Videos
Bringing out the best in a cat or dog is a hands-on task. Seeing it in a video is often better than reading it. My goal with these videos is to make behavior management easier to understand and implement.
The Nichol family is planning to add a puppy. I’ll share my preparations and training plan. Everybody can win.
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It’s driving you crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy… Trash and canine trash talking cause more human angst than theft, murders and all the rest of the mayhem.
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Most dogs who try to bite or escape in a veterinary clinic are frightened. You can reduce anxiety by slowly and gently leading your dog from behind a squatting doctor. A dog who may bite should wear a basket muzzle. We shot this video with my own dog, Miss America. She has passed on now. She was an excellent actress, not to mention a delightful pet. We miss her still.
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Who wants to be crowded like a bunch of sardines, which are quite dead in the can by the way? These chickens and geese enjoy a big enclosure where they can pursue behaviors that are natural to their species, like pecking the ground for bugs and rolling in the dirt. Nobody in this group has their nose in anyone else’s business. Pet lovers take note: adopting too many cats or dogs leads to crowding and stress. Aggression and physical disease are a common result. These happy wing flappers laid really tasty eggs. We just got back from their home at…
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Cat parents often custom-fit activities for their indoor kitties that keep them engaged in activities that bring out their wildness in good ways. Here’s the lowdown from an excellent cat parent. “The dryer balls got so full of his hair, when used for their original intended purpose, that they were actually “shedding” his hair back on to our clean clothes while in the dryer! I solved this problem when I replaced them with soft plastic dryer balls and gave him the “furry” ones to play with. The pink “tunnel” is an old pop-up laundry basket (with the bottom removed) that…
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Just because you love your dog doesn’t mean they do as their told. Frustrating. People yell, jerk the leash, and repeat commands. Any dog can learn to earn its person’s attention, along with tasty snacks. You can have a good time together, like my dog Mick and I do. Have a look at us in Rally competition (like obedience but more fun). Do you notice him watching me with that relaxed tail wag? Sandia Dog Obedience Club in Albuquerque is the place for good dogs to learn better.
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Mick and his doggy daddy (ah, that’s me) practice our Rally skills twice a day for about 5 minutes each time. You can tell that he loves to earn treats and praise. Then we play “kick ball.” I kick the ball for him to catch mid-air, with a great flourish (Mick’s flourish, not mine.) Rally is an AKC sport similar to obedience but more fun for the dog – person team. We’re entered in our first competition this weekend. Anybody can attend but only the dogs and their people ever show up.
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These splendid birds arrive every fall in our beautiful state. Many folks drive to Bosque del Apache to get a glimpse but we can enjoy these almost prehistoric creatures up close at the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque’s North valley. If you listen carefully you will hear my family chatting on our Thanksgiving hike. Sorry about that. Crane-speak is more interesting.
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Mick and I have practiced his new trick, “Night, night.” He’s watching me intently because he’s ready. Even though he gets it, mostly, I help him do it right. He earns the treat at the end and gets praise and, most important, physical contact as he rolls onto his back. He wins throughout the whole event. He’ll do it faster and better with more practice. We have good fun together.
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Puppy kindergarten teaches healthy play during the sensitive period of socialization. Mick and his BFF (Welsh corgi) wrestle with wild abandon. A fun loving pug considers joining the fun and then says, “Ah, no. I’ll find a kinder, gentler smack down.” For all the juvenile canine fisticuffs and trash talking no one ever gets hurt. They’re all delighted to have another go next week.
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