Does Your Cat React Oddly to Cat Nip?

Catnip isn’t just a cat thing. Actually catnip is a nickname for a plant that comes from the mint family. For a cat, catnip is like one too many martinis. The reaction may be wild and crazy or totally oblivious in that classic “who cares” manner that cats do so well.

Inside catnip is a chemical element called “nepetalactone,” which seems to prompt amazing reactions that are different for each cat. While you can’t smell it, catnip has a unique scent to a feline.

The typical cat pauses to sniff this unusual substance and maybe give it a small lick. Then the cat returns to chew on the catnip leaves. Some cats love to roll around in the catnip and get it all over their fur.

Shortly after ingesting catnip, a cat may leap, roll, wiggle, purr and seem to freak out. The cat may become aggressive toward another pet when under the influence of catnip. Another cat may nibble the catnip, grin broadly and quietly savor the experience. Fortunately this catnip “trip” lasts just a matter of minutes.

Although coming down from the catnip may take a few hours before your cat responds normally. Older cats seem less vulnerable or perhaps less interested in the catnip experience. Very young kittens also are less interested in catnip.

Catnip can be purchased in a pet store in dried leaf form or as an essential oil. Just a small drop of the oil is all that’s needed to get a reaction. You can also purchase catnip-scented toys. The potency of catnip declines over time.

So toss out the old toys regularly and get fresh catnip toys so your cat gets the same enjoyment out of it. While catnip is related to other common plants like basil, spearmint and oregano, those plants don’t have the same effect on cats.

Catnip is an aphrodisiac for some cats - causing them to become very amorous with another cat. So you have to wonder, can a cat become addicted to catnip? While each catnip nibble is a delight for your cat, he’s not going to trash the house or sell your car to get more.

Cats won’t become addicted to catnip, but it is a treat you can provide for your feline friend a few times a week. If you have more than one cat, give them each their own little pile of catnip so that they don’t have to compete for the pleasure against one another.

The Competitive Sport of Dog Agility

Dog agility is gaining speed as one of Europe and America’s best animal sports. In dog agility, a handler guides the dog in going through a course in the least amount of time possible.

The dog cannot be confined to a leash during agility competitions. As the clock ticks on, the dog has to complete various obstacles, ranging from jumps to pipes as spectators watch from the stands.

Dog agility is a knock off of equestrian stadium jumping, but it now has its own obstacles, rules and scoring agenda separate from the original root source. There are numerous organizations that cater to dog agility participants.

In the United States, you can find organizations that conduct trials through local dog training clubs. These groups adhere to the rigid international rules for agility performance.

During a dog agility competition, the participants are judged, not only on speed, but also on physical performance within the obstacle course. Each country also has its own set of domestic rules they sometimes go by, such as scoring that is handler-based rather than performance-based.

Ideally, the organization handling the trial will ensure that the agility obstacle course is designed with the safety of the dog in mind. For instance, if a dog calculates distance wrong, he won’t get injured on the jump bar because they’re displaceable. And surfaces are roughened up before competitions to ensure the dog doesn’t slip or slide and get injured during an agility competition.

During an agility competition, the animals and handlers will participate in various obstacle courses that offer different levels of challenge based on the pet’s level of ability. When the trial begins, the handler has to maneuver the dog through the course without use of a leash or reward, beating the complicated course in the least amount of time.

As the dog and its handler participate in more agility trials, they will usually move up to a higher level of competition, where the courses get more complex and higher levels of skill are required.

When a dog does something wrong during a competition, it’s known as a “fault,” and they are penalized if they go over the standard time calculations. Dogs of equal size are pitted against one another in divisions. Then the animal that participates in the agility training and garners the shortest time and least number of faults wins, along with its handler who helped guide him through the course.

Watch Your Dog’s Diet During the Housetraining Process

As your dog is learning to follow a potty break routine, you have to avoid doing anything that makes the lessons harder. One way you can help this process is in managing the dog’s food intake.

As you monitor and log the crate time and potty breaks, you’ll notice a pattern in your dog’s elimination. Make sure that the food you provide and the timing of feedings don’t compromise training.

Feed your dog at the same time each day. If you feed him in the morning before leaving for work, put out the food as soon as you wake up. The dog can eat and begin to digest the food while you’re getting dressed and having your breakfast.

Then the dog will be ready to potty before you leave. Never leave the dog food out all day. If your dog (especially a puppy) eats gradually all day long without a potty break, you’re asking for an accident to happen.

For crate training a puppy, make sure there’s a supply of water in a container that won’t tip. Also leave a few small dog biscuits or treats in case he gets hungry during the day - but don’t leave a full meal.

When you get home, take the dog out and then feed him. Don’t wait until late evening to feed dinner to the puppy or you’ll be cleaning up feces in the crate or on the rug. Allow a reasonable time for the digestion to occur.

No matter how much the dog begs, don’t give table scraps or snack foods. These are not well tolerated by most dogs and some snack foods can be harmful to the dog (and not so great for you either).

Just because a dog will eat what you give him in food scraps doesn’t mean it’s suitable for him. Feeding him the wrong kind of foods is likely to result in doggie diarrhea. If you don’t give your dog the non-nutrient snacks and junk that you eat, he won’t develop a taste for it - which is definitely better for everyone in the long run.

High quality dog food is made with added nutrients and designed for the age and weight of your dog. If you’re on a budget, find a place to skimp besides your dog food budget. Cheap dog foods can contain ingredients that cause stomach upset and have minimal nutritional value, so your dog may get fat but doesn’t grow and thrive.

