Dogs are true friends who always stand on the terms of friendship. They serve as pre-eminent pets when compared with others, as they are lovable, faithful and entertaining too. They spare you from your loneliness, especially when there’s nobody with you.

Dogs can be the great companions and friends for you and your family rather than any other pets. To make your pets more commendable, Dog Training is very important. A few tips include:

• Firstly, you need to train your dog at its starting age, i.e. when your dog is a puppy. This is the best age when your dog quickly learns the things eagerly and happily.
• You need to be strict at times and cool afterwards as only then they will learn. Make it clear to them that you are the boss first and then a friend. This will help them to learn the things faster without any ambiguity.
• You need to remain cool and soft while teaching or training your dog because yelling or shouting will reduce all the effectiveness of your training and make your dog angry and anxious too with the procedure of learning.
• The environment needs to be happening at the time of training because this will make your pet and you happy too.
• There should be a constant learning process without any breaks, as this will help your dog in learning the things without ignorance.
• Praising is also necessary because dogs love to be praised by their owners and become happier. 
• You need to inform your dogs about your expectations so that they can learn and work accordingly.
• Sometimes, the techniques of punishments can also be used during the process of training, to make your pet realize his or her mistake and to ensure that it doesn’t repeat it again.
• Spending enough time with your dog will make it realize your importance and the importance of training too.
• Lastly, when you are not satisfied with your training methods and your pet also does not come up with results on the lessons, you need to invite a collar man for imparting effective training to your dogs or pets.

  

All these methods work effectively, when you give time to teach the lessons for your dog without eagerness and anxiety. Along with strictness, throw your love too, so that your dogs feel safe and happy with the environment and realize the importance of you and your training.

“The problem with cats and dogs is that they shed.” Shedding is a common complaint of people who prefer homes free of pet hair to the joys of having a pet. But do we have to choose?

To a point, yes. If you don’t want any pet hair in your home, don’t get a pet. However, we can reduce the problem of pet hair on furniture and clothing with these approaches:
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Fluffy meows when she’s hungry, when she wants attention, when she smells food…and sometimes for reasons unknown to us. Her meowing may be conversational, or it may be annoying. Especially when we’re trying to fall asleep at night.

Why cats meow

Except between mothers and kittens, cats don’t usually meow to each other. Meowing is a form of communication that they use with humans. Cats raised with people learn from an early age that meowing is a way to get people to attend to their wants.

Some breeds of cats meow more than others do. Siamese and Burmese cats, for example, are known for their vocalizations.

We probably want our cats to meow to let us know when they want in or out. We expect them to meow when it’s dinnertime. But when cats meow excessively, their meowing may indicate a health or behavior problem.

Excessive meowing and your cat’s health

When cats get old, they may meow more because they’re disoriented, confused, or feeling needy. If they’re meowing more loudly than they used to, they could be losing their hearing and be unable to hear themselves as well at their normal volume.

Cats that haven’t been neutered typically meow a lot when they’re feeling distressed. Females meow to get outside when they’re in heat, and males meow to get to females.

Pain, neurological problems, or major changes such as loss of vision can also cause cats to meow excessively.

If your cat’s excessive meowing is possibly because of a health problem, take your cat to a veterinarian to have your cat checked for any problems. If your cat hasn’t been neutered, the only way to alleviate excessive meowing and the associated distress is to have your cat neutered.

Excessive meowing and behavior problems

Cats learn through experience that repeated meowing gets them what they want. They will stop if they get what they want or if they learn that their continued meowing no longer gets them their intended results.

First, identify what your cat wants. Is your cat bored? Lonely? Hungry? Anxious? Notice the timing of the excessive meowing episodes. If they happen after you’ve been away for a long time, your cat may be lonely and bored. If your cat goes into a meowing frenzy in the middle of the night, she’s probably wide awake and ready to play.

Second, meet your cat’s needs when she isn’t meowing. Give her more attention if that’s what she craves. Play with her and give her lots of exercise just before you go to bed so that she’ll be tired and more likely to sleep during the night. Feed her at regular times so that she’ll know when to expect meals.

