Negative Behavior

It's important to first distinguish the difference between urine-marking behavior and house soiling because the solutions differ for these two behaviors. Cats generally mark with urine on vertical surfaces.

Proper training is essential for a long, happy, and safe relationship with your dog, setting the foundation to ensure your dog stays physically fit, mentally alert, socially engaged, and emotionally happy. Remember, training a dog takes time, understanding, patience, and consistency.

There are medical as well as behavioral reasons why cats chew, lick, or eat non-food objects. A kitten, just like a baby, will take everything into her mouth just out of curiosity. It is thought, though not scientifically proven, that an adult cat who persists on chewing and eating a non-food item may be lacking certain nutrients in her diet.

We all know to childproof our homes to keep young children safe, but what about "pet proofing" our homes too? Many edible and non-edible dangers for your pet may exist in or around your home. Knowing about these dangers can help you make your home a safer place for your pet.

You have a demand barker. As soon as you put your dog's toy or treats away, she starts barking. The barking begins when you're on the phone, reading, or having a conversation during dinner. You've tried engaging her in play to satisfy her needs, you've increased her exercise, and still, the barking persists.

Cats love to jump. You would too, it you were a cat! They also like high places where they can view their territory from relative security. Cats are naturally curious, and there are a lot of interesting things on counter tops, including food. A one-time discovery of a food tidbit will become a powerful reinforcer for dozens of future explorations.

Chasing is a natural instinct for a dog, but it is not appropriate behavior in your home when directed toward your cat. The following guidelines can help you deal with this behavior through management (preventing the problem) and training (motivating the dog to change his behavior). Management means arranging the environment to prevent the behavior.

First, it is important to understand the difference between spraying (urine marking) and indiscriminate urination. A cat who is not using the litter box, who is urinating outside of the box, is usually motivated by a different set of circumstances. Urination of this kind is found in the form of a puddle on a horizontal surface. A cat who is spraying will usually urine-mark a vertical surface. This cat's urine will be running down a door or the side of a chair.

You have chosen to include a wonderful friend and companion in your family, a cat. Now, you must accept that a cat has an innate need to use its claws to scratch. Cats will scratch for three reasons. In this article we will cover these reasons, as well as some possible solutions.

A cat who is acting aggressively may be offensively play fighting or she may be defensively protecting herself. How can we know the difference? A cat that attacks, bites, and scratches without warning and does not quit until the human has a fit, is acting offensively. It is acting out predatory play behavior or practicing killing maneuvers on live prey - you!