags include things like
prolonged shutdown behaviour or an inability to rest, escalating reactivity, self-injury
or significant deterioration over a number of days or weeks. So these signs warrant
immediate welfare interventions. And it's also really important to understand that
stress can mask sociability. So this is one of the things that can impact on assessment
because prolonged stress can mask a lot of normal behaviours in that individual
in a less stressful environment.
Prolonged stress can also inflate or exacerbate a fear response and it can make individuals a lot
less tolerant for things that otherwise wouldn't upset them as much. It also reduces an individual's
learning capacity. So when animals are really stressed or anxious, they're not in the position
where they can take on new information and learn. So all of this really reinforces the need for
assessment that occurs over time and in different contexts as recommended in the guide.
Lesson four, sociability, handling and tolerance.
Sociable dogs show relaxed body language.
They approach with soft eyes, wag loosely through the hips and may lean in to touch.
Dogs can be selectively social, such as friendly with people, but not with other dogs or vice versa.
Non-social dogs may avoid eye contact, move away, retreat behind objects or freeze when approached.
Some may vocalise, bark or lunge to increase distance.
Let's have a look at the sociability spectrum.
So it's actually a misconception that all dogs should get along with every other dog that they encounter.
This is a common myth. In fact, very few dogs are comfortable interacting with every other
dog that they meet. Many dogs need gradual introductions, trust building or predictable
environments to show their true social potential. And some dogs just prefer the company of humans
and a select few other dogs. So with the dog sociability spectrum you can see on
this infographic here we have a small proportion of dogs that are deemed
highly social and these dogs tend to get along with most other dogs that they
meet. In the middle we have the main proportion of dogs who are selectively
social. So this means that they get along with some other dogs that they meet but
not all. And this is very common so we tend to find that small dogs in general
tend to get along better with other small dogs. Larger dogs that are really
playful and bouncy get along with similar sized dogs with a similar play
style. So most dogs are tolerant but not social with every other dog. And then we have a small
proportion of dogs on the other end of the spectrum who are what would be called dog
aggressive or dog avoidant. So they can become reactive when they meet other dogs.
So not all dogs need to be social to be suitable companions. There are different situations that
will suit different dog sociability levels and it's very important that we try to match
those dogs depending on their sociability to homes that fit with that. Here's a really nice
example of a dog meet and greet which is used to try and assess sociability in dogs. So in this
example two dogs are introduced either side of a barrier for safety which is really important.
So you start with quite a distance between them and only reduce the distance if both dogs are
showing good signs of social behaviour and no signs of aggression or reactivity. Once they've
met with the barrier in between, you can safely introduce them on lead in a more open space to
continue the assessment. A consent test is a great thing to do with dogs to gauge how comfortable
they are with you approaching or being touched or patted. We've got Shana and Morris here today
to help demonstrate what a consent test looks like.
The idea is that I'll gauge his behaviour and invite him to come to me
to give him the choice and control to do that.
Then, if he's willing, I'll give him a little pat somewhere under the chin or chest
and then I'll stop and I'll see how he responds.
So if he re-engages with me, that's a really good sign that he wants more interaction
and he's comfortable.
If he stops engaging or moves away, that's his way of saying no.
So let's see what Morris does.
Morris, good boy.
Good boy.
I do have some treats here to make it a positive for him.
Good boy.
Now I'm going to give him a little pat here.
Good boy.
And stop and see what he does.
So he's not particularly interested, but we'll give it another try.
Morris.
Hi.
Hello.
Good boy.
So a nice pat.
Somewhere nice and then stop and see what he does.
So he's not super interested in interacting with me,
but I can tell that he's comfortable in his body language.
He's quite relaxed.
He's keen to figure out how to get more treats.
Of course.
Good boy.
Good boy.
Good job.
Good job.
And this is a nice example of a lean in.
So he just lent his butt into my legs.
For a little pat. So that's just an example of a consent test and I'd say that went quite well,
he's a bit distracted and that's okay too, but he's certainly not nervous or anxious.
Dogs who are tolerant of handling remain loose and relaxed in their body during touch.
They may orient to the handler, lick or lean in gently. Low tolerance looks like lip licking,
head turning, whale eye where you can see the whites of the eye, panting, moving away,
stiffening, growling, snapping or biting when touched in certain areas.
So let's demonstrate another consent test. We've got Shana and Remy here so let's see how Remy
responds. Remy, how are you? So I'm just going to pat her briefly here and then I'll stop and
say what she does.
Oh,
back.
Good girl.
Hello, sweet girl.
Hi.
Are you distracted?
Can I join another pack?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Good girl.
Good girl.
Good girl.
Buddy.
Lesson five.
Escalation and aggression thresholds.
So with aggression it really rarely happens out of the blue dogs typically show lots of
precursors to aggression and something that can be really helpful in understanding these
is what's called the canine ladder of aggression
so the ladder of aggression shows behaviors that a dog will show from green zone all the way through
to red zone so green zone behaviors are those really early indicators so it could look like
lip licking turning away and as the dog escalates in their aggression their behavior
will show that so they might have their ears back as they go up that ladder of aggression
they might tuck their tail so they tend to show those early warning signs it could be the mouth
shutting suddenly it could be their body stiffening or they might show slow motion
movements before they head into that red zone on the ladder of aggression where they might
growl, snap and eventually bite. So the majority of dogs will give quite a number of early warning
signs before they resort to a bite and we know that punishing warnings can actually increase
the risk of a bite. Never punish a growl because that is a precursor to a bite and if we consistently
punish a dog for growling they can actually skip the growl and just go straight to a bite.
So if we punish those early warning signs they may not show them and punishing those signs
doesn't address the underlying emotion that's driving the aggression. It just
punishes the behavior that's shown as a symptom. So it's really important to
recognize these early signs and respond to them accordingly. Let's have a look
at triggers and thresholds. So a trigger is anything that causes a dog to react.
Triggers can include things like people, usually unfamiliar people or it could be
people that look different. Some dogs have triggers where it's people that are wearing
high-vis or maybe they're wearing dark clothing or they could be wearing a hat or carrying a
walking stick. Those are common triggers when it comes to people. Other common triggers are dogs.
So particularly for dogs that were not well socialized to lots of different dogs or for
dogs that have had bad experiences with other dogs, so been attacked or bullied. Handling is
another trigger. Again, it's more common in dogs that were not handled a lot when they were young,
but it can also happen in dogs that are just sensitive to handling
and the environment as well. So things in the environment can trigger escalation and aggression.
So a threshold refers to the point at which a dog shifts from being able to cope to not coping with that trigger in the environment.
And recognising an individual dog's threshold is critical to preventing escalation.
So thresholds can vary based on the stress load for that dog, their level of fear, their current health status,
whether or not they're experiencing any pain as well as their past experiences.
So a dog's threshold is the point at which the intensity of a trigger and the dog's emotional
arousal become too much for them to cope and this can often result in a noticeable behavioral
reaction but also in an inability for the dog to pay attention to you or to respond to your cues.
So if a dog reaches or goes over threshold the best thing that you can do to help them
is remove them from the situation is to increase distance between themselves and the trigger.
So when a dog is below threshold they can notice a trigger for example an unfamiliar person,
a dog or a noise but they can still think, they can learn and they can respond.
So they might show mild stress signals but they do retain behavioral choice and self-control
whereas when a dog is at or above threshold they are emotionally overwhelmed their nervous
system shifts into fight or flight mode so they might go for that fight option some dogs might
just freeze or shut down. Other dogs might try to escape the situation and this is where you often
see behaviours like barking, lunging, snapping, freezing or trying to escape. So when a dog is at
or over threshold learning and rational processes are rational processing sorry is greatly reduced
or just not available so they're really not in a state to be able to take on information or to
respond.
Lesson six Common behavioural issues.