If your dog gets diarrhea (even from high quality foods), check with your vet. There may be an ingredient in the food that doesn’t interact well with your dog’s digestive system. Ask the vet for a recommendation. If the next high quality food gets the same results, then your dog may have an internal illness or food allergy that the vet can diagnose.

What If You Don’t Want to Crate Train?

You might think that crates are great for shipping cargo, but that dogs are living creatures who deserve better than that. To you, bringing a dog into your home is adding to your family.

It’s not a toy to put in the crate while you’re busy and take out a few hours when you have time. You believe that’s not fair to the dog. Crate training may be a popular method for housetraining, but you don’t have to do this to successfully train your dog.

As you’re training the dog to wait between potty breaks or until you return home, you can isolate him in a smaller area. A bathroom, laundry room or tiled kitchen is a good choice. The room needs to have an easy to clean floor.

Either close the door or add a baby gate. When you’re at home, use the baby gate so that you can observe the dog and so that he doesn’t feel punished by being away from you. You can also watch for the physical signs that he needs a potty break.

Dogs have their own signature moves - some seem agitated, restless or shake when they need to have a break. Others sniff in a circle and begin squatting when the time comes. You still need to follow the same approach for establishing a regular feeding schedule and follow-up with potty breaks.

When you come home to take the dog out to go potty, put the leash on him and head directly outside. Don’t let him run around the house celebrating his freedom. In his excitement, he’ll leave a puddle on the rug - not because he’s mad at you, but because his enthusiasm overcame his bladder control.

Crate training advocates insist that this is the best and fastest way to housetrain a dog. Opponents totally disagree, countering that the difference of a few weeks is nothing compared to having a well-adjusted dog that feels like a member of the family rather than a prisoner of war most of the day.

If your dog is in a small room, he probably has far more space than in a crate. He also has a tall ceiling above him, so he feels free and happy. He can designate a spot in the room for an emergency potty and still have room to get away from it.

Your dog is going to be a member of your family for many years. So what if it takes a little longer to housetrain him? You may have to use the small room training location for nights until he’s old enough or well trained enough to wait until morning to go potty.

This isn’t the time to weaken and put him in your bed. You’ll both wake up in a chilly puddle. Give him time to adjust to the training, and then you can welcome him to a soft bed in your room, or surrender the extra pillow if you choose.

Champ: The beagle who helps to heal

By Gina Spadafori

May 24, 2009

In this morning’s Parade magazine, there’s an article written by our own Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon on Champ, the badly burned beagle who learned to trust and is now sharing that lesson with others:

“We always have had a heart for abused animals,” says Janice Martin, a home health aide from Fair Lawn, N.J., who, along with her husband Mike, a former construction worker, has volunteered at the local animal-rescue organization for 15 years. It was there they met the burned puppy they named Champ and took him in with the intention of fostering him. “We have nursed many abused dogs back to health, and then they go to new homes,” Janice explains.

But from the beginning, the Martins knew taking care of Champ would be different. “When I went to pick up the puppy, I could hardly hold back my tears looking at his red, raw flesh where fur should be,” says Janice. She immediately knew the family had a challenge on its hands. The beagle puppy seemed to have no will to live. And on top of that, Janice’s husband, Mike, was struggling, too.

“I had only recently overcome kidney cancer when I was struck with a massive heart attack,” Mike recalls. “I had to go on disability, which for me was like a prison sentence, and I became depressed. But I dedicated myself to Champ’s care. He cried often, yelping in pain when Janice or I applied cream to his burns.”

Slowly, the dog’s physical injuries healed, and with them one kind of pain subsided. But for both Mike and Champ, there was still plenty of hurt inside.

Read the rest on the Parade Web site, here. And if you’d like to make a donation to the Save The Animals Rescue Team, which covered Champ’s medical expenses, go here.

What Causes Dogs to Get Arthritis?

Dogs are not immune to arthritis problems. They have almost the same muscular and tissue structure in their joint areas as humans do, so arthritis can rear its ugly head for them as well.

Dogs can suffer like humans and develop limping problems and pain when arthritis hits, but what exactly causes the arthritis to hit them? One of the main causes for arthritis in dogs is a weight problem.

Excess weight can cause stress on their joints and if it continues, can lead to arthritis. If you keep your dog at a healthy weight, you can decrease their chances for developing arthritis later on in their life.

Injuries and accidents to their limbs are another cause of arthritis in dogs. When an injury occurs to their limbs, some underlying damage can happen to the muscles and tissues around their joints, causing undue stress.

It’s also possible that some joint misplacement could happen with an injury or accident - also causing stress and rubbing of bone on tissues, making arthritis inevitable in dogs.

Poor nutrition can be another cause to their arthritic problems. Dogs need a well-balanced diet with the proper amounts of nutrients to keep their bones, muscles and tissues strong and healthy.

Prolonged poor nutrition can cause their bones and muscles to get weak and they can start to degenerate, causing inflammation in their joints. Too much physical activity without a balance of rest is another cause of arthritis.

A dog is an active animal and will have bursts of activities that are healthy for them, but they still need proper rest for their muscles, just like humans do. Overworking of the muscles can cause strain on the joints and if they don’t receive proper rest, can eventually lead to arthritis.

Sometimes arthritis can be caused by diseases or tumors that can’t be helped. There are some diseases that come without warning and wreak havoc with a dog’s body, causing many ailments - including arthritis.

