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by Harvi D Darvis
So you are one of the many people who have just gotten a new best friend, whether it be a puppy or a grown dog. There is also the possibility that you have had this friend for awhile and he/she is behaving badly and leaving a path of distruction in your home. Thats ok i will give you three ways to stop dog chewing and by the way they are very easy.
Step #1- If you just brought your furry friend home and have not doggy proofed your house or apt. yet then it needs to be done. Why is this relevent you may ask? Well the thing about dogs and puppies is they like to get in to all sorts of things that they aren't used to especially if it is a new enviroment to them because they are anxious. So if cabinets are easily accesseble to your dog then they can get into them and start chewing and having a hay day with the food and even with all the house hold cleaners which i'm sure you know is very dangerous. So just make some homeade rigs to lock the doors to cabinets, tuck away those wires that have been hanging around,pick up clothes etc. Just think of the dog as alittle baby which it pretty much is. Out of sight out of mind the wont find it to chew it.
Step#2- This step deals with most people including my self when i first started with my two dogs. I like to think of it as "setting up for failure". This means you cannot give your dog something to chew on tha may be ragety and yell or hit him/her when they chew on the same thing but its your favorite. That was vague so here is and example. Let's say tou have a favorite pair of socks that you just love they are reliable tough strong you just love them. But you also have all kinds of holy stained no good socks so you think well I will just give them to "Dusty" (your dog)no harm he can have a hay day chewing on them. So he does then one day you leave and he goes snooping around and finds your favorite socks in the laundry and starts chewing them. You get home and get angry. That is an example of setting up for failure. "Dusty" doesn't know the difference between good socks and bad he just knows he was given a pair as toys so they all are to him. So stick with dog toys is the moral of the story.
Step#3- This last step is by far the easiest and will be the shortest explanation. Give your dog lots of toys from the pet store! It is as simple as that and as easy. The more toys he/she has the happier they are the more occupied they are so the don't have to go looking for things to tear up and the happier you are right? Like I stated earlier dogs and puppies especially are like babies or small children they need to be kept occupied in order for them to stay out of trouble. YOu would aor do buy your kids toys so you have to buy your dog toys as well.
Those three ways to stop dog chewing are what i found to be the best with my dogs. Dog Proof,Don't set up for failure,and give them lots of toys. Easy as pie.
If all this information was useful then go where i went and try this website out same with any other behavioral problems you may be expierencing it will solve and help so many of those problems. Just check Sit Stay Fetch out Click Here!
About the Author
My name is Harvi and i get the urge to write alot but usually have nothing to write about so i figured i would take up writing articles see how it goes.
posted by cmoon - Minneapolis Pet Central
My husband and I were recently eating lunch at a sidewalk café when we started talking about the high prevalence of small dogs that aren't trained.
We were contentedly eating our sandwiches when relentless barking shattered the ambiance. A dog and owner were nearby standing outside a store, waiting for their party that was inside shopping. The dog barked at everyone who walked by.
Trust me when I say that I'm not picking on pugs. The dog just happened to be a pug. It was straining on its harness and leash, barking and wheezing. It was also overweight.
The owner, trying not to make a scene—-which I find ironic-— pulled back on the leash and called the dog when it barked. Which made the dog pull harder and wheeze more.
Finally, the person picked up the dog—-which stopped the leash pulling—-but did nothing to quell the barking. The owner, trying the "out of sight, out of mind" approach, turned his back to the sidewalk so the dog faced the storefront windows. This quieted the dog for a while-—until it turned its head.
So the owner began twisting his torso back and forth and bouncing the dog like a baby.
I turned to my husband and asked, "Have you ever seen a well-trained small dog?" He thought for a moment, and replied, "No."
We talked some more and decided that logic would dictate that we probably have seen well-trained small dogs in public settings. It's just that untrained small dogs leave more of a lasting impression because you're forced to accommodate them jumping on you or barking.
It seems that a lot of small dog owners don't train their dogs. Somehow, the fact that you can pick up small dogs supersedes training them. I know this isn't universal—-but it's prevalent.
Does there seem to be a higher prevalence of small dogs that aren't trained? Or is it that people are more likely to keep large untrained dogs at home?