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So most common behavioural problems that are seen in dogs, in shelters and post adoption,
but also in the general dog population are fear and anxiety or stress based.
They are context dependent so they depend upon what's happening in the
environment at the time. They are usually modifiable or treatable with the right
support and management in place and these issues are often coping strategies
So they're not bad behaviour.
Lots of people label dogs as being badly behaved,
but usually a problem behaviour is a coping strategy.
And common behavioural issues are not automatic barriers to rehoming.
So they're often caused by or exacerbated by stress,
by inadequate socialization during the critical period for socialization but also
the first year of life in particular and or negative past experiences. So dogs that have
experienced traumatic events like being attacked by another dog or being hit by a car
they are more likely to develop behavioral issues associated with fear, anxiety and stress.
So fear and anxiety-based reactivity or aggression is really common
and that can be directed towards people or strangers, visitors to the home, vets are another
common one. It can also be directed towards other dogs. Moving objects. When we adopted our dog,
Bortocoli, he had fear-based reactivity towards the postie which is a common one.
Probably because he was wearing high-vis and moving on a loud noisy motorbike.
So common triggers for fear or anxiety based reactivity or aggression
are the trigger approaching too quickly direct eye contact or looming so if that's a person or
another dog being confined or cornered tends to exacerbate underlying fear and anxiety and make
reactivity or aggression more likely and sudden movement or loud noise. So it's important to
remember when we're walking dogs, reactivity on lead is a really common issue and when we're
walking dogs on lead and they're entering that fight or flight response, the option to get away
to remove themselves from the situation is not there because we need to walk them on lead. So
So when we walk dogs on lead and they can't escape a perceived threat, that tends to make them more likely to show reactivity or aggression.
So that's something important to keep in mind.

