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A Dalmatian dog leans over a balcony in the harbour of Port d'Andratx on the Balearic island of Majorca. (Photo by Oliver Lang/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman tries to take a photo of "Tama", a nine-year-old female tortoiseshell cat wearing a formal stationmaster's cap of the Wakayama Electric Railway, as the feline sits on a ticket gate at Kishi station on the Kishigawa line in the city of Kinokawa, in Wakayama prefecture. The number of passengers who travel along the line increased 10 percent for the year to March 2007 from the previous year, credited to Tama after the "stationmaster" cat appeared at the unmanned small station. (Photo by Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)Have Fun With Your Little Kitten
By ContentMart Editor
Every housecat has a little tiger within it. So, the instinct to hunt is strong in all cats. Though you may have confined your little tiger within four walls and provided it with the finest foods, you can't take the jungle out of the cat. So, as an owner of a pet cat or kitten, it's not possible to ignore its basic need to hunt. Fortunately for you, the act of hunting is more important than the actual prey. So, you can easily substitute the live prey with an inanimate toy.
Often, owners are frightened by their playfully aggressive cats and kittens because they look quite dangerous. They are startled by the constant need of the kittens to silently ambush feet and ankles as they pass by, surprising, upsetting, and sometimes, even hurting, the victim. And in some cases, the cat owners inadvertently encourage this trait by playing with the kittens. But as the kitten grows into a cat, bigger and stronger, these playful pounces and bites can puncture the skin.
So, the solution is to direct the cat's playful but predatory energies toward toys. However, the easiest and best solution is to get another cat or kitten of the same sex and approximately the same age and activity level as a playmate. Though there will be two kittens to take care of, which means more effort and time, you'll save your home from a lot of wear and tear. However, if it's impossible to get another pet, then you should provide your feline with scheduled sessions of controlled aerobic exercise, i.e. play therapy.
Interactive Play Sessions
The interactive play sessions should be scheduled for the times of the day when your kitten is at its most rambunctious. Ideally there should be two or three well spaced out sessions during a days. And, the length of each session depends on how athletic the kitten is. So, each session can be between 10 and 20 minutes.
If you don't really want to exert yourself, you can use a fishing pole-type toy that enables the pet owner to control the cat's activity level while remaining inactive. And the sessions shouldn't stop till the cat is exhausted. While, playing, you should build up the kitten's confidence and enthusiasm by allowing plenty of "captures". But, once the session is over, the fishing pole toys should be carefully stored out of the cat's reach, for the kitten may otherwise continue to hunt for it, long after you've left the room.
Solo Play Sessions
There might be times, when you're not around, that your kitten would feel like playing. In such situations, to avoid damage to your furniture, you should leave some toys lying around. However in such circumstances, it's important to have a variety of safe, interesting toys to keep the kitten occupied. Also, make sure that the toys don't have any parts that can be torn off and swallowed, or long strings that your cat might get entangled in.
Also, like people, cats can get bored with the same toys. So, be sure to rotate the toys to keep the kitten interested.
Playful Attack Sessions
Playful attacks are not accompanied by any hissing and growling. And the natural human reaction to such attacks is to swat at the cat. However, physical punishment might cause your cat either to fear you or engage in even rougher play. But, if the attack can be anticipated, a blast of air from a compressed air can, a squirt from a water gun, or a sudden sound, like an alarm or a shaker is an effective deterrent. However, timing is everything. If the reaction comes a second or two after the incident, the deterrent will not be connected with the attack, in the cat's mind.
The best deterrent is one's voice.
Members of the Dutch search and rescue unit SIGNI arrive with their search dogs in the town of Hanwang in southwest China's quake-stricken Sichuan province. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)
Quake survivor Mr. Lei proudly displays "Kitty," the family cat, moments after recovering the animal which was trapped for twelve days in his second-floor flat in the town of Hanwang in southwest China's quake-hit Sichuan province. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)Easy Dog Tricks - How To Teach Your Dog To Retrieve In Just One Afternoon
By Daniel Waser
Retrieving is probably the most basic and easiest of all dog tricks. Even without specific training, many dogs learn to retrieve on instinct. Not only is it fun for you to be able to play ball with your dog on a bright, sunny afternoon, but he will also have an absolute blast each and every time.
Your first goal is to simply get your dog to focus on a particular area that you want him to retrieve the object from. This is easily accomplished by pointing to that area with your finger. The idea is for your dog to understand where to go and then to investigate the location.
Bring along small snacks or pieces of his favorite dog food to help make things easier. Pull out a handful of these tasty treats and sprinkle some on the ground. Avoid letting your dog run over to gobble up all the food at once. In fact, it is best if you train him to be patient while staying in the sit position until you say otherwise. Then, after a few moments, release him and say "Pick Up, Pick Up!"
As soon as your dog runs over and picks up the snacks, sprinkle a couple of additional pieces a few yards away and say once again "Pick Up, Pick Up!".
As you can assume so far, you are training your dog to associate the command of "Pick Up" with that of looking for something to put in his mouth. This training period goes very quickly. In fact, most dogs will learn this association in just a few hours.
Now it is time to move from using dog treats to a regular non-food object. As soon as he has gobbled up some treats, throw him a curve ball by tossing a small towel or his ball behind you, then quickly say the commands "Pick Up, Pick Up!".
At this point in training he should immediately run over to where you dropped the ball and put it in his mouth in order to bring it back to you. It is vital to give your dog showers of praise when he is successful.
The final step in teaching your dog to retrieve is having him drop the object at your feet once he picks it up. This is where the "Drop It" command comes in to play. Whenever he picks up something in his mouth and starts to run toward you, have him stop, sit, and while you pull the object out of his mouth with one hand, rub his head lovingly with the other hand, while giving praise at the same time.
Repeat the entire retrieving process over and over until he successfully grabs the object, brings it back, and releases it right in front of you.
Daniel Waser is a dog lover since his childhood. He owns 3 dogs of his own and has a lot of experiences with dogs. At his websites he's providing helpful information and tips about Dog Health Care and Dog Training.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Waser
Search dog "Rifka" barks after picking up a scent amid the rubble during a search and rescue operation by the Netherlands-based unit SIGNI in southwest China's quake-stricken Sichuan province. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)
A dog is carried inside a bag as people celebrate Memorial Day on the beach at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images)
Pat Miller, owner of Peaceable Paws Dog and Puppy Training in Fairplay, Md, issues a stern, but not angry, "stay" command to her 4-year-old Cardigan Corgi Lucy on Tuesday, during a session of leash training. (AP Photo/Timothy Jacobsen)
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