Information
We help you a bit with the introduction of your new cat/kitten to your current cat.
It is important to do an introduction very gradually.
- Put the new cat/kitten aside for a few days with all the necessary resources and attention, so that he/she can get used to the new home, new smells and sounds and of course to you as the new owner.
- Exchange scents by, for example, presenting blankets from each other’s baskets to each other when they get something tasty. As a result, the cats will make a positive association with that new scent.(You can always bring a blanket with you when you visit a kitten.
You can use it to hold/pet the kitten. You then put the blanket in a tightly closed bag, so you can already do this step at home with your current cat.)
- You’re going to extend this positive association by introducing the cats a few times a day for 2 to 3 weeks by performing something really tasty each on one side of the door and gradually opening the door further over days. When you notice that the cats are getting nervous, it is best to take a step back. It is very important to have patience for the introduction to succeed. Let the cats set the pace.
The introduction will probably go a little faster in a kitten than in an adult cat. In general, kittens are accepted more quickly. We are also happy to help you choose a kitten or an adult cat, female cat or male. Together we will see what best suits your own cat.
It is also important that there are sufficient escape options in the house: hiding places, high shelves, so that the cats can distance themselves from each other. If the cats themselves can make a choice in this, it will be easier.
Keep the meetings short, don’t let tensions rise. If the cats stare at each other, try to distract them with a toy, if this is not possible, separate them quietly.
Sometimes you hear advice that you should let the cats fight it out, please don’t do this and get them out of the situation! Also, never force your cat, don’t let them eat together. Cats like to have peace while eating and if you put the bowls next to each other “forcing” the cats to eat. What you can do is give a candy as a reward for each other’s presence.
If the cats start fighting, don’t get angry and stay calm and don’t use a plant spray, etc. This causes more stress. If you have problems with the new cat, keep the cats completely apart for at least 48 hours and then apply the step-by-step plan again.
Do you need help/advice?? Feel free to send us an email: nazorg@twas-animalrescue.be
- Difficulty with all stimuli from the environment. This can manifest itself in very busy behavior and pulling on the leash.
- Being afraid of other dogs, people or traffic can express itself in aggression, or flight behavior / running away
- Fear of abandonment, being home alone has to be built up in very small steps
- Prey behavior towards cats or hunting instinct.
A happy dog
It is important for every dog that it has an owner who has some knowledge of dog behavior. On
this way you can better understand your dog, but also better guide and train it. Especially with a relocator or a
dog from abroad who may already have a backpack, some knowledge is necessary to work together so harmoniously
live together and get a good bond with your dog. Because a dog in his sas is not only nice for the dog,
but certainly also for you as owner.
The following information comes from the latest scientific research on dogs. Especially by the
new facts and insights from Jaak Panksepp and John Bradshaw we’ve made the dog go better in recent years to
understand.
Dominance an outdated concept
For years, wrong assumptions have been made about dogs and behavior. It is believed that a dog
always wants to be the leader of the pack, wanting to move up the ladder within the hierarchy in the pack. And therefor,
a dog would use aggression.
This theory comes from a study with wolves in the 1960s. They had a group
wolves in a relatively small space and with a shortage of food in captivity. In this situation,
a lot of aggression arose among them.
Based on the observations, they concluded that the status of the pack leader, the “alpha”, was very important and
that the wolves were constantly trying to get this status through conflict. Or at least higher
up to rank.
At that time it was still assumed that you could link the behavior of wolves to the behavior of dogs.
Now there are other insights, wolves live in family groups, and the situation in the study was because of this
an unnatural situation for the wolves. In addition, our dog is not descended from the wolf species in which it
research has taken place. The wolf our dog may be descended from is already extinct. But we can conclude
that… a dog is not a wolf!
Unfortunately, you still hear a lot of people in the forest or dog park, but even veterinarians and some dog schools
talking about a dominant dog. Unfortunately, these people have not yet received further training and understand
the dog not in the right way either.
This also often causes misunderstanding of dogs and wrong training or education. Because of the dominance theory,
there is a lot of work with corrections, both physical and verbal, because you must be
the leader of the pack.
This is still very prevalent in dog land, it is important as a dog owner to know that this is a
an outdated concept and the dominant dog therefore does not exist.