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And this issue is often preceded by subtle warning signs that are often missed.
So things like whale eye, lip licking or yawning, having a stiff body posture.
So the tail might be held high and stiff or it might be tucked under the body and growling and
air snapping is another warning sign that you might see before dogs escalate to more obvious
body language. Okay resource guiding this is another pretty common problem usually directed
towards people so that could be adults or children in the home or other dogs or other animals that
they live with. Common triggers for resource guiding include food or treats so you might see
a dog stiffening over their food bowl when approached or eating their food really
fast like scoffing it and a more obvious sign is obviously growling or snapping when approached
with food or treats. Toys or objects, so lots of dogs will guard these. Usually they'll pick them
up and run away with it and they might be reluctant to drop the item or give it over.
Favourite resting places is another resource that dogs might guard and this could look like growling
when asked to get off the furniture or if someone goes and sits next to the dog they might show
aggression. So resource guarding can be successfully reduced or treated with
appropriate behavior modification and management strategies in place. Alright
separation distress so really common so this is a distress response
that's triggered by separation or even the anticipation of separation from an
attachment figure. Common signs of separation distress include destructive
behavior when left alone. So this could be scratching at doors, walls, windows. It
could be excessive chewing of items that they shouldn't really be chewing. You
might hear excessive barking, whining or howling or your neighbors might complain
of this when you're not there. House soiling, so toileting inside the house when the dog is
otherwise perfectly toilet trained is another sign of separation distress. Pacing, restlessness
and panting, particularly when the dog realizes that you're about to leave. So dogs are very
perceptive and they pick up on the cues that you're going, so that might mean wearing certain clothes,
putting on certain shoes, grabbing a bag, those kinds of things. When left alone some dogs try to
escape so that might mean digging under a fence or scaling fences. You also will see an overly
enthusiastic greeting upon your return so when you do get home the dog is absolutely beside
themselves super happy and just all over you. And then when you are home signs that your dog may
experience separation distress includes shadowing you so that's following you from room to room
and another term that we use for dogs like this is we call them velcro dogs
because they're permanently attached to you when you are home.
So separation distress is really common in shelter dogs and it's because they've often lost
lost attachment figures through relinquishment. Also the stressful environment of a shelter can
contribute to separation distress and just the big change to their usual routine.
Okay lead pulling. Another very common problem not just in shelter dogs but in the general
dog population why do dogs do it they do it because they often will walk faster than we do
naturally they're also highly motivated by the environment so there are new smells and new
sights when we take them out for a walk and this is super interesting for them
and often they learn that pulling works so they get to go where they want to go quicker
which reinforces the pulling behaviour. Some things that can help reduce lead pulling
include consistent loose lead training using positive reinforcement. This means rewarding
the dog when they walk on a loose lead. The more consistent you are at doing that,
the more the dog learns if I don't pull good things happen. A front clipping harness can also
help to manage and reduce hard pulling but patience is also key so this behaviour takes
time and consistency for a dog to learn. Jumping up, so jumping up is a very normal canine behaviour
it's often how dogs greet us so they want to get close to our face
they'll often do it in excitement and they do it because the behavior has been reinforced
so when dogs are puppies and they're little and they're cute we don't mind it when they jump up
and often when they do jump up we give them attention we give them pats we say hello we
make eye contact with them so lots of dogs learn from a very young age that jumping up
is a very rewarding behaviour but when they get to 30 kilos and they're adults it's usually
something we don't want them to do and it's especially something many visitors don't want
them to do so it's a good idea not to encourage jumping up. What helps to address this issue is
a consistent response from everybody so everyone who encounters the dog should ignore the jumping
if the dog does jump up turn away as a consequence but as soon as they stop reward four paws on the
floor with attention pats and all the good things and if people are consistent in that approach the
dog learns there's no point in jumping up because I get all the things that I want for four paws on
the floor. So both these behaviors respond really well to positive reinforcement and a consistent
approach. Noise sensitivity. So this is a fear response to a specific or sudden loud noise.
Common triggers include things like thunderstorms, rain, loud wind and fireworks.
Traffic and machinery can also cause noise sensitivity or be triggers for it.
And so can household items so the vacuum is a really common one the tv so playing
animal shows or certain movies can trigger some dogs and other things like alarms i've had cases
where a dog freaked out at the sound of a coffee grinder or a hairdryer there are all kinds of
different things that can be triggers. How it presents. So dogs might respond by
hiding or trembling, they might start panting or pacing and lots of dogs will
bark when they hear a certain noise. Some might attempt to escape. What can help is
providing them with a safe haven, a safe space where they can retreat to if
they're feeling scared or unsure. Something else that's really effective is blocking or drowning
the sound out with white noise. That's been a really effective way to help us address
fear of thunderstorms in our rescue dog Lenny. We used white noise to drown out the sound of
thunder particularly overnight when everyone's asleep and that has helped a lot. Systematic
desensitization and counter conditioning to the trigger this is where you gradually expose the
dog to the trigger and you pair it with something they really love so treats is very effective
and over time and with repetition the dog starts to associate the scary thing with something they
really like with something positive and it helps address that fear. At referral to a veterinary
behaviourist if the issue is on the moderate to extreme end of the scale is really important
because sometimes medication might be needed to help address their fear and anxiety to allow
behaviour modification to be successful. And a really important point here is that comforting
a frightened dog does not reinforce fear, you cannot reinforce fear. So it's really important
to respond calmly and kindly to a dog that's experiencing fear or anxiety or noise sensitivity
to help them feel safe.
Lesson seven Applying Behaviour Knowledge to Rehoming Decisions
Interpreting behaviour accurately requires training and experience as highlighted in the guide.
Skilled assessors reduce bias, help ensure fair, humane and defensible decisions and improves consistency.
A dog in a shelter may have completely different behaviour observed in the shelter environment
compared to a foster care environment or an adoptive home.
And this is why the guide recommends assessing behaviour over time and across multiple different contexts wherever possible.
Some dogs might need a bit of extra support before they're rehomed.
And that could look like individual behaviour modification plans to help address issues or it
could look like a placement in foster care prior to their adoption. Professional input prior to
rehoming can be really important here to make sure that dogs are matched to suitable homes.
So successful rehoming of dogs really does depend a great deal on appropriate matches
and when it comes to matching dogs to homes we want to consider things like the experience level
of the adopter. So if we're trying to rehome a dog that needs some behavioural support or ongoing
training a novice adopter might not be the right fit. We also need to consider things like the
environment. So does the adopter live in an apartment versus a house? Do they have a small
yard versus a really large yard? Are there children in the home? Is it a single adult?
Do they have other pets? These are all really important considerations when it comes to
appropriate matches. Routine is another thing to think about. So does the adopter work from home
or are they away all day every day during the week? Are they really active and social or are they homebodies?
Expectations are super important and it's a topic that doesn't get a lot of attention.
So when adopter expectations are met adoptions are much more likely to be successful.
So it's not just about matching dogs to suitable homes, but ensuring that adopters have realistic expectations about their dog's behaviour and the transition post-adoption.
Also looking at whether they have support available in the form of perhaps dog walkers or family or friends who can look after their dog if needed.
This is especially important for dogs that might be experiencing separation distress.
Having that support in place can make a big difference.
And sometimes despite doing all these things and everything right, well-matched adoptions just don't work out and that's okay.
Sometimes we can't anticipate all the different things that might contribute to a successful adoption and it just doesn't work.
And that is okay. These things happen but it also might provide us with some more information
about maybe an even more suitable match or a suitable home. Sometimes a dog might not be
suitable for rehoming due to a significant health or behavioural issue. These could include things
like a health or medical issue that is difficult to manage without compromising the animal's
welfare. It could also look like unpredictable or serious aggression towards people or other animals,
a documented bite history or a dog that's been declared dangerous.
These decisions must consider staff welfare and safety as well as community safety and the animal's
welfare. So rehoming decisions must be evidence-informed, must be documented and also be defensible
and humane. So in conclusion some key takeaways. Remember to observe the whole dog not just one
body part. Interpret behaviour in context especially the environment. Recognise the early
signs of fear, anxiety and stress and adjust accordingly. Understand that dog sociability
occurs on a spectrum. Not all dogs love other dogs and that's okay.
Try to keep dogs below any threshold they might have for fear or anxiety provoking triggers.
Use behavioural information to support ethical rehoming decisions.
Remember that accurate behavioural literacy and realistic expectations improve welfare and adoption outcomes.
And matching dogs to suitable homes is key to successful adoptions.
Thank you so much. I hope you've enjoyed the content that we've covered in Module one.
If you'd like to keep in touch with me, you can follow along on social media.
I would love to keep in touch and I hope to see you there. Thank you.

