Talk with your Animals

posted by Amy Nutt on Aug 26

Training cats and dogs to use the litter box or to scratch at the door is simple if you start early. Usually the earlier the pet, the faster they will learn as long as they are weaned from their mother. The best performing dogs and cats have been started early and constantly praised for their efforts. Animals vary in personality so do not fear if the dog or cat doesn’t learn right away. Be patient and loving with your animal. If the pet does not learn after many weeks of training, something could be wrong. It might be a behavioral or medical problem. Check with your animal’s vet if you become concerned.

Kittens can be litter trained any time after 4 weeks. If the kitten is still around its mother, set up a smaller litter box next to the mother’s larger litter box. The cat will learn by watching and eventually start using it as well. If the cat does not have its mother to draw an example from, or it is still not learning to use the little box as it gets older, you have a little more work to do, but do not be alarmed. All animals vary on their learning abilities. Try putting the cat and its litter box in a small room such as a bathroom or laundry room, with food and water. Check every hour to see if the cat has used the box correctly. Do this one more time until the cat has used the litter box again correctly, then praise the cat, and remove its supplies back into the rest of the house. Place the litter box where you would like then show the cat where it is located. Always make sure the litter box is clean because cats have a tendency to not use a litter box if it is constantly dirty. Clean the box once a day in order to avoid this.

Anywhere from 5 to 8 weeks is acceptable to start potty training a puppy. As soon as a puppy can start going outside, do so. Take the dog out after eating, playing, and waking up and show it an area where it is acceptable to go. Also, pay attention to what the puppy does inside. If the puppy is sniffing around the house, take the dog to its spot outside. Pee-pads are also acceptable if you have a very young or small dog, but training a dog to do its business outside is always less messy.

Talk to the dog whenever you take it out. Phrases like “Let’s go outside” or “Let’s go potty” said excitedly will eventually be learned by the dog. When the dog finally does do its business outside, praise him or her immensely. Give the dog treats and a lot of attention. After the dog is potty trained, obedience training can begin via at home or dog training classes at your local humane society or local pet stores like Petsmart or PetCo.

posted by Ray Bowne on Aug 20

The odor of the litter box is a problem for many cat owners. Owning a male cat that has not been neutered can create an even bigger stench. Because they have the instinct to mark their area, the urine of male breeders has a smell that can be overpowering. One way to deal with the odor wafting through the house is to train a cat to use the commode, especially if it is a male that is breeding.

It is not a good idea put the male outdoors to relieve themselves. As they scent the lawn with their urine the smell will permeate. The result will be that, along with the odor in your home, your plants and shrubs will suffer damage as the cat marks his area. Your male can also have an effect on females too. So there will not be unplanned litters of babies, it is necessary to keep a male cat indoors.

It is a rather simple task to toilet train a cat if you are persistent. It will take more time to toilet train an older cat. Although, it will not take that much more time, but cats that are younger learn faster. Place the litter box in the bathroom when you begin teaching the cat. If you have more than one bathroom, it is a good idea to allot one for the cat and the others for yourself, family, and guests.

The cat will quickly become accustomed to going to the bathroom in order to use the litter. You could even opt to put the littler box as close to the toilet as you can. Once your cat has become used to going to the bathroom for his litter, elevate the littler box on a small yet sturdy stool. This will help your cat become accustomed to jumping up to do his business. The final step would be to substitute the toilet for the litter box, which enough patience your cat will become used to it.

posted by Virginia Sutherland on Feb 28

Cats are usually considered relatively calm and peaceful animals. Many assume that a cat will be loving and docile, playful and independent, in other words, acting like a cat, if they are just given good food, clean water and a safe place to rest.

Not all cats are wired this way. Individual cats have varying personalities, just like people do. While one cat might be cuddly and laid back, another cat might be so high strung that the owners miss out on sleep at night because the cat is constantly bouncing off the walls. As long as the personality quirks of each cat are acceptable to the owners, there isn’t a problem about differing personalities among cats.

The one personality trait that most cat owners aren’t willing to deal with, however, is aggressive tendencies within cats. Dogs can sometimes get away with aggressive personalities because some owners actually want a dog that is mean and able to scare people away. Cats, on the other hand, are generally brought into a home in order to protect the family. For this reason, aggressiveness is not really a trait that most cat owners look for.

Cats that are aggressive can cause quite a bit if damage. While they are small and can’t inflict the type of bite a large dog can, their speed and agility can cause damage very quickly.

Some cats are aggressive by nature, but other cats become aggressive after dealing with abusive owners or other unfortunate situations. It’s no wonder that a cat dealing with a sadistic owner would become aggressive, no matter what its natural demeanor once was. Some people refer to aggressive cats as “feral,” but this isn’t entirely accurate because an aggressive cat might be quite domesticated in terms of using a litter box and eating from a bowl. By the same token, not every undomesticated cat is aggressive.

What should you do if your cat is aggressive? First, get some books about cat behavior. Learn to see the signs if kitty is getting agitated. Cats will give off signs that will give you time to back off. Feliway is a product used to calm anxious cats and to lower aggression. Also be gentle and demonstrate tenderness towards your cat so she learns to trust you, and include some quality playing time to increase your bond.

It may be that your cat is just aggressive by nature, or is acting aggressive due to a dog in the house, or young children. while aggression is most often due to fear, it can not always be trained away. If your cat is a risk for young children or babies, it may be best for all involved to find your cat a home with no children.