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The Ultimate Kitten and Puppy Guide

Oscar Mendez — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Are you ready to bring home baby? (Four-legged baby, that is!) Welcome to the ultimate guide to parenting the pet of your dreams. It’ll require baby-prooﬁng the pad, procuring all the essential accessories, and getting ready for a lifetime of unconditional love and cuddling.

Just like human children, pets are a reﬂection of the time, energy and patience that their parents invest from day one. Be sure to study tips on puppy and kitten socialization from the experts on these pages to start off on the right paw.

Study, Study!

The most important thing: before welcoming a puppy or kitten into your home, you need to educate yourself. You’ll ﬁnd the basics here, but the internet offers tremendous resources on potty training, teething, destructive behavior, socialization, good manners and information on what to expect form your new pet. With all these tools, you’ll be a pro at successfully raising your puppy or kitten into a well-behaved family pet.

Of course, adopting (instead of purchasing) little Max or Emma is the only way, since you’ll be saving the life of a homeless pet. If you insist on a particular breed, do your research. The most important consideration is your lifestyle and the activity level of the pet you want to bring home. (Just remember, all puppies and kittens have an endless supply of energy!)

The reality is, you might think that Australian Shepherd puppy staring through the window is a must have, but are you ready for a working dog that needs plenty of exercise, regular tasks and a ﬁrm owner? There’s a world of online resources to help you make the right pet choice. And if your lifestyle requires a particular feline or canineality, you may want to adopt a pet that’s more than one year old so you know a little more about the pet you’re taking home.

Next you’ll want to research veterinarians in your area. The best recommendations come from those who already have pets—friends, neighbors, coworkers or a local animal shelter. You may also want to visit the clinic that the veterinarian works at and review the information on their Web site.

Knowing which veterinarian you’d like to use is important because you’ll want to take your new puppy or kitten in for an appointment during the ﬁrst week he/she is home. Not only do you want to ensure that your new addition to the family has a clean bill of health but you’ll also be aware of any vaccines or medication your pet will need throughout the year.

Start Good Habits Early

Remember, everything’s better with treats, so don’t be stingy.

Brushing Teeth

To prevent damage to your dog’s teeth and gums, veterinarians recommend brushing your dog’s teeth at least once a week. Work with your puppy or kitten daily, touching his lips and teeth, to get him used to having his mouth handled. (And you’ll be much happier if you ever have to medicate in the future, or get something dangerous out of his/her mouth!)
The recommended way to brush your dog’s teeth is in short, circular strokes near the gum line, about two teeth at a time. There is speciﬁed toothpaste and brushes that should be used on dogs. Brushes with soft, pliable bristles work best.

Trimming Nails

Touch your puppy or kitten’s paws often so that when the time comes you can quickly and easily trim their nails.
Rest your puppy or kitten on your lap and rub the paw you are going to start trimming. From there, hold the paw in one hand and press one of the animal’s toe pads to extend the claw.
You’ll want to avoid the pink tissue (the “quick”) within the nail. Holding your clippers at a vertical angle allows for better trims. Of course if your puppy or kitten wants nothing to do with a nail trim, try trimming one nail a day or ask your veterinarian or groomer to trim them.

Pick Up After Your Dog

Give the pets we love a good name by being a responsible citizen!
In Chicago, you are legally bound to pick up your dog’s waste. Failure to do so can get you a $50-500 ﬁne each time.
Extremely contagious parasites for both pets and people, like Giardia, are frequently transmitted when irresponsible pet owners don’t pick up after their pets.

Behavior Guide

Potty Training

Puppies: Having your dog sleep in a crate as well as using the crate as a place to keep your dog when you aren’t home during the day can be one of the easiest ways to potty train. Dogs naturally like to keep their dens clean, and a crate can act as your new puppy’s den.

Kittens await their medical check-up and spay/neuter surguries at PAWS Chicago's Admissions & Recovery Center

It is important to remember that most puppies need to go out every few hours depending on their age–a three-month-old puppy can wait three hours, a four-moth-old for four hours, etc. You should also pay attention to your puppy’s body language. Pacing, whining, circling, snifﬁng and squatting are all signs that your puppy needs to go outside. However, if you begin to take your dog outside in regular intervals and praise him/her when they eliminate outside you’ll begin to see progress. Keep in mind that you should never use the crate for punishment or scold your dog for eliminating in the house.

Cats: Most cats are quick to learn and are quite happy to use a litter box. At ﬁrst, you’ll want to limit the area that you let your kitten run free until you feel he/she is consistently using the litter box. Other than that, all your cat asks is that you scoop the litter box daily and provide fresh litter once a week. For houses with multiple cats, it is ideal that each kitty has its own litter box.

Teething

Puppies and kittens have a lot of energy and need varied levels of mental and physical stimulation. As a new pet parent, it’s your job to teach your puppy or kitten what is acceptable to chew on and what is not.

Wrestling or roughhousing with your puppy or using your hands to play with your kitten only encourages him/her to bite at your hands and feet. This might be cute as a puppy or kitten but can turn into a serious problem as an adult pet. Instead, provide your puppy or kitten with plenty of his/ her own toys. It’s also important that you spend time daily playing with your pet using these toys and giving a lot of positive praise.

