Monthly Archives: September 2021

Dogs, The Pet Professionals

Dog training

Dogs are intelligent animals, and mental stimulation is essential for them to lead a happy, and healthy life.

With the kids being back at school and the family spending less time at home, why not invest some time in teaching your dog a new trick?

Learning is a great way to stimulate your dog’s cognitive abilities and it can be a wonderful bonding experience between you and your pet.

That said, we leave you with our top five tips to help you train your dog!

 

#1: Setting up

Before you start:

Choose a quiet place to train your dog where you won’t be interrupted and where there are little or no distractions.

Gather all the materials needed for your training session (treats, objects, clicker, etc.).

Make sure that you’re relaxed and that you have time. If you are annoyed for some reason, if your mind is wandering, or if you’re in a rush, this can create a negative experience for your dog. If this is the case, it may be best to skip the training session.

Now that you have everything prepared, you can get your dog!

 

#2: Start small

You may want to teach your dog to navigate an obstacle course, but if you have never trained your dog before, make sure to start with more simple commands (such as sit, for example), which are easier to learn. This way, your dog will familiarise themselves with the process, and it will be easier to move on to more difficult tricks.

Another thing that helps is to keep training sessions short so that neither you nor your dog becomes tired or frustrated if the progress is not happening as fast as you were expecting.

 

#3: Break it down

Let’s go back to the obstacle course idea. Imagine that the course is comprised of three obstacles: a tunnel, a ramp and 10 weave poles, and that you want your dog to go through these in a set order. For your dog to complete these three obstacles in succession, they first need to learn to go through them individually and then you can build up from there.

 

#4: Imitation

Did you know that dogs are great copycats? If your dog is struggling to learn something, seeing another dog complete the same exercise may help them understand what is expected better.

 

#5: Rewards

Rewards are key in the process of learning, as rewarding a behaviour makes it more likely to be repeated. Rewards can take many forms depending on your dog’s personality – they can be food treats, praise or even toys. Make sure that you know which one your dog prefers to keep them motivated.

If your dog is doing something that was not intended, do not punish or yell at them. They can associate training with a negative experience, which will have a detrimental impact on results. Instead, ignore what they are doing and try again another time.

 

We hope you have fun teaching your dog something new these coming days! If you feel that they are struggling to learn something new, take a step back and try to figure out how you can break the task down into more manageable stages.

Be patient and good luck!

Would you like to know more about dogs? Check our Canine Courses:

Canine courses

 

Cats, Dogs, The Pet Professionals

Improving mealtimes for older pets

As our pets grow older, they go through a significant number of changes. They may not enjoy moving as much, they may lose some sharpness to their senses, and they may suffer from chronic conditions such as kidney disease, osteoarthritis or diabetes.

Keeping an eye out for these changes is very important as our pets can have a dip in their quality of life as time goes on. However, there are some things we can do to enhance their comfort at home, one of which is improving their eating experience.

Eating is one of the most important daily activities, and senior animals often find themselves not enjoying their mealtimes as much. This can lead to a significant decrease in their calorie intake, causing them to lose weight.

Here are some tips on how to ensure your golden oldies have a five-star gourmet experience every day:

Switch to a diet appropriate for their age

Usually, cats are considered seniors at around ten years of age, while dogs vary between seven for larger breeds and nine for smaller breeds. At these ages, consider changing their food to a special senior formulation.

There are plenty of options made specifically for senior pets, and therapeutic diets that help with a number of health problems. These formulations contain all the nutrients that they need to support age-related conditions such as lowered immune systems, achy joints, and kidney disease. They also have the right texture and shape for pets who can no longer smell or chew so well.

Improve palatability

Improving palatability may take a little trial and error, but it can be very rewarding for you and your pets.

Try to offer novel food textures such as soft wet food, which can help if your pet has pain chewing, or change the brand and flavour of their meals.

Offering smaller portions throughout the day and introducing exciting food puzzles are also quick changes you can implement to great effect.

Pouring a little water or salt-free broth on dry kibble and gently heating it in the microwave improves aroma, which can compensate for any loss of smell.

Be mindful of their limitations

Osteoarthritis, muscular weakness or painful chronic conditions all make bending down harder. If you spot your pets struggling to reach their food, place the bowl a little higher so that eating is more comfortable for them.

Golden oldies who no longer hear or see very well may also feel disoriented in busy spaces and may struggle to find their food. Keeping their bowls in an easily accessible, comfortable and quiet room can do wonders for them!

Ask your vet for help

Every pet is different, and sometimes it can be pretty challenging to get an older pet, especially one with concurrent health conditions, to eat what they need to stay healthy.

If you find yourself struggling with this or have any questions on how to improve your furry friend’s quality of life, do not hesitate to contact your vet.