Tag: Pet

How do I stop my dog from eating poop?


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“Coprophagia”, meaning the act of a dog eating poop, can be one of the more disgusting habits dogs acquire. Not only is this a gross habit but it can cause an upset stomach to your dog resulting in diarrhea or other bowel problems.

But this is not an uncommon occurrence. Many dogs eat their own or other dog’s droppings, but why?

Before dogs were domesticated, they were living in the wild fending for themselves. These pack animals had natural predators and to keep safe dogs would eat their fecal material. This consumption help keep predators from finding their dens. Now that dogs have had hundreds of years of domestication this instinct has greatly diminished. However, if you find that your dog has begun eating their poop this can be due to boredom or because they find it reinforcing.

But how do I stop it!?!?

To stop coprophagia, here are several helpful tips to rid your dog of this habit.

1) You can buy a chew tablet or pill from your vet that makes their fecal distasteful and unappealing. Dogs under 40 pounds usually only need 1/2 a pill to 1 full pill. So be observant to determine the dosage.

2) pick up poo in your yard or pee pads. Removing the poo helps to avoid and eliminate further problems .

3) place an aversive on the poop! Hot sauce has been a common product. This helps your dog to associate fecal with a negative feeling and thus will help to stop the problem .

In my opinion, if you have multiple dogs or indoor dogs that use pads the pills and chew tablets are a great help. Many clients have reported success with this product .

Remember that this a fairly common problem and it is not actually harmful to your dog but it is a dirty habit that can be treated.

 

How to stop a cat from peeing on your rugs…


When a cat stops using the litter box, there’s always a reason. Your first impulse could be to shout at the cat, but remember that will just frighten and confuse your cat. Despite common belief, cats are not vengeful, and they  are not going outside his box to get revenge. We always want to end positively with our animals. So if mistakes happen and you can catch them or you see them on the carpet, put them on the litter and if they go, use praise.
In turn we need to analyzed and understand what may have triggered this change from your cat using to the litter to not using the litter, such as adding another cat, loosing a cat, declawing your  cat, or something terrorizing them may have inadvertently caused the problem.
Remember the longer the behavior persists, the more likely it is to become habit. If you have more than one cat, you may want to use a color stain to see what cat is going where.  Your vet can give you a special non-toxic stain given by mouth that will show up in the urine( if you want).
Since there is a type of surface upon which your cat eliminates soft rugs or tile you can modify your litter to match it. If she likes soft surfaces like carpeting, buy a softer, finer litter, and put a carpet remnant in her box. If your cat likes tile then put tile in the litter box with some litter over it.
Make sure your litter boxes  have a 360-degree view. This will give them confidence while they are in the box and make them less prone to ambush. Also, place the box so that he has more than one way out (i.e. don’t have the box surrounded on three sides). Finally, place multiple boxes in multiple locations to give your cat more options.
Cats may dislike the litter you use, especially if you’ve recently and suddenly changed brands. If you must switch brands, do so gradually, adding more of the new litter to the old with each cleaning. Most cats prefer their litter unscented, and an inch or two deep.
Finally, give as many boxes as there are cats in the house—plus one.This decreases competition and gives each cat a box of their own. This great for the cats and make sure that where their litter  stays it is in a calm, quiet and safe place.
If the dog scares your cat and they were in the litter, the litter can be seen as negative now and they wont use it. If your cat was declawed the feeling of harsh litter can also be a huge reason they are not using the litter. Finally the main reason besides sudden changes in the household is medical reasons.
If your cat has suddenly  stopped using their litter look to see if they are having trouble urinating or crying while urinating. This could be a UTI (urinary track infection). Common in male cats and something your vet needs to take care of. Also if your cat has a history of kidney or liver disease that can cause them to consume more water and thus pee more.
Finally spraying can be the last culprit. Even though unspayed cats are usually the one to spray 10% of neutered males and 5% of spayedfemales can spray. Spray is usually on vertical objects and can begin due to multiple cats in the home or feral cats outside.
Cats not using the litter is a hard and common battle but if you can pin point why your cat is uncomfortable then the solutions get easier.
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How do you know when to progress with training new tricks?


