Match-Up II
The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) offers this unique resource as part of our commitment to help as many of our four-legged friends find homes as possible. ARL is very proud to offer Match-Up II, an evaluation and rehoming tool to all animal shelters in order to assist them in rehoming dogs in their care.
Match-Up II was developed at The Center for Shelter Dogs (CSD), formally a program of ARL. While CSD has recently relocated to Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the ARL has retained Match-Up II and will continue to grow and support this great behavioral evaluation tool for animal shelters and rescues. More than just a behavior evaluation Match-Up II takes all behavioral information about each dog, intake history, evaluation and shelter behavior into account. This is all done online and will give you a triage report to best help rehome dogs. Designed to help shelters get a better understanding about the individual personality and needs of their dogs, Match-Up II lets you conduct the behavior evaluation with ease, calculate automatic personality and triage scores, and generate outcome reports with recommended training programs for specific problem behaviors.
Register today as a single Match-Up II user and get immediate access to all of the benefits mentioned above.
How to Use Match-Up II Online
- How to Use Match-Up II Online Full Tutorial: View video clip
- Welcome to Match-Up II/Getting Started/Shelter Administration: View video clip
- What are the My Recent Dogs List and Watch List: View video clip
- Viewing All Dogs/Searching for a Dog: View video clip
- Creating a New Dog Record: View video clip
- Conducting All Parts of Match-Up II: View video clip
- Generating a Comparative Report as a Shelter Partner: View video clip
- Generating a Comp: View video clip
Approach Person/ Doll/ Dog
Approach Person/ Doll/ Dog
The dog moves toward person, doll or dog reducing the distance between the dog and person, doll or dog. In the run and freeze, if the dog runs with person, consider this an approach. If the dog moves toward any person in the room, consider this an approach. View video clip.
Back Away
Back Away
Dog intentionally increases distance from the stimulus while facing the stimulus, or walks away and then turns toward the stimulus and watches it. This behavior is often accompanied by fearful body postures such as tucked tail, crouches, cower, or ears back. Does not include a dog which walks away due to disinterest or interest in another stimulus. View video clip
Bark
Bark
A canine vocalization usually accompanied by an open mouth often occurring when dog is seeking attention, excited by stimuli or when anxious.
Bite
Bite
Contact by teeth to skin or clothing with intention to threaten or harm.
Bring Toy Back
Cower
Cower
Extreme lowering of body so that it is touching the ground or almost touching the ground, associated with other fearful/submissive body postures such as ears back and low or tucked tail.
Crouch
Crouch
Slight lowering of body associated with other fearful/submissive body postures such as ears back and low or tucked tail.
Doesn’t Recover
Doesn’t Recover
A dog that shows extreme fear (cower, run away, trembles) continues to show the behaviors for 30 seconds or more (stops cowering, staying away or trembling) while stimulus is present (without changing distance, intensity, etc.).
Drop Toy No Command
Ears Back
Ears Back
Dog flattens ears toward back of head.
Eat Food
Eat Food
Dog puts food in mouth and swallows.
Eat Food Faster
Eat Food Faster
Dog takes bigger bites of food and/or takes more frequent mouthfuls.
Fearful of Cane
Fearful of Cane
Fear response (moving/running away, ears back, tail low/tucked) while looking at cane.
Grabs Clothes
Grabs Leash
Grabs Leash
Dog takes leash in mouth.
Growl
Head Whip
Head Whip
Quick turning of head toward provocation. No snap or bite.
Hide
Inhibited Bite
Inhibited Bite
Bite which produces no wound or a superficial wound (scratch or abrasion) with minimal damage and no muscle bruising. If to rubber hand, contact by teeth is brief.
Jump Up
Jump Up
Dog jumps on person, doll, or dog and touches the other individual with paws. A dog that jumps up but does not touch is a dog that jumps up but not on person/doll/dog.