Image courtesy of Donovan Fannon www.flickr.com/photos/rekanize/
Comments
August 19th, 2008 — Jennifer (not verified)
I'm not sure what you mean
I'm not sure what you mean by "untrained." I know a lot of dogs who have gone through multiple sessions of obedience school, and have owners who really want to be able to control them, but for whatever reason they just can't control their animal. (And yes, this may be a case of people just not following through after their obedience training ends.)
There are tons of uncontrolled and uncontrollable dogs, big and small. My german shepherd was WILD when he was a puppy, and we took steps to get him "trained" as you say and now he is perfectly behaved. Most of the time.
If you know you are a person who can't be consistent 100% of the time, and you really MUST have a dog, then a small dog is a better choice because at least you will be able to pick it up and prevent it from harming someone.
reply August 19th, 2008 — RallyO! (not verified)
If the "untrained" big dogs
If the "untrained" big dogs are at home I'm OK with that but the little ones get away with obnoxious and at times aggressive behavior that is often laughed off as "Napoleonesque". If my 85 lb dog displayed behavior like that the police would be called. Regardless of size dogs BITE and owners have a responsibility to reduce aggressive behavior. It drives me nuts that the little dogs at the dog park chase my big dog around and snap left and right with no correction only laughs about how "tough" they are trying to be. Give me a break, and watch out.......some big dog may not respond so patiently to the little meanies.
By Donna Littlejohn - South Beach Pets
Remember Gizmo, the missing cat?
Well, he's home -- thanks to his owner's dedication, hard work and refusal to ever give up the search.
Gizmo isn't just any cat -- his owner claims that Gizmo has an uncanny ability to predict his heart attacks. That means getting vital medical help that much faster.
"He's sitting on my lap right now," said a very happy Steve Piel of Torrance when he called this afternoon to report Gizmo's return.
Gizmo was found two weeks to the day after he'd gone missing.
Piel searched every day and night for his 4-year-old lost cat, walking for hours on end and posting about 200 "Lost Cat" posters with photographs all over the neighborhood where he was last seen.
Last Friday, a couple kids called Piel and told him the pictures on the poster looked just like a cat they spotted on the roof of a house next door to them, about half a mile from where Gizmo was lost.
The people who owned the house were away on vacation but told Piel when he called that he was free to look around in the backyard.
"I kept hearing this cat crying," he said. He finally spotted Gizmo -- sitting up in a tree house.
I have to admit I was surprised.
But Piel wasn't. He said he always believed he'd find Gizmo.
Oh me of little faith.
As it turns out, he followed much of the advice found online about how to look for a lost pet, including knocking on doors, talking to people in the neighborhood, handing out fliers with the pet's picture and your phone number and checking local shelters.
(And while this wasn't a case of pet theft, there are some other good links with how to find missing pets included in our earlier post on that topic.)
Piel says he'll meet up with the kids who called with the tip to give them a reward.
Meanwhile, Gizmo appears to be in good health. Gizmo apparently found food during his two-week absence as the cat doesn't appear to have lost any weight.
But he's no doubt glad to be back home in the lap of luxury -- and with a devoted owner who never gave up hope of finding him and bringing him home. A very lucky cat.
By Noelene Clark - Seattle Times staff reporter
A West Seattle home was burglarized, but the only losses are two pugs, Pippin and Bandit. The dogs' owner is searching for her beloved pups.
Marsha Lubetkin knew something was wrong Monday evening when her pugs Bandit and Pippin didn't greet her at the door of her West Seattle home.
Then she saw that the screen on her open dining-room window had been bent and tossed on the deck. Her box of costume jewelry had been emptied on her bed, and the contents of her dresser drawers and old tax returns lay scattered on the floor. But the intruders hadn't taken any of it.
"Nothing was missing except the most important thing to me, and that's the dogs," Lubetkin said today. "I don't know if he was mad because he didn't find anything and decided, well, the dogs are something."
A neighbor said she saw two men leave Lubetkin's house in a truck Monday afternoon but didn't see the dogs, Lubetkin said. Police told Lubetkin the dogs likely got out the house during the burglary and would turn up when a neighbor found them.
"But my feeling is if they didn't take them, they'd be around here," Lubetkin said.
Bandit is blind and couldn't have gotten far, she said. She searched the area herself, and so far, no neighbors have turned up with the pugs.