Welcome to Module two, Understanding Cat Behaviour and Body Language.

Cats are communicating constantly through their subtle movements, vocalisations and changes in their behaviour.
But many of these signals aren't easy to miss or misinterpret.  In shelters especially, behavioural literacy is essential.
We know that a large proportion of behaviour that's often labelled as aggressive, unsocial or difficult are actually fear or anxiety-based responses to stress.

When these behaviours are misunderstood, it can negatively impact a cat's welfare, prolong their stay and lead to unnecessary or inaccurate assessments of behaviour and rehoming decisions.  It's important to remember that behaviour shown in a shelter or pound environment is often a reflection of underlying stress, not a reflection of that individual's personality or long-term temperament.

In this module, you'll learn how to read feline body language accurately, identify emotional states, recognise indicators of stress and understand how a cat's environment and history shape their behaviour. This knowledge will help you make safer handling decisions and better support cats on their journey to finding a suitable home.

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Before we jump into the content, I thought I'd introduce myself, so welcome to this module. My name is Dr Kate Mornement. I have a PhD from Monash University which focused on shelter dogs in Australia looking at public attitudes towards shelter dogs and also assessment of their behaviour for adoption suitability. I'm a board certified applied animal behaviourist through the Animal Behaviour Society and I run a business called Pets Behaving Badly out of Melbourne.
I mainly consult to pet parents but also do quite a bit of industry consulting, government work and media work as well.
I also established Pet Behaviour Academy a few years ago, which is an online education platform for pet parents
and pet professionals. And if this all sounds like something of interest to you, please do join my communities on social media.

I'd love to have you follow along and learn more about what I do.

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Lesson one Introduction
The purpose of these modules is to build some behavioural literacy in people that are responsible
for assessing, handling and rehoming cats and dogs.  Also to help support fair, humane and evidence-based decision making when it comes to rehoming decisions. And to help reduce risk to people and animals by improving early recognition of stress, fear and behavioural escalation.

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So why does behavioural literacy matter?
It matters because cats and dogs communicate primarily through their body language, their behaviour and their vocalisations. This means that if we misread behaviour, it can increase the risk of injury to people and other animals.
It can also lead to inaccurate assessments of behaviour. Misreading behaviour can result in unfair rehoming or euthanasia decisions. And many animals in care are experiencing temporary emotional states rather than fixed personality or temperament traits. Why does emotional states matter?

So we know that behaviour is driven by underlying emotional states, learning history and the current context or environment. Fear, anxiety, frustration and stress can actually suppress normal behaviour in animals. They can also exaggerate defensive responses, so make animals appear more aggressive than they actually are.
And they can mask sociability or affiliative or friendly tendencies.

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These learning modules support the guides to assessing rehoming suitability in cats and dogs by helping to improve consistency in interpretation of behaviour, by helping to reduce any subjective biases that might exist, and by encouraging assessment across time and context rather than just one-off assessments.

Lesson two. Cat behaviour and body language.

When interpreting feline behaviour, we start by looking at the whole picture, including the cat's body, their movements, their facial expression, the context and the environment around them. Let's have a look at how to read cat body language one body part at a time first the ears forward facing ears usually signals a relaxed curious and engaged cat when the ears are sideways this is also called aeroplane ears sometimes that means the cat might be a bit unsure and it can also signal mild fear. When the ears are flat or pinned back against the head that indicates quite a high level of fear and stress and it can also signal aggression. What about the tail? So that lovely upright tail with a soft or gently curved tip that signals a friendly and confident cat you usually see that tail when a cat is coming to greet you a slow swishing cat that's tail sorry can indicate agitation or frustration so watch out for the those little signs quite subtle signs in the tail whereas a fast lashing tail
that often indicates high arousal and escalating stress.

That classic Halloween cat tail, the puffed tail,that means a cat is really, frightened and they puff up their tail and the hair on the rest of their body to try and make themselves look large to deter a potential threat.
When the tail is wrapped tightly around the body, that can actually indicate anxiety or insecurity and they do that as a way to kind of comfort themselves. Now let's have a look at the whiskers. So again with forward-facing whiskers this typically indicates interest but it can also indicate a bit of increasing arousal levels.Neutral whiskers so just in their regular position signals a relaxed cat whiskers that are pulled back can mean that the cat is frightened or stressed.

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what about the eyes and the pupils these can tell us a lot about how a cat is feeling so soft eyes or slow blinking those signal a relaxed cat whereas dilated pupils where the pupil gets really big and the eyes almost look blackthat signals elevated levels of fear arousal or excitement but it can also happen in low light situations too. So the context does matter when we're looking at these individual aspects of body language. A hard stare, so where the cat is staring at something quite intently,that can be a threat or even a defensive warning.

What about body posture?So a relaxed cat will tend to have quite loose muscles in their body they might be stretched out
lying down or curled up a tense body this is where you're looking for a cat that's crouched or hiding their weight might be shifted back and this is usually because they're ready to flee or strike in the presence of a perceived threat. Again that classic Halloween cat body posture with the arched back is usually a fear or defensive position. A cat that's freezing that's really still usually indicates shutdown behaviour or elevated levels of fear.

What about vocalisations? So chirping and trilling, not all cats do it but you will know if you've seen it before. So sometimes they might do it in greeting but usually it's when they're really interested in something they're looking at the window usually a prey item like a bird or an insect. Meowing we all know what meowing is cats do that to solicit attention sometimes they'll also do it when they want something like they're hungry they want to be fed or maybe they want to be let inside or outside.
Hissing and growling obviously a fear-based behavior and a warning.

Yowling can be um cats can do that when they're feeling highly stressed or aroused micro expressions these are things like nose or lip licking that aren't necessarily obvious to everybody they can be quite subtle um the head turning away that's a subtle body language that is missed by a lot of people. Sudden freezing. So these are often early stress signals before
a cat feels like they need to escalate because these signals are not being noticed or responded to. So while it's good to know what individual body parts can mean in terms of body language, it's really important to read the whole picture.

So no one signal should be interpreted on its own. Always try to consider multiple body language signals, the context that is surrounding the cat at the time, the environment, what's going on,is there something going on that is contributing
to that body language that's being expressed.

