Happy Pets

The Nest Box

The nest box should be wooden and have a partition in the middle to keep the eggs from rolling too much. It should be large; this is stressed for two reasons :

1. Both birds incubate the eggs and spend hours together in the box. They need room to move freely and turn the eggs.
2. The nest box will act as “nursery” for the chicks until they are old enough to leave it.

The box should have a 32 inch hole in the center and a perch outside to make access easier. In fact, everything should be done to make the nest box convenient and easily accessible. The female is especially cautious at this time. (more…)

One would have to have a complete medical background to go into the history, nature and causes of all bird diseases. However, our purpose here is to advise you, the pet owner, of certain signs of illness and home remedies that may be used in their event.

Cleanliness is, of course, the prime requisite of a healthy bird. A good mite spray when needed, frequent baths and fresh, clean seed are of the utmost importance. (more…)

Male or Female?

If, like the majority of responsible cat owners, you would prefer your cat not to breed, a simple neutering operation will iron out the most significant behavioural differences between male and female felines. With the removal of the organs that pump sex hormones — testosterone in males, and oestrogen in females — into the cat’s body, both sexes will become less likely to roam or spray (particularly males), less temperamental and, most importantly, incapable of adding to an already teeming feline population. (more…)

Finally, you must decide whether you want a dog or a bitch. In my opinion, the old saying that the dog is dominant and the bitch is loyal has no credence. If you are not interested in breeding, then the sex of your puppy is irrelevant if the temperament is right. If you have no intention of breeding from your dog, then I advise that you have him castrated or her spayed. The ideal age is around a year old, but I advise you to consult with your veterinary surgeon on this matter. I am astounded at the attitude of many male dog owners on my suggestion that they have the dog castrated. Their usual retort is, ‘It’s cruel. You’re taking his natural rights away from him.’ In my view, it is criminal to keep a male dog entire and never let him mate a bitch. These owners are asking their dogs to live the life of a monk. The entire male dog will be in constant search of a bitch and, therefore, suffer mental anguish. It is far kinder to have him castrated before he reaches full maturity. Bitches that are unspayed and constantly left to cope with their ’seasons’ can also suffer a lot of mental anguish, with false pregnancies and milk. Eventually, the unspayed bitch usually develops womb problems that can often be fatal. (more…)

Having answered all these questions, you will know whether you still want a dog or not, and can now turn your attention to the type of dog which would fit in best with you and your way of life. Don’t just look at the different breeds of dogs. Do a little research into their background and what they were originally bred for. This will give you a far better idea of the temperament your dog will grow up with. Every breeder will be tempted to tell you of the virtues of his favourite dog. Not many of them will tell you of their faults. Obviously, I can’t go through every breed for you here, but I will try to take a cross-section, to show you what you’re looking for.

The Labrador, the dog I am most familiar with, was bred to retrieve game birds. Therefore, he’s been bred to sit steady to the sound of gunfire, go out quietly and retrieve and to return to his owner. Nevertheless, he’s a very active dog and can work an eight hour day in the field and still look as fresh as a daisy: so he will want plenty of exercise. Here I can tell you how to read between the lines and find the faults of the breed. (more…)

House-training should prove no problem if you’re quick and alert to your puppy’s needs. He will need to pay frequent visits to his spot in the garden: after each meal, after a sleep and any time you think about it in between. Always pick him up and carry him to the spot. Give him a command. I use the words ‘busy dog‘. Don’t dump him and retreat back to the house and close the door. He hasn’t a clue what he’s been put in the garden for. You must stay with him, repeating your commands over and over again. Whether it’s hailing, blowing a gale or a snowstorm’s on, you must persevere. As soon as he’s been a ‘busy dog‘, give him lots of praise, tell him how clever he is, pick him up and return him to the house. If you are diligent and watch your puppy closely, you will know when he needs to go out. A sure sign will be when he puts his nose to the ground, his tail up in the air and runs round in circles. That is your cue to move speedily with him into the garden. (more…)

Puppy Pet Socialization

Part of the secret of having a well-trained puppy is the ability on your part to think ahead. You won’t be able to take him for a walk outside until he’s completed his injections, at about fourteen to sixteen weeks. This is far too late to introduce your puppy to a collar and lead and the outside world. The socialization of your puppy at an early age is essential if you require a well-adjusted adult dog. I discovered this, to my cost, with Bracken, my first puppy. I never thought of taking him out on to the streets until he was sixteen weeks old. At home, he was perfectly behaved and afraid of nothing and walked well in the garden on a collar and lead. You can imagine my surprise at our first day’s outing. The moment we stepped out of the gate, Bracken flattened himself to the pavement with terror at the sound and sights of traffic. (more…)

I keep a store of worn tights on my dressing table and each time I go to make the bed my new puppy is asked to do something—a Sit or a Down, say—and I throw an old pair of tights and have a little game. An ideal opportunity to teach puppy all the do’s and don’ts is while you’re going around the house. Katy, my little black Labrador puppy, soon realised the things that she could carry about and the things that were absolutely taboo by this method. Upstairs I would find her ferreting under Kerensa’s bed for inviting-looking teddy bears or furry slippers. Being a Labrador, she would come and show me her prize with tail wagging and ears flicking. The first instinct of most pet owners would be to make a grab for the puppy’s prize, shout and reprimand them. (more…)

The golden rule of training is never to let puppy make mistakes. My own Labradors love doing Stays, probably because, as a breed, they are basically idle, but I did come across one or two problems with Katy. While I was in full control of the situation teaching her Stays at home or in the park, everything went well and Katy had every confidence in this new command. But once she was old enough to be entered in Obedience shows, her Stays became a misery to her and, for a while, I couldn’t understand where I had made my mistakes. Each time I took her into the Stay ring, her ears went back and her body went stiff and I could tell from the expression on her face that she was extremely worried about the exercise and, although she never actually broke the Stay command at a show, she was never relaxed or happy once put into a Sit or Down-Stay. (more…)

The biggest problem most dog owners have is getting their dogs to return to them on command once the dog is off the lead. But so many owners cause their own problems on this exercise, I’m not surprised their dogs don’t wish to return to them. Let us first view the faults, in the hope of preventing you from making the same mistakes.

Why your dog won’t come back to you

The first and simplest reason your dog will not return to you on command is that you haven’t trained him thoroughly in the garden. If he won’t come when called in the confined space of his own home, he certainly won’t in the freedom of the fields. In the main, owners with untrained dogs are full of excuses. (more…)