If your dog is emitting sit on the first approximation (first time) you ask for it, move on to the next behavior. Down can be difficult for some dogs so work slowly. First ask your dog to sit say good (or any positive word) then reinforce that. With your dog still sitting get another treat say the word down and move your treat down to floor. if your dog moves his head downward take that, say good and reinforce. Now do it again but move your hand further down if your dog leans down further reinforce that. Now the next time when you start bringing your hand down to floor, say down and move your hand away from the dog on the floor. If he starts crawling down to get the treat, say good and reinforce that. This is called using small approximations or steps to get desired results. Dont expect your dog to just lay down. lean him down through positive reinforcement. I know some dogs just seem to get “down” but this method is great for dogs who just need more guidance. Remember also to always end on a positive. If your dog has improved at all after a few sessions stop and give them a play. Then after some time start again. Your dog will learn down in a day if you work on it in small positive steps. Anytime you dog doesn’t do what you want, ignore the behavior and ask again. Reinforce only improvements!!

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How to Stop a Puppy From Biting


To solve a puppy biting issue I use a method called redirection. Puppies have a natural instinct to nibble, bite and eat objects and/or body parts ( fingers, toes, hair etc). So how do you stop a behavior that teething puppies have such a strong want? You redirect!! When puppies play with other puppies one way they know the play is too rough is when a puppy yelps. The puppies are startled and will actually stop playing . This can also be used in training. When your puppies nibbles on your fingers or toes , give a high-pitched yip. This is one way to let your puppy know that hurt and play needs to stop. However if your puppy is still nibbling away redirect their behavior with a toy. Let your dog know that chewing toys gets praise and biting fingers gets negative responses. Since puppies will need to bite this will be a long process but you will realize how nice it is that your dog bites his toys instead of you or wires.
Once again if you cannot supervise your puppy around wires, shoes etc. limit their space.

There are also sprays to discourage biting but remember to always be behavioral so if you use sprays also use the training techniques as well.

Biting can be solved by redirecting biting to a toy. Saying no or yelping when the puppy bites you and supervision if puppy bites wires or shoes so you catch them in the act and can redirect.

Puppy biting is also temporary but you don’t want the puppy to mature and have the play, soft biting escalate to aggression or aggressive playing.

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Pulling on the Leash (Part 2)


Today, we will discuss the behavioral aspects of pulling and straining on a leash.

We will be using positive reinforcement training so bring some treats with you on your walk. When you begin the walk don’t get your dog overly excited especially when you know you are battling with leash pulling.

Be calm and head outside. Now your dog probably is already pulling. Be patient!!! If your dog knows basic obedience training use it if they don’t start your dog on a program of sit, down, stay and come. Now that you are outside do not move your feet if your dog is pulling. It is so important to never give in to the pull . Best thing to do is not move until they stop or change your direction in walking . If your dog responds to any of these changes reinforce that behavior . The purpose of this is to keep your dog on his toes. You’re the leader and your dog should follow you. Once again reward small improvements, don’t expect to see miracles in a day but if you expect and anticipate small changes to occur you will be excited with the results. The more confidence you begin to have it will translate to your dog . Also remember if you have a large breed dog make sure to also give them a lot of exercise!! If they go for runs or to a dog park and release energy you will notice your dog walks will start becoming more behavioral and your dog will be less hyper active . I love when I start walking dogs and in the middle of the walk ask them to come closer and do a little sit and down behavior. I reward all these behaviors and it builds a great bond with my clients and myself.

There is never just one way of fixing leash pulling problems but collectively if you get the best leash , train your dog in basic obedience, give them exercise, and be the leader walks will become such a positive fun part of your day with your dog .

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