Third, don’t give her any attention when she is meowing excessively. Even negative attention must be avoided during such times because it reinforces the behavior — meowing gets results. If she meows a lot during the night, keep her in another room or wear earplugs until she realizes that you aren’t going to get up and give her attention during the night any more.

Related articles at this site

• Cats and Stress
• Understand and Communicate with Your Cat
• Caring for Senior Cats
• Grooming Your Cat

Cats and gardens go together like…well, it depends on who the garden is for. To cats, gardens are a little piece of heaven. Fresh soil makes a perfect litter box, and seedlings that get uprooted in the digging process are of no consequence to them. You may not want your cat in your garden, and if the cats in your garden aren’t your cats, you probably like having them there even less.The solution? Make your garden unattractive to cats, and give them a garden of their own.

A garden not for cats

You can build a fence around your garden, but cats can climb over most fences. Spraying water at cats usually (but not always) sends them in the opposite direction, but it works only when you’re there with hose in hand. Motion-activated sprinklers go into action when people as well as animals approach the garden.

Mothballs in the garden may deter cats, but they contain pesticides. At high levels, mothballs have been known to cause liver and kidney tumors in animals. Both paradichlorobenzene and naphthalene, the active ingredients, may be linked to cancer. Another problem is that children may mistake mothballs for candy and play with them, or ingest them.

Safer cat-deterrent garden strategies:

• Grow plants that cats don’t like the odor or texture of
• Sprinkle substances in the garden that deter cats
• Put objects in the garden bed that make it unappealing for cats to dig or sit

Some plants may also be toxic to animals. Lists of plants that are safe or poisonous for cats are at plants-and-your-cat.com and i-love-cats.com.

Websites and discussion forums about gardens and cats have lists of methods that people have found successful. You might not want to grow, sprinkle, or see all of these in your garden, and not all cats are repelled by all the items listed below. Citrus scents in particular deter only some cats. Boundary Cat & Dog repellent granules, on the other hand, are effective as well as cheap and attractive. A combination of techniques produces the best results.

We’ve compiled some of the methods, sorted by type:

* You may need to resprinkle these periodically, especially after rain.

A garden for cats

An outdoor garden area with everything that cats love may keep them away from your garden. For indoor cats, a smaller version with the following can be a windowsill cat garden:

• Loose soil (this is what cats are mainly interested in)
• Sand
• Small bark mulch
• Catnip: one type or various types
• Grass: regular grass that’s long enough to chew on, lemon grass, oat grass, sweetgrass, and wheat grass
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Cat Thyme (similar to catnip in how it affects cats)

The gardens of…

Peace. For both you and your feline friends. When they have a cat-friendly garden just for them, they may not even venture near your garden. If they do — once — they probably won’t return if you take steps to make it unfriendly to their sensitivities.

It’s annoying. It’s sometimes maddening. It can even be life threatening.Your dog’s bark may not be as bad as his bite, but dogs’ barking is a common reason that dogs are poisoned. The good news is that you can work with your dog to reduce his urge to bark.

Understand why dogs bark

Dogs bark to greet people. They bark to warn people about strangers, sounds, or movements, and to get attention. They bark when they want out, or in, or when they’re excited, bored, lonely, anxious, or afraid. They bark when they need to burn off energy.

Learn to recognize when and why your dog barks, and take steps to alleviate the emotions associated with undesirable barking. Let your dog spend time with other dogs and with people. A socialized dog is less likely to see other dogs and people as threats. Give your dog lots of mental stimulation. Provide him with plenty of exercise — after exercise, dogs tend to sleep more and bark less.

If your dog barks when you aren’t home, avoid reinforcing the idea that it’s a major event when you leave and return. Go out and come back quietly, and leave your dog toys to play with. Leave for short intervals when you have time, increasing the length of time that you’re away when the dog is accustomed to short absences. To reduce the sounds and sights that dogs bark at, you may want to keep your dog in a quieter part of the house or away from windows. A radio or TV left on for company helps some dogs feel less alone.