The individual's health and behavioural history is also important. Okay, let's talk a bit about fear, anxiety and stress.
So we'll just run through the definitions first. So fear is a response to a perceived threat.

Anxiety is anticipation of a threat.
And stress is a physiological and behavioural response to a challenge in the environment. It's also important to acknowledge that some cats are highly sensitive to things like loud noises, strong smells, being handled and unpredictability in the environment.

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So fear anxiety and stress often present as withdrawal or hiding behavior can also present as defensive aggression or shut down behavior where the cat just basically does nothing because they feel they can't escape the situation that they find themselves in.

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so let's have a look at how behavior works behavior is driven by genetics by the animal's health status by their prior learning and socialization experiences and that includes a lack of early socialization as well their current emotional state, as well as the consequences for the behaviour that they're offering. So cats repeat behaviours that work for them based on their prior learning, based on their individual likes and dislikes, and based on what's worked previously. So when we're looking at
behaviour we have what's called the quadrants, the four quadrants of behaviour. Many of you have probably heard about this before but I'll run through them just in case you haven't.
So we have positive reinforcement which is an R+. Positive reinforcement is when something is added or a stimulus is added and it results in the behaviour increasing. So as an example, if a dog sits and they get a treat, the treat was added and the likelihood that the dog will sit again in future is increased. We also have negative reinforcement. So with negative reinforcement something is removed but it also increases the behavior that it follows.

So an example is leg pressure released when a horse moves on. So the leg pressure is released as a consequence of the horse walking forward so the horse is likely to walk forward in future.Then we have negative punishment and it's a p minus so negative punishment is also decreases behavior and a stimulus is removed so for example if a dog jumps up and the consequence is the owner turns away that's actually negative punishment they're removing something that the dog wanted
and it results in a decrease in that behaviour. Lastly, we have positive punishment, which is P+. And we always try and avoid positive punishment wherever possible.This is where something is added to the environment and it decreases the behaviour.
So an example here is a sharp no or some people might recommend kneeing a dog as a consequence of the dog jumping up.I would never recommend that. We've learned a lot in the past 20 years about what works and what's humane and that's not a strategy that we recommend anymore at all. But that's just to demonstrate what positive
punishment can look like. Something is added and it decreases the behaviour that it follows.

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Let's have a look at some developmental and environmental influences. So for cats, experiences during the critical period for socialisation and throughout the first year of life profoundly shape a cat's behavioural and emotional resilience.
So this means that poor socialisation, limited human contact or traumatic experiences tend to result in higher baseline anxiety, difficulty adjusting to new environments or even changes in routine, fear-based responses during handling, reduced sociability, and increased sensitivity to noise or unpredictability.
So these cats typically require slower and more supportive approaches. So it doesn't mean that animals that have experienced very limited or poor socialization can't become more social but it's likely they'll never be as social as an animal who did receive all that early contact, handling and socialisation during that critical period.

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Okay, what about the impact of the current environment?
So a cat's behaviour can change dramatically depending on where they're living. So shelter environments, they can be really noisy, they can be unpredictable, quite overstimulating and this all contributes to elevated fear and stress in many animals during their stay.
Foster homes often allow for more natural behaviours to emerge because they mimic a normal home environment
and they don't have many of the stresses that a shelter or pound environment can have. And new adoptive homes can temporarily trigger stress responses even in confident cats and that is because of the change in environment and routine
despite it being a loving home.

So always interpret behaviour in context. A stressed cat in a shelter may be a relaxed and affectionate cat
in a quieter home given a bit more time to adjust.

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We know that cats seek safety, predictability and control in their environment. So across
all contexts, cats behave in ways that help them feel safe, maintain predictability and exercise
some control over their environment. So this is where offering choice such as where to rest,
how to interact and whether to be handled can dramatically improve welfare.

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What about some strategies to reduce fear, anxiety and stress in cats?
So there are lots of things that we can do to help. These include providing elevated spaces
and hiding places. When cats are able to get up high it can significantly relieve or help
to relieve stress and anxiety because they tend to feel safer. Minimising unnecessary handling,
trying to keep their routines as predictable as possible, housing them in quiet low traffic areas,
allowing them to have distance and choice when it comes to interacting
and allowing them to interact voluntarily of their own accord.
Pheromones, calming supplements or behavioural medication can help under veterinary guidance.

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So what does a calm, content cat look like?
They tend to have soft body posture, so their muscles are nice and relaxed.
Their ears are quite neutral, as demonstrated in this picture.
Their tail is generally loosely extended or upright in greeting.
Slow blinking is a great indicator, so a relaxed cat will slow blink.
They are also really willing to engage socially.
They exhibit normal grooming and resting.
And they tend to be quite curious and they exhibit a lot of exploratory behaviour,
things like play as well.
Lesson three Stress and Welfare Indicators
Stress appears long before overt aggression or withdrawal.
Recognising early signs helps to prevent escalation and improves welfare.
When we're looking at mild to moderate stress, some of the signs of those include hiding or
elevated perching, decrease in appetite or refusal to eat, reduced interaction, reduced grooming,
and increased vigilance.
When it comes to more moderate to severe signs of stress we might see things like over grooming
on the belly or the legs and this is where cats groom so excessively that they're
taking the hair away or sometimes they might even be damaging their skin from excessive grooming
we will also see commonly elimination outside the litter tray or spraying
pacing or high levels of agitation, freezing or shutdown behaviour
and fear-based aggression, things like hissing, swatting and growling.

