Just like adult cats, kittens are naturally nocturnal creatures. They instinctively are more active at night.  This can create problems between you and your new feline friend that has not yet adapted to your preferred sleeping and waking schedule. If your kitten is extra vocal at night, here are some reasons why and tips to help stop the excessive crying at night. 1. Boredom and loneliness Kittens have much more energy than adult cats. If your kitten is bored or lonely, it may just be looking for someone to play with. Sometimes adopting two kittens can alleviate night time crying because they will spend the night playing with each other. 2. Hunting Your kitten may be practicing pouncing and hunting prey. Some kittens and cats are just noisy hunters. A kitten may vocalize when it sees movement or a toy that looks like prey, or meow when it catches and attacks its prey. 3. Chatty kitty Some kitties are just chatty, and more prone to verbalizing. This tendency is definitely cuter during the day. 4. Anxiety If you have just brought home your kitten, the crying at night may be anxiety related. Once your kitten starts to feel more comfortable in your home, it may quiet down. Providing your kitten with its own bed, scratching post, and toys can help it feel at home. 5. Uknowingly rewarding the behavior Think about how you are responding to the crying to determine if you are in fact rewarding and training your kitten to cry at night. For example, if you feed your kitten early in the morning as soon as the crying starts, then you are training your kitten to cry by rewarding the behavior. Instead of getting out of bed and immediately feeding your kitten, do something else first. This way your kitten will not associate you getting out of bed with food. More tips to stop a kitten's nighttime crying Re-direct your kitten's attention, so they will not have the time or inclination to cry. Making your kitten tired is one way to accomplish this so it will sleep more at night. Before going to bed, enjoy some play time. Get your kitten to jump, run, and pounce with a feather toy or laser light for 20 to 30 minutes before bed. This will make your kitten tired and ready for bed at the same time as you. Also, leave out new toys at night for your cat to quietly play with in another room, ideally a room far away from your bedroom. Lastly, for some kittens who are just nighttime talkers, you may need to keep them in another room at night so you can sleep in peace and quiet. Feature image credit    

Although maybe not as common as “sit” or “stay”, the “back up” command can be equally as useful. Think of all the instances that your dog has innocently gotten in the way; or the times your dog was investigating something you’d rather them not? By teaching your dog to back up, you’ll be able to have them back away from an open door, a busy kitchen, and other people or dogs.   As with any other trick, all you need to begin training is your dog and a handful of treats (and your clicker if you choose to train this way).   Step 1: Face your dog and take a few steps away from them. Step 2: Tell your dog to back up, and step toward them. Some dogs will naturally take a few steps back, whereas others may need more encouragement. If that’s the case, continue moving towards them and lean your body forward.   Note: If your dog is moving away rather than stepping backwards, try training in a narrow area, such as a hallway, so that your dog’s movements will be constricted with no other way to go but backwards.   Step 3:  Once your dog takes those few steps back, reward them with a treat and/or click. Step 4: Once your dog understands that stepping back equals a reward, try the command without stepping towards your dog.   Step 5: Practice makes perfect! Don’t forget to reinforce your dog’s cooperation with treats/clicks.   With the back up command under your belt, you’ll finally have room to load the dishwasher without your dog crowding the space!   image credit   feature image credit

As dog owners, there are countless of times that you wish your lovable pooch could speak to you and tell you what they want or need. Needing to go to the bathroom is no exception. As much as we would love for them to approach us as say "excuse me, can you let me outside to use the bathroom," we just have to settle for them sitting by the door or barking as a signal that toilet time is approaching. But imagine if there was a clear cut signal you could teach your dog, so no matter where in the house you are you'd know your dog needs to go outside - and little accidents can be easily avoided. Well, there is. You simply teach your dog to ring a bell-and it's much easier to achieve than you think.   Introduce the bell Introducing your dog to the bell is the first step in training. Hang the bell from a hook or tack near the door frame on the opening side. You can also hang the bell from the doorknob, whichever approach works is fine. Introduce your dog to the bell by holding a treat next to it and ringing the bell at the same time.   Associate the bell with outside As you are teaching your dog to go outside to potty and which door grants access to the outdoors, associate the bell with this action. Every time you take your dog outside, show it the bell. Make sure to ring the bell (either yourself or using its paw) to associate the action and its resulting sound with going outside to potty.   