control the anger od your dog

The best way to control anger of dog and make your dog cool

Dogs can bring so much joy and happiness to people’s lives, but they also have the potential to wreak major havoc. Lack of training and socialization, pent up energy, andstresscan all cause a dog to act out and engage in various nuisance behaviors.Frompotty problemstochewing, andnipping, there are a myriad of ways that unwanted dog behavior can confuse and frustrate dog owners.

 Issues like overenthusiastic greeting of guests byjumpingorbarkingare also some of the most frequently-cited reasons well-meaning dog owners relinquish otherwise perfect dogs to shelters – a solution that usually represents a tragic one-way ticket for those dogs.To successfully address nuisance behaviors, it is important to remember that dogs need positive, constructive guidance from us to help them adapt and thrive in our strange, domestic world. 

Avoid punitive methods which simply suppress these undesired behaviors with 'punishments' or 'corrections.' Instead,employ positive methodsget to the root of the problem and work to change the way the dog thinks and feels, gradually eliminating the negative behavior for good.Hiring a qualified positive traineris usually a good first step towards this goal.If your dog has a persistent behavior that drives you crazy, look at your dog’s level of exercise and mental enrichment. 

Once you've ruled out medical and stimulation-related causes, use the links in this section to begin positive training that will make the unwanted behavior a thing of the past.

important tips for cat care

Important tips for cat care 

Handling To pick up your cat, place one hand behindthe front legs and another under the hindquarters. Lift gently. Never pick up a cat by the scruff of the neck (behind the ears) or by the front legs without supporting the rear end.HousingCats should have a clean, dry place of theirown in the house.

Line your cat’s bed with a soft, warm blanket or towel. Be sure to wash the bedding often. Please keep your cat indoors. If your companion animal is allowed outside, he can contract diseases,get ticks or parasites, become lost or get hit by a car, hurt in a fight or poisoned. Also, cats prey on wildlife.IdentificationIf allowed outdoors (again, we caution against it!), your cat needs to wear a safetycollar and an ID tag. A safety collar with anelastic panel will allow your cat to break loose if the collar gets caught on something. An ID tag or an implanted microchip can help insure that your cat is returned if he or she becomes lost.Litter BoxAll indoor cats need a litter box, which should be placed in a quiet, accessible location.

A bathroom or utility room is a good place for your cat’s box. In a multi-level home, one box per floor is recommended. Avoid moving the box unless absolutely necessary. Then do so slowly, a few inches a day. Cats won’t use a messy, SMELLY litter box. Scoop solids out of the box at least once a day. Dump everything, wash with a mild detergent (don’t use ammonia) and refill at least once a week, less frequently if using clumping litter. Don’t use deodorants or scents in the litter or litter box (especially avoid lemon scent).

Play Cats delight in stalking imaginary prey. Thebest toys are those that can be made to jump and dance around and look alive. Your cat will act out her predator role by pouncing on toys instead of people’s ankles. Don’t use your hands or fingers as play objects with kittens. This type of play may cause a biting and scratching 

the best way to stop cat hairballs

The best way to STop the cat hairballs 

Following are the best ways to stop the cat hairballs

*.Stop the Shed:During peak shedding season, cats tend to over-groom themselves. That increased excess of hair isn’t just found on clothes and furniture — much of it is ingested by the cat. Proactive grooming removes the loose hair before it is ingested and can reduce hairballs dramatically.The Watering Hole:Cats have primal instincts and the location of their water bowl can prove it. In the wild, a cat would never drag its kill to a watering hole to eat and drink at the same time. House cats have inherited this same instinct. Owners should keep a cat’s water bowl in a separate location than her food bowl.

*.A New Menu:There are several specially formulated cat foods and treats with increased fiber that aid in the fight against hairballs. Each pet is different, soalways consult the cat’s vet first before making any drastic diet changes.