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So it is important to clarify that these behaviours are indicators of stress, they're not bad behaviour.
And this matters because prolonged stress can impact an individual's health, it can skew
behaviour assessment or the results of assessment, it reduces adoptability and it also raises ethical
and welfare concerns when it goes on for a long time. So you can see that this cat's showing
mild stress signals. It's crouching as it's walking around the room, it's meowing, it's
pausing, it's looking quite unsure, however it still does approach for a pat. This little
kitten here is also showing mild stress signals. It's kind of slinking around, going into some
hide boxes, coming out occasionally which is good and shows a lot of potential for sociability.
But also just some cautious behaviour. So some cats and kittens will seek safety and they will
hide or they'll seek elevated spaces when they're feeling unsure. When encountering cats and kittens
like this it's very beneficial to try and take things at their pace. If they are hiding away
give them time, maybe use some high value food or treats to try and tempt them to be brave and to
come out and interact but ideally you want to try and take your time. If they
are social with other cats having another cat in the space can help bring
them out of their shell. And playing is another fantastic way to help cats that
are feeling a bit unsure or scared or anxious to kind of overcome that fear
and anxiety. So play and treats are really helpful, elevated spaces and hidey holes just to help cats
feel safe and secure and let them start to interact more at their own pace.
Lesson four. Sociability Assessments
Let's have a look at some of the indicators of sociability in cats.
So a cat that approaches people willingly or allows people to approach them is a good sign
of sociability. So is slow blinking. So slow blinking means that a cat is feeling nice and
calm and relaxed and if they do that in the presence of people that's a good sign of sociability.
Head bunting is another one. Cats will often do this as part of their greeting ritual
where they rub their head up against someone.
Kneading and a soft and relaxed body are also good signs of sociability.
So kneading is a behavior that stems from kittenhood when kittens feed on their mother
and it's a behavior they'll often do when they're feeling nice and relaxed.
Pairing is another one, however it is context dependent.
So mostly purring is a sign of a content and relaxed cat, but some cats may purr if they're feeling unwell or if they're in pain.
A cat that tolerates or ideally enjoys gentle touch and interaction is an indicator of sociability.
And also if a cat engages in play, that's another really good sign.
So cats tend to only engage in play when they're feeling relaxed and comfortable enough.
They don't tend to engage in play if they're feeling stressed or anxious or fearful.
So they're all really nice signs of sociability.
Let's have a look at some video examples of cats and the different behaviors that they're showing that also indicate sociability.

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Here's a nice example of a highly social cat.
He is vocalising, he's rubbing his body up against his enclosure and trying to solicit
attention.
Some important considerations when it comes to sociability assessments is that aloof does
not necessarily mean the cat is unsocial.
Some cats just need a bit of extra time to get used to new people or new environments
they might just need a bit more space and sometimes they just need a bit more familiarity
so as their routine becomes more familiar they tend to come out of their shell a bit more
and you see more social behaviors
We really want to try and avoid forced interactions with cats that are a bit timid or fearful because
this tends to just reinforce their fear and anxiety. Instead we want to try and allow the
cat as much choice and control as we can because this will help them show more social behavior
more quickly if they have that choice and control. One way we can do this is by using what's called
a consent test. So a consent test is where you give the cat choice over whether they want to
interact or not and the way that we do that is we pat gently and briefly in an area that we know
the cat tolerates quite well and usually it's just under the chin and then you stop you pause
the interaction and you observe what the cat does in response so do they re-engage if they re-engage
they're saying yes please I'd like the interaction to continue if the cat does not re-engage or if
they move away that's their way of saying no thanks I'd rather not be padded at the moment.
So some of the more broader sociability considerations when we're conducting
sociability assessments are whether this cat is suitable to live in a home with other cats.
So lots of cats that come into rescue or shelter organizations have not had a lot of
socialization with other cats and living with another cat could cause a lot of fear, anxiety
and friction in the new home. So if you're looking to rehome a cat into a household with existing
cats it's really important that all the cats are quite social otherwise we can run into problems.
Is the cat suitable to live with dogs so again lots of cats that come into rescue haven't lived
with dogs before lots of dogs in homes haven't lived with a cat before so these are really
important considerations when it comes to rehoming suitability into homes with existing pets
children is another consideration and again lots of animals haven't had the opportunity
to live with young kids before and children can be a significant source of stress and anxiety for
animals that aren't used to them and it's mainly because children can be erratic in their behavior
they can be noisy they're often very interested in pets which feeds into fear and anxiety for
animals that have not lived with them before. New environments. So how adaptable is the individual
when it comes to new environments? Do new environments cause them lots of fear, stress
and anxiety or do they cope quite well? And this relates to the household noise and activity levels.
So different homes vary in terms of the amount of noise, the number of people that live there,
the dynamics of the home, the number of visitors that they have and these sorts of things are
really important to consider when you're assessing sociability in individual cats and trying to
figure out the best home that would suit them.
Lesson five. Handling cats safely and respectfully

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Best practice handling
So when it comes to best practice handling, we really want to try and allow choice wherever possible.