Be consistent It is important that every time you are taking your dog outside you stop to ring the bell. If you don't ingrain this process in the dog's mind each time, it isn't likely to remember to ring the bell itself when it needs to go outside. With some consistency, you should begin to hear that bell as your dog needs to get outside. When you do, make sure to praise your dog for using the bell and let them out immediately.   Keep trying If your first approach to training your dog to ring the bell doesn't work, consider this alternative method. Begin by smearing some cheese, peanut butter, or other treat on the bell. If your dog notices the treat and touches the bell, praise it and offer more treats. Repeat this so your dog knows that touching the bell results in a treat. To transfer that positive association with the bell to the ability to get outside, you can move to the final step of opening the door.   With your dog watching, open the door and drop some treats on the ground outside while your dog watches. Then close the door and encourage the dog to ring the bell. If your dog rings the bell, open the door immediately and let it outside to retrieve the treats. With consistency and repetition, you'll be surprised how quickly your dog catches on to this trick. More importantly, accidents will become a thing of the past. Feature image credit

  Every dog owner knows what it is like to return home to a pup that has been awaiting their arrival after a long day at work. The moment that door flings open, your best friend is sitting there with an anxious look on its face. Their tail might be wagging 100 MPH, the ears pinned back, and its front paws barely able to stay on the floor as it braces to jump up and give you a warm welcome. During this reunion with your pup, is it simply excited to see another person in its environment, or is this reaction uniquely for you as the owner because the dog recognizes your face? It begs the question: can a dog actually recognize human faces? A study conducted four years ago, and published in the journal Animal Behavior, found that dogs do have the capacity to recognize the face of their human owners in person. In the study, a dog was placed in a sterile room with no distractions or toys to excite the animal. The experiment began with the dog's owner and another individual entering the room, crisscrossing their paths several times in front of the dog, and then exiting the room through two separate doors. The scientists following the dog's head and eye movement found that most of the dogs participating in the study fixed their gaze on the movement of their owners. When the owner and the other individual had departed, the dogs were then allowed free movement in the room. Again, the vast majority of dogs would move toward the door their owner had exited through, sitting in front of (or near) it waiting for their owner to return. In order to establish the importance of facial recognition, the scientists had the owner and another individual repeat their movements through the room wearing a bag over their heads to disguise their faces. During this phase, the dogs involved in the experiment paid less attention to their owners. The eye and head movement of most dogs was random and, in many cases, the dogs spent equal time watching the movements of both individuals. The only question that remained regarding dogs and facial recognition was whether or not they could recognize their owners' faces when they did not see them in person. Could a dog recognize a simple image of its owner's face? A new study from December 2013 suggests that dogs can indeed recognize their owner's face in an image alone. The new eye-movement study was conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland. The study tracked the eye movements of thirty one participant dogs. The animals were shown images of human faces, as well as the faces of other dogs, on the screen in front of them. The scientists leading the experiment found that dogs would fix their gaze on the face of their owners for longer periods of time compared to the faces of strangers. Another not so shocking finding from the study revealed that dogs fixed their gaze for the longest period of time on the face of other dogs. The thirty one participants all gazed at images of other dogs, from the same house or unknown dogs, for longer periods of time than their human owners' faces. Then again, any dog owner knows how fixated their dog becomes when another dog has the nerve to waltz through the yard, so this fact shouldn't come as a surprise.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if your dog knew how to open the door to let themselves outside in the mornings? Guide dogs are taught this skill as a necessity, but with a bit of training it is quite possible for any dog to become a door opening extraordinaire.   There are a number of methods to teach door opening – one of the most effective is to use the humble post-it note.   Image Credit   The first step is to get your dog to learn that touching the post-it note is a great idea. Hold it in your hand and show it to your dog and say ‘Door’. When they sniff or paw at it, give them a treat immediately. With some persistence your dog will get the idea bumping the post-it note leads to yummy things.   