*.Stay Active, Stay Healthy:Over twenty-one percent of cats are considered obese or overweight by their veterinarians. Play and interactive toys encourage cats to leap, stretch and stay active. Keeping a cat active helps him maintain a healthy skin and coat and increases balance and coordination.

how to train the cat

These are the  best ways to train cat

1.The best reinforcements you can use are treats — but not just any treats.”My foster cats love to train with me,” says Jane Harrell, Petfinder’s senior producer and long-time cat foster mom. “But they won’t work for just anything. They want thesoft, gooey, stinky treats.” And Jane’s fosters aren’t alone. Many cats need something special to motivate them. This means you should toss the kibble back in the cat food bin and look through your cabinets for the good stuff your cat loves. Diced chicken or turkey, low-sodium tuna, meat-flavored baby food and commercial cat treats might be effective, depending onyour cat’s individual preferences.

2. Get your cat used to receiving rewards in response to specific behaviors.Start with a simple trick to show your cat that good things happen during your training sessions.

3. Practice, practice, practice… but not too much.Repeat this training process severaltimes in a row so that your cat learns why he’s getting rewarded.You don’t want to wear your cat out or bore him, but you do want to drive home the relationship between a particular reward and behavior — as well as the command associated with that behavior.Petplace.comrecommends teaching only one command or trick at a time and limiting sessions to 10 to 15 minutes of practicing. You will, however, want to repeat the routine again the next day and continue it on a regular basis so that your cat doesn’t forget what he’s learned.

4. Try using a clicker to reinforce timing and – eventually — cut down on treats.It’s important for your cat to be rewarded as soon as she performs the desired action, but it can be difficult for many people to time their rewards precisely with their cat’s behavior. A clicker can help withtiming by introducing a sound that tells the cat that what they just did was good.  To teach your cat what the clicker means, “charge” the clicker by clicking and treating your cat without requesting any action. After a few times your cat will learn that the clicker noise means good things are coming and, eventually, the clicker can be its own reward. You now have an aid forperfecting the timing of a reward.

5.Once your cat has fully mastered his first trick, move on to others.Using treats and your clicker, you can introduce common tricks like “down,” “stay” and “come.” But feel free to get creative. You might also want to consider teaching your cat practical behaviors like how to walk on a leash.

keep cat calm

The best way to keep your cat calm

 

There are a number of ways you can keep your cat busy during the day so he’ll be less active and sleepier at night. Provide your cat with toys that can be swatted around on his own: toy mice are especiallyfun for this. Some even come laced with catnip. Rotate these toys frequently because cats, like people, become bored with the same old thing day after day. You can also purchase squeaking mouse toys that hang on an elastic string from your door. Cats love to bat at these. To freshen these toys, periodically dip them in a bag of catnip. Your cat will think they’re new.There are great interactive videos your cat can watch during the day, such as Video Catnip, by Pet-A-Vision Inc. Before leaving the house set up your VCR to go on at a certain time, say mid-afternoon. If your cat likes the viewing, he’ll sit in front of the TV and be entertained by larger-than-life birds flying and squirrels running across the screen. Put a seat in front of the TV so the picture is at the cat’s eye level and he can try to “catch” these elusive critters.Panic Mouse is yet another great interactive toy. A fuzzy soft ball dangles from a battery-operated wand that swings the ball around at a variety of adjustable speeds and at different angles. You can turn it on when you leave your home and it will go for hours! Another model of this toycomes with a digital timer that you can set to run for 15 minutes to 2 hours.For a less expensive alternative, paper bags can be loads of fun. Cats love to charge into opened paper bags. You can make them especially appealing by throwing a few fuzzy mice inside or by sprinkling a teaspoonful of catnip in the bottom.Another great idea for occupying your cat is to install a bird feeder outside of your window. Place a cat perch on the windowsill and voilá, reality TV!!! There’s no greater pleasure than to watch real birds up close and personal.Things To Do When You Get HomeYes, you’re tired, but it’s for your cat’s benefit, as well for the benefit of those deep circles under your eyes, to spend 15 minutes playing with your cat. Lil’ Pete loves being chased around the house. It only takes five minutes out of my evening and he’s pooped! He also loves when I toss his toy mouse for him to swat. He leaps into the air, á la Michael Jordan, and lobs the mouse through the air. You can also use cat dancers and kitty teasers that mimic the movement of mice and birds. Lil’Pete is extremely affectionate and enjoys being held, so for the last five minutes of quality time, I scoop him in my arms for a quick cuddle. We rub faces, and I give him a soothing belly rub. Not all cats like this, but for those who do it’s a nice way to calm down from a play session. Then, to really get him sleepy, I end the evening with Lil’ Pete’s main meal. Cats are highly likely to sleep after a big meal.