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Try to approach cats from the side. This is perceived as less threatening than a front-on approach for cats.
Also try to pair your approach and handling with high-value food.
What this does is it begins to build a positive association with being approached and with being handled.
Many cats have developed a negative association with handling, either due to just a lack of early handling during the socialization period,
or because they've had negative associations or experiences with being handled.
So going to the vet, that can be a really stressful experience for a lot of cats.
So the more that we can help them learn that handling can be associated with really positive things, it can help them associate handling in a much more positive light and in the longer term be easier to handle in future.
A great way to do this is to use the consent test, so to try and give cats choice and control whenever possible.
Watch for early stop signals so things like a tail flick or a head turn or turning away
or trying to get away skin twitching is another early signal to look for
so even practicing best practice handling when you don't have to take the cat to the vet or
or do something with them, that's a really great way to help to get them used to it and to work
on building that more positive association. If possible, stop handling at early signs of
escalation. So instead, you can use things like towels, hide boxes, even cat carriers,
or elevated platforms to give them a moment to get up out of the way to feel a bit more
safe and less stressed and try to use slow and predictable movements. These tend to be
less stressful for cats rather than rushing towards them and grabbing them.
Try to be slow, predictable and make it a positive experience for them wherever possible.
When handling cats, it's a really great idea to use a consent test.
A consent test is a way that you can invite the animal to interact and see if they're willing to accept pats and handling.
The way that you would perform a consent test is to offer a small little pat under the chin or on the chest,
somewhere where the cat tolerates it well, and then stop and have a look at his response.
What is he doing? Is he trying to re-engage with my hand?
He is here and so that's an invitation that yes I don't mind a pat so I'll come in and give him
another one and then I'll stop and I'll reassess and see what his behaviour is showing me.
So at the moment he's grooming, he's interested in my hands because they smell a little bit like
treats but he's not super keen on the pats so I might try one more time
and then stop and see what he does.
So he's interested in me, but I think it's more for the treats and not so much for the paps.
Okay, let's talk a bit about restraint principles.
So we always want to try and use the minimum necessary restraint when we need to handle a cat.
Try to avoid scruffing wherever possible.
I know sometimes this might be the easiest method in a given situation.
But we really want to try and only use that where there's an emergency situation
or a trained professional is scruffing the cat.
You can use the towel wrap or burrito technique
if the cat is difficult to handle and safety is a consideration.
There are also different considerations when it comes to handling
for kittens versus adult cats versus fearful cats. So kittens are very small and they're
quite delicate so we need to be really gentle when handling kittens. Adult cats can be really
large and heavy so that plays into how we best handle them. Elderly cats might need a lot more
gentle approach and fearful cats may need a different approach to the other ones that we
just spoke about. So the key message is that handling should prioritize safety for both the
cats and the people as well as the emotional welfare of the animals. When picking up a cat
you want to approach them nice and slowly and calmly. So we're going to go in and pick up Lockie
and see how he responds.
Boy.
When holding cats, you want to support their body weight to make them feel really comfortable
and move quite slowly so that they're not off balance or feeling like they may fall.
So Lockie's looking nice and comfortable. His ears are nice and forward. He's nice and still.
He's quite calm and relaxed in my arms. So this is an example of a cat that's
feeling quite comfortable being held. Good boy.
Lesson six. Common behavioural issues in cats.
So most common behavioural problems that are seen in cats, in rescue and shelters, but also post-adoption, are actually fear, anxiety or stress based.
They tend to be context dependent.
But the good news is that they're usually modifiable.
So we can usually greatly improve behavioural issues and often resolve them completely.
So behaviour problems tend to be coping strategies for those individuals, not bad behaviour or spiteful behaviour.
So let's have a look at fear and anxiety based aggression this is a really common
behavioral issue that we see in cats and that i see in my practice as well and it can be directed
towards people in the home it can be directed towards visitors or strangers it's often directed
towards other cats either in the home or that visit the backyard and it can also be directed
towards other animals often dogs living inside the home or dogs they may encounter outside of the home
common triggers for fear and anxiety based aggression include handling that can be handling
by the owner or handling at the vet. Approaching hands. So some cats have learnt to associate
hands in a negative way and so they'll display aggression when hands are approaching them.
Confinement can be another trigger. So trying to get cats into a cat carrier can result in
fear and anxiety based aggression. Sudden movement or loud noises can also be a trigger.

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So fear and anxiety based aggression is often preceded by some more subtle warning signs,
others not so subtle, but the subtle ones can include ears slightly flattening, the tail flicking,
the body freezing and the more obvious signs are hissing or growling.

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So it is important to understand that defensive aggression is a response to a perceived threat,
it's not a desire to cause harm. So cats use aggression in an attempt to create distance
between themselves and a perceived threat. So they go into what's called fight or flight mode.
So some cats will go to the fight end of that scale where they'll show overt aggression in an attempt to make the trigger go away.
Other cats will go for the flight option and they'll try and escape the situation.

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Elimination outside of the litter tray is one of the most common issues that I see in cats.
And it's very common in cats coming into rescue and post-adoption.
And it's almost always stress and anxiety based.
So it can look like urinating and or defecating outside of the litter tray
or it can be spraying.
So it tends to be one or the other.
Male cats tend to be overrepresented in spraying
but some females will do it as well.
Some of the common contributing factors to this issue include environmental stress.
So it's very, common in multi-cat households, especially following new introductions.
Another common contributing factor is a lack of perceived safe and or desirable toileting options.
So some cats can be very particular in terms of the location of the litter tray, the size of the litter tray, the style of the litter tray.
These are all really important considerations that people need to think about when they're deciding how they provide toileting options for their cats.
Inter-cat conflict is another very common contributing factor to inappropriate toileting
or elimination some cats can actually develop an aversion to using the litter tray i've seen
this happen where the litter tray may be placed to a noise next to a noisy appliance so i had a
case where a cat stopped using the litter tray because the owners moved the location so that
it was next to a dryer in the laundry and the dryer was really noisy and the cat didn't like
the noise so they stopped using the litter tray. Some cats if they experience a UTI or a bladder
infection they associate using the litter tray with feeling discomfort and pain and so they start
going elsewhere like the bath or the sink and the health issue the UTI starts to resolve and improve
but the cat makes the connection that the litter tray had something to do with the pain that they
were feeling so sometimes that can result in them developing an aversion to using the litter tray
so it is really important if you come across a cat that is exhibiting this
issue that a pain or a medical issue is ruled out first