Proper veterinary care to help alleviate some of the symptoms may lessen the pain brought on by arthritis. Sometimes old age itself causes arthritis. Your dog has led an active, robust life and now that he’s older, ailments common with old age will set in.

Old age has slowed him down and he’s not as active as he once was. Dogs tend to rest, but too much rest can cause their muscles to stiffen a little. Try to keep them a little active to lessen the effects that arthritis can have on them.

Arthritis might be inevitable for them, but if you keep them comfortable and give them the proper treatments prescribed by the veterinarian, they can live out their last years in happiness.

An Approach to Housetraining an Adult Dog

Bringing an adult dog into your home demands as much effort from you and the family as does a puppy. It’s a mistake to think that just because the dog is full-grown and may have been potty trained in one home, that he’ll just immediately adjust to your home’s elimination schedule, too.

That’s not realistic. The dog has many adjustments to his new environment and doesn’t instinctively know that you don’t allow peeing on the floor – especially his prior owner didn’t mind or didn’t seem to care.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because he’s an adult dog that he’ll just “know” what to do. Start with him as if he were a puppy and gradually teach him the routine of your home’s pet potty schedule.

You probably need to start with crate training or restriction to a bathroom. Then set a schedule for potty breaks. Adult dogs are very picky about finding a potty place outside that’s apart from where they play, just as they don’t like to potty near where they sleep or eat.

Help him find that place in your yard or outside when walking and return him there for subsequent potty breaks. You have to monitor the potty breaks for several weeks to learn your dog’s elimination patterns.

You also have to set morning and evening feeding times. He may not have had such an organized life schedule, so this could take time for adjustment. Don’t believe that old saying, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” It’s not the age of the dog that matters - it’s the consistency of the owner.

If your dog came from an abusive home, even if is was just filled with shouting and hitting with paper for any accidents, then your training efforts may take longer. First you have to win the dog’s confidence and understand that he needs time to get comfortable in his new home.

There will be accidents, so be prepared to clean it up and move forward. Don’t assume that an adult dog will be any easier to train than a puppy. Both dogs would face the same adjustment issues. You have to train with consistency and affection so that you reinforce the responses that you want repeated.

An older male dog may be accustomed to marking his territory by urinating on it. This is an instinctive behavior for male dogs - you aren’t going to break him of it without breaking his spirit or having him neutered.

Exhaustion and joy on the dog-trainer’s tail

By Mikkel Becker Shannon

May 23, 2009

Keeping our eyes open during class has been a difficult feat for those of us enrolled at the Academy for Dog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA. We’ve spent every waking hour the past five weeks studying dogs, working with dogs and cleaning up after dogs. Our nights are spent dreaming about dogs.

My nine classmates and I, all women ranging from our early 20s to middle age, are nearing the end of a six-week program that costs $6,500 — you truly appreciate the value once you’re here — and in the end, if you pass, you receive certification in training and counseling.

I arrive at 7 a.m. to begin a long day of studying, and I usually don’t leave the classroom until 8 or 10 at night, heading home to do even more studying or complete an assignment before I can finally fall asleep (which takes no effort – it’s the staying awake part that’s hard now). This routine is six days a week and many of us work on Sunday, our “day off.”

For the first few weeks I was fine with the strenuous schedule, as I am totally immersed in one of my favorite subjects, dogs, and have the nation’s top experts at my disposal to teach me. By now, though my heart may be grasping onto the knowledge learned that will help me better teach the dogs I love, my body is failing to keep up with where my heart wants to go. Sleep-deprived and worked to exhaustion, I admit to being more than a little bit jealous of the instructor’s dogs who get to lounge around on their cozy blankets during class, stretching as if they’re in a “doga” class, pausing on occasion to lick themselves in hard-to-reach places, and then falling back asleep after an exaggerated dog sigh while every student is trying to keep up with the outpouring of knowledge, furiously taking notes and asking questions.

Despite the exhaustion, I have never witnessed nor been part of as much passion and dedication as I now see in my classmates and teachers every day. (The only thing remotely comparable for me is remembering expressions of hope in the future I saw on the faces on Obama’s inauguration day.) There is a special bond shared by people who have given their lives to serving dogs, as witnessed by all of their time, energy and concentration dedicated to the six weeks of expensive, intensive training. We have embarked (no pun intended) on a career to serve dogs and their people with purpose, passion and plan.

Talk about a payoff already. Every day I get to witness my fellow trainers and teachers in class as their eyes sparkle and their lips turn into a smile as they talk about dogs, making me realize that for everyone there, working with dogs is not really work at all, not even a profession, but a calling. Although I wonder whether a more traditional job would be more of a stable career than dog training — which can be difficult to make money idoing, and also unreliable when it comes to having a dependable income — I could not trade love of what you do and dedication to a purpose with meaning, over having a job that would pay well and every two weeks like clockwork. Not only is dog training about the love and passion for pets, but it’s also about being able to use that passion and love to help four-legged-friends and their pet parents in need.

Above all what the SFSPCA Academy for Dog Trainers has made me realize is that there is hope for almost all dogs if they receive the right help. I have witnessed my fellow students’ project dogs who seemed to be broken-down emotionally or acting out, and watch them evolve into beautiful, confident dogs once they were just given the right direction by caring trainers who understood their needs. I’ve found these past weeks that the three words “understand their needs” are so important that they bear repeating often and should be the mantra of any pet owner hoping to improve the relationship with a dog and enhance apet’s health, happiness and well-being.