The next step is to stick the note onto a door. Your dog should see the note and go to tap it to get their reward. Even if the door barely moves, give them a reward and make a great fuss.   To move closer to your dog actually fully opening the door, withhold the treat until your dog pushes the door harder – let them try tapping twice, opening the door farther, before you give them their biscuit. Gradually increase the amount your dog has to push the door before they get what they are after.   Once your dog has learnt opening, the next step is to teach closing. Allow your dog to push open the door and give them a reward. Then direct their attention to the post it note you have placed on the other side.   Image Credit   Dogs are great pattern learners. Repeating ‘tap post-it’, ‘walk through door’, then ‘turn and tap post-it’ should cement the idea in their mind with persistence.   When your dog has mastered that pattern it is time to make things a bit more difficult once again. Start to cut down the post-it, so it gets smaller and smaller, until there is nothing left of it for your dog to see at all. This will teach your dog to associate the action with the door itself rather than a square of paper.   Now your dog can push a door open and shut it is time for the challenge of handles. Some handles are going to be impossible for your dog to master – round knobs for example. However any kind of handle you can tie a piece of rope to that will open it with a tug such as a long metal handle are entirely conquerable.   Image Credit   This part of training is going to be lots of fun. Using the rope play tug of war with your pup until they see the cloth and think “I need to grab and pull”. Next it is time to tie to your door handle and encourage them to tug, helping by waving the end of the rope around if necessary. If you dog tugs even just a little reward them. Practice getting your dog to tug the rope enough for the handle to drop and open the door.   Once you have that down, it is time to put it all together! As with all training practice makes perfect. Repeat consistently tugging the rope, pushing the door open then pushing it shut until your dog can do it on autopilot. Pretty soon you will never have to jump out of bed early on a weekend to let them outside again!    Image Credit   Feature Image Credit   

It can be like a scene from Jaws. You can imagine the music playing in the background as you walk down the dark hallway, or near furniture where it could be lurking underneath. Just as you think you've made it safely passed, it springs from its hiding place and latches onto your legs. This isn't done with playful kitten joy, but with seemingly vicious intent to draw blood.   If you know this scene all too well, then you live with a cat that attacks without provocation. Some cats may turn on you when you are petting them. They may seem relaxed and happy one moment and then angry and fierce the next, leaving you with a bloody hand.   There are several reasons why a cat acts out with unprovoked aggression. Understanding the cause can help you decide how to work on solving this feline behavior problem.   Health issues A cat that is sick for any reason may have a sudden personality change. A once sweet and affectionate cat may now be aloof and aggressive. A cat with an injury may attack when you touch a spot that hurts. Take your cat to the veterinarian to find out if there is a medical reason for your cat's behavior.     Lack of socialization Kittens that are not handled regularly by people at a young age grow up to be cats that don't know how to properly socialize with people. This can turn into aggression because they may fear people or just don't know how to properly interact with people.   Territorial behavior The cat may be protecting its territory from intrusion. In such cases, the cat has not accepted humans as friends. They see people as enemies who are encroaching on their territory.   Hyperesthesia Hyperesthesia is a recognized anxiety disorder in cats. Cats with hyperesthesia are overly sensitive to any touch along the spine and tail. When pet down the back, they may have muscle spasms, become aggressive, or even appear to hallucinate. Experts do not completely understand this condition, but two theories are that it is a type of seizure disorder or a form of obsessive compulsive disorder.   How to stop a cat that attacks If your cat's aggression is not caused by a medical condition, then you can take steps at home to help your cat feel more comfortable around people. Make sure your cat has a retreat area where it can hide, feel safe, and take a break from people. A covered cat bed or tall cat tree works well as a kitty retreat. When your cat is in this space, leave it alone. Spend time with your cat feeding it favored cat treats. Feed the treats while petting to help your cat associate petting with good things. Don't ever hit or yell at your cat, as this will only reinforce their fear and aggressive behaviors.   If you have tried all these things at home and your cat is still aggressive, then ask your veterinarian for help. Your vet can prescribe medications to help with cat behavior problems. A veterinarian can also recommend a cat behaviorist who can come to your home and give you more advice that is specific to your individual cat's personality and behavior.

