Featured Articles
Tip – 28 – Dog training – Dog nail cutting – clipping
NAIL CLIPPING
Should the dog show signs of being uncomfortable when clipping its nails, first get it accustomed to its paws being handled by massaging each of its paws for 10 or 15 seconds, until it shows no negative reaction …
Dog Tails – Why Dogs Wag their Tails
“….In some ways, tail-wagging serves the same functions as our human smile, polite greeting, or nod of recognition. Smiles are social signals, and human beings seem to reserve most of their smiles for social situations, where somebody is around to see them. Sometimes, vicarious social situations, as when watching television or occasionally when thinking about somebody special, can trigger a smile. For dogs, the tail wag seems to have the same properties. A dog will wag its tail for a person or another dog. It may wag its tail for a cat, horse, mouse, or perhaps even a butterfly. But when the dog is by itself, it will not wag its tail to any lifeless thing. If you put a bowl of food down, the dog will wag its tail to express its gratitude to you. In contrast, when the dog walks into a room and finds its bowl full, it will approach and eat the food just as happily, but with no tail-wagging other than perhaps a slight excitement tremor. This is one indication that tail-wagging is meant as communication or language. In the same way that we don’t talk to walls, dogs don’t wag their tails to things that are not apparently alive and socially responsive.
A dog’s tail speaks volumes about his mental state, his social position, and his intentions. How the tail came to be a communication device is an interesting story.
Hermit Crabs – Molting
Imagine what it would be like if every time you grew an inch, your skin got so tight that you had to shed it! Our human skin grows with us; however, hermit crabs (a popular exotic pet in recent years) …
Shedding in Cats & Dogs
White hairs are stuck firmly in your favourite black sweater. Balls of hair are on the floor and they remind you of those tumbleweeds seen rolling about in classic cowboy movies. The never-ending battle with your pet’s fur can sometimes …
Acne in Cats – Feline Acne – Pet tip 192
Although many cat owners are surprised when they hear the diagnosis, it’s true; cats can get acne and the condition is aptly called feline acne. Cat owners usually notice that something is going on when they notice small back-heads or …
Hot Spots in Dogs
Also known as acute moist dermatitis, pyotraumatic dermatitis, moist eczema or “summer sores,” hot spots are raised, red, wet and oozing wounds on the skin’s surface that are often self-inflicted by a licking or chewing dog. They can appear and …
Probiotics for Dogs and Cats
“Probiotics” is a general term used to describe bacteria or yeast that may potentially be beneficial to health when supplemented in the diet. Most probiotics used for humans and animals are normal inhabitants of the gut and they are often …
Dogs in Mourning – Pet tip 246
Dogs are extremely sensitive animals and can feel many of the same emotions that humans feel. Although many seasoned dog owners already know this, newer dog owners are often surprised by the depth of some of the emotions that dogs can feel. We all know that dogs can be very happy creatures; their broad wagging tails give them away every time. But dogs are capable of feeling more complex emotions than just happiness. At the other end of the spectrum there is sadness and depression and dogs are capable of feeling these emotions. Perhaps there is no greater testament to this fact then when a dog’s owner or another dog from the household dies