Lick Person
Lie Down/Lie on Side
Lie Down/Lie on Side
Dog places body on the ground either with chest and belly down or side down.
Lip Lick
Lip Lick
Dog licks lips. Although this behavior usually occurs related to a stimulus that the dog is mildly afraid of (1 on the personality fear score), some dogs lick their lips before eating (for example, on the wet food or pig’s ear sub-tests) This type of lip lick should not be scored as fear. View video clip
Mount
Mount
Dog jumps up and grasps body part of person or doll with front legs. Sometimes accompanied by hip thrusting.
Mouthing
Mouthing
Teeth contact skin with no break often occurring with friendly signals.
Move Away With Pig’s Ear or Toy
Move Away With Pig’s Ear or Toy
The dog takes the ear or toy away in his mouth increasing the distance from the person.
Nudge Person
Nudge Person
Dog pushes part of a person’s body with nose, muzzle or head.
Pause Eating
Pause Eating
Dog stops eating but goes back to food and resumes eating.
Paw Person or Dog
Paw Person or Dog
Touches person or dog with paw, or moves paw in the area around either. Often used to solicit play.
Piloerect
Playful with Cane/Doll/Hand
Playful with Cane/Doll/Hand
Exhibits play behavior in response to cane/doll/hand (play bow, tug of war, tail wag).
Play Bow
Play Bow
Lowering of body in front and raising the body behind, looking like a bow. Is a friendly invitation to play and is often associated with other friendly body postures (tail wag). Occasionally a dog will lower the whole body and not raise the hind quarters, this is still considered a play bow.
Play Growl
Play Growl
A growl not accompanied by stiffening of body usually associated with playing tug with an object.
Reactive to Tethering
Reactive to Tethering
Shows fear response (crouch, ears back, tail low/tucked) or increased activity (jumping, pulling, pacing) after being tethered.
Recovers
Recovers
A dog that shows extreme fear (cower, run away, trembles) discontinues to show the behaviors within 30 seconds (stops cowering, staying away or trembling) while stimulus is still present (without changing distance, intensity, etc.).
Doesn’t Recover
Doesn’t Recover
A dog that shows extreme fear (cower, run away, trembles) continues to show the behaviors for 30 seconds or more (stops cowering, staying away or trembling) while stimulus is present (without changing distance, intensity, etc.).
Reluctant to Trade
Roll on Back
Run Away
Run Away
Dog increases distance from person, doll or dog at a fast pace. This behavior is often accompanied by fearful body postures such as tucked tail, crouch, cower, or ears back. Does not include a dog which runs away due to disinterest or interest in another stimulus. View video clip
Show Teeth
Snap
Sniff
Soft Mouthing
Stay Near Person 5+ Seconds
Stay Near Person 5+ Seconds
Dog stays within 1 foot of person for 5 seconds or more.
Sniff (Also Known as “Freeze”)
Sniff (Also Known as “Freeze”)
Head and body become still, usually accompanied by increase in muscle tone.
Stops Eating
Stops Eating
Dog stops eating and does not go back to food.
Trade Toy or Pig’s Ear
Trade Toy or Pig’s Ear
Dog releases toy or pig’s ear from mouth immediately when offered treat either from hand or when tossed on ground.
Tremble
Tremble
Dog’s body quivers. Often accompanied by fearful body postures such as tucked tail, crouch or cower.
Tuck Tail
Uninhibited or Hard Bite
Uninhibited or Hard Bite
Full thickness skin wound (puncture or laceration) or muscle bruising. If to rubber hand, contact by teeth is prolonged and can be accompanied by shaking.
Wag Tail
Whine
Whine
High-frequency vocalization sometimes associated with attention-getting or in response to an unpleasant stimulus.
Yelp
Yelp
High-frequency vocalization usually occurring in response to a painful or unpleasant stimulus.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or experience technical difficulties with the Match-Up II website, contact Laney Nee, ARL’s Shelter Behavior and Enrichment Manager, at lnee@arlboston.org.