DogTime Blogs

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Do dogs sweat?

Dogs have the ability to sweat, but in places that are a little different from humans. Dogs sweat through their pads and feet. Their skin and armpit areas don’t contain sweat glands like ours do. Their main method of ridding themselves from heat, however, is by panting, which is a very different mechanism than what we generally use.
For these reasons, we must take great care to protect our dogs from heat stroke. Dogs with compromised respiration, like bulldogs and pugs, are at a very high risk of easily overheating just because they can’t pant very efficiently.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Pets that urinate when excited

Pets that urinate when excited are submissive urinators. This condition is a physical and behavioral condition. There is little that can be done about physical issues. However, in severe cases, medications can be prescribed to help.

For behavioral modification, try decreasing the excitement around greeting your pet and try to ask strangers to approach your pet quietly with a treat.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Crazy Climbing

As in the wild, cats tend to climb to the highest spots so that they can see everything that is going on. So, it is natural behavior for your cat to want to climb onto the kitchen benches and cupboards. This is not a good idea for cats – cats can transfer dirt and bugs onto the kitchen area, it is difficult to reach the cat if you need to, and you cannot observe its behavior at tall heights. To prevent your cats from climbing, provide it with tall, indoor scratching poles and cat trees and place catnip, treats or toys to encourage it to climb.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Scratching

Cats need scratching posts to help renew their sharp claws. To prevent your cat from scratching at the carpet or furniture, keep tall, carpeted scratching posts near its favorite resting spots. Give positive reinforcement through praises and treats when your cat uses the scratching post. Place plastic covering over the areas you don’t want them to scratch. Eventually your cat will learn where the right places are to scratch.