Train your dog to bark less

We can’t expect dogs not to bark at all, but we can teach them to control when they bark. Praise your dog when he’s quiet so that he understands that not barking has its rewards. If you teach your dog to bark when you ask him to, he’ll learn that there’s a time to bark and a time not to bark.

If your dog is barking to get attention, scolding him for barking reinforces the behavior. To these dogs, negative attention is better than none at all. Direct your dog to do something else when he barks at an inappropriate time. When your dog is barking because of loneliness or anxiety, don’t comfort him until he has been quiet for a few seconds. You want him to associate the attention with not barking.

A dog training class can help you and your dog learn to communicate with each other better, making training about barking easier for both of you.

Get an electronic dog calming device

A dog calming device is a humane and effective bark deterrent that quiets noisy dogs without inflicting harm or pain. most operate by playing soothing music which your dog can hear but you cannot. This melody will lure attention away from anxiety producing stimuli. This will reduce needless barking without painful shock, sprays, or sound. Many sonic calmers have a range of several hundred feet and the sound travels through fences and over walls. This means that it can on your neighbor’s dog as well.

One such calming device, the K9 Kalmer can be purchased at many better pet specialty stores such as Odor Destroyer.com

Use dog anti-bark collars

Two main types of collars help control your dog’s barking. Each collar uses batteries and either a spray or an electronic stimulant to tell the dog “no” when he barks.

Neither collar is intended to address dogs’ emotions. If your dog is afraid, help him overcome his fear or anxiety. If your dog is confused, a bark control collar won’t make him less confused. An anti-bark collar is most likely to be successful with dogs who just need to learn not to bark, and when it’s used with training methods.

A no-bark collar may teach your dog not to bark when he’s wearing the collar, but it also teaches him not to bark when his bark may be desirable, such as when a stranger is at the door. Only training can teach your dog selective barking.

Both types of collars respond to vibration. This means that the stimulant may be emitted when your dog is shaking himself, not just when he’s barking.

Citronella

anti-bark collars

When dogs wear citronella collars, the vibration of their barks releases citronella, a strong lemon-scented mist. Dogs learn to associate the sound and smell of the mist with barking, and most bark less as a result.

A 1996 study published in The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association compared the effects of both types of collars. The owners of the dogs in the study felt that the citronella spray collar was “more effective and more humane” than the electronic shock collars. On the other hand, some dog owners see citronella collars as cruel because a dog’s sense of smell is much stronger than a human’s.

While this collar has a high rate of effectiveness, some dogs become accustomed to the collar. Simply putting and leaving the collar on the dog is less effective than using the collar as a training tool combined with regular training.

Anti-bark electronic shock collars

When the sensor on the collar detects both sound and vibration from the dog’s throat, an adjustable electronic stimulation is administered. The amount of stimulation is low at first, allowing the dog to stop barking before a stronger stimulation is emitted.

A dog should not be left alone wearing an anti-bark collar until he’s accustomed to how it works, and you know that he’ll stop barking after the first electronic stimulation.

Anti-bark shock collars are generally less popular and less effective than citronella anti-bark collars. Some dogs respond well to shock collars, though, and low settings are unpleasant but not painful.

Take your dog to doggie day care

Despite our best efforts, some dogs never learn to be content when they’re left alone all day. At a doggie day care, your dog can play with other dogs, get lots of exercise, and have human supervision. Your neighbors won’t complain about your dog barking during the day, and your dog will be happier.

It happens on your linoleum floor. Or worse, on your carpet. Your cat has done her litter-box business somewhere other than in the litter box.Why? And what can you do?

Cleanliness

Make sure the litter box is kept clean. Cats are fastidious about cleanliness, and if they have to get dirty to use the litter box, they may choose to relieve themselves elsewhere. Long-haired cats are known to be particularly picky as dirty litter may cling to their hair.

A thick layer of litter makes a litter box harder to clean, and therefore less likely to be cleaned. Provide just enough litter for your cats to bury their urine and feces — no more than an inch or so thick, and less for kittens. Liners may contribute to an odor problem, since cats can puncture liners with their claws, leaving moisture trapped below the liners.