Not only have I witnessed hope in the training and transformation of project dogs, but I’ve also witnessed hope for dogs in the academic world, as our teachers have directed us in the promised direction of science and theory to be better trainers. The book “Excel-Erated Learning: Explaining in Plain English How Dogs Learn and How Best to Teach Them” by Pamela Reid has been our training dictionary. Although there are thousands of ideas of how best to train, we have been given in concrete terms from studies and other science-tested methods the proven ways to lead our dogs. Even more hope for my conscience is to be able to let go of all of the aversive methods of training that plague our culture, and be able to train in a way that is rewarding and positive, both for the dog and the trainer.

Speaking of rewarding for the trainer, my week of working with my project dog Lloyd has been the all the caffeine I’ve needed to perk me up each day. Lloyd is a dog fit for the movies, as he has the most precious brown eyes that exude a cuteness and depth of playfulness, shrouded in a mass of curly spotted white and brown fur that makes his eyes look like they’re growing long lashes like movie stars with fake ones that are glued on. Lloyd has brought an overflowing joy into the game of learning, as he is a star student who catches on faster than a hungry trout to a wiggling worm. I get the feeling I’m training the movie-star Benjii during each session. Lloyd not only performs all of his learned tricks with ease, but he also has a certain cute quality about the way he does everything that can’t t be trained into a dog – he naturally has what people might call the “it” factor.

I have one week left. Learning from my teachers and classmates, my textbooks and overflowing binder with dog informationand with the experience of two past shelter project dogs (and with Lloyd still with me as my guide), I feel not only as if I’m better-prepared for my final test next week than I ever thought I would be, but I also feel more prepared for my life journey of training dogs.

My knowledge has increased, my training has been honed, and my heart has expanded, making all of the effort and busy work truly feel like I have received back double what I have put in.

Exercise Your Dog

By Jenna Stregowski, RVT, About.com

In order to stay healthy and fit, we all need to exercise regularly. Dogs are no exception - exercise is just one of your dog's basic needs. In general, most dogs should get 1-2 hours of exercise daily to help keep them healthy. Your dog may need more or less depending on ageand breed. Your senior Shih Tzu may just want to loaf around on the sofa, while your young adult Border Collie might be doing agility for 4 hours a day and still want more.

How Much Exercise?

In order to stay healthy and fit, we all need to exercise regularly. Dogs are no exception - exercise is just one of your dog's basic needs. In general, most dogs should get 1-2 hours of exercise daily to help keep them healthy. Your dog may need more or less depending on age

No two dogs are the same, so discovering your dog’s exercise needs may require some trial and error. When in doubt, give your dog as much exercise as she wants, but don’t overdo it. Watch her closely for signs of exhaustion such as heavy panting, wheezing, lameness, disorientation, and slowing or stopping to lie down during activities. Avoid outdoor activities on very hot days, and be sure your dog has access to fresh, cool water at all times.

What Kind of Exercise?

There are many activities you can do with your dog while exercising at the same time. Try walking, running or hiking with your dog and see how much better you feel. Some activities provide more exercise for your dog than for you, but are still a fun way to bond. Play fetch with a ball or disc, visit the dog park. Do you want your dog to get involved in dog sports? Agility, flyball and herding competitions are great

Laws to save shelter animals: Ur doing it wrong

By Christie Keith

May 21, 2009

Seems everyone’s gone legislation-happy lately. No-Kill advocates are trying new legislative approaches to force animal control agencies and shelters to implement policies that reduce killing. Laws are being proposed all over the country to eliminate puppy mills — some sincerely, others more to regulate, license, and restrict every kind of breeder.

Mandatory spay/neuter, restrictions on breeding, outlawing exotic pets, differential licensing, taxes, fees, mandated care… even a new law here in California to let people who adopt shelter animals deduct the adoption fee from their taxes. It seems when it comes to animals, there’s just nothing people like more than passing a law.

So I’m going to throw my devotion to personal freedom out the window and suggest a legal reform that I think will get dogs and cats out of shelters, make fostering and rescuing animals easier, and free up animal control resources to focus on things that actually make animals’ lives better. Sure, it infringes on some people’s personal property rights, but all these laws do that.

Here’s my idea: Start writing laws that give landlords a tax break for allowing pets and a tax penalty for prohibiting them. Outlaw condo and housing development regulations against pets. Abolish arbitrary limit laws (which is most of them).

I can’t count the number of people I know who would have a cat if their landlord would let them — this, while the majority of pets dying for lack of a home in American shelters are cats. How many of us might have one more pet if limit laws didn’t make them outlaws? How many might be fostering or doing rescue if those limit laws, landlord restrictions, or condo/community regulations weren’t hanging over our heads?

If we’re going to pass laws, why not those?

I’ll tell you why. Because in this country, inanimate property rights trump animals who breathe and feel and bleed and die of bone cancer from medically inappropriate pediatric spay/neuter every time.

Nonetheless, this is one time I have to say: There ought to be a law.

Warm Weather Safety for Dogs

Keep Your Dog Safe in the Summer Heat

By Jenna Stregowski, RVT, About.com

Summer can be wonderful time for you and your dog to spend time outdoors exercising and having fun. However, it is important to understand that hot temperatures can be very dangerous, too. The most common warm weather hazards include heat stroke, dehydration and sunburn – all of which can be prevented. Watch your dog for signs of illness, and call your vet right away if any problems arise. In order to keep your dog safe, here are some basic safety measures to take.

