The problem with speaking English instead of using made-up words is that we assume our pets know what we mean. We say, “Sit” and expect Fido to drop his derrier, but the command Fido’s learned is “sit, sit, sit, SIT!” Then once he’s done the deed, we praise with “Goodsit,” when just “Good” would do, thinking that Fido understands that “good” modifies the word “sit.” Do we think “Gooddown,” or “Goodstay” would cause him to walk away confused, or that “Goodgirl” would cause a boy bowser to develop a gender identity problem? These minor language misconceptions probably seem moot, however,

Question: I’ve taken in a stray cat that’s about one year old and has been spayed. She’s very affectionate; however, sometimes when I pet her she either bites or scratches me. How can I stop her from doing this? Answer: Have you heard the joke about the patient who visits the doctor? The patient comes in and asks, “Hey Doc. My arm hurts when I lift it like this. What should I do?” The doctor replies, “Don’t do that.” Sounds silly, but the same advice goes here. If your cat bites and scratches when you pet her, don’t pet her.

It’s kitty season – meaning, as usual, there are tons of pregnant female cats and young kittens being relinquished to shelters. Most will ultimately be euthanized but some will be fostered and find good homes. While most foster kitten raisers focus on keeping the kittens medically healthy, the most important factor for keeping kittens in their new home is training and socializing them well. We want them to be outgoing, friendly, and social with many different people and in many different environments. We also want them to learn how to play with toys and learn basic exercises such as “sit” and “come when called.” Here

I just finished teaching a two-day workshop at the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) of Wisconsin. It was 1.5 days of lecture on topics ranging from training animals across species, to the pitfalls of punishment, to the importance of body language and unconscious visual cues that affect a dog’s ability to learn the behaviors you want. This was followed by a 3 hour Circus School for Dogs. The dogs arrive for a fun workshop to learn tricks ranging from touch a target with your nose or foot, to somersault. People worked in groups of 3 and, on average, started the

Believe is or not I actually meant to post this in January but then forgot. Recently Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cat has been reviewed by several journals and received great reviews. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Review Dr. Terry Marie Curtis recently reviewed my book Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 235, No. 12 dated December 15, 2009). Dr. Curtis is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and a well-known speaker and author. She’s even been on MSNBC to teach pet owners how to help

Whether you have or deal with naughty dogs who need lots of guidance or you just want to learn new fun ways to play and interact with your dog, training tricks may be exactly what you want. Interestingly tricks can be useful in many ways. For instance, even if your dog is about as smart as a stone, if he can beg or wave or shake hands on cue your friends will think he’s practically Einstein. If your clients or friends are lacking one-on-one time with their Fido, training tricks can serve as a quick way for them to play