A litter box cover has advantages and disadvantages. As long as the cat can be upright inside the litter box, a cover is usually okay for the cat, and it may give your cat a sense of security and privacy. It also keeps a dirty litter box out of sight. On the other hand, if you don’t see a dirty litter box, you’re less likely to clean it. In addition, the extra task of removing the cover each time to clean the box lengthens the time required for a simple chore.

If you don’t have time to clean the litter box as often as your cat would like, provide your cat with two litter boxes.

Location, location, location

Just as most people don’t like to eat in the bathroom, cats don’t like to eat near their litter boxes. It isn’t sanitary. Also, because the smell or urine can attract enemies in the wild, cats generally avoid urinating too close to where they sleep and play.

Cats like privacy when relieving themselves, and some may avoid a litter box if it’s in a noisy or high-traffic area. Then again, if the litter box is too far out of the way, your cat may not use it for that reason. Cats are territorial, and they might not leave their territory to use a litter box.

Cats with arthritis or other mobility problems may have difficulty walking far when nature calls. Older cats may have a failing bladder that simply doesn’t hold its urine long enough any more. These cats will benefit from having more than one litter box, placed in different locations around the home. It may also help to confine these cats to one area of the home.

Who’s been using that litter box?

Some cats don’t like to share their toilet facilities with other cats. In a multi-cat household, it may be necessary to have one litter box per cat. Some experts recommend having one more litter box than the number of cats in the household.

Type of litter

Litter comes in a variety of types: cedar, clay, recycled newspaper, silica, and others. Your cat may prefer one type of litter over another. Experiment if necessary. Mix the old and new types of litter when changing the type so that your cat can get used to the new litter gradually.

Health and litter box use

Cat bladder and urinary tract conditions have similar symptoms:

• The cat strains to urinate, often producing only a small amount of urine at a time.
• Urination is painful, and the cat may also react in pain from pressure to the abdomen.
• The cat doesn’t always use the litter box to urinate and instead leaves small puddles of urine around the home.
• There may be blood in the cat’s urine.

Both male and female cats can develop these conditions, but they can be more serious for male cats. Urine blockage causes toxins to accumulate in the cat’s bloodstream and is life-threatening. If you suspect a health problem behind your cat’s litter box behavior, take your cat to a veterinarian right away. Immediate medical attention is especially crucial if your cat is unable to pass any urine.

Behavior concerns

If your cat isn’t using the litter box to urinate but otherwise appears to be in good health, the reason for the behavior may be personal — or not. Some people see a cat’s leaving messes around the home as a message to the owner. Has there been a change in the household, such as a new pet or a new person? Has the cat felt neglected? Another line of thought is that cats wouldn’t deliberately mess in their own territory to make a statement, but that the stress of the situation aggravated the health problem that caused the accident.

Either way, punishment is not the answer. Cats don’t associate punishment with past actions. If the action was deliberate, extra attention will help, and if it wasn’t, the health concerns need your attention.

Cleaning up the act

After a cat has urinated on your carpet, floor, or furniture, she’ll associate the smell of urine with the place to urinate. Completely eliminating the smell will remove this association. Petrotech Odor Eliminator removes urine and fecal odors immediately, and it’s environmentally friendly. For particularly strong or stubborn odors, Odor Destroyer (liquid or dry formula) is recommended.

Preventing future litter box incidents

• Keep the litter box clean.
• Provide more than one litter box if necessary.
• Experiment with types of cat litter and with litter box locations.
• Have your veterinarian check and treat your cat for any health problems.
• Remove messes and odors thoroughly.

Fences aren’t always practical. Even if you have one, some dogs can jump them, and to cats, they’re just a flat, narrow tree to climb.Indoors, we may want to limit our pets from out-of-bounds areas. Counters, tables, couches, babies’ rooms, balconies, and poisonous plants may be restricted areas or objects. Training methods such as spraying water deter pets only while we’re there.