Dogs are considered property, and police do investigate cases like Lubetkin's, said spokesman Mark Jamieson.
"Without reading the report, it could be a number of things," Jamieson said. "Sometimes pets are taken as a result of an argument by somebody that is known to the victim."
But Lubetkin doesn't think that's likely and said she isn't expecting a ransom call from dognappers.
"I don't understand why anybody would take them," she said. "It would just be a hassle unless somebody thought they could get some money for them."
The dogs, "strictly pets" and not show dogs, aren't worth much except as beloved family members who even sleep in the bedroom with Lubetkin and her husband, Barney. The pugs aren't insured, and although they're purebred, they're spayed and neutered, she said.
Bandit is a 6-year-old male who is blind and "needs special care," she said. Pippin is a "petite" 4-year-old female who is slightly darker and more red-colored than most pugs. They know their names, she said, but don't always come when called.
She is putting up fliers around the neighborhood and visiting animal shelters hoping to find the animals, which are microchipped but weren't wearing collars. Wednesday is Lubetkin's wedding anniversary, and she hopes the pugs will be home to celebrate.
"It just seems like quite a crazy thing to do to take two dogs that won't really get you much," Lubetkin said. "They don't deserve this. They're sweet little doggies."
What to Look For in an Exotic Pet Store
by Mikael Rieck
If you decide that an exotic pet is the right choice for you, and you do not want to go with the traditional cat or dog, then you are probably wondering where you can go to find the best exotic pet store that carries a variety and best types of exotic pets. Depending on your locality, there are usually pet stores that carry various exotic pets, however, you do need to make sure that the pet stores are knowledgeable about the exotic pets, know where they came from and many other details about them.
The breed and type of an exotic pet can make a big difference. Wherever you choose to look for your exotic pet, make sure that they know the breeders and where the pets came from. A good exotic pet store will have documentation of the origin of your pet and know enough about them to make you feel comfortable leaving the store and bringing your new exotic pet home.
Exotic pets can call for a lot of different kinds of care from traditional pets and different kinds of supplies and food, and buying your pet from a trustworthy and educated source is critical for your success in creating the right environment for your new pet at home. You also need to keep in mind what kind of food your exotic pet requires and where you will be able to attain it from. For instance, different species and breeds of snakes require different kinds of rodents or fish to live off of. Some are allowed to eat frozen animals that you could buy online if you had to, but others survive best off of live animals.
Other things to consider when choosing your exotic pet store is how the animals are kept there that are being sold. A good pet store will be exhibiting the exotic pet in his ideal environment and habitat and give him the proper space. If you enter an exotic pet store and see that the animals look too close, or not in the environment you think is right for them, you could be bringing home an unhealthy exotic pet. That could mean a lot of unnecessary costs and obligations for you.
It is important for you to do your own research before you buy an exotic pet. Know exactly what you are getting yourself into before you go in and pick out a new pet to bring home. Some people are unaware of the level of care that it takes to tend to the needs of an exotic pet and are not prepared for what to expect when they get them home. Choose a pet that fits best with your lifestyle and habits. If you are away from home a lot, you do not want to get certain kinds of exotic pets that require special care every day. Some are more independent than others, and it is important that you find out all of the information that you can prior to buying one.
Look around at the different exotic pet stores that are available to you, do not just settle on the first one that you go into. Look at all of them that you can to determine who seems to know the most about the pets and who is taking the best care of them. Make sure that they are willing to help answer any questions that you may have after your purchase of the pet as well. All of these things can be big factors in the health and happiness of your exotic pet.
About the Author
To learn more about pet health, aspca pet insurance or to download a pet health record be sure to visit our site.
A Guide on How to Build a Rabbit Hutch Properly
by John Grant
A rabbit is a loveable pet. Your children would love to have it as their pet. Rabbits do not require as much care and attention as dogs or cats. They adapt easily to their environment, so they can easily live indoors or outdoors. It is advisable, however, to keep them as outdoor pets because they fare well better outdoors. To keep them safe and snug, you would have to put them inside a rabbit hutch that is warm and secure. Now, you are probably thinking, "But I don't know how to build a rabbit hutch!"
You don't really have to worry about learning how to build a rabbit hutch. It is really quite simple. However, it is important that you draw out your plans first before you start soldering the hutch's frame. Make sure that you have carefully considered every tiny detail so you will have everything at hand when you start making the hutch.