But how can you explain certain dog behavior? Important for the dog are resources, the social bond
and learning experiences. A resource is something that is important to the dog. This can be, food, a nice place to lie down, a
toy, but also you as the owner. You could also explain it in a Dutch word as riches for
the dog. The importance for the dog depends on the situation and the dog’s character. How
important a resource is for a dog and what it has learned about its opponent determine how a dog
responds in interaction with the other. How dogs interact with each other or with us is based on what they like to
have or keep and on what the other has done in the past (learning experiences).
If you want to know more about this, there are some links at the bottom with useful websites, including one by Monique Bladder who has written
an article about it.
Stress signals
Dogs communicate through body language and are very conflict avoidant. Via very recognizable, but also small
ones subtle signals, a dog indicates that he is not comfortable or that he prefers not to
go into conflict. Well socialized dogs will listen to this too. With these signals, a dog indicates
that he wants space and does not want to enter into conflict.
But a dog also shows that he does not feel comfortable in the situation in which he finds himself. This feeling
can cause stress, which is why they are also called stress signals. Therefor It
is important as an owner that you recognize these signals.
If you see that your dog is giving off stress signals, it is important that you remove him from the situation, or distance
yourself, when the signals are directed towards you.
When a dog shows stress signals and is not responsive, it may be that a dog reacts
feel compelled to use aggression.
The most common stress signals are;
• the moment the dog licks his nose or his lips)
• look away (the head is turned away)
• to yawn
• panting
• raise a paw (the dog lifts one of its front legs very briefly or slightly longer)
• showing the whites of the eyes (you can clearly see the white rims of the eyes)
• shaking (this is often after a stressful situation to get rid of the stress)
• vocalize (bark, squeal, howl)
• physical restlessness (being busy, hyper, walking back and forth, not being able to find rest)
• Blinking with the eyes
• vibrate
• closing the mouth tightly
• freeze (the whole body stiffens and the dog remains standing)
• slow moving (stealth)
• lie on the back with raised legs and look away
In a stressful situation for the dog, it will show multiple stress signals at the same time or in succession.
It will differ per dog and situation how many stress signals the dog shows. Does the dog think it’s just a little
little exciting, then he will only show a few subtle signals. But if the dog finds it really annoying,
then he will show several stress signals, it is advised to get your dog out of the situation as soon as
possible.
The stress bucket
Excitement and stress play an important role in the dog’s behavior. One dog can handle stress better
than the other dog. And sometimes a dog finds a situation scary and other times it doesn’t bother him. If you know
the theory of the stress bucket (trigger stacking in English), then your dog’s behavior can be a lot better to
understand.
Stress is a reaction to an emotion of the dog. The emotion prompts the dog to act and this
we call stress or excitement. This can be a negative emotion such as fear (stress),
but also a negative emotion positive emotion such as happiness (excitement).
The stress bucket in the dog is an imaginary bucket. With one dog the bucket is bigger than with the other
dog. Each bucket is filled with a healthy amount of stress hormones. But every time your dog in a
challenging situation that causes stress or excitement, the stress bucket fills up. Normally the stress (cortisol)
decreases through sleep or brain work or on chewing a nice bone. But sometimes the dog experiences too much stress (stimulations)
and the bucket overflows. This then creates a short fuse. The stimulus that your dog with a full bucket.
He will not be able to process properly. And this makes for explosive behavior, like falling out, hyper behavior,
sleepless or excessive barking.
How do you recognize stress;
• stress signals (as mentioned above)
• mark (to urinate everywhere)
• driving behaviour
• coping mechanisms; flee, freeze, fight and the crazy 5 minutes (running very fast in circles with
a low pinched tail)
How do you prevent stress;
• knowledge of the stress signals and the stress bucket
When you can read your dog on the basis of the signals it gives, you can offer your dog support or get
out of the situation. This way you ensure that the stress rises.
• a dog needs about 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day
A dog needs a lot of sleep to be able to process all the stimuli of the day and to get rid of the stress bucket
empty. A dog needs 16 to 18 hours of sleep out of 24 hours. By making sure that your dog has enough
sleep, you make sure he can handle stress better
• self control during the walk
Let your dog also regularly determine the route itself when you are walking. When a dog is in control
This creates self-confidence and strengthens the bond with your dog.
• the dog can collect information (sniff, look)
Sniffing is very important for a dog. As everyone probably knows, the dog has a
very good nose. With this he collects a lot of information when he is walking. The dog
smells who has passed by, who has urinated where and also extracts information from the pee of other dogs. How
more information a dog has about its environment, the more confidence this gives and therefore less stress.
