Ever since the internet got popular, there have been several great pet sites that have been hosted. With time, some of them just fizzled out and some of them became real superstars.
Of those sites, there is one that caught our attention - As soon as you log onto the site, you will notice the introduction saying that the site is not built by business people, but by a team of vets, pet owners, and animal lovers. That feels nice if you are a pet owner. Every inch of the site is designed keeping in mind your love for animals, and whether you are looking for help in handling your dog, cat, or even fish, you will find all the necessary inputs and tools right here.
Another advantage of the site is the forums. For instance, the cat forum is pretty popular among the users, and the questions and answers are real experiences from real cat owners. That is a pleasant experience indeed, when compared to the bot-like FAQs normally posted on sites.
The most persistent complaint from dog owners is that their dog barks too much!
While having a dog at home is a pleasure most of the times, it becomes a pain when the dog gets into a barking frenzy, and you don’t even know the reason why the dog is barking. A lot of people decide to forcibly shut the dog up by putting it into a barking collar. That is not to say that a dog barking collar should not be used. But firstly you need to understand why your dog is barking excessively in the first place.
- The most common reasons for a dog to bark are hunger and thirst. Especially in the summer months, slurping water is more of a comfort than a thirst buster for a dog. So ensure that the bowl is full and that too with water that is cool. Same with food.
- If you live in an area that has a lot of noise and disturbance – like if you live on the main street where there’s a lot of traffic or construction work going on, your dog can get quite anxious if it can only hear the noise and not see it. So one solution would be to let the dog see the happenings on your street and that will normally keep it quiet.
- Another reason why the dog barks is because he is uncomfortable. It might be too hot for him or too cold; or he might have the need to run out for a while.
If none of these work, you can take the advice of a dog expert and go in for a collar that won’t hurt your dog. Collars have come a long way, and something like a spray collar or a common restrictor could be used safely without harming your pet in any way.
{There are two stages to dog chewing. One is when the dog is getting teeth for the first time, and feels the need to chew on something to alleviate the itch in the mouth! Whatever you put within reach of the puppy during that phase is bound to be chewed up – irrespective of whether it is leather or furniture. There is little you can do at that phase, except redirect its chew-energy towards something that is designated to be chewed. You can get something like a soft bone or a chew-toy for your dog, and each time you catch him chewing something else, redirect his energy towards the chew toy. Every time you see him chewing his designated toy, praise him and play with him so that he knows that this is what he should do.
There are also sprays available at good pet stores that can be sprayed on objects that you do not want your dog to chew. The taste and the smell become overpowering for the dog and it won’t go near. Don’t worry – the ones that you find in the popular stores are all tested and are safe.
If the matter persists, time for you to meet an expert, or probably a vet. There might be some other reason beyond the common realm causing your dog to chew.
The basic psychology of potty training a dog is the same as any other kind of dog training. Praise him when he does it right and say ‘bad dog’ and take him to the designated place when he does wrong. The important thing is that you don’t move the ‘potty area’ around once you bring the pup home. To begin with, you can use absorbent paper, and as the dog becomes older, you can try something like sawdust. Once you have the absorbent paper in place, each time you see the dog getting into potty position, immediately carry him over to the designated area, and wait till the task is done. Change the papers immediately, and keep doing that till the dog gets used to the idea that this is his ‘potty place’. Each time the dog goes by itself to the potty area, praise him and give him a little gift – something to nibble on, or play with him for a while.}
