Dogs Beg - The Question: Is There Training Available For Our Human Friends?
By Content Mart Editor

The focus of many pet owners seems to be directed towards their animals, which makes a great deal of sense in most cases. However, when trying to correct unwanted behavior in your dog you might want to point that finger inward sometimes and have a little glimpse in the mirror. It is easy to become annoyed with your pet when you feel as though you have tried everything and nothing seems to work.

Maybe your Boston Terrier continues to chew on your shoes or other objects while you are not at home. Perhaps the Maltese in your life still has accidents in the house rather than letting you know she needs to go outside. On the other hand, possibly you have a Yorkshire Terrier that snips at strangers, even guests in your home when they try to pet him. All of these and many other undesirable behaviors that dogs may possess can leave a pet owner feeling frustrated and at their wits end with their furry little friend.

Have you ever considered though when faced with one of these situations that the dog is trying to communicate something to you? Is it possible that Sparky just feels neglected during those long days alone at home while you are at work? Sometimes we can have a big impact on our dogs if we look at our own behavior and consider what the pooch may be trying to tell us through their difficult behavior. Obviously dogs can not talk or speak with us as a human can when they need to communicate their feelings. That is not to say that canines are not vocal because as many of us know they can express quite a lot at times through their barking, growling or whining. However, to really pinpoint what the issue is for your pet you may find that you are the one that actually holds the answers.

Dogs have a very keen awareness for their surroundings and the people in their environment. As most dog owners come to realize, the bond between your dog and you can be extremely strong. There are people who report that during a challenging illness or devastating time in their life that their dog responded as though they knew what was going on and they helped their owner through the rough time. Sometimes by just sitting near their owner or laying at their feet, other times dogs may whine and pace back and forth, especially when other people are around because they are trying to indicate that their owner needs help.

Experts have even confirmed that dogs do have an ability to detect several human emotions and many of them will respond in unique ways. For example: when there is a lot of anger or arguing occurring within a household your dog may respond by acting up in a number of ways, which is not a problem with the dog but rather your pet is responding to the hostility and unpleasantness it senses in the house. Everyone goes through difficult periods in their life and it is obviously impossible to avoid exposing your dog to any anger or hostile situations throughout their life. The important thing to remember is that your situation and how you handle it is not your dog's choice or within their area of responsibility.

Dogs deserve and hopefully get, the majority of times anyway, a good, loving and stable home. They respond well to a structured environment, complete with rules and routines. If you typically get up each morning and walk your dog before you go to work and then you suddenly stop doing it all together, your dog will respond in some way, possibly a negative one. It is not the dog's fault that you changed your behavior and they have no other way of communicating other than to chew up stuff or have an accident in the house as their way of saying, "hey what is going on." In some cases dogs can even become depressed, this happens most frequently in situations where the dog was once loved and well cared for and then suddenly became ignored and forgotten about. It is really sad to see a dog that is in this form of doggy-depression because again, they did not ask to come to live with you, you chose them.


The Right Cat Litter Box For Your Cat
By ContentMart Editor

Your cat will develop and keep good cat litter box habits with the right cat litter box. Here are your choices for different cat litter boxes, and how you can determine which ones are right for your cat.

If you receive pet product catalogs, you'll see there are several different types of cat litter boxes you can choose for your cat. However, since "The Cat" is the boss, and you are the cat staffer who answers to The Cat, she'll tell you what she likes.

How does she do that? Usually in the most direct way that's guaranteed to get your attention - by not using the current cat litter box in your house! Since we don't speak meow, and cats can't talk, the process to discover what kitty likes can be determined by how she eliminates, how big or small she is, and whether or not she likes separate cat litter boxes for liquid and solid waste elimination.

Open cat litter boxes:

Also referred to as cat litter pans, these are the simplest and cheapest kind of cat litter box to use. Several factors may dictate if your cat prefers this type of box.

First, if your cat doesn't squat down very well and urinates almost standing up, the cat urine is probably going to end up anyplace but in the box. Many cats like to aim for the corner or the short walls of the open cat litter box as well, and this also decreases the chances of the cat urine being contained within the box.

But if your cat aims for the middle of the pan, and squats down low, then this is an excellent choice for her and you. But if she doesn't, here's an alternative open cat litter box solution -

High-sided, open-top cat litter boxes:

You can best find one of these by purchasing a plastic storage container bin with the removable lid. When you get this home, you won't use the lid to close off the top of the container box. Instead, you'll hack or cut out a U-shaped opening at one end of the storage container. Cut the U up high enough (4 - 5") to hold in the cat litter, but make it down low enough for the cat to enter and exit easily. You can often find these storage containers that are 14 - 15", which is usually high enough to contain the cat urine stream when kitty eliminates standing straight up.

Hooded, or enclosed cat litter boxes:

Many cats like privacy when they're eliminating. If this is your cat, a hooded cat litter box offers her the privacy she needs. In addition, if she also likes to urinate standing up, the top enclosure effectively captures the cat urine stream and contains it within the box. Nothing escapes...including the cat urine and feces smell.

Automatic, or mechanical cat litter boxes:

If your cat likes an open cat litter box, but you're not wild about checking the box hourly for her deposits, this is a great compromise for cat and owner alike. These are large, open, shallow cat litter boxes with a motor assembly that drags rakes, or tines across the cat litter field once kitty has exited the box, following her elimination act.

While some cats are scared off by the motor noise and action, others are fascinated by watching the rakes move across the litter field. If your cat is brave and curious, this box offers a wonderful two for one: a great cat litter box, and entertainment for your cat as she watches the motor in action.

How do you figure out if she'll use the cat litter box you've chosen?

Simple - you do a comparison test. Put down two boxes for her to use, side by side. One cat litter box can be an open pan, and the other can be either the high sided box, an enclosed cat litter box, or the automatic cat litter box.

Use the same type cat litter brand for both boxes. Leave them out for at least two days. Compare the amount of deposits left in one cat litter vs. the other. She'll indicate to you which one she prefers. At the end of your test, the one with the most deposits wins!

If you don't want to keep the rejected cat litter box, donate it to your local feline rescue organization.