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Out-of-control behavior in a dog of any age can drive you crazy. Reprimands and physical corrections teach nothing, except more intense agitation. Instead, you can “redirect” your kid to earn an immediate reinforcer (a click) and a food reward. She’d much work for you than annoy you anyway. Here is step 1 of target and clicker training.
Last in a series And Stays in His Home Mary Beth was committed to bringing out the best in “Cougar”, not to mention her vested interest in her own safety. Getting perforated on her way out the door had never been on her bucket list. On my advice she purchased some challenging food-dispensing toys that she loaded with tasty canned food. Allowing her cat to get good and hungry ahead of her departures made it easy. He attacked those simulated rodent carcasses with a vengeance, leaving his caring, calculating caretaker free to get herself gussied up for a rousing game of pinocle in the recreation room. So far, so good. But she still had to get out alive. Like all self-respecting predators, Cougar found erratic movement impossible to resist. Browsing local pet supply stores, and the Internet (petlinkssystem.com/play) Mary Beth found a battery operated toy that drove her inveterate feline…
Mick is only a kid. He’s not ready to be trusted to behave if we left him loose in the house at night. A dog is a denning creature but a puppy needs to go there when his folks tell him to. So that he isn’t forced (he’d quickly learn to hate it) he gets to choose. I made it easy for Mick by rewarding each baby step with a tiny treat. As he walked into the crate I “captured” the behavior I wanted by saying, “Mick, Crate!” You’ll see later how he follows the command without argument.
Third in a series Sharing stories of “Cougar’s” good behavior while living at their old house helped Mary Beth, his caring person, to relax. I told her that she really did have a good cat, despite his aggression. It was hard for him to live indoors in their new studio apartment, missing the thrill of the hunt of those furtive outdoor creatures of his previous backyard. He was struggling to adapt but I believed I could help Mary Beth tame her wild beast and get out of her apartment alive. I picked my moment and finally asked, when did Cougar lunge and bite? Mary Beth explained that this only occurred just as she walked out her door. Her burst of activity, and the location of her exit, had become predictable to Cougar. He laid in wait by the door, slipping into his innate feline predatory mindset. Lurking, perfectly still behind…
Digging dogs can damage a great yard. Don’t punish; it’s normal behavior. Instead, give that dirt dog its very own wonderful digging box. Make it attractive by loosening the dirt, misting with water, and burying tasty, challenging food-dispensing toys. Everybody wins.
Second in a series Aggression is never acceptable, especially toward the frail and vulnerable. The science of animal behavior would be central to “Cougar’s” treatment but the elderly lady on the receiving end of his assaults struggled with conflicting emotions that were every bit as important. Cougar had always been a loving kitty toward Mary Beth – until they moved into an assisted living apartment. Now, rather than just a fish out of water, this pussy cat was a predator in desperate need of a rodent. Cats are popular pets because they seem easier to manage than dogs, chimpanzees, or rattlesnakes. You can leave out food, water, and litter and enjoy that indoor cuddle bunny at your convenience. Actually, a stuffed kitty would work better. Real live cats become stressed and badly behaved in a barren environment. Cougar made it easy for Mary Beth back when his outdoor access allowed…
Dogs love to work for food. You don’t need to push a puppy to ground. Give the “Down” command as you use a treat, as a lure, to show that kid what you want. When Mick “follows the money” he earns the payoff. You’ll know when your dog is catching on because she’ll start dropping when she hears the command. Then give her the food when she’s completed the job. Take baby steps with the babies.
First in a series The soft female voice on the phone told a poignant story. She wasn’t calling about her own pet but for her 83 year old mother and her cat. “Cougar”, age 10, was inflicting wounds on the person who loved and cared for him. Emotional conflicts like this always affect me. Good relationships that take a bad turn can break hearts. Cougar hadn’t always been a biter but now he was causing Mary Beth pain and putting her at risk of serious infection. When she adopted him as a kitten they had a yard where Cougar engaged his predatory nature by stalking and pouncing on bugs and lizards who’d shown the audacity to venture into his territory. With his mind stimulated by his environment and his energy invested in chasing helpless creatures Cougar ended each day, beer in hand, snuggling with Mary Beth as she quietly cussed…
Elderly cats, like 15 year old Tony Nichol, named by my young sons for the cereal box tiger, are prone to diminishing appetites and weight loss. Dental disease, common in older kitties, makes eating painful. A reality for all feline seniors is gradual onset kidney failure, often accompanied by nausea; feeling queasy is not consistent with a healthy appetite. Cancer is another consideration with older poor eaters. Diagnosing and treating the cause is essential. But beyond myriad internal disorders, many older cats get fussier about the temperature of their food. A paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior researched cats aged 8-14 years that were tested with food of a gravy-type consistency at temperatures of 43, 70, and 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Guess which was preferred? You guessed it: the warmth of freshly killed prey. Tony had me worried. He was eating poorly and losing weight. Canned food, microwaved to…