Fortunately, there are other types of pet containment systems. Confinement systems keep pets from leaving designated areas, while exclusionary systems keep pets from entering off-limits areas. These systems differ in the type of deterrent used (sonic deterrent, electric shock) and in their range of confinement or exclusion.

Confinement systems

1. Deluxe Dog Fence (a.k.a. “Invisible Fence”) / Outdoor Cat Containment System

For use with: Dogs and cats
Price: $118.99 and up for dogs; $249.99 for cats (currently on sale for $199.99)
Type: Electric shock
Manufacturer: PetSafe

Electric pet containment fences can work for small yards and for areas up to about 20 acres. To install the fences, electric cable is buried along the boundaries of the areas where you want to allow your pet. This cable can be around the perimeter of your property, and it can also go around areas that you want to keep pets out of, such as flower beds. Electric fences are invisible, and they’re cheaper than wood or metal fences. Pets can’t dig under them or jump over them.

This invisible fence works in conjunction with a receiver attached to a special collar that your pet wears. When the pet approaches the boundary wire, the receiver emits a warning signal. If the pet continues after receiving the warning signal, he receives a brief electric shock, causing him to retreat from the boundary. Plan to spend about 15 minutes a day working with your pet for one to two weeks until he understands how the fence works.

Pros:

• Electric fences are cheaper than regular fences.
• You can confine pets within odd shapes and large areas.
• You can restrict pets from certain areas within a larger area.
• Once pets have used the collar for a long time, they may stay within the boundaries even if the batteries aren’t working.

Cons:

• Burying the wire is labor-intensive.
• Extensive training is required to train the pet in the use of the fence and collar.
• New collar batteries are needed every six months.
• If the batteries die before they’re replaced, the fence is ineffective.
• Some dogs figure out that they can charge the fence and gain freedom for the price of a temporary shock. These dogs may be unwilling to cross the fence to return to your property later.

2. Instant Fence

For use with: Dogs that weigh over 20 pounds
Price: $279.99 (currently on sale for $239.99)
Type: Electric shock
Manufacturer: PetSafe

PetSafe Wireless Instant Fence confines your dog to within the radius you set — wherever you are. Instead of a “no-go” zone, the receiver on the dog’s collar creates a “stay” zone. The dog can move freely until he approaches the boundary of the signal area. A warning beep emits from the receiver on his collar, which becomes a light static energy pulse if the dog proceeds past the warning zone. This mild correction continues until the dog returns to the “stay” zone. You can set the dog’s boundary on the transmitter to be anywhere from 20 feet to 180 feet.

No wires are needed, just a standard 110-volt outlet to plug the transmitter into. The signal can transmit through walls or other objects. If you’re away from home, you can plug the transformer into a power converter attached to your motor vehicle lighter. With an additional receiver collar for each dog, the PetSafe Wireless Instant Fence can work with an unlimited number of dogs.

Pros:

• It can be installed in about an hour or two.
• No digging or wires are required.
• It can be used with an unlimited number of dogs at the same time.
• It’s portable.
• The correction continues if the dog crosses the boundary, making it very unlikely that the dog will escape.

Cons:

• Extensive training is required to train the pet in the use of the fence and collar.
• New collar batteries are needed every six months.
• If the batteries die before they’re replaced, the fence is ineffective.
• Because the receiver weighs about three ounces, it isn’t suitable for dogs under about 20 pounds.

Exclusionary systems

1. CatScram electronic cat repellent

For use with: Cats only
Price: $29.95
Type: Sonic deterrent
Manufacturer: Innovative Products

CatScram is an electronic motion detector. Your cat doesn’t need to wear a collar for CatScram to work. On a flat surface such as a floor, it guards a six-foot range; when elevated or tilted, it guards a 90-degree protected area with up to (possibly more than) a 15-foot range. Point it into the area where you don’t want your cat to go, and it emits a high-pitched squeal when it detects motion in that area. The sound is inaudible to humans and dogs, but it’s enough to make a cat scram — 24 hours a day.