how to keep your dog busy

Best ways to keep your dog busy 

Most breeds of dogs were developed to perform specific jobs for people, such as guarding, herding, or hunting; work that demands physical stamina and mental concentration. When we choose to open our home to a dog, it becomes our responsibility to meet the behavioural needs of that dog by providing appropriateoutlets for his physical and mental energy.“No Pain, No Gain”A tired dog is generally a good dog! Dogs need physical exercise. The average dog benefits from a minimum of two outings per day. If left to their own devices, dogs tend to be most active morning and evening, choosing to sleep mid-day. Off-leash exercise is best, provided the dog is trained not to run away or get into other forms of trouble. Being off leash allows the dog to monitor his own exercise– he can run when he feels like it and rest when he needs it. This is especially criticalfor puppies because their growth plates have not yet closed and too much exercisecan result in orthopedic problems that plague the dog the rest of his life.The most extensive exercise should be in the morning, after a good night’s sleep. If you wait until the evening, you’ve forced the dog to remain sedentary all night AND all day, which is a lot to ask. This is particularly true if you plan to leave the dog alone all day. A moderately sized dog, from a terrier to a retriever, should be out for 45-60 minutes in the morning and at least 30-45 minutes in the evening.Strenuous aerobic exercise is best for healthy, physically sound dogs. If your doghas been a couch potato, check with your veterinarian before embarking on an exercise program with your dog. Off leash running and play with other dogs permits your dog physical exertion and social contact with others of his species. If you plan to frequent city dog runs, your dog should have impeccable manners with other dogs and with people. Mature dogs don’t always like the close confinement of a dog run and are more likely to behave aggressively, especially if there are rambunctious young dogs present.Even dogs with orthopedic problems need managed exercise to keep the muscles strong so they can support weak bones and joints. Swimming is great exercise for any dog but is especially beneficial for unsound dogs, like those with hip dysplasia.Owners with high-energy dogs can enjoy including their dogs in their own exercise programs, such as running, roller blading, or cycling. Sustained running like this is a wonderful way to expend excess energy and keep a dog fit but, just like people, it is crucial to build up your dog’s stamina for distance. Make sure you give your dog an opportunity to urinate and defecate before you get going, especially if you exercise them on lead. Keep in mind that dogs don’tcool themselves as efficiently as people – they pant rather than perspire. If you require your dog run to keep up with you, make sure he has frequent opportunities to immerse in water. This allows for rapid cooling.Every morning, my dogs run while I ride mybike. I ride on a bike trail that runs alongside a stream so every few minutes, the dogs take a quick dip. When it’s really hot, they even dunk their heads under the water! As long as they can keep wet, my dogs are able to run for several miles, evenin summer heat waves.Training a dog to run alongside you while you roller blade or cycle can be a bit of a challenge, especially if your dog likes to chase bunnies or squirrels. Your dog mustbe taught that it is unacceptable to chase animals while exercising with you. Some dogs can learn this on just a regular collar, while others need to wear a training collar, such as a choke or pinch collar, to ensure everyone’s safety. There are attachments for bicycles to prevent the dog from knocking the bike over. A solid-leash device, called the Springer, is attached to the bike frame and the dog is connected tothe bar. These are available from some petstores and through pet supply websites.For those owners averse to physical exercise themselves, fetch games are great but take care if your dog likes to catch air going after a Frisbee or ball. Theyoften land hard and, if it happens enough, this can cause long-term damage to bonesand joints. Another option is the doggy treadmills. For a few thousand dollars you can have the latest in dog exercise equipment! From what I hear, if trained properly, dogs love to run on treadmills. I’ve also heard of owners training their dogs to run on their own treadmills designed for humans. Often these treadmills have been collecting dust in the basement for years.“Will Work for Food”They say that if people don’t use their brains, cells begin to deteriorate. I have no reason to assume that dogs are any different. Dogs love to solve problems, especially ones that involve food.Food toys are a great way to enrich your dog’s world. All animals enjoy spending time and effort obtaining food. In fact, it has been shown that, if given a choice between free food and food that requires work, such as searching or manipulating an object, animals prefer to work for their food. For instance, squirrels would rather be given peanuts in the shell than ones already shelled. So rather than give your dog his food in a bowl, for free, give him a puzzle to solve. Offer the dog his dinner in a Kong, a Goodie Ship, or a Buster Cube (see below for detailed instructions). Hide small containers of food around the houseand release him to go find them. Take his bowl of food and toss the kibble into the backyard so he has to snuffle around in the grass to find the small pieces of kibble.Training is another excellent way to stimulate a dog’s brain. In general dogs love to learn and even old dogs can learn new tricks. You can practice basic obedience manners, teach parlor tricks, or set up a few obstacles in your backyard soyour dog can demonstrate his agility. Short sessions of 5-10 minutes once or twice a day is best. Keep it light and fun forthe dog (and for you!) by using food, play, and plenty of praise and enthusiasm.If you want more formalized stimulation, try agility or flyball training. The sport of agility involves teaching the dog to jump, climb, and weave through various obstacles. Most dogs love to use their bodies and they love to “play” with their owners, so agility is especially popular among dogs. A well-trained agility dog responds to various commands, including turning right, left, going ahead, flipping behind, sit, down and stay. Flyball is a relay race between teams of dogs – one ata time, dogs on a team will race over a set of low jumps to a special box that, when triggered by the dog, releases a tennis ball at top speed. The dog catches the ball andreturns over the jumps to the owner. The first team with all four dogs across the finish line, each with a ball, wins! Flyball is a very noisy activity because most dogs tend to cheer their teammates on with frantic barking. Serious flyball competitors are pretty noisy as well and tend to resemble hockey moms or soccer dads!