Automobiles

Never leave your dog in the car unattended. Despite the many warnings about this, each summer brings numerous accounts of dogs that become sick or even die of heat stroke because they were left in a car. Even if it does not seem that hot outside, the temperature inside the car can rise to dangerous levels within minutes. If you absolutely must bring your dog with you on errands, make sure you bring another person who can stay in the running, air-conditioned car with your dog. Otherwise, do your dog a favor – leave her at home.

Outdoor Activities

Steer clear of long walks and strenuous exercise on hot, sunny days. Avoid prolonged sun exposure. Not only is there a risk of heat stroke - dogs can get sunburns, too. If you are planning to spend time outdoors with your dog, find a shady spot and provide plenty of fresh, cool water. Try to take leisurely walks during the cooler times of the day, like the morning or evening hours. Sunscreen for dogs can help protect your dog as well.

Events

It might be best to leave your dog at home when going to large outdoor festivals or parties. A large crowd can be overwhelming and it increases the chances of injury, dehydration and exhaustion. Plus, there's bound to be a lot of unhealthy food and trash on the ground that your dog might try to eat. Also remember that fireworks and other loud noises can frighten dogs into running away or otherwise injuring themselves. If you do bring your dog to events, keep her close by and watch out for potential hazards.

Swimming

Stay close to your dog while swimming in a lake, river or the ocean. Contrary to popular belief, not all dogs are naturally skilled swimmers. Also remember that even the most experienced swimmer can become a victim of an undertow, jellyfish or other hazard. Additionally, try not to let your dog drink the water – salt water can dehydrate dogs and cause vomiting and diarrhea. The water in lakes and pond can contain parasites and bacteria that can infect your dog. Provide plenty of fresh, clean water for drinking.

Above all, exercise common sense and caution to help keep your dog safe. Learn what warning signs mean trouble. When in doubt, call your vet right away. Most important of all, enjoy your summer!

Wanna help veterinarians do better for cats?

By Gina Spadafori

May 14, 2009

Got an interesting e-mail from Brendan Howard, the senior editor at Veterinary Economics magazine. Frankly, I’m a little worried that publishing his request will mean I’ll be flooded with people wanting us to provide them access to information for books or articles, but hey, it’s not as if I’m not capable of saying “no.”

Besides, I thought Mr. Howard’s request could help make some kitties’ lives a lot better, and I’m all for that. So here’s his e-mail:

I’m working on a story about how veterinarians can make their practices more cat-friendly, and I want to ask pet owners what unpleasant or unlikable things veterinarians did in the exam room or outside of it that made them take their cats elsewhere. Specifically cat-unfriendly things…comments, misinformation, lack of interest in cats.

I read your blog all the time, and I dig the commenters. So I thought I’d
ask if you’d blog the question to your followers and see what shows up. I
could use the items anonymously or contact the owners personally for
interviews.

So what do you think? What would help make veterinary care better for your cat? Put your thoughts in the comments, or drop him a line.

And read more food for thought on this subject on Dolittler.

Overcoming the Obstacles of Dog Agility Training

It doesn’t matter what age your dog is for you to begin agility training, but you have to respect the obstacles a dog may have in performing. For instance, very old or very young dog can have limitations set forth by its age.

A puppy can have physical and mental obstacles for agility training because he hasn’t yet matured enough to grasp the training principles. An older dog may be limited in agility training because he is unable to perform due to stress on its body after aging.

With puppy agility training, you need to start off small and increase the training as time goes on. Start by allowing your puppy to cross bars and boards that are on the ground. Since it may not be ready for pipe tunnels, you can try using boxes on the floor instead.

If the puppy is hesitant during the agility training, you can start out making it a fun time playful experience to get him used to the new experience. As his attention span grows and he’s physically able, you can take the agility training one step further.

If you are raising an older dog and are unsure what obstacles it will face during agility training, know that a dog is considered a “senior citizen” at around eight years old. Breed factors into the aging process. If you have a small dog, then it will age later than a large breed will.

With any dog of any age, you’ll want to evaluate it specifically for obstacles it may face that prevent excessive agility training. If the dog is overweight, it can impede its physical performance, just as a health condition can attribute to a poor performance ability.

Sometimes all it requires is some conditioning to get the dog up to par for agility training. Or, if it has previous experience but hasn’t trained in awhile, it might just need a refresher course to get back on track.

With agility training, the dog is doing more than just lying around on the couch or flitting around in the backyard. It’s doing major physical work, so your dog may have to build up its endurance just as a human does during sports training.

Because it’s a very active sport, you need to e aware of the stress it places on your dog during agility training. Your dog may not be able to handle a triple jump, dive into a tunnel, or 180-degree turn. Make sure you monitor your dog for injuries and have it seen by a veterinarian if you notice anything suspicious.

Can You Offer Your Dog an Active Lifestyle?

Dogs are man’s best friend, but many of them would like to eat the remote control. That’s because they’re active by nature, but they live with a TV addicted couch potato. This mismatch can make for a strained relationship - or a really miserable dog.

When bringing a dog into your home, you must consider the activity level that the dog needs to be physically and emotionally healthy. Some lazy adults think that if they only had a dog who needed walking twice daily, then they would get the exercise they’ve so carefully avoided for so many years.

Lazy people are not likely to change their habits enough to make a good fit between them and active dogs. It’s the dog that will suffer as the lazy owner slacks off on walking and the dog fails to get what he needs in regular outdoor time.