There is no feeling more frustrating than trying to silence a dog that is barking excessively. Excessive barking can occur in a number of situations for various reasons. One common instance of excessive barking occurs when visitors come to your home. The doorbell rings and your dog launches into a barking tirade that it seems will never end. Another example would be excessive barking as a sign of stress during separation from an owner.   Regardless of the scenario, there are steps you can take to help prevent your dog from barking excessively. The keys to succeeding in this process are patience and consistency. Remember, it is important to be firm, but reasonable when training your dog. It is not going to help the situation to get carried away. Also, your dog won't learn in just one training session. It will take consistent training to change its behavior.   Don't yell A common reaction to excessive barking from many owners is to yell "shut up" at the dog. Remember that your dog is an animal, not a human. It has no idea what the words "shut up" mean. In fact, you are only reinforcing the barking when you raise your voice because the dog thinks that by yelling loudly you are joining in on the barking.   Instead, use a soft, but firm voice with the command "quiet." You can get your dog to understand the action you want along with the word "quiet" through training. When your dog is barking, use a firm tone and tell them "quiet." Wait for them to stop barking naturally (even if it's a few seconds to take a breath), and when they do reward them with praise and a treat.   This will help your dog associate the term "quiet" with a calm attitude and teaches them that listening to that command results in a treat.   Ignore your dog If your arrival home after running errands or a long day of work gets your dog worked up into a barking frenzy, the best thing you can do is ignore your dog. The barking is a cry for attention from your dog. If you make eye contact or physically reward that behavior with affection then you are teaching your dog that it is not only OK to bark, but that it will get what it wants from doing so.   When you come home, walk past your dog and make no contact with it until the barking stops. Pay close attention though, because the moment your dog stops barking is when you should give them affection and attention as a positive reward for being calmer and quieter.   Desensitize and prepare your dog With time and effort, you can also desensitize your dog to the stimuli that bring on excessive barking. If the front door and doorbell are a particular problem, work to desensitize your dog to these stimuli. Start by having your dog sit and stay in a particular spot where they can see the door, but are not near it. Move towards the door and make contact with it, making sure your dog stays.   If it stays put, reward your dog for that behavior. Gradually work your way up to turning the knob, opening the door, and having someone stand outside the door. At each stage, your dog should be trained to stay put. Expect setbacks at times, especially when you progress to having an individual outside the door or ringing the doorbell. Remain consistent with praise and treats, as well as corrections.   In the case of separation anxiety, a good way to prevent excessive barking is to prepare your dog. A tired dog is a happy dog; and a happy dog doesn't bark excessively. If you are going to be gone for long periods of time, find the time in the morning to take your dog for a walk to release its energy before leaving. This will help your dog settle in for the day and avoid excessive barking in your absence. Feature image credit

Human beings express a range of emotions using various physical movements and expressions. As a human, you can show your happiness with a smile, or express your displeasure by frowning. You can take a tall, stiff stance with your body to display aggression, or reveal disbelief by rolling your eyes. Although it may be hard to believe, your dog possesses many of the same skills when it comes to communicating without language. Dogs will bark to express excitement, nervousness, or anger, and can also use body language to communicate. However, did you realize that your dog can also use its eyes to communicate with you?     It is already well-known that wolves and dogs are social animals that rely on a pack to live a mentally healthy, happy lifestyle. Living in a pack requires various forms of communication, from tail wags and barks to general body language. A team of scientists from Japan has recently discovered that canines may also use their eyes to communicate with one another. The team found that wild canines (gray wolves, fennec foxes, and bush dogs) all gazed at each other with the same frequency, but that gray wolves held their gaze for much longer periods of time. Gray wolves even used various gazes to differentiate between play and aggression. Canines, such as wolves, have a higher level of contrast in their eyes and are likely to rely on that contrast to determine what other dogs (and people) are looking at while gazing around their environment.   