When drafting your plans on how to build a rabbit hutch, you need to take into consideration the size of your rabbit and of course, its growth. Is your pet an incredibly large or small rabbit? Do you think he or she will likely to grow more in size? You really don't have to decorate the cage flamboyantly. You just have to make sure that the one-room space your rabbit will occupy is roomy, warm and safe.
So, what do you need? To build a hutch, you need to have the following at hand: wire cloth, eight pieces of wood or metal rods, hinges, staples, woven hardware cloth or wire rolls (with the former being much preferable), formica sheet, and 2x4" stock. For tools, you need to have wire snips, gloves, screw driver, staple gun, coping saw and soldering iron.
Of course, you can always make wooden rabbit hutches but it is better to learn how to build a rabbit hutch that is made of metal. Metal hutches are more superior. They are easy to clean and bad odors don't stick to metal easily.
When you are learning how to build a rabbit hutch, you need to consider the proper materials to use when building the walls, roof and flooring. For instance, you cannot use the wire mesh for the hutch's flooring. This will likely harm your rabbit's paws. The wire cloth is advisable for the flooring. The wire mesh, however, is great for the walls, but then woven hardware cloth is even better.
To construct the frame, you would have to lay out the pieces you need for the frame. Cut these pieces into the desired length. Solder the hutch side walls and then attach them to the front and rear rods in order to create the metal frame. Once you are finished with this, you can then construct the door and attached the same to the frame using screw and hinges. Once you have the frame, you can then roll the wire mesh or woven hardware cloth to create the walls. Tack the corner points and flatten the wire ripples. For the flooring, you would have to cut the 2x4 inches stock and attach them to frame with staples. Place a piece of Formica underneath to catch the rabbit's wastes.
You need to learn how to build a rabbit hutch properly if you want to ensure the safety of your pet. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to learn how to build a rabbit hutch. You will even enjoy doing it. All you just need are the right materials and that's it.
About the Author
John Grant is a the author for a how to site where he is writing articles about how to build a rabbit hutch.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eating from the kitty litter box. GROSS!!!!
This week’s Pet Tale comes from a comment on ajcpets.com by JM:
When I lived in suburbia, my cat would go hunt rabbits in the neighbors yard, then leave a half-eaten carcass on our front steps. Not a pleasant scene, but he was being a cat.
Share your pet’s most annoying habit.
Erin
My doggie has very sensitive skin…so he itches constantly. All night you can hear his tags dinging. We have tried every special shampoo, prescription, special diet. He still scratches all the time, poor little guy. I love him so much, and the sound drives me nuts.
Deneen Craft
When BOTH the dog and cat are snoring in my bed
DogsRule
Dog 1 - Squeaking at everyone she sees on a walk & shedding massive amounts of hair. Dog 2 - pooping in the middle of the road or on a sidewalk. Dog 3 - annoying loud pitched small dog bark that will go off at the slightest noise and fur that picks up every leaf she comes into contact with.
molulu
Erin: I share your quest for itch relief. Lulu and I have tried everything. I have to remove her tags at night, or the jingling from her scratching will drive me crazy.
Peri
First, let me just say that Mark’s comment is rude, tacky and classless — I’m thinking even my dog has better etiquette than Mark. Is there no end to the snide, racist comments posted on this board?! Good grief, this thread is about DOGS. Grow up!
That said, my dog’s annoying habit is that every morning at 5 am, she slaps my bed with her paw, repeatedly, until I drag myself up and let her outside into the backyard.
Robyn
I have a 3yr old 3lb chihuahua who steals more food then you can imagine. So we never leave our food on the sofa.
DooleyDog
Our terrier likes to sleep in the exact middle of the bed. We’ll move him to the side when we first go to sleep, and by midnight he’s wormed his way under the covers and between us again! He’s lucky he’s so darn cute (and small!).
