10 things to avoid when feeding your cat

1. A vegetarian diet. Cats are carnivores, they need nutrients that can only be found in meat.
2. Milk and other dairy products. Cats are lactose intolerant, so a lot of milk can create a lot of discomfort.
3. An excess of food. Keeping the food bowl full can lead to overeating and obesity.
4. All dry kibble. They have a very low thirst drive so a moist diet can prevent urinary and kidney disorders.
5. Too much liver in their diet can cause a vitamin A toxicity.
6. Though most cats really like it, canned tuna can cause mercury poisoning.
7. Onions, garlic and chives can break down a cat’s red blood cells, leading to anemia.
8. Grapes and raisins cause kidney failure in cats.
9. Caffeine and chocolate can be lethal to a cat.
10. Foods containing xylitol and other artificial sweeteners can cause blood sugar to drop and liver failure.

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Counter Surfing

Counter surfing is an undesirable and dangerous habit that some dogs are very good at. A variation of the regular “leave it” command works well for this. Begin with really tasty treats in your pocket and a lesser treat up on the counter. When your dog looks at the counter say “leave it” in your normal training voice, the dog is not in trouble. When he looks away or towards you say “yes” and feed him a delicious treat from your pocket. Slowly move the treat closer to the edge of the counter as you step farther away from it. Every time your dog looks away, reward him. Continue until you can step into the next room and have him leave it. Then increase the value of the “leave it”. Go from a dry cookie up to something delicious like ham, that can hang over the edge. If you want to really test the dog, set up a walkie talkie on the counter next to the “leave it”, then leave the house and spy on the dog. Say “leave it” into the walkie talkie, if the dog moves away then rush back in and reward the pup.

Once you are comfortable with things up on the counter, start the same process for lower surfaces like coffee and end tables.

If you are still having trouble with your pup surfing, then you can call us in for a home consultation

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Dachshund

Dachshunds originated in Germany a few hundred years ago, they were bread to hunt badger. Dachs means badger and hund means dog in German.

Despite its small size, Dachshunds dare to go into burrows after martens and weasels. In the early 1900’s a smaller “mini” dachshund was bread to hunt for smaller hares. They have a cheerful nature and are widely popular as a companion, a watchdog and a family dog.

Dachshunds received the nick name “sausage dog”, “weiner dog” or “hotdog” after a cartoon by an American in the early 1900’s depicted this dog inside a hotdog bun.

They are classified into 2 sizes, the standard (15 to 30lbs and 8 to 11 inches tall) and the miniature (less than 12lbs and 6 to 9 inches tall). The dachshund has a body twice as long as its height. They are very low to the ground and have a very long body. This long body can lead to severe back issues. Their front paws are usually large and paddle-shaped, for extreme digging. They have a long pointy face with long pendant ears.

The coat comes in 3  variations: smooth, long and wire haired. They have a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be single-colored, single-colored with spots "dappled", and single-colored with tan points plus any pattern. Dachshunds also come in piebald (a white pattern is imposed upon the base color) and brindle. The dominant color is red, the most common along with black and tan. The smooth- haired Dachshund is easy to take care of with occasional baths and brushing, the long-haired need to be brushed daily, while wire-haired need to be professionally groomed. They need no special exercise, but mustn’t be allowed to jump off any high surfaces such as beds or chairs in order to avoid damaging their long back and short legs. 

They are fairly trainable with patience and consistency but will always have a loud “voice” that makes them great guard dogs. Because of their personality and use as hunters of small animals there is some argument as to whether they should be a part of the terrier or hound group.  Either way they are quite courageous and humorous, they are natural burrowers, they like to dig and chase, have lots of stamina and determination.