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Over grooming.
So over grooming is where a cat excessively licks and they tend to do this particularly
on their belly or on their legs. And it's often linked to chronic stress, anxiety and sometimes
frustration. This issue can escalate to the point where it's causing damage to the skin
lots of cats that groom excessively will remove all the fur off a particular area
sometimes it can escalate to the point where they're causing damage to their skin and this
is often when it becomes an obsessive compulsive issue and it really needs assistance with a
a vet if it gets to this point. General fear. Again lots of cats coming into shelters and rescue
and post-adoption do experience generalized fear particularly those cats that didn't receive
adequate socialization during the critical period. So general fear can look like persistent hiding
and withdrawal cats not wanting to interact or observing reduced interaction
limited movement so they tend just to stay in the one spot and it's often misinterpreted as
unsocial or unfriendly but usually it's just a response to a changed routine or environment
and it's really common post-adoption.
So it can indicate learned helplessness
where an animal has learnt that it doesn't matter what it does,
it can't escape a scary situation and so they just kind of shut down.
It can also indicate just a very overwhelming environment
for that individual.
Inter-cat conflict or aggression is another very common issue,
particularly in multi-cat households,
but sometimes in single cat households where a neighborhood cat might jump the fence and
come and annoy the cat that's living in that house. So this can look like intense staring.
In multi-cat households it can look like one cat blocking access to resources for another cat
living in the home so they might block a pathway outside or upstairs or they may even block access
to a particular litter tray. It can also look like chasing or ambushing. So in
multi-cat households when there's cat conflict sometimes a cat can ambush
another one while they're using a litter tray and that can result in the cat that
was using the tray developing an aversion to using that tray because it
was attacked while it was using it. Sometimes cat conflict can be really
subtle and easily missed. But there is a high welfare impact in multi-cat environments. So
the way that we address inter-cat conflict in multi-cat households is we try and ensure that
we're providing enough resources for all cats so that we reduce competition for access to those
resources. So resources that cats can, that they might cause conflict over include access to
elevated spaces, access to food and water bowls, access outside if there's a safe cat area outside,
access to favourite toys, access to particular people or attention in the home.
These are things that sometimes can cause conflict when two or more cats want access to the same resource.
So by providing adequate resources for all cats we can help reduce conflict in multi-cat households.
So many common cat behaviour problems just reflect unmet emotional needs.
So when we can meet these needs, we can reduce conflict in inter-cat households.
Lesson seven Applying Behaviour Knowledge to Rehoming Decisions
Let's have a look at applying behaviour knowledge to rehoming decisions.
So behavior must be interpreted across time across different contexts
and always with welfare and safety as priorities
when it comes to understanding contextual behavior change
it's really important to understand that behavior can differ quite significantly between different
environments. So you might see different behaviour in the shelter compared to what a foster carer
sees in a foster home and then even what a new adopter sees in a new adoptive home.
This is because these different environments can vary in terms of how stressful they are for cats.
So despite everyone's best efforts sometimes the shelter environment is really stressful
because there's lots of noise and activity going on compared to say a foster home or a new adoptive
home where there's one person at home and the home is really quiet and really consistent in terms of
its routine. So stress-related behaviors often reduce once the environment becomes more familiar
to the cat and feels a lot safer.
Stress-related behaviours can also mask the cat's true sociability
and adaptability and that's why we often see huge improvement
once they're out of a shelter environment or pound environment
and they're in a nice quiet home.
So what about identifying cats who might benefit
from safe foster placement. So some cats would really benefit from foster care and these include
cats that are highly fearful or withdrawn in a shelter or pound environment. Some animals just
don't cope very well in those environments due to the noise, the activity, all the other animals,
all those sorts of things. Also cats that show stress related behavior that escalates
foster care could be a great option for them if available
some cats need extra behavioral support so for example cats that display fear-based aggression
they really benefit from support to help them overcome their fear whatever the trigger is
Cats with chronic anxiety can also benefit from behavioural support.
That might be behavioural medication in consultation with a vet.
With inter-cat conflict issues, again, that is an issue that can be worked on.
It is a problem that I help lots of people out there with, particularly in multi-cat households,
particularly when they introduce a new animal into the home.
Inter-cat conflict is very common, but it can be addressed.
And we address it by changing the animal's underlying emotional response to the situation.
So we work on creating a positive association to address that underlying fear.
Some cats may benefit from veterinary assessment.
So if there's behavior changes that you notice or the cat's really struggling, it's really important to rule out pain or a medical issue that's underlying, particularly if you do notice sudden behavior change.
Okay, so matching cats to suitable homes.
This is really important for successful adoptions.
And when we're thinking about how to match cats we really need to consider the household composition
and the noise and activity levels of potential adoptive homes so some cats will cope better in
noisy busy environments than others the presence of other animals is another important consideration
So do they have existing pets? Are those pets used to other animals or cats?
The more social the existing pets are and the more experience they've had with cats, the more likely that they will accept and integrate with a new cat.
So it's very important that we consider that.
The experience level of the adopter is another important consideration.
Have they adopted a cat from a shelter or rescue organisation before?
Do they have realistic expectations in terms of the individual's cat's behaviour,
interactions, style, activity level, all those sorts of things?
The willingness to provide a gradual transition and choice and control.
So does the adopter understand that some cats might need additional time before they start to come out of their shell or they may need a bit of behavioural support, behaviour modification training to help them overcome some initial fear or anxiety.
So we really want to try and avoid placing highly fearful or highly anxious cats into very busy or unpredictable households.
We also want to try and avoid rushing rehoming decisions for stressed cats if possible.
And that's because when we rush these decisions, we don't necessarily set them up for success.
Even though it can be tempting to hurry up and find all the cats are home,
it is better in the long term if we can take our time to ensure that the placement is the right fit.
So is foster care an option for highly stressed or anxious cats in your care
temporary versus persistent behavior
so is the behavior that you're seeing in the shelter improving with reduced stress
does it fluctuate depending on the environment
and are there early warning signs present so try to distinguish between situational fear responses
which are very common and normal so you might find a cat has a fear response when it comes to
handling or veterinary examinations but outside of those situations it's a lot more social and
willing to interact versus chronic behavioral concerns so chronic stress and anxiety for example
welfare-based decision making so when rehoming might need to be delayed is when stress is
escalating or not improving or if welfare is compromised so if you're seeing this it's really
important to consider delaying rehoming if you can until the situation improves.
So aim to reduce the length of stay but without compromising the animal's welfare
and support cats towards successful but also sustainable placements. We want to try and create
a really positive experience for the cat that's being rehomed but also for the adopter who's
taking on that cat. So in conclusion try to remember to observe the whole cat not just one
body part when it comes to behavioral observations. Interpret behavior in context especially the
environment and what's going on at the time. Try to recognize the early signs of fear anxiety and
stress and adjust accordingly. Try to give cats time, choice and control over what's
happening to them. Remember to handle cats with care and respect. Use
behavioural information to help support ethical rehoming decisions. Accurate behavioural literacy
and realistic expectations about behaviour
help to improve animal welfare and adoption outcomes.
And finally, matching cats to suitable homes
is key to successful adoptions.
That concludes Module two,
Understanding Cat Behaviour and Body Language.
Thank you for joining me.
I hope it's been helpful and you've learnt lots.
If you'd like to stay in touch please connect with me on social media you can find the details
on the page here and I look forward to staying in touch thank you

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