Sherry
Announcing the fact that she has pooped in the box. Ruth will come out of the litter box with a different kind of meow. A loud one (not pain), when she poops. I swear she doesn’t like the smell and wants me to scoop it right now!
mike
boxers are known for being gassy. my Jasper is a very good boxer at times….
curtune
I have two cats, Stumpy and Bones. About once every week they turn into “ninja” cats. I’ll be sound asleep, when all of a sudden they are attacking each other all over the apartment. Significantly, they love to bring their ninja fight to a frenzy up on my bed. I’ll sit up, groggy and in bad temper, and yell at them to stop. At that point, they stop and look at me as if I’m crazy, and stroll out of the bedroom as if nothing has happened. Like I said, this is normally a weekly happening. It’s a damn good thing I love them so much.
Helen
Elliott, my 15lb very very spoiled cat, wakes me up (usually at 3am) so that I can let him out to drink out of the waterbowl in the other room. He has a waterbowl in our bedroom, but he prefers drinking in the guest bath!!!
ada
I feel you guys on the itchy doggies thing.
My great pyrenese mix was really itchy for the first few years. I tried everything, then I found wellness dog food, specifically the fish and sweet potato kind.
Its REALLY good for skin allergies.
I highly reccommend it. :o)
And, get some jojoba oil, pour it on your dog while you’re bathing them and let the oil and the soap sit for about five minutes before washing it off. They’ll hate it, but it’ll work!
crazycatlady
Our cat Mookie will be completely relaxed on one side of the couch and then see you coming to sit down on the other side of the couch, and while you are lowering yourself to sit, he will sprint toward that exact spot of the couch, so that you almost end up sitting on top of him. I think he scores extra points in his mind if you are carrying a plate of food or glass of wine while trying to sit down and avoid him. Then of course, in true cat fashion, he has the nerve to be miffed when you push him out of the way. How rude we are!
Blkshepherd
I own four shepherds..two females two males. My males are very messy while my females are very neat. My male shepherds will drop almost anywhere if I allow them. which I dont. I have to catch them in the act or about to squat..chase them off. Its amazing that the males are so messy and the females are so much cleaner and keep their areas much more nicer. THis is something I did not train them to do. The males just arent concerned and will drop wherever. Amazing.
Addy
Our schnauzer has the smackiest lips. She’s always licking them after she drinks something and it lasts forever. Then she licks us, the floors, our hair (?), herself, whatever is available. Drives me batty! She’s the Gene Simmons of dogs.
Outnumbered
My Bulldog, Floyd the Barber, is not only very flatulent, OMG, it can peel paint, he also snores like a banshee! And he like to spoon in the bed. I can hardly tell him from my husband with the lights off! Good thing they’re both pretty cute.
John
I have two cat siblings, Smokey & Buscus, one if not both will be asleep on our bed and when it’s bedtime they move off the bed - how courteous - but after we get into bed they both start running & jumping and fighting and chasing each other until I call their names, that however only works part of the time.
I often have to get up and give them a treat before they settle in for the night.
Marty Russo
My cat farts.
Pamela
My dogs very annoying habits are as follows:
1. He ALWAYS takes food off the counter or table that he can reach.
&
2. He thinks that our trash can is a smogasboard. He opens the trash can and take out whatever he wants and eat it and leave trash all over the house! (When we are either upstairs or not home)…
Blkshepherd
The females even groom better than the males..their coats are emaculate. however the males,especially the young male..coats,,stained from mud..few days old..u think he cares? his mother and sister would not allow mud on their coats pass a day. infact they hate to get their coats or feet wet! lol..now if that dont remind you of the fairer sex..i dont know what.
Zac
I will be on my laptop relaxing in front of the tv, and my dog loves to come and knudge his head between my hand and the keyboard making me pet him!
Zac
I will be on my laptop relaxing in front of the t.v., and my dog loves to come and nudge his head between my hand and the keyboard making me pet him!
Chris
Our dog B Mac bugs us with his toy. He pushes it with his nose and will annoy you, until you turn the darn thing.
sassyajc
our black lab, maddux, is a licker. i’ve checked it with a vet, she’s not crazy, she’s just a lab who likes to lick. A LOT.
Charlie
Charlie, my gorgeous maincoone kitty, loves to chew on anything made of paper. His tastes are varied..it can be the latest best selling novel, magazines and even the paper in my printer. He does not stop chewing until the item is the size of a nut. One night I actually hid a paperback under my pillow-only to find it totally ripped to shreds upon my return. What’s one to do when you love them so?
