Dog Training

More dogs are euthanized for bad behavior than are euthanized for illness. This means when a little puppy comes to the vet clinic for vaccines, it is as important to discuss biting, potty training, and barking as it is to discuss parvo, distemper, and rabies. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough time to do justice to all this material in one regular vet visit.

To ensure that pet families have help with training, I recommend books, videos, and local behaviorists to help. Among those I’ve traditionally recommend are the Monks of New Skete, Ian Dunbar, & Patricia McConnell. Now, there’s another behaviorist to add to this list: Cindy Scott. Cindy provides training classes and in-home consultations in Southern California, and she’s put the basics of her approach in a delightful e-book: The Zen Chien.

Cindy wasn’t just born knowing how to shape behavior, she’s had formal education, and lifetime of experience with an in-house circus. These days, she & her husband are down to three rings: 4 dogs, 2 kids, and 1 cat. Good things will happen when you read The Zen Chien—you’ll enjoy yourself and you’ll find the intelligent, calm, effective tactics you need to train your dog.

Cat Activity, Cat Sleep, Cat Play

What we think cats do every day is not what they are doing. Surprise! They aren’t sleeping. Video records of 50 cats show that they spend most of their time looking out the window and hanging out with other pets. Cats are watching TV, looking at DVDs and playing with toys and climbing and hiding as much as they are sleeping or eating.

Here is a breakdown of how cats spend their time while we’re away:

22% looking out windows
12% being with other animals
7% climbing
6% looking at TV, computer or DVDs
6% hiding under tables
6% sleeping
5% playing with toys
4% eating
2% relaxing in sink or tub
30% other—leave that to your imagination.