best ways to train dog

Top best ways to train the dog 

1.Listen to Your DogLearn to listen to your dog. If your dog appears to be uncomfortable meeting another dog, animal or person, don’t insist that he say hello. He’s telling you that he isn’t comfortable for a reason, and you should respect that. Forcing the issue can often result in bigger problemsdown the line.

2.Be Generous with Your AffectionMost people don’t have a problem being very clear about when they are unhappy with their dogs, but, they often ignore thegood stuff. Big mistake! Make sure you give your dog lots of attention when he’s doing the right thing. Let him know whenhe’s been a good boy. That’s the time to be extra generous with your attention and praise. It’s even okay to be a little over the top.

3.Does He Really Like It?Just because the bag says “a treat all dogs love” doesn’t mean your dog will automatically love it. Some dogs are veryselective about what they like to eat. Softand chewy treats are usually more exciting for your dog than hard and crunchy treats. Keep your eyes open for what he enjoys.

4.Tell Him What You Want Him to DoThere is nothing inherently wrong with telling your dog “no,” except that it doesn’t give him enough information. Instead of telling your dog “no,” tell him what you want him to do. Dogs don’t generalize well, so if your dog jumps up on someone to say hello and you say no,he may jump higher or he may jump to the left side instead of the right. A better alternative would be to ask him to “sit.” Tell him what you want him to do in orderto avoid confusion.

5.Be ConsistentWhenever you’re training your dog, it’s important to get as many family members involved as possible so everyone’s on the same page. If you are telling your dog “off” when he jumps on the couch and someone else is saying “down,” while someone else is letting him hang out up there, how on earth is he ever going to learn what you want? Consistency will be the key to your success.