Sandra
I have a 95 pound black lab name Reno. His habit isn’t too bad but I think it is quite funny that as soon as I walk in the house from work, he will knock you over trying to get to his food, then gobbles the food like he hasn’t eaten in a week. Mind you, Reno is free fed!!!!
Suzi
Erin and co with itchy dogs:
Try the Quiet Spot dog tag silencer. I have one on my GSD, and it works very well. I also feed him the raw diet-no grains or glutens. Wellness or Solid Gold is a good alternative-and don’t forget about the treats-they are packed with grains and fillers. I only give meat or vegetable treats.
Sheryl
My Basset Hound, Georgia, throws her food bowl over with her nose, spilling the contents out onto the floor, before she eats it. She barks at it. It’s a game for her. It is funny to watch. She doesn’t always eat it right away though so we all have to deal with it.
Van
Our cat loves to run out the door. It is a game to her and we have to chase after her to bring her back inside.
Our greyhound will lick his paws in the middle of the night for an hour at a time.
Our other cat begs for cereal in the morning and will try and rip the bowl from your grasp when it is time to drink the milk.
engelaugen
I have a yorkie. Nearly everytime I sit down on the couch, he will come sit in front of me and just stare at me. It kinda creeps me out! He also sits around making Chewbaca like noises.
Van
Did I also mention the money laundering and illegal offshore accounts our cats have opened?
Scorpia
Jumping on me! She’s 90 solid lbs and she still feels the need to jump up on me, and her nails scratch my legs up! I know she’s just a big ole loving baby….but still!
Jessa
So many animals, so many annoying habits:
The dog, Reba, a Shiba Inu, will come up to me on the sofa and tap my arm repeatedly until I pet her. She used to scratch all the time from itching until I started putting an allergy tablet in her food at night (vet gave me an approved list). She’ll also run from one end of the livingroom just to bounce off of the sofa and back again. Apparently, this is not uncommon for the breed.
Cat one, Olivia, will slip onto my lap the second I sit down. If I’m not around, she’ll sit in my spot until lap shows up. She lives for lap. She’ll follow lap. Tried doing yoga in living room and she sat on my lap. Eating a table, she’ll find a way to get to lap. She’s 17 so I let her get away with it.
Cat two, Winston, licks everything. Walls, doors, vents, windows, baskets, purses, etc. Very annoying when you’re trying to sleep and he’s licking the wall right outside the bedroom. Or the door, or the floor.
Cat three, Conner, likes to listen to himself talk. He’ll go into the hallway and yell at the top of his lungs. I’d rather he licked everything.
We have another cat, Naja, but the only time we see her is when I feed them. We’ve done everything to socialize her, but after 6 years we’ve just decided to let her live her life somewhere in our house and show up for dinner.
erubi
I have 3 dogs, each with their annoying albeit cute ways. Dog 1 Barks at the dishwasher and bites the door. Dog 2 Licks my pillow. Dog 3 Taught Dog 1 to bark at the dishwasher.
Nikole
My 11 year old Viszla [Pennie] has adopted a new schedule which has me waking up to a cold nose on my arm or face @ 3AM every morning to let her outside. This all started when we had Family visit for about 3 weeks and they kept late hours. Obviously, Pennie fancies herself as a NightOwl now. My god-on-Earth… I need her to get back to sleeping all through the night!
Phillip
Bella my 1year old pitbull moves branches in my back yard while I cut the grass. I try to train her to move them out of my way, but she insist on creating barriers in the backyard. Then after she’s done moving LARGE tree limbs, she begins to chew at the lawnmower wheels and bark at it as if it was a monster coming to chew her up. I can’t get mad, she’s so cute running around the lawnmower. Wish I could train her to stack fallen limb in the back of the yard instead of dropping them in plain view.
petdish
Erin, have you tried getting wheat, corn and soy out of your dog’s diet? Skin conditions often are caused by food allergies. You might want to try taking your dog down to a single meat/carb food for a few months and see if that helps.
da Monkey
Erin–have you considered the idea of adding spoon of olive oil to your doggie’s food? Our dog has a similar issue and we learned that the oils are good for their skin and even helped alleviate some of the itching. Plus it helps the furs be shiny which is a nice when the dander seems to make them look dull.
