It is quite simple to teach your dog to touch a bell with his nose. You can then hang the bell from a doorknob to let him ring when he needs to be let outside.
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Archives for Behavior tips
Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping
[print-me] When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths. Therefore, puppies usually want to bite or “mouth” hands during play or when being petted. With puppies, this is rarely aggressive behavior in which the intent is to do harm. Because puppies are highly motivated to exhibit this type of behavior, attempts to suppress it or stop it are unlikely to be successful unless you give your puppy an alternative behavior. The goals of working with this normal puppy behavior are to redirect your puppy’s desire to put something in her mouth onto acceptable chew toys and to teach
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Dealing with Normal Puppy Behavior: Chewing
[print-me] Puppies may be just as much work as human babies – maybe more so because puppies can’t wear diapers and they have very sharp teeth! It’s definitely true that, similar to infants and toddlers, puppies explore their world by putting things in their mouths. In addition, puppies are teething until they’re about six months old, which usually creates some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething, but also makes sore gums feel better. Although it’s perfectly normal for a puppy to chew on furniture, shoes, shrubbery and such, these behaviors can be a problem for you. A puppy won’t magically
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Children and Dogs: Important information for Parents
[print-me] Living with a pet can be beneficial to children. Pets can enhance a child’s self-esteem, teach them responsibility and help them to learn empathy. However, children and dogs are not always going to automatically start off with a wonderful relationship. Parents must be willing to teach the dog and the child acceptable limits of behavior in order to make their interactions pleasant and safe. Selecting a Dog What age is best? Many people have a “warm fuzzy” image of a puppy and a child growing up together. If you have a young child and are thinking of adopting a
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Your Talkative Cat
[print-me] Vocalizing is one way for your cat to communicate with you and with other animals. Some cats “talk” more than others, but most cats do make noise some of the time. We’re all familiar with the meaning of hissing and growling, but there are also many other sounds that your cat is capable of, and a variety of reasons for vocalizing. Medical Reasons If your cat’s behavior changes suddenly, the first thing you should do is take her to your veterinarian for a thorough health examination. Cats often hide symptoms of illness until they’re seriously ill. Any change in
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Declawing Cats
[print-me] Adapted from the MSPCA and revised by the ASPCA’s Companion Animal Services Department The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals encourages owners to seek alternatives to declawing their cats. If you are thinking about having your pet declawed, please take a moment to consider the following information. Claws Are Important to a Cat A cat’s remarkable grace and agility and its faultless sense of balance are due to a great extent to its retractable claws, which allow it to establish footing for walking, running, springing, climbing, or stretching. A cat’s claws are also its best defense
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Training Cats with Positive Reinforcement
[print-me] Training your cat has important benefits. You’re stimulating his body and his mind, which helps keep him healthy. And spending time together means you’re strengthening the bond you share. It’s helpful to work with behaviors that are less than desirable and you can also teach fun tricks like wave and fetch, or teach him a range of useful behaviors like sit, stay and to come when called. Reward behaviors that you want Simply put, if you want your cat to repeat a behavior, reward that behavior. It’s important to make sure that you’re rewarding the behavior you want and
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Adopting a Fearful Cat
[print-me] Why Are Some Cats Fearful? Fearful behavior in cats can be caused by various factors. Insufficient exposure to humans and/or a variety of stimuli during kitten hood as well as traumatizing events in their lives can teach them to react fearfully towards people or new situations. Cats can also be genetically predisposed to being fearful. How to Introduce a Fearful Cat to a New Home Fearful cats usually do best in relatively quiet homes. They are often not suitable for young children as children can easily scare them with loud noises or sudden movements. Many fearful cats slowly become
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Petting-Induced or Overstimulation Aggression in Cats
[print-me] Many of us have had the pleasure of petting our cat, when all of a sudden; the cat bites your hand and runs away. This is called petting induced or overstimulation aggression. It’s a common behavior in many cats, and is something that can be both frustrating and frightening until you learn how to manage this behavior with your cat. What causes this behavior? Cats are normally not as social as dogs, nor do they have as much physical contact with others of their species. They may groom each other and sleep close to each other, but have few
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Adopting a Fearful Kitten
[print-me] What Does “Fearful” Mean? A fearful kitten is generally one that has not had full socialization. If a kitten does not have much contact with people when it is between the ages of 3 weeks and 7 weeks, it is likely to be scared of strangers it meets. Depending on the individual temperament of the kitten, what it has observed from its mother, and how old it is, it may hiss, spit or strike out – or may simply attempt to run away. Some fearful kittens learn to trust people quickly, others can take a long time. This depends
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