• no corrections (only work with rewards)
Working with corrections is not only recommended for the well-being of your dog, but also recently scientifically
has proven that working with rewards works better than working with corrections. In addition, has
giving corrections also affects the bond you have with your dog. And corrections both physical and verbal
cause stress in the dog.
• physical and mental satisfaction
A dog needs about 1 1⁄2 hours of exercise per day. Divide the hour and a half over the day
for example, walking once for an hour and once for half an hour. In addition, there are two short ones
rounds needed. But what many people don’t know is that mental challenge might be
even more important. This can be done through training, but especially brain work and search games.
• rules and structure
Dogs benefit from predictability. That is why rules and structure are important and, above all, the whole thing
family in the same way. So eat, walk, sleep, play, etc. at set times. And the rule is that the
dog is not allowed on the couch, be consistent in this and ensure that everyone in the family adheres to this rule.
• A private (stimulant-poor) place in the house with a nice place to sleep.
A nice basket or pillow where the dog can sleep comfortably, in a place in the house that is not too busy. So put the
dog not in a place where there is a walk-through. And also make sure that the dog can lie near you. And still
it is nicer when the dog has the choice of a number of places to sleep and can occasionally get up and choose
a different location.
The dog’s behavior is driven by emotions. Dogs experience emotions the same way we do. The
dog possesses 7 emotional systems (Panksepp)
• Seeking (exploring)
• Grief (panic) (feeling lonely, abandoned)
• Rage (frustration, anger)
• Play (game)
• Lust
• Care (to take care of)
• Fear (anxiety)
Problem behavior in dogs is usually caused by negative emotions. Do you experience problem behavior with your
dog, please contact TWAS aftercare.
The above information is a concise explanation about the dog. This will help you to a certain extent to treat your dog well guide
and make sure your dog is happy!
For more information on dog behavior;
www.hondenlot.nl
www.moniquebladder.nl
www.doggo.nl
books;
• Take a look at your dog from Monique Bladder
• A dog’s life long physically and mentally in balance by Sam Turner and Martine Burgers
• This is John Bradshaw’s dog
Written by: Saskia Bekkema, aftercare team TWAS Animal Rescue
For questions you can always contact us: nazorg@twas-animalrescue.be
* A maximum of 2 varieties are bred.
* The breeder does not have puppies/kittens for sale non-stop (waiting lists are usually used).
* The puppies/kittens grow up together with their mother in a homely atmosphere and are well socialized. You can always see the mother dog / mother cat!
You are always welcome for a visit.
* The puppies do not leave the nest before the age of 8 weeks (15 weeks for abroad). And the kittens not before 12 weeks.
* The puppies/kittens are chipped and vaccinated and have a European passport and have been declared healthy by a recognized veterinarian. (defects are always mentioned) Kittens are neutered.
* No puppies / kittens are sold to pet stores.
* The breeder is interested in your home situation and asks a lot of questions. You usually don’t get the puppy/kitten the same day, but several visits follow.
*The puppies/kittens have been given a name and pedigree.
* The puppies/kittens are not offered on classifieds sites.
BEWARE OF BAD BREEDERS! A dog/kitten from the shelter/non-profit organization or find a good breeder!
In addition to the possibility to adopt a dog or cat through TWAS, we also provide educational lessons at primary schools in Belgium. In these lessons, children learn, for example, why adoption is so important and how to properly handle dogs. Would you also like to receive an educational lesson at your school? Please contact: info@twas-animalrescue.be
It is always difficult to come up with a fun and original topic for a speech. Pets are a popular subject, but there are often many classmates who give a talk about their pet.
If you think it would be fun to give your speech on this subject, please send an email to info@twas-animalrescue.be
Good luck with your speech and who knows, you might help a dog or kitten find a new home with your speech about TWAS Animal Rescue.
TWAS also provides information evenings.
There are several evenings that are organized.
*Purchasing a dog or cat, this evening will discuss some specific highlights to know when purchasing a dog or cat, what bread breeding is and how you can make it as pleasant as possible for your new 4-legged friend. We will make extra time at the end of the evening for all your questions.
*Become a volunteer at TWAS: Here we explain different tasks and you can meet and greet our volunteers.
Hond en Lot provides modern, up-to-date information on the relationship between dog and human, dog behavior and dog training, with an emphasis on dog welfare.
Monique Bladder behavior therapist
Luxury dog walking service in Groeningen, Netherlands