The amount of daily activity that a dog needs is not the same as exercise. Every dog needs time each day to walk, run, jump and unwind. That may come with a walk on the leash to the park or around the block.

A dog that lives in a home with a fenced yard can enjoy free running and playing without the constraints of a leash. Older adults who have their own problems with mobility limitations need to choose a dog that requires less daily activity.

People who enjoy spending time outdoors for recreation or to unwind after a day at work are ideal owners for active dogs. Both owner and dog look forward to the end of the day, when they can play chase in the park or go for a run together.

Larger dogs tend to be more physically active. Among those are dogs whose heritage includes being working or hunting dogs. They have an innate desire to be busy and work off energy. Dogs such as Irish Setter, Doberman, Beagle, German Shepherd and Greyhound are built for movement and agility, so they naturally desire daily exercise.

Size can fool you as the extremely large dogs like the St. Bernard and Bull Mastiff, who can easily outweigh their owners, are low activity dogs. Even though you see the St. Bernard in movies rescuing the lost skier, what you miss is the rest of the time when the dog is sleeping in front of the fireplace.

Small dogs like Poodles, Pekinese and Chihuahuas can live in small spaces and forego the daily long walk in the park, but their high-strung temperaments cause them to be high in activity around the house.

Granted, their activity may be running aimlessly around the room, jumping on your guests or bouncing on you, but they do calm down when the energy burst is spent. That’s the point where the little dogs crawl back on your lap or on their plush pillow for a well-deserved nap to recharge.

There may seem like so much to know before buying a dog - and there is! By taking time to make a profile of the dog that best fits your living space, personality, and personal activity level, you’ll have a better match for a lasting relationship.

Bad Dogs Are a Reflection of Their Owners

How often do you hear an owner shout, “Bad dog” when what really needs to be said is “Bad handler?” It’s irritating to be walking down the sidewalk in your own neighborhood only to have a dog jump up on your clean clothes.

Or your new neighbor has a huge dog that likes to leave piles of “calling cards” in your front yard. Are these bad dogs? These dogs are not anymore bad than the neighbor’s out of control kids. Why blame the dog (or the kids) when the adult who’s supposed to be in charge isn’t acting responsible?

Dogs need to be given limits for behavior inside the home, outside the home and while walking in public places. Inexperienced dog owners would be smart to find a dog trainer who can teach them how to properly handle the dog without breaking its spirit.

You could ask at the vet’s office or local pet stores for names of dog trainers who hold private or group sessions with the dog and owner, or you could instantly access an online course and nip dog behavioral problem in the bud right away.

Part of this training is to teach the owner how to handle the dog. At times, dog trainers will admit it’s easier to train the dog than the owner! Dogs that must be leash trained for walking in public or at the park need practice, which begins around the yard or in a smaller location.

Barking is a behavior that distresses owners and neighbors. Shouting or punishing the dog for engaging in normal dog communication (barking) is counterproductive - as well as confusing to the dog.

Often, dogs bark because they lack attention or need food and water. A barking dog can also be a strong deterrent to burglars, so completely suppressing the dog’s bark might not be in your best interest. Be careful not to laugh and playfully encourage a puppy to bark and then get angry at him months later when he barks louder as an adult dog.

Dog trainers can also teach you how to reinforce the behaviors that you want with both praise and treats. You need to know how to reward the dog so that he gets the correct message and repeats the desired behavior or ceases the less desirable behavior.

Most importantly, don’t expect a dog to learn a behavior that’s contradictory to his breed. If you want a certain behavior, then get a dog that can give you want you expect. Good dogs are developed by patience, persistence and kindness

Dog Food Scare – What’s Safe to Feed Fido?

With the unfortunate increase in pet food recalls, dog owners throw their hands in the air wondering what exactly they can feed their dogs that’s actually safe and won’t be recalled the day after purchase.

We’ve since learned that one manufacturer used wheat gluten in their food, which caused most of the problems the first time. People started reading the labels of the food in hopes to find a safer product to give to their pets.

Unfortunately, this was proven to be a waste of time, since another manufacturer reportedly used a rice concentrate in one company’s dog food, but didn’t put the ingredient on the food label of the package.

Dog owners are now frustrated from all of these recalls and a new fear sets in - what food is actually safe? Because of this fear, many dog owners are now feeding their pets homemade human food.

It may sound like an easy solution to the problem, but it’s not really the best option. Human food can make a dog or any other pet sick. Their digestive systems aren’t built for it, so introducing human food can cause just as many problems as the recalled pet food if you’re not careful.

Not all human food is bad, though. If you decide to make your own food for your dog then make sure you’re giving healthy organic food. There should be nothing with artificial ingredients or any chemically sprayed food.

Organic will be the best way to go if you want to make your own food for your dog. If making your own food for your dog doesn’t really appeal to you, then look for dog foods that have the least amount of grains.

Although there really isn’t any evidence that grains will cause all of these problems, it seems to make sense, since grains have been used as fillers for the pet food in the last few years.

Some experts offer some tips of what to look for on the ingredients label of your dog food. They state that the first three ingredients of the label should be some kind of protein - such as beef, chicken, fish or turkey.

It’s important that the dog food have a good amount of protein. These experts also state that you should never buy any dog food product that doesn’t have the company name, phone number or web address clearly listed on the package.

