Pet Animals

How To Manage Your Catnip Plant

My cat, Patches, does a pretty good job of managing his live catnip plant. My other cats ripped their up right away but Patches takes his time with a catnip plant.

At first he just jumps up on the window sill by his plant and takes a few sniffs. Then he lays down in the sun in the window and sleeps awhile. When he wakes up he walks up to it and nibbles a few leaves off and slowly chews them. Then he strolls over to the bed and sprawls out and rolls around some. Then he puts his legs and paws up in the air and rolls around some more. After that he sleeps awhile more. Having had a good snooze he comes out and asks for something interesting to eat. He dines intently, savoring each flavorful bite and then hops up on his favorite chair and sleeps some more. The next time he gets in the window by his plant he ignores it at first He just eyes it some from the corners of his eyes. He lays in the sun and looks down out over the neighborhood and watches the action. Then he walks up and sniffs his plant again then jumps down and runs around some.

A few hours later he sniffs the leaves again and takes a few nibbles off the leaves. He chews slowly while looking out the window again. Then he goes back to the bed for some more sprawling and rolling around. He rolls his eyes all around. Then he swats at the air with his claws protruding. I don’t know what he swats at. It looks to me like there is nothing there but air. Beats me. After he sleeps some more he comes back out to snack on his bowl of dry cat food. It is always there for him. He sleeps some more in his favorite chair with the spongy covered cushion. Afterwords he has a big drink of fresh cold water and has me pet him for awhile. Then he goes back to the sunny window by his catnip.

Patches does a good job of managing his cat nip plant I must say again. My other cats chewed up their plants right away but Patches makes his last. He hits on it only a few times every couple of days. It lasts him several months. He prunes it carefully by nibbling sporadically. I think he really does an impressive job of taking care of his stash. I am proud of him. I couldn’t do better myself.…

Pet Adoption

Training Techniques To Manage A Grown-Up Dog

More and more people are adopting dogs from rescue charities and animal kennels. While this is one great thought that prevents these older dogs from being destroyed or just being unloved, several people are literally taking on a dog which has already had the experience of training and attempting to teach it to obey them using puppy training techniques. With an elder dog there are many factors why you should avoid training your pet in this manner and instead seek the advice of dog behaviors trainers who may help you manage your new pet.

There are a number of factors why puppy training techniques could not be suitable for your older dog:

???Bad experiences with harsh owners can make a dog hesitant and nervous, which could avoid efficient training.

???Several elder dogs have previously been trained according to certain ways and could not respond to new techniques.

???Puppies are generally more open to getting trained, as they lack assertion. Older dogs may be more authoritative and if you lack the willpower to train them, they can choose to ignore you.

???Older dogs have picked up bad behaviors from previous teaching which require careful de-briefing before they can be trained to do something. Teaching these dogs according to puppy training techniques will not solve the problem of already-acquired behavior.

It is typically necessary to bring in expert dog behaviors trainers who will examine the issues of the dog or where more coaching is necessary. If the older dog has had a very negative experience in its past life then it may also need a great deal of specialist love and attention before it is set to be trained. Neglect, abuse and poor living conditions can make a dog nervous, afraid, and even so anxious about being hurt so it growls and bites. Rather than treating the dog as a vicious animal, since it happens in lots of sad cases, it can be a smart idea to take the animal to dog behaviors trainers who can help it to manage its fears better.

If your dog has had a comparatively happy home but now requires re-housing, this can even instigate shock in the pet that can lead to problems. Instead of trying to go back to basics with some training methods that are best proficient to puppies, you must take lessons from the consultants and begin instructing your dog from a position of authority. This will help to confirm that you are always obeyed by your new pet and help avoid any problems in the future with unhealthy conduct.…