Related Articles to Understanding Dog Abilities
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Dogs are social animals, they have rules that dictate how they behave around each other. Left to themselves, most canines easily slip into their roles. The pyrotechnics erupt when they disagree about their place in the pack or family unit. Read more...
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It is vital that your dog perceives the muzzle as a positive experience. Quite often the dog’s first encounter with a muzzle is in a stressful and fearful situation, such as the vet clinic, when the dog may become aggressive or difficult to handle because of fear, panic, or injury. Read more...
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Quite often a simple noise aversion technique can stop many unwanted and irritating behaviours such as jumping up aggression, barking and predatory chasing (i.e. cats or other dogs). Read more...
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Puppies have painfully sharp little piranha-like teeth, almost like hypodermic needles. Fortunately the jaw muscles are extremely under-developed, in fact one of the main reasons why you should never play tug with a young puppy is that you could dislocate the jaw and misalign or damage the teeth. Read more...
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Socialisation is so vitally important that it almost outweighs all other considerations. The fear of infections has led breeders and owners alike to make the tragic mistake of keeping their puppies isolated until they have completed their vaccinations. Read more...
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Canine Possession Aggression, or object guarding, is the act of aggressively protecting objects such as toys, pigs ears, rawhide chews, bones, or articles that the dog has found or stolen, such as socks shoes underwear tissues and human food. Read more...
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Introducing a cat to a household already containing a dog is a scenario many will be faced with at some point. It is a tricky situation, but with careful planning and a bit of patience, problems can be avoided. Here behaviorist Stan Rawlinson gives his advice on how to introduce a dog to a cat! Read more...
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Aggression is one of the main reason dogs are euthanised or rehomed. At least 30% of all dogs in rescue centres are there because of aggression in one form or another. Many dogs will have more than one of the following types of behaviour. Read more...
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The highest incidence of dominance aggression occurs in intact males, followed, in decreasing order of frequency, by castrated males, spayed females and unspayed females. Certain breeds have been reported to have a higher incidence of this type of aggression, but it can occur in any breed of dog. Read more...
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Certain breeds of dog (notably English Cocker Spaniels) can occasionally display unpredictable outbursts of aggression known as ‘rage syndrome’. These dogs will be perfectly civil with strangers and in the show ring, but then will suddenly attack family members for no apparent reason. Read more...
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The Step up and Step down Training is probably the most important part of any Parrots training and all owners should consider doing this as part of homing a new bird. You will need to keep to a strict regime and be quite strict with your routine. Read more...
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The first question to ask when dealing with a biting parrot is why? Under what circumstance is this happening? From my experience, birds bite for generally one of two main reasons: survival or control. A third less common reason can be hormonal behavior. Read more...
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Parrots are very intelligent animals and they are thought to have the same level of intelligence as a five-year-old child. It is therefore very important that they get mental stimulation, as the commonest cause of feather plucking is boredom. Read more...
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For most people, exercising a dog consists of a trip to the park for a run around. In some cases this might suffice, but responsible owners should be aware of the quantity and quality of exercise that their dog needs to maintain optimum health. Ask yourself the following questions. Read more...
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It's entirely natural for a new puppy to call out for someone to come when separated. Pups alone in the wild would not survive without this alarm system. Therefore all your new dog is doing is following instinct. Read more...
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Cats are are so easy to live with most of the time, which is why their appeal as pets is so widely accepted. Cats are quiet, clean, affectionate and best of all are very self-sufficient. But when things go wrong . . . it can be a turbulent relationship. Read more...
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Noise fears or phobias in dogs are among the most common of the behavioral problems, but are frequently ineffectively managed. They are most easily treated with early identification and intervention where possible. Read more...
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With pet obesity on the rise, the approval of a new drug called Slentrol to combat canine obesity has been hailed by some as a new breakthrough, while others are more sceptical. Here we look at the indications for using the drug and how it works. Read more...
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There are a huge number of dogs out there with severe dental disease that desperately need treatment. Most owners are unaware of their dogs teeth problem until either a vet checks the dogs mouth, or the mouth becomes so sore and breath so foul that the owners attention is drawn to it. Read more...
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It is well documented and accepted that puppies should not be homed until they are 7/8 weeks old. To take on a puppy before this time will mean that it has not been with its mother and siblings for enough time to learn some extremely important lessons. Read more...
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Before introducing a puppy to a new household, owners should find out the type of food the animal has been fed, as well as its feeding schedule. Providing a similar diet will help ease the transition to the home environment. Read more...
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Parvovirus is contagious to dogs only. Infection does not automatically mean illness. Factors such as age, environment, stress, parasites, and general health status of each individual dog infected could affect the severity of the disease. Read more...
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There are several different types of flea, but by far the most common is Ctenocephalides felis felis, also known as the cat flea. Though it is called the cat flea, it is the species most often found on dogs as well. Read more...
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The bitch will give birth approximately 9 weeks from when she first starts standing for the male dog or 8 weeks from when she stops standing for the male dog. Counting from breeding dates can be a fairly inaccurate method to determining a due date. Read more...
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Leptospira is a bacterium that is very common in certain parts of the United States.There has been increased prevalence of Leptospira disease since 1983 due to urbanization of rural areas, increasing contact between dogs and wildlife. Read more...
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Does your dog suffer from arthritis or any other painful condition? If so, chances are your veterinarian will have prescribed NSAID painkillers to make your beloved pet more comfortable. However, many owners are starting to realise that they can buy the exact same drugs online, for far cheaper. Read more...
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Vaccinations are essential preventive care for your dog. Through vaccination, dogs can now be protected from numerous diseases, including rabies, distemper, hepatitis and several others. Some of these diseases are can be passed from dogs to people, so vaccinating your pet benefits public health too. Read more...
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There is something immensely satisfying in taking in a rescue dog, in many cases someone else has either been unable to cope or it had became a burden or a nuisance, in some cases it is because of a marriage breakup, bereavement or for allergy or medical reasons. Read more...
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Whelping can be a stressful process for both bitch and owner. However, with the right preparation and a little know-how, the whole procedure can be made alot safer and more comfortable for the bitch and pups. Here we discuss appropriate home care for the whelping bitch and her pups. Read more...
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There are several reasons to get your pet microchipped. The main reason is that without doing so, there is little chance of your pet being reunited with you if it is lost or stolen. Read more...
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The first rule on toilet training is: When your puppy or untrained dog is not supervised, he or she should be in the crate. By this I don't mean that you necessarily lock your dog in a crate for long periods - you need to stage it depending on the dogs age. Read more...
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Diabetes mellitus is a disease caused by a deficiency of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produce by a certain cell in the pancreas, and is necessary for the body tissues to use to absorb blood sugar. Imagine insulin as the key that unlocks the door to each cell that allows glucose to enter the cell. Read more...
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Moving house can be a very stressful time for your cat. Territorial battles may occur with other local cats. This article is based on a question asked at the Televets Pet Question and Answer service. Read more...
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As any rat lover will tell you, rats make wonderful pets – they are friendly, intelligent, funny and loyal. However, like all species, there will be occasions where you get a rat that bites. Read more...
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There can't be many feline households today without a litter box. The pervasiveness of the indispensable litter box makes it difficult to imagine a time before cat litter. But in fact, cat litter is a relatively recent accoutrement to the feline lifestyle. Read more...