The link between gazes and eye shape has a long way to go in order to establish a firm connection, but there are already a few well-known gazes that domestic dogs use to communicate (sometimes indirectly) to humans their mood. A domestic dog can, with some limits, vary the shape and size of its eyes. Additionally, a dog can adjust the intensity and direction of its gaze. Your domesticated dog can give you clues to its mood through its eyes. A happy dog, for instance, will exhibit eye shape and size that is normal. If your dog normally has round eyes, that normal appearance indicates that your dog is happy and relaxed at the moment.   If, on the other hand, your dog's eyes appear larger than normal this could be a sign of aggression. When your dog's eyes appear smaller, this is usually a sign of stress or fear. An example of an aggressive cue is when your dog stares at you out of the corner of its eye. This often serves as a sign that it is ready to aggressively defend a chew toy or bowl of food.   Did you also know the direction of your dog's gaze sends messages too. Dogs will rarely gaze directly at one another because it is a sign of aggression. However, many domestic dogs will look directly at humans. The key is to decipher the different stares you might encounter. A dog that looks at you with a relaxed facial expression is likely happy and simply wants to interact with you.   If, however, the dog is staring directly at you with a tense facial expression is sending a different message. This dog feels threatened or aggressive and the best way to handle that is to slowly avert your gaze. Averting your gaze shows that you have no aggression toward the animal and can help diffuse the situation. Feature image credit  

What can you do when there are other cats in your garden - and you don't want them there! Cats are experts at climbing fences, gates, trees and squeezing through small gaps. Trying to keep your neighbour’s or other uninvited cats out of your garden may seem like an impossible task, but there are measures you can take to keep them out.  It’s more than likely other cats have noticed yours and simply want to interact, but you don’t want to risk any aggressive behavior between the cats. The aim is to deter other cats from entering your garden without interfering with your own cat’s enjoyment and comfort.   Both male and female cats are territorial. Unfamiliar or uninvited cats in your garden can cause your cat to feel stressed and upset, and may even lead to fights and injuries. If the intruding cat is not known to you, uncertainty about the cat’s health and their vaccination status is a big concern. Also, if your cat becomes scared or is chased by the other cat, they may escape the garden and be exposed to the dangers of traffic or become lost.   Neighbourhood visitors If the intruder is a neighour’s cat, you should discuss the situation with your neighbor. They may not be aware that their cat is making themselves at home - at YOUR home! When you approach your neighbour be polite, friendly and collaborative and they will hopefully want to solve the problem just as much as you do.   If you can, observe what time the intruding cat arrives, what they do and how long they stay. Dawn and dusk are the times when cats are most active and are inclined to roam and hunt. All cats should be kept indoors during these hours, including yours. If the intruding cat is coming at a regular time each day, ask your neighbour to keep their cat indoors at that time.   You could also negotiate with your neighbour different times for your cats to be outside so that their cat is not tempted to visit your cat and vice versa. For example, they may let their cat outside for a few hours in the morning whilst yours is indoors, and your cat could be allowed outside during the afternoon.   If you think your intruder may be a stray or lost and it is tame and approachable, try capturing it and taking it to your local animal shelter. If the cat is very frightened, aggressive or you suspect that it is feral, call your local shelter or animal control organisation to capture the cat.   Removing temptation Desexing (spaying or neutering) will reduce a cat’s temptation to roam but will also reduce their attractiveness to other cats, particularly males.   Don’t leave any food for your cat in the garden, instead keep their food bowl indoors. Any cat that is spending time outside should be provided with ample fresh water.   Make sure your family and neighbours are not feeding the intruding cats and therefore encouraging them into the area and to your garden.   Ensure the lids on your garbage bins are tightly secured and that any garbage can't be easily accessed by a hungry cat.   Discouraging and scaring the intruding cat Water: Cats dislike water. When you see the uninvited cat, spray it with a water pistol or a garden hose on a gentle setting. After a few sprayings they should be deterred from coming back. If you are not going to be home, you can use a motion-sensing water sprinkler or a sprinkler on a timer. Move the sprinklers around so that the intruding cat doesn’t have a safe area. You’ll need to keep your cat indoors until the other cat no longer returns.   You can purchase ultrasonic alarms that are activated by movement. Again, keep your cat indoors for the entire time it takes the intruding cat to be scared away.   Fencing: Most fences are fairly ineffective when it comes to cats. However, there are a number of solutions you can adopt, just make sure you involve any neighbours who share your fence.   Attach a trellis to your fence to raise the height and block cats from entering.   