Subscriber Archive
Make it Safe – Keep it Fun. Did you ever do dumb things when you were a kid? I never did. Well, ah yes, actually I did. I have two sons, both adults now. Despite what my wife and I carefully taught them about safety they made mistakes that surprised us sometimes. They did these dumb things because they were children. Count on them to break the rules when interacting with pets, especially your own.
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Dogs need Good Manners Some dogs follow their person’s lead and happily go along with just about anything. Others struggle to do the right thing, needing a bit more hands-on management. A lot of them are anxious or afraid but many are just not clear on the concept. They don’t get it. A reliable structure, along with generous doses of kindness, is in order for confused canine rule breakers. Something that all dogs understand, right out of the box, is communication. They watch us often and miss little of our body signaling. But if they get really excited, agitated, or out-of-control they can lose their focus and stop paying attention. That’s when a person can get frustrated and lose patience as they try to salvage a pending disaster. Human histrionics seldom make a positive difference. This can be difficult. People who struggle with unmanageable dogs need kindness too. Jumping, barking,…
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A dog will believe that any response from its person is an earned reinforcer. That’s why reprimands and punishments fail. To stop digging the hole even deeper you’ll need to ignore everything you don’t want. But sometimes the nipping, mouthing, and body slamming continue anyway.
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Check with FDA Mistakes happen. Multiple dog food brands have been found to contain excessive levels of the essential nutrient vitamin D. Some have 70 times the correct amount. Don’t panic. So far only a handful of dogs have gotten seriously ill. No cat foods have been suspected. The FDA web page, where the recalled canine diets are listed, has a really long URL so I’ve posted it on my website. Go to drjeffnichol.com and click on the FAQ page for the link. If you come to find that you’ve been feeding one of these diets I would urge you to change to a different brand ASAP. Don’t let your pupster finish the bag. Toss it out and start fresh. These aren’t all substandard dog food brands. Hill’s Pet Nutrition makes some of my favorite diets. None of their dry dog food has been affected but these folks are serious…
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They’re good listeners too Why do dogs follow commands like sit and stay if they don’t understand English? When we speak are they processing the words we’re saying or the tone we’re using? The answer to these questions from a middle schooler with a science project is that pet dogs can learn to recognize our words, how we say them, and a whole lot more. Dogs are our best friends and snuggle bunnies but they are not little people in furry suits. They are members of a different species who don’t miss anything. They respond to our words, our tone of voice, our movements – even subtle shifts in our posture that we might not notice. They take it all in. Of course we speak human. Dogs don’t understand everything. In fact they misinterpret some of our histrionics because their brains are programmed to speak and understand dog. Despite the…
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They’re good listeners too Why do dogs follow commands like sit and stay if they don’t understand English? When we speak are dogs processing the words we are saying, or the tone we are using? Our dogs don’t miss anything, even though they don’t understand everything.
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Cat pee on the floor, cat pee on the bed, cat pee on the door – could make you lose your head. The most common feline behavior problem often has simple solutions.
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Cats are so sweet and cuddly. But they can damage you with their sharp teeth and claws. Don’t get angry – get cat smart.
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The doorbell rings and your dog attacks the door. Then it’s WWE action as you struggle to get the door open without a takedown of your unsuspecting visitor. Or maybe you have a dog who watches from a distance, with her ears back and her tail low, as you invite your guest inside. All seems well while everybody is sitting but then they stand and head for the door and it’s game on. Small dogs in particular can become instant ankle biters. Beyond dangerous, reactive behaviors like these are emotionally draining. You too can get hurt just by trying to control the mayhem. Having friends over just isn’t fun the way it was before you adopted you-know-who. Dogs are certainly territorial creatures. They’re supposed to alert their leaders of an approaching alien. But growling, lunging, and snapping are not acceptable. An appropriate canine response looks more like the bouncer who…
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