Pros:

• It’s inaudible to humans.
• It’s wireless.
• Cats don’t need to wear a receiver for it to work.
• It can work with an unlimited number of cats.
• It can protect specific parts of a room as well as whole rooms.

Cons:

• It’s battery hungry; it uses a 9-volt battery or a 9-volt AC/DC adapter.
• Cats that are hard of hearing (white cats, some exotic breeds, Maine Coons, older cats) may not respond to this device.

2. Wireless Indoor Fence / Invisible Cat Fence

For use with: Dogs (Wireless Indoor Fence) and cats (Invisible Cat Fence)
Price: $119.99 and up for dogs (currently on sale for $99.99); $199.99 and up for cats (currently on sale for $169.99)
Type: Electric shock
Manufacturer: PetSafe

Place a transmitter near the area you want to protect, and equip your pet with a lightweight receiver attached to a collar. Your pet will learn to stay out of the off-limits areas. When your pet approaches the pet containment boundary, the receiver emits a warning signal. If the pet moves closer, the receiver will produce a brief electrical shock. Once pets learn how the fence works, they’ll move away from the fence as soon as they feel the receiver alert.

Pros:

• It’s wireless.
• It can be installed in minutes.
• It’s light enough for dogs that weigh five pounds or more, and for cats that weigh four pounds or more.

Cons:

• Because the radio signal passes through walls, it may affect undesired areas.
• The pet must wear a receiver on a collar at all times for it to be effective.
• New collar batteries are needed every six months.
• If the batteries die before they’re replaced, the fence is ineffective.

Some artists have taken to killing animals in the name of what they call art.In May of 2003, an art student at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia killed a live chicken as part of a performance piece done in front of his class.

Other students in the class were not impressed, and complained about the student’s actions to the RSPCA. At the time, Sue Baker, head of the arts department, stated, “We’ve come down hard on this student and said, ‘You don’t do this for art, you do it for food, and it is offensive for anything to do with cruelty to animals to be portrayed as art.’”

Unfortunately, however, gallery owners do not seem to share that point of view.

One gallery owner in Sweden said recently that in spite of protests against the actions of an artist currently exhibiting at his gallery, who likes to kill animals and call it art, “She’s going to continue to make her art. Is it better to kill animals for makeup than for creating art? These people forget that art is food for the soul.”

The gallery owner claimed the artist’s work involving the killing of animals was “very important” and added, “I have tried to get her to try to work with larger animals, like dogs.”

The galleries that exhibit the work of animal-killing artists believe that the images created using the dead animals arouse thoughts and questions that the viewers might not otherwise have had, and, therefore, these works are art.

They attempt to justify the killing of animals strictly for art by saying that the pictures reflect the shallowness and double standards held by a society which objects to animals being killed to create pictures, but not to the killing of animals for food or clothing.

An artist who recently had an open exhibit featuring animals she had killed was reported to public prosecutors by the local veterinary association for failing to have a veterinarian present when the animals were killed.

A spokesman for the veterinary association said the artist violated laws regulating the use of animals for public viewing which require that when animals are killed for the purpose of public entertainment a veterinarian has to be present to ensure the animal does not suffer. According to some, shock artists of this sort are really just trying to attract attention and build their names, and like most children who seek attention, the more attention they receive the more likely they are to repeat the action which brought them the attention in the first place.

As one animal welfare advocate noted, if killing animals brings publicity to one artist, others might be tempted to try to garner publicity by doing the same.

Some artists who have used dead animals in their work claim that doing so shows that life and death are not opposed, but linked. Others have said that they do no more than what normally takes place in a slaughterhouse, using animals which would have ended up there anyway.

Still others have claimed they are guaranteed the freedom of artistic expression by law and that this supersedes any rights that the animals they kill may have.

Actress Brigitte Bardot, who has protested exhibits featuring the slaughter of animals, said, “I have never heard of a performance where people pay to rejoice in the suffering of animals.”

Animal advocates have been contacting the ministry of Sweden to voice their protests.

By Sherry Morse – © 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.