6.Have Realistic ExpectationsChanging behavior takes time. You need to have realistic expectations about changing your dog’s behavior as well as how long it will take to change behaviors that you don’t like. Often behaviors which are “normal” doggie behaviors will take the most time such as barking, digging and jumping. You also need to consider how long your dog has rehearsed the behavior. For example, if you didn’t mind that your dog jumped up on people to say hi for the last seven years and now you decide that you don’t want him to do that anymore, that behavior will take a much longer time to undo than if you had addressed it when he was a pup. Remember it’s never too late to change the behavior some will just take longer than others.

7.Don’t Underestimate the Benefits of Feeding a High Quality FoodFeed your dog a high-quality diet with appropriate amounts of protein. If your dog spends most of his days lounging inyour condo, don’t feed him food with a protein level that is ideal for dogs who herd sheep all day. The money that you will spend on feeding an appropriate quality food will often be money that you save in vet bills later on. I recommend you always check with your veterinarian for the right diet for your dog.

8.You Get What You Reinforce – Not Necessarily What You WantIf your dog exhibits a behavior you don’t like, there is a strong likelihood that it’s something that has been reinforced before. A great example is when your dog brings you a toy and barks to entice you to throw it. You throw the toy. Your dog has just learned that barking gets you to do what he wants. You say “no,” and he barks even more. Heaven forbid you give in and throw the toy now! Why? Because you will have taught him persistence pays off. Before you know it you’ll have a dog that barks and barks every time he wants something. The solution? Ignore his barking or ask him to do something for you (like “sit”) beforeyou throw his toy.

9.Bribery vs. RewardThe idea of using treats to train is often equated with bribery. Truthfully, dogs do what works. If using treats gets them to do what you want, then why not? You can also use the world around you as a reinforcement. Every interaction you have with your dog is a learning opportunity, so when you think about it, you probably don’t use food very often except during active training sessions. So why does your dog continue to hang out? Because you reinforce him with praise, touch, games and walks. Just remember, the behavior should produce the treat; the treat should not produce the behavior.

10.FreedomLet your new dog gradually earn freedom throughout your home. A common error that many pet parents make is giving their new dog too much freedom too soon. This can easily lead to accidents relating to housetraining and destructive chewing. So, close off doors to unoccupied rooms and use baby gates to section off parts of the house, if necessary. One of the best ways to minimize incidents is to keep your dog tethered to you in the house and by using a crate or doggie safe areawhen you can’t actively supervise him.

best ways to help stray cats

Best ways to help the stray cats 

It is a question that gets asked hundreds of times throughout kitten season. Sadly, many shelters become too full to accept kittens who may be unsocial or too young to beput up for adoption.Below are five easy steps to help you navigate kitten season while also making adifference in the life of our feline friends.

1.Look, Wait, Watch– at first, keep your distance to determine if the kittenshave a mother who may just be out gathering foodfor them. Put blades of grass or twigs on tiny kittens as a way to see if Mom came back without hovering. You don’t want to scare her away! The mother cat will always offer them a better chance of survival. If you don’t see the mom within eight hours, they are most likely orphans.

Foster in place– always leaving the family together, provide food, water and shelter until thekittens can eat on their own. If there is no mom and kittens are too young to be spayed or neutered, assess whether you have the capabilities - time and resources - to help foster them in place.

Spay/Neuter–Affordablespay/neuter services are available throughout the Valley. Once of age– approximately 8 weeks old – and provided the kittens are tame and social, be sure to get them spayed or neutered.It is also imperative that the mother cat be fixed oryou may find yourself in the same predicament just months later.  Females can go into heat and get pregnant while nursing.

Help find homes– Nationally, 74 percent of people take in cats from their neighbors or surrounding areas. If you have found that you have the time and resources tohelp kittens as they grow, be on the search for friends, family, coworkers or neighbors who are looking to adopt a loving feline.

Trap-Neuter-Return– If the mother cat and/or kittens are not tame and able to be handled, call the Spay Neuter Hotline at 602.265.SPAY in order to Trap-Neuter-Return thecats to their natural environment where they can live out the rest of their lives.