You should have a way to contact someone if something should happen. You should avoid buying the generic labeled or store brand labeled dog food products, since these are manufactured from bulk suppliers. Look for a good brand name product to feed to your dog instead.

Dog food can be safe, but you need to be an advocate for your dog and make sure he’s eating healthy foods. Read the labels and make sure the food is of high quality and you can avoid the problems caused by the pet food recalls.

Taking Care of Your Dog’s Teeth

Your dog has become a special part of your family. He provides companionship and devotion to you without asking for much in return. You’ll want your dog to stay around for as long as possible, so keeping him healthy is important.

The one thing most people forget about in taking care of their dogs is that their teeth also need to be taken care of. We know that wild dogs keep their teeth free from plaque because they chew on raw bones, which are a natural scraper of the plaque that also helps to remove any soft meat that may get stuck in their teeth that would normally cause bacteria to grow rapidly.

You need to remember that your dog isn’t like a wild animal - he needs your help from the bacteria that causes bad breath and other problems. Your dog generally eats soft canned food or small chunks of the hard food, so these aren’t going to provide him much for natural teeth care like the raw bones that wild dogs chew on.

If your dog is special to you, help him out and take care of his teeth for him. The first thing you need to do is to let them chew on raw bones regularly - at least a couple of times a week.

It doesn’t have to be your soup bone - it could be a rawhide bone you can find in your local pet store. They’ll instinctively chew on the bone and the plaque can easily be scraped off and any soft meat that may be stuck between their teeth will get loosened up before any problems can occur.

If the bone isn’t working, or if they just aren’t interested in chewing on bones, then you should take his mouth care into your own hands and brush them with toothpaste. Don’t give him the same toothbrush and toothpaste that you would use.

You can find special brushes and toothpaste for your dog at the local pet store.
Brushing them daily is preferred, but if it’s not feasible, then brush them at least 3-4 times weekly.

Scrub the teeth well and massage the gums also to provide for good circulation within his gums. Get rid of any food that gets stuck in his teeth. The hard, dry food is always better than soft food when it comes to cleaning his teeth.

It’s not a substitute for proper cleaning, but it does help to some degree, so make sure he gets to ingest dry food as well as soft, canned versions. Even dog biscuits can help since they’re hard and dry and can help remove any plaque.

Have the vet inspect his mouth and teeth every time you take your dog in for a checkup. They can spot anything that you may have missed and they can offer advice on

Care of a Pregnant Cat

Lesson 3 Part 3: Spay & Neuter Your Pet Cats :

By Franny Syufy, About.com

A critical part of caring for a pregnant cat is ensuring that neither she, nor any other female cats in residence, ever become pregnant again. Once you have verified your cat's pregnancy and made the decision either of spaying her and terminating the pregnancy or allowing the pregnancy to continue, the very next thing you should do is take positive steps to ensure this will be the last feline pregnancy in your household.

• Neuter Your Male Cats

  
  This is the most proactive step. Neutering is a simple surgery with a very quick recovery period. Besides preventing unwanted pregnancies, neutering a male will help mitigate certain problem behavior found in whole males, and it will help prevent certain medical conditions, too.
• 
  
• Neutered cats are less likely to spray strong urine
• Neutered cats will lose the urge to fight
• Neutered cats will be less likely to try to escape
• Neutered cats will not suffer the abscesses from fighting
• Neutered cats will be less likely to contract diseases such as FeLV and FIV
• Neutered cats will not be subject to testicular cancer
• Neutered cats will not likely develop "stud tail," caused by overactive glands in the tail
• Neutered cats have a decreased risk of mammary cancer
• Neutered cats are less allergenic

Basically, you have every reason to neuter your male cat. He will be a much more pleasant companion, and will ultimately be happier and healthier.

Spay Your Female Cats

Anyone who has lived through the misery of having a female cat in almost constant heat cycles will attest that it is not a pleasant experience. Their loud calling, often accompanied by spraying urine (to attract a mate) are evidence that they are, if not actually physically in pain, at least uncomfortable and unhappy. Aside from the very real feline overpopulation problem, there are some valid health reasons for spaying female cats.

• Decreased Risk of Mammary Cancer
  Ideally, to give a female cat protection against mammary cancer, she should be spayed prior to her first heat. Each subsequent heat brings a greater chance of mammary cancer at a later time.
• Eliminates Risk of Ovarian or Uterine Cancer
  Spaying a cat involves the removal of the uterus and ovaries. No organs: no cancer; simple as that.
• Eliminates Chances of Pyometritis
  Pyometra is a virulent bacteria that attacks the uterus of cats, usually a week or so after estrus, and is a potentially fatal infection.

The old adage that "if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem" is particularly applicable to unwanted pregnancy in cats.

No-kill conference 2009: keeping pets in homes and increasing pet adoptions

By Kim Campbell Thornton

May 2, 2009

After some technical difficulties this afternoon, my computer is up and running. All it took was Jerry glaring at it, and it begged forgiveness and promised not to give me any more trouble. So now that we’ve had dinner with Christie, I’m here with a late-night report of the first session I attended this morning (after breakfast with Christie and Terrierman at my infamous Eliot Spitzer- and J. Edgar Hoover-linked hotel, the Renaissance Mayflower). This session was aimed primarily at shelter workers, so rather than blogging it verbatim, I’m doing a little editing and occasionally adding commentary.

