1. Washing your dog
2. Pet of the Month
3. Cat sprays in the house
4. Breeder Listings
5. Featured Products
6. Classified Ads
7. Ask the Expert
8. Calendar of Events
9. Pets411 Listings
10. In The News
11. The Fine Print

Washing Dogs by David the Dogman

How many times have I heard someone say "Whenever I wash my dog he goes straight out and rolls in the garden and makes himself all dirty again." What about the time when it has been raining and you now take the dog for a walk. What does he do? He aims for a real muddy puddle and rolls in it. How often do I hear folk chastising their dogs for
doing this, but surely we should ask why?

When a dog is washed, we really do wash away his identity. This can cause a dog stress, he does not feel good or indeed natural. He rolls to try to get his identity back.Dogs have many underlying instincts and we must not forget they are hunters by nature. Your on a walk and the horror occurs, your dog rolls in dung.

Keep in mind you may have shampooed him, wow. He does this because his old instinct tells him that to get close to a heard or cattle for the kill, it is better to smell like the heard. This way he can get real close.

David the Dogman
Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.

David is a Canine Behaviourist who works and lives in Marbella, Spain. Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388
David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check chains, or any form of aggression.

Pet of the Month (May) Meet Scooter Name: Scooter City: Lumby Province/State, Country: B.C, Canada Type/Breed: Short haired domestic Date Of Birth: November 2002 Sex: Male Coat Colour: Black and white Eye Colour: Green Can bear children: Yes Click here to view Scooter's Page

Would you like to have a Free webpage for your pet? Maybe your pet will be displayed in Next Month's Issue. Click Here to Begin.

Cat Spraying in the House
by David the Dogman

Cat Spraying in the House

Jane from Estepona writes:
" My 8-year-old cat has started spraying in the house. He was neutered at the proper age, and is an indoor cat. He started spraying about two years ago, at first infrequently, but now it's pretty bad. He is also in good health."

Answer:
Inappropriate elimination is the number one behaviour problem reported to vets by cat owners, with both males and females found to be equally at fault. While it can be caused by a urinary tract infection or illnesses such as colitis, often there's no medical cause, which seems to be the case with your cat.

Often you'll blame yourself or something you must have done for putting kitty off-track.Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Urine marking, or what's typically called "spraying," is an expression of territorial dominance found in both cats and dogs. It's associated with the rubbing of body oils from the chin and tail on favourite objects (and favourite people).

Spraying, however, typically occurs when a cat feels like placing an advertisement that sex is available. It increases during mating season and particularly during "courtship." It's the feline way to send the message "Hey, this is my boudoir - keep out!" Of course, getting your cat neutered will almost always solve this cause of spraying. But it can also happen when a cat feels threatened by an intruder. An indoor cat may see a new neighbourhood cat spraying on
or near the house. Indoor kitty will initiate defensive activity involving spraying and possibly other behaviour such as running to the door, hissing or growling at the window, and obsessively watching the rival. It can also occur when a new cat is introduced into the house. Basically, anything that disturbs the cat's routine and arouses the cat or is perceived as a threat can elicit spraying.

It's important to evaluate what could possibly be causing your cat's stress which is, in turn, causing the spraying. Attempt to determine if any outdoor cats are tormenting your cat. If so, either try and drive the outdoor cat away or block the view of your indoor cat (both of which can be, admittedly, difficult). Think back - is there any household behaviour which may have changed in the past year or two, since the spraying activity began? Any new addition (even a human) to the house hold can cause stress to your cat.

Finally, if spraying seems to be occurring in the same locations, try breaking kitty of going in these areas. Commercial cat repellents, mothballs in cloth bags, orange peels, and rubbing alcohol will all tend to keep kitty away. You can also try setting the cat's food dish near the spot, as cats don't like to soil near their feeding area. You can also try upside-down mousetraps or aluminum foil spread on the floor. Unfortunately, the spraying may just relocate to another part of the house in this instance.

Unfortunately, there's no single cause for spraying and, consequently, no magic cure-all. Careful observation and trial-and-error are the only sure fire solutions. Still, you may at least now have a place to start.
Good luck!

David the Dogman
Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.

David is a Canine Behaviourist who works and lives in Marbella, Spain. Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388
David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check chains, or any form of aggression.

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May's Featured Products

Daisy ID tag

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Your pet will look sharp wearing one of these custom engraved unique tags.

Our price: $12.99 (Canadian)

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To include your classified ad here, simply send us a copy of your ad to newsletter@pets.ca. The cost for your ad is $16.95 for up to 20 words of text (additional words charged at .50/wd). Your ad will be sent out to our full membership registry as well as all future newsletter subscribers.

Question:

My dog used to spend his days with my spouse at work. Since we moved 2 years ago, the dog stays at home. Until last November, he was free in the house, but since he destroyed a few items we decided to crate him. Besides, the neighbors were leaving notes in our mailbox saying that our dog was barking or howling all day. Now that he is in a crate, he still barks and howl for a good part of the day. We tried the citronella spay, then he does not bark but howls all day. I just don't know what to do anymore. At least I know he won't hurt himself while he is in the crate, but still...

Answer:

Your dog sounds as if it's suffering from separation anxiety. Since your spouse no longer takes your dog to work, your dog is objecting by destroying and barking. Your dog can't seem to understand this sudden change in his daily routine so he's gone to the point of being naughty to get some attention.

Putting him in a crate is a good start but you may have to do a few more things to get him to stop what he's doing (or not suppose to be doing).

Being as both of you work during the week days, may I suggest that you try the following:

This coming weekend (or even -- starting tonight), when you're both home, try leaving your dog in his crate for short periods of time during the day. Peek in windows to make sure that he isn't barking. Come back "before" he starts to bark or "before" he starts fussing around in his crate. You want to praise him while he's still being a good boy. If he's behaving himself, add a few more minutes onto the last time you left him, etc., etc.

Make his crate as friendly as possible. Before you leave in the morning, put a "Kong" toy filled with peanut butter (or cheese whiz) with some of his nummy treats mixed in -- into his crate with him. This will keep his mind active for at least a little while.

Leave the radio and/or TV on. If you have an answering machine -- call home -- every so often during the day so he hears your voice.

If you cannot make it home at least once a day, could you possibly have someone come in and let your dog out of his crate? Maybe once mid morning and again mid afternoon? Maybe even have this person take him out for a bit of a walk to stretch his legs? This way, your dog is receiving some human contact until you're able to come home at night.

This will take a lot of patience on everyone's part but you'll be on the road to success. In the end, everyone will be happier!

© Nancy Kitching 2003

Nancy Kitching
Dog Trainer Member of CAPPT, CKC, OKC (Ottawa Kennel Club), and Bytown Obedience Club in Ottawa.
156 Fairhaven
Hudson, Quebec J0P 1H0

Tel: 450-458-3165

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 24 and 25
Obedience, Conformation - CKC
Mountain City Obedience Club in Montreal Quebec
For more information call 450-692-0330

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Tinker's life is the cat's meow

LONDON - It's the stuff of cat dreams: stray finds rich old widow, visits her regularly, and is rewarded with a million-dollar fortune when she dies.

Council OKs cat program

WINDSOR - The city will undertake a year-long test program to catch and spay or neuter feral cats in the west end.

From pets to repairs, what you need to know

Last week, condo lawyer Gerry Hyman clarified some points for buyers of new condos. This week he looks at issues of concern to buyers of both new and resale units.

More articles from Canada and around the world are available here.

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