Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 4 minutes Enriching the environment means providing suitable outlets to meet the needs of a species. One example: Cats have a hard-wired need to hunt and pounce. It’s great that cats are increasingly being kept indoors (they do live longer when indoors only), but we rarely meet their innate needs. Many zoos have a full-time employee whose […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Creating a Fear Free environment for your cat at the veterinary clinic, groomer’s salon, or even at home begins with finding the right motivator (or two or three). Where one cat might cooperate with many indignities if she can have some chicken baby food, another will ignore the noise of a groomer’s salon if she […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Television shows and movies portray every dog and owner relationship as a wonderful, empathic, instantaneous one. A dog in the shelter takes one look at a person searching for a dog, they lock eyes, look deeply into each other’s soul, and immediately have a lifelong bond. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Just like relationships with people, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes You love your golden oldie canine more than anything, but your relationship has changed. He’s not as active as he used to be, and your days of jogging or hiking with him are in the past. Maybe a puppy would revitalize him and give you a new exercise partner. Before you move ahead with that […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When a doorbell rings on a television show or commercial in my sister Karen’s house, her three dogs unleash a chorus of barks and dash to the front door. When a dog pops into view on my high-definition television screen, Kona, my terrier mix, will sometimes trot up for a friendly look-see, give a sniff, […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes Download this infographic that’s packed with tips on how to make your Halloween Fear Free for both you and your pet.
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a saying often repeated by dog trainers to their students, “The leash transmits all of your emotions straight to your dog.” Whether you are worried, afraid, nervous, or confident, your dog will feel that. There’s much more to this, of course, because your dog or cat knows you so well they can sense and […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you are anything like me, you know that social contact can be positive or negative. Your cat feels the same way. One of the best ways to enrich your cat’s life is to spend time together. As little as five minutes, twice a day, can make a big difference for your cat. No one […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Are you helping or hurting your pet by providing comfort? You may have heard that comforting a pet when he’s frightened is the wrong thing to do because it “reinforces” that he’s right to be fearful. I’m here to share the good news with you that this concept isn’t correct. Here’s what to know about […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sound-sensitive dogs benefit from training that conditions a calmer response to perceived noises outside their natural comfort zone. Here’s how to get started. Prep your pooch with positive exposure to sounds. Exposure for exposure’s sake can backfire and increase fear in the future, especially if the dog is forced to face the scary sound scenario […]