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Third in a series Sharing stories of “Cougar’s” good behavior while living at their old house helped Mary Beth, his caring person, to relax. I told her that she really did have a good cat, despite his aggression. It was hard for him to live indoors in their new studio apartment, missing the thrill of the hunt of those furtive outdoor creatures of his previous backyard. He was struggling to adapt but I believed I could help Mary Beth tame her wild beast and get out of her apartment alive. I picked my moment and finally asked, when did Cougar lunge and bite? Mary Beth explained that this only occurred just as she walked out her door. Her burst of activity, and the location of her exit, had become predictable to Cougar. He laid in wait by the door, slipping into his innate feline predatory mindset. Lurking, perfectly still behind…
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Digging dogs can damage a great yard. Don’t punish; it’s normal behavior. Instead, give that dirt dog its very own wonderful digging box. Make it attractive by loosening the dirt, misting with water, and burying tasty, challenging food-dispensing toys. Everybody wins.
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Second in a series Aggression is never acceptable, especially toward the frail and vulnerable. The science of animal behavior would be central to “Cougar’s” treatment but the elderly lady on the receiving end of his assaults struggled with conflicting emotions that were every bit as important. Cougar had always been a loving kitty toward Mary Beth – until they moved into an assisted living apartment. Now, rather than just a fish out of water, this pussy cat was a predator in desperate need of a rodent. Cats are popular pets because they seem easier to manage than dogs, chimpanzees, or rattlesnakes. You can leave out food, water, and litter and enjoy that indoor cuddle bunny at your convenience. Actually, a stuffed kitty would work better. Real live cats become stressed and badly behaved in a barren environment. Cougar made it easy for Mary Beth back when his outdoor access allowed…
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Dogs love to work for food. You don’t need to push a puppy to ground. Give the “Down” command as you use a treat, as a lure, to show that kid what you want. When Mick “follows the money” he earns the payoff. You’ll know when your dog is catching on because she’ll start dropping when she hears the command. Then give her the food when she’s completed the job. Take baby steps with the babies.
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First in a series The soft female voice on the phone told a poignant story. She wasn’t calling about her own pet but for her 83 year old mother and her cat. “Cougar”, age 10, was inflicting wounds on the person who loved and cared for him. Emotional conflicts like this always affect me. Good relationships that take a bad turn can break hearts. Cougar hadn’t always been a biter but now he was causing Mary Beth pain and putting her at risk of serious infection. When she adopted him as a kitten they had a yard where Cougar engaged his predatory nature by stalking and pouncing on bugs and lizards who’d shown the audacity to venture into his territory. With his mind stimulated by his environment and his energy invested in chasing helpless creatures Cougar ended each day, beer in hand, snuggling with Mary Beth as she quietly cussed…
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Elderly cats, like 15 year old Tony Nichol, named by my young sons for the cereal box tiger, are prone to diminishing appetites and weight loss. Dental disease, common in older kitties, makes eating painful. A reality for all feline seniors is gradual onset kidney failure, often accompanied by nausea; feeling queasy is not consistent with a healthy appetite. Cancer is another consideration with older poor eaters. Diagnosing and treating the cause is essential. But beyond myriad internal disorders, many older cats get fussier about the temperature of their food. A paper published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior researched cats aged 8-14 years that were tested with food of a gravy-type consistency at temperatures of 43, 70, and 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Guess which was preferred? You guessed it: the warmth of freshly killed prey. Tony had me worried. He was eating poorly and losing weight. Canned food, microwaved to…
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Young Mick (now 15 weeks old) has been practicing his recalls. We started with a little tug using a short leash. Now he comes reliably from longer distances but we still use a long line. It’s easy for people to hope for reliability too soon. That would frustrate everybody. Instead, you can prevent a failure by using a leash every time until your dog’s recalls are pretty darn good (they get better but are never really 100% reliable). No one is perfect, including Mick Nichol. He always gets a treat, praise, and most importantly a hug and a kiss for getting it right.
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Find out who won Question: What do I do when this 9 week old puppy growls at the kids when they want to pick her up? She lives to crawl on them and lick their faces but when she runs around like crazy and they try to catch her and pick her up, she growls. It’s like she’s saying “Hey, leave me alone, I’m on a mission here.” The first time it happened they quickly let her go and she felt like she won! Dr. Nichol: Anybody who has raised kids and dogs knows that they are wild and unpredictable at times. When the children chased your young puppy, she may have first signaled them that she needed space but the kids, not schooled in canine body signaling, didn’t notice. So the puppy growled to get some distance. She was scared but no crime was committed. When your puppy perceived…
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Some dogs hate to be groomed. But a hungry dog can earn tasty treats while lying still for gentle brushing. Sitting on the floor, rather than leaning over, will help reduce nervousness. Start out slow, keep sessions short, and maintain the food flow. With young Mick we wait until he’s sleepy. If he gets antsy the dog biscuits stop and the brush gets stowed. There’s no point in struggling.
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