Pamela
Our vet suggested benadryl tablets 3 a day for our Shih Tzu’s itching/ allergies. As long as we are consistent, he is fine. We also are pro-active with flea treatments.
we have a cat that insists on sucking my husband’s ear. He started as a tiny kitten and we thought he would out grow it - but 12 years and 15 lbs later, he is still at it.
PresaGuy
My males gas problem could clean out an open bank vault. Rank. Worse than that is the self cleaning at 2 in the morning where he licks himself in a manner that is nothing short of disgusting. I have to run him out of the room. Yuck.
Other than that and a little slobbing though they’re great dogs. LOL
Norm
He knocks on the back door, all the time. comeing in or going out. I let him out he knocks bring him back in he knocks.
beccalinda
For those with the collar jingling problems– I think you can get rubber things that go around their tags (like you can for keys to differentiate them) that keeps them from making noise.
For us, Seamus has a farting issue, except he only does it when he comes up on my lap and cuddles. I swear, he is such a man.
He also humps the others a lot. He is fixed and has been since before we had him. I think it is a dominance thing.
Connor sleeps inbetween me and my husband and gives him the head and me the butt. Which is fine until he decides to kick and stretch out his legs in the middle of the night, which usually ends in my getting paws in the face.
Finlay just likes to be in my lap all the time. It’s cute and sweet, but not at all hours of the day. And if Finlay is up there, then Seamus MUST be there, too (and sometimes farting).
love Goldens
For those noisy tags that interrupt your sleep…Wag-A-Lot sells a great Tag Silencer. A little velcro pouch that you tuck the tags into then attach to the collar…best $6 I ever spent!
Cat Scratch Disease: My Cat Just Scratched Me, What Do I Do?
by Katherin Towers
Cat scratch disease is also known as cat scratch fever. This disease strikes people who are infected by the Bartonella henselae bacteria. In almost all cases, cat scratch disease occurs when the person was scratched or bitten by his cat. The cat itself does not catch cat scratch disease. It is just a carrier. Now, before you panic and send your cat to the pound, the National Center for Infectious Diseases (CDC) estimates that 40% of all cats carry this disease at some time in their lives. Considering how many cat owners exist in the world, clearly, this disease is not very infectious or dangerous.
But how do you know whether you were infected by cat scratch disease? The first thing you want to look at is the place your cat bit or scratched you. Is the wound infected? (Note: If you cannot find the wound, then you do not have cat scratch disease.) Then you want to check your lymph nodes. Are the nodes around your head, neck and upper limbs swollen? Do you also have fever, headache, fatigue, and a poor appetite? These are the typical cat scratch fever symptoms.
What can you do? The first step is always preventative. If you own a cat, or play with cats, you will definitely get bitten or scratched. What you should do every time you get scratched is simply to clean the wound with soap and running water. Then clean it with an antiseptic like peroxide and apply an antibiotic cream (neosporin works pretty well). Just applying these basic hygiene practises will prevent most cases of infection from cat bites or scratches, not just cat scratch disease.
What if you have already been infected - your wound is swollen and reddish, your lymph nodes are swollen and you have a fever? Then just go to your doctor. He will probably give you an antibiotic, and maybe drain the wound if necessary. You should also send your cats to the vet. Let him make sure they are not still carrying the bacteria. Otherwise they may infect you again, or infect other people.
In the long run, you need to train your cats not to bite or scratch too hard. Your cats need to learn how to show affection without drawing blood from you. And you need to learn not to provoke or over-excite your cats.
Provided that you are not the one who provoked the cat scratch, you can spray kitty with water every time it bites or scratches you. This means you will need to carry around a spray bottle with you at home. Spray kitty consistently when it bites you, and it will learn to stop biting you. Remember to spray when it bites - not 30 seconds later, or 1 minute later, or 5 minutes later. It will only learn if your response is immediate. Too many people spray only after the cat scratched or bit, then they complain that the technique does not work.
If your cat tends to bite or scratch you during playtime, then you need a different approach. Play with your cat normally. When he bites or scratches you, stop playing and ignore him. Too many people just continue playing - unfortunately, this teaches kitty that biting or scratching is good.
As you can see, cat scratch disease is not a big deal. As long as you practice basic hygiene, and train your cat not to bite or scratch too much, everything should be alright.
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Are you still worried about cat scratch disease? Click here to learn more ways to stop cat scratching.
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