We adopted an 11 month old puppy with little to no previous training. She is a mixed breed (basset hound, beagle, daschund). She gets over excited when playing and gets nippy grabbing at the toys and then our hands whether we have a toy or not. Jim & Carol B – Niagara Falls “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pyror
Read moreLast week this column talked about how to capture a behavior or take a snap shot of what an animal does so we could see that behavior performed again. Sometimes animals don’t perform a behavior that we would like to see in its entirety. An example would be dog agility. Dogs are not going to go through the weave pole,
Read moreBeing able to communicate with animals is something all animal lovers and trainers aspire toward. Having an expression that signals to the animal that they did something correct and a treat will be provided, is essential if you want that behavior to be presented again. This expression is called a bridge. Bridges in training like actual bridges make an association
Read moreHow do I get my cat to stop scratching on the furniture? Tracie D. Niagara Falls I can understand if both your furniture and your nerves are shredded. I would strongly advise against declawing your cat. Scratching is a natural behavior in cats and can’t be stopped. So our option is redirection. I just moved from a wood floor house
Read moreWe show our love through food. Roasted peanuts in creamy caramel covered on milk chocolate must scream affection. Avocado and tomato-garlic bruschetta sends signals of romance at any fine restaurant. I know I feel cherished when I bite into a vanilla ice cream cake shell with chocolate ice cream, fudge, and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies in the middle. And what
Read moreThe top of my head is tingling, so I rub it. Then my lower left jaw feels numb. I scratch it just once. I then feel the back of my knees get tight and the hairs rise. I have goosebumps on my legs. I rub and I scrape a little. The inside of my nose is now supersensitive. I flick
Read moreMy cats have the worst breath, but I love them unconditionally. They make me laugh every day with their inquisitive minds and obnoxious behaviors (such as jumping over my bird and sprinting through my legs tripping me as I walk.) Even though these behaviors exist, I still have to fight the urge not to walk over and wake them from
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With flu season at its peak I hear everyone discussing why we should or should not get vaccinated against the virus. With all this talk about vaccines I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss vaccines that will protect your pets. I want to discuss which vaccines you should or should not get your cat and dog vaccinated
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DANTAisms 