The two-hour session featured three speakers: Sue Cosby, executive director of the Animal Welfare Association in New Jersey (and fellow Twitterer); Bonney Brown, executive director of Nevada Humane Society; and Mike Fry, executive director of Animal Ark in Minnesota. They shared their strategies for keeping animals moving through the shelter system, limiting disease, increasing adoptability through socialization and marketing, and keeping animals with their people.

Here’s Cosby:

The most important thing you need to think about with no-kill sheltering is a sense of urgency for the animals coming into your shelter. Decide on a shelter model. Who are you taking in? Come up with a business plan on who you can/must take in and who else can take them. Work with rescue groups to take animals off your books, so to speak.

That’s a radical change from so many shelters that aren’t willing to work with purebred or other rescue groups. I can hear them screaming now that shelters working with rescue groups aren’t playing fair and are manipulating their numbers by doing so. Fail. Anyway, back to Cosby.

Feral cats don’t have any option when they come into your shelter. If you’re not re-releasing them because you’re not allowed to by law, you need to proactively get into the community and prevent those cats from coming into your shelter to begin with.

When I spoke with Alley Cat Allies a couple of years ago, Becky Robinson estimated that 70 percent of the cats in shelters were feral. That’s what helps to drive up the numbers of animals euthanized–when communities don’t institute TNR programs and instead prefer to euthanize feral cats. As a side note, one of the books in our goodie bags included TNR Past Present and Future: A History of the Trap-Neuter-Return Movement by Ellen Perry Berkeley. I’ve just skimmed it, but it looks like an excellent read and, among other things, addresses the belief that feral cats are a danger to songbirds. Check it out. Next, Cosby addresses the issue of vaccination. We’re all aware of the concern over excessive vaccination, but for shelter animals she has a different point of view.

Vaccinate immediately upon entry. Animals are not dying in shelters from overvaccination. Vaccination keeps them healthy. Shelters are often shut down from vaccine-preventable diseases. Put effort into keeping the shelter clean and animals healthy.

Toward that end, she recommends using disposable litter boxes and disposable food and water dishes. French fry trays make good food dishes and styrofoam soup cups make good water containers. What about the environment? Cosby would rather save a cat’s life today and figure out later how to do it in a more environmentally friendly way. She notes that no one likes to scrub litter boxes, so using disposable ones is a better way to prevent the spread of disease. Another favorite disease-prevention tool: gloves, gloves and more gloves.

We’d rather buy gloves than antibiotics and euthanasia solution. Handle every animal as though it’s diseased when it comes into your shelter. Spend your efforts on keeping animals safe, healthy and happy. Provide opportunities for people to stay clean in your shelter.

In Cosby’s shelter, cleanliness is next to catliness. Her advice sounds obvious, but of course that’s where most of us run into problems with anything: thinking that what we know is obvious to everyone else as well. She advises using appropriate disinfectants–Lysol is harmful to cats, for instance–and keep hand sanitizer everywhere. At this point, she demonstrated just how long it was necessary to rub sanitizer on damp hands for it to be effective. It went on for at least a minute. Good to know in these flu-ridden times. She goes on to discuss privacy issues, and no, we’re not talking Roe v. Wade or the constitutionality of school strip searches.

Don’t house dogs and cats together; the dogs will scare the cats and they won’t act adoptable. Give cats a nice, quiet room and blankets, towels and hiding places like boxes. This is for animals just coming in; give them some chill time. Teach staff how to recognize stress and disease and when there might be a problem. Be creative in coming up with ways to give animals privacy.

Other factors to consider: The question is not is this animal adoptable but is this animal savable? Upper respiratory infections, fungal infections, injured/hit by car, mange, parvovirus, panleukopenia, FIV/FeLV–Cosby says in most cases these animals are savable. Her goal is to build an isolation area with lots of big windows so the public can see all the animals that are available and show them what their donations are doing.

Be able to say to the public: Look at the animals we’re saving right now. Make those animals available for rescue and adoption. The power is not what you do in the four walls of your shelter; it’s what the community does.

After discussing her shelter’s Free to Great Home program, which adopts animals older than 8 years or that have expensive medical problems at no charge, she ended with advice on how to know when to euthanize. Hint: it’s not when animals look bad or sound bad. It’s only when they’re diagnosed bad: they are irremediably suffering, or their condition is unmanageable or has a poor or grave prognosis.

I had hoped to finish this tonight, but it’s almost midnight, I’m tired, and I want to do justice to Bonney Brown and Mike Fry, so more tomorrow.

ASPCA: No flu worries for dogs and cats, but keep pet pigs at home

By Gina Spadafori

April 30, 2009

In case you were wondering:

The ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) today announced that the recent human “Swine Flu” outbreak, thought to have originated in Mexico, appears to present a low risk of infecting cats and dogs.

To date, only humans have been affected by the new A/H1N1 virus, and it is unknown whether the virus will impact other animals. Although the virus is being termed “swine flu,” researchers have not confirmed that this new strain evolved in pigs and are working to determine more about its origins.

“At this time there is no data demonstrating any risk of dogs and cats contracting this strain of the virus,” says Dr. Louise Murray, the Director of Medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Hospital in New York City. “However, owners of pet pigs, as well as farmers, should monitor their animal’s health more closely during this outbreak. Steps to limit possible transmission from humans to pigs and vice versa are recommended.”

Owners of Vietnamese Potbellies, African Pygmies and other pet pigs should be aware that there are Influenza type A vaccines available and recommended for healthy swine.

The ASPCA also recommends keeping pet pigs and swine farms isolated from any public exposure that might put them at risk for illness.

Here’s the rest.