John L. in Houston with Lenny & Kravitz

THERE ARE OVER 50 CAT BREEDS. WHAT BREED MAKES THE BEST PET?
By Dean Erickson

How to choose the perfect cat breed for you is easy if you do your research first.

Cats are the world's most popular pets. They are independent but at the same time make for great company. The have minimal maintenance needs but they satisfy any pet owner's need to cuddle.

There are many different domestic cat breeds, but less than one percent of all cats have pedigrees or are pure breeds. All in all there are about 70-odd breeds. The rest of the cats fall into two main groups: domestic longhair and domestic shorthair. Cats that have a long slender build, almond-shaped eyes and sleek fur are often characterized as Oriental.

For potential cat owners there are many breeds to chose from ranging from a pure cat breed to your standard non-purebred breed, often called an alley-cat.

Exotic cat breeds include the Bengal (a relatively new breed; a cross between the Asian Leopard Cat and the domestic shorthair), Scottish Fold (its ears are folded forward and down), Egyptian Mau (resembles ancient Egyptian cats) and the California Spangled Cat. The most popular longhair variety is the Persian. In fact, Persians are probably the most well-known of all cat breeds, probably because of its long coat. Potential buyers should know that their coat demands a daily program of grooming. But they'll make up for that with their gentle temperament.

The most popular shorthair variety is the Siamese. The Siamese has blue eyes and colored ears, face, tail and paws in contrast to the rest of the body. This breed has a long and slender body.

How to choose the breed you want?

Although all kittens and cats can have very different personalities, breed specific characteristics can aid in making your decision. Attending a cat show is an excellent way to get a real life idea of what you may expect and to find out what you are really looking for.

Consider the length of the coat, the size of the adult cat, what some of the breed traits are. Does this breed of cat generally need a lot of grooming, are they a family oriented breed or do they bond better with one person? Is the breed more active as an adult or more of a lap cat?

Every different breed of cat has its own personal needs, but generally they are flexible and can be accommodated in various homes and apartments and don't mind being left alone. That's what makes cat the all-time favorite pet for people with demanding lifestyles and long work hours.

About the Author:

Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of cat-breeds-directory.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.





How To Train An Abused Dog
By Adam G Katz

Many people who've adopted older dogs-- especially stray dogs or dogs from the animal shelter-- assume that their dog has been abused in the past.
So, how do you train an abused dog?

Let's get right to the heart of the matter and state that-- in order to learn how to train an abused dog, we need to first define what an abused dog is:

Of course, there are all types of different abuse. Everything from a dog being hit with a hammer to a dog simply being left and ignored in the back yard for months or years can constitute abuse.

But for the purposes of this article, we're going to define an abused dog as any dog that shows specific signs of extreme timidity in response to regular behavior by you. I.E., Petting, grooming, feeding, walking, etc.

These are what you might call "high-functioning" abused dogs. In contrast to dogs that have been used (for example) in laboratory experiments. Or dogs that have been physically scarred and wounded. Working with such dogs is (or should be) clearly outside of the scope of this article.

So-- How do you work with a "high functioning" abused dog? And how do you teach your dog to relax and enjoy life?

The answer can be found in starting obedience training along the lines of the principles I've outlined in my book (which you can read more about at): http://www.dogproblems.com/secretsbook.htm

I can hear it already, "But Adam--you advocate using a leash and training collar when you train a dog, and my little, shy "Muffy" already wets himself when I bend over to pet him."

[ALERT: I'm about to make a broad GENERALIZATION:]

In general, most "high functioning" abused dogs continue to display timid behavior because they are unclear as to when they're doing the RIGHT thing and when they are doing the WRONG thing.

If you follow my approach to dog training, your dog quickly learns-- or more specifically, you learn-- how to communicate with your dog in a way that will make him relax and know when he's doing something wrong and when he's doing something right.

And what I've found with these dogs is that they quickly learn to become much more confident and self-assured through the process. Why? Because when you use intelligent dog training techniques, your dog is now clear about what's going to happen and when, in a world he formerly had no guidance or clear leadership. He learns what is good behavior and what is bad behavior--instead of having to guess!

You read that right: The #1 Reason That Dogs Who've Been Abused In The Past Continue To Show Extreme Timid Behavior Is Because They Are Confused.

Once your learn how to communicate with your dog, and take away the confusion, you will see all the extreme timid behavior disappear! And the way to do this is to start intelligent obedience training.

"But should I use the leash and collar to correct my dog, if he's got such a soft temperament?"

The answer is: Yes.

Which begs the question of how firmly you should correct your dog--which is something that differs from dog to dog.

Here's a hint: You'll figure it out by practicing with your dog. (If you haven't already, please review the: Three Keys To Successful Behavior Modification chapter in my book). However, the issue is not "Should I correct a dog that has been abused in the past" but rather "When I'm communicating to my dog when he's done something incorrectly--how firmly should I correct him?"

And the answer to this question is: Only firmly enough to extinguish the unwanted behavior and communicate to the dog that he shouldn't do it again. Like I mentioned: You'll learn this by practicing with your dog. If you employ the concepts of timing, consistency and motivation--you'll have nothing to worry about and your dog will gain confidence and self-assuredness from your efforts.

Our Thanks to Mr. Katz for his Dog training hints.

This beautiful kitten is graceful and athletic in this great photo by Peter Hasselbom on Flickr.