Smear the tops of your fence palings and railings with Vaseline, petroleum jelly or any other slippery and harmless substance. Cats won't be able to get sufficient grip to climb and stay on. Plastic or metal piping placed along the top of the fence will have the same effect.   Run tight string or wire 10-15cm above the fence along its length so that cats find it difficult to jump up and balance. You could also erect an electric line along the top to discourage climbing and perching.   Strips of plastic spikes can be placed along the tops of fences to prevent cats and birds from walking or perching. Make sure you buy from a recommended and approved seller and check with your local council before laying the spikes in case there are regulations that need to be adhered to.   Plants: Placing prickly plants like cactus and berberis around the inner perimeter of your garden will make cats think twice about jumping down from, or climbing through, the fence. Pine cones or sharp rocks laid around should also do the trick.   A number of plants have scents that cats find unpleasant so will act as deterrents if positioned around the perimeter, leaving the rest of the garden for your cat to enjoy. Plants such as lemon thyme, geraniums, marigolds, lavendar, Coleus canina, pyrethrum and Pennyroyal are disliked by cats. You could also try spraying the essence or oil of lavendar, citrus, lemon thyme, oregano, peppermint on fences, gates or anywhere the cat is accessing your garden. Commercial cat deterrent sprays are also available. You will need to reapply every few days and after rain.   Dogs: Have a friend’s dog stay for a few weeks, or have the dog brought around in the morning and stay in your garden during the day. Keep your cat safely indoors for this period. After being chased away a few times, the intruding cat will think your garden is now a no-go place.  Adopting some of these measures should discourage any unwelcome cat visitors and leave your cat happy, comfortable and safe in your garden. Image credit

It's an easy point to drive home time and again, but bringing home a new puppy has a lot in common with welcoming a human baby into the family. There are a lot of growing pains that puppies and their owners will have to go through as both sides adjust to the new environment in the home. One of the most difficult hurdles to conquer during those early weeks and months is teething.   Puppies, just like human babies, have a set of puppy teeth that grow into place, fall out, and get replaced with full-size adult canine teeth. During this period your puppy is going to be irritable, whiny, and is going to become obsessed with chewing on anything it can get its mouth on. How can you survive teething in your puppy? More important, what can you do to ease its pain during the process?   Why puppies chew Human beings come into this world with poor motor skills and limited sensory capabilities. Children learn by experiencing the world around them. Your puppy is no different, except for the fact that it is born with a strong sense of taste and smell. Puppies naturally experience the world by placing things in their mouth and chewing on them.   By the time your puppy is 12 weeks old, its final puppy teeth will have pushed through the gums and come into place. However, just a few short weeks later your puppy will start losing those teeth. As those teeth begin to fall out, and begin to be replaced by adult teeth, you will likely notice your puppy chewing on anything and everything.   Your puppy isn't doing this to be bad, or even necessarily to experience the world. Your puppy is doing this to relieve the pain of teething. This makes it important for you to be attentive to chewing habits starting around 16 weeks. With a few helpful tips you can protect the valuable items in your household and instill proper chewing habits in your pup at the same time.   Good chewing vs. bad chewing During teething, you are going to notice your puppy chewing on anything it can get its teeth on. Be attentive and watch what your pup is chewing on. When you notice it chewing on a shoe, the leg of furniture, or a TV remote, correct it with a stern "no." Follow that up by providing your pup with a proper chew toy to reinforce that the other item was bad, and this substitute is good/acceptable.   Provide an outlet for chewing The best thing you can do to protect the valuables in your home is provide your pup with plenty of acceptable chew toys. This applies to the life of your pup, but during its teething phase it is even more important. It is going to be chewing randomly throughout the day to relieve the pain associated with teething, so the more toys you have available for it to chew on the better.   Some good ideas for chew toys include rope bones (good for chewing, resistant to wear and tear), Kong toys (hard rubber, resistant to wear and tear), and other toys made with tough rubber that is resistant to wearing down quickly.   Simple remedies When children are teething, most parents offer them something cold to chew on. It helps numb the pain of teething. Your puppy can benefit from the same methods. An inexpensive option is to soak a washcloth in water and stick it in the freezer. Additionally, keep large, chilled carrots handy in the fridge. Give your puppy one of these as a nice treat that can also help sooth sore gums.