Scratching

Teaching your cat the appropriate places to scratch is essential from day one. Be sure to buy a couple of scratching toys. (Sisal scratching posts work best!)

If you cat is inappropriately scratching, use a spray bottle when you catch them in the act or buy specialty cat sticky tape from any pet store to place over her favorite spots. One scratch and they’ll never go back!

Socializing Your Puppy

Puppies look forward to meeting their new families in the Puppy Room at the PAWS Chicago's Adoption & Humane Center

Make sure to keep your puppy on a leash when socializing with other dogs. When your puppy is on leash, you have more control over how the dogs interact. While most adult dogs adjust to puppies just ﬁne, some are plagued by all- too-common puppy aggression or prey drive. Since any interactions your puppy has when it is young will be imprinted for life, you want to make sure he/she has as many positive experiences with other dogs and people as possible. Be sure to limit socialization with other animals until your puppy is fully vaccinated.

Two Kittens are Better Than One

Having one kitten might seem like the perfect addition to your home, but kittens are very curious and playful. Without a companion, loneliness sets in and destructive behavior may begin when left at home alone. It is highly recommended that if you are in the market for a kitten, adopt two. Two kittens can play with each other, help train each other and burn off more energy, leading to happier, better behaved kitties. When those nocturnal urges strike, they’ll chase one another, not your foot under the covers. Plus, when you go away for the weekend, they have a companion and aren’t totally reliant on you.

Little Dog – Big Dog

You might not see your Rotweiler mix as a threat, but the toy Pomeranian that just entered the dog park might. In general, small dog owners must be very cautious when letting their little darlings off leash when large dogs are present. Some breeds of dogs have hunting instincts and your precious Boo Boo may look more like little bunny Foo Foo when prey drive kicks into high gear! If you have a larger breed, a very calm and loving temperament at home doesn’t mean Maximus understands that dogs come in all sizes. Be careful until you’ve observed him in all situations, and even be cautious thereafter, because injuries can happen—even during the most innocent play. Keep in mind that most dogs instinctively want to chase moving things and that other dogs have a strong prey drive that motivates them to catch, potentially shake and cause serious damage to small animals. Be a responsible owner and make sure your dogs are either always on leash or off leash in designated areas with dogs of comparable size.

Medical Guide

It’s Time for Heartgard!

If your pet is not on Heartgard yet, we’re now in prime heartworm season. Heartgard is a monthly medication for dogs and cats that provides protection against heartworm disease and is used to treat hookworm infections as well. This medication can be picked up from your local vet’s ofﬁce. Typically, you’ll receive the medication in a six month supply that starts in May, but some veterinarians wil recommend it year-round.

Vaccinations

Puppies and kittens will get their ﬁrst vaccines as early as six weeks and up to 12 weeks. Most vaccines are injected as part of a series so it is important to visit your veterinarian as soon as possible to create a vaccine schedule. Puppy immune systems are not fully developed and therefore should not visit parks, dog parks, boarding facilities or daycare until your veterinarian gives you the go ahead.

Canine Vaccines

Rabies – Protects against a very serious disease that can be fatal to all mammals (including humans).
Distemper/Parvo/Leptospirosis/Parainﬂuenza/Adenovirus Combination – Protects against several potentially fatal diseases and is the most common combined dog vaccination. Combinations may vary depending on your veterinarian’s recommendation and regional risk.
Bordatella (also known as Kennel Cough) – helps prevent or reduce the possibility of getting this respiratory infection. If you board or take your dog to daycare frequently your veterinarian may ask you to get this vaccine twice a year.
Leptospirosis – protects against a bacteria that affects the liver and kidney.

Feline Vaccines

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) – protects against a highly infectious, fatal disease caused by a feline coronavirus.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) – protects against the highly contagious disease that is always fatal.
Rabies – protects against the very serious disease that can be fatal.

Microchipping

While it is always important that your puppy or kitten have a collar that includes a tag with your phone number in case he/she is lost, it is also important to make sure your pet has a registered microchip. Microchips are small identiﬁcation devices that are implanted beneath pets’ skin, similar to a vaccination. When they are registered, microchips give pets a permanent, unique identity that makes them instantly recognizable when read with special, hand-held scanners.

Have fun!

The bond and memories you make with your new pet will last a lifetime.

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The Essentials of Socializing your Pup

Oscar Mendez — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000

After a long, cold winter, Spring has ﬁnally arrived and the streets and sidewalks are bustling with people and their pets anxious to get outdoors to enjoy the weather. Puppy classes reach their peak of enrollment now because this is the optimum time of year to housebreak and socialize a new pup.

What exactly is the purpose of socializing your new family member and why is it so important? I remember when I got my ﬁrst puppy many years ago before entering the ﬁeld of canine behavior. I was told to introduce my puppy to something new every day.

Training can occur at any time during his life but the development stages only happen once and proper socialization during that period is the most important thing you can do. Be sure to stress your pup a little every day. Take him everywhere you can. Introduce him to all the situations he will have to deal with in the future.

“Puppies provided with poor socialization or deprived of environmental exposure often develop lifelong deﬁcits and dysfunctional behaviors. A puppy isolated early in life from other puppies and humans will not only fail to establish satisfying social contact with conspeciﬁcs or enjoy companionship with people later in life (such puppies are extremely fearful of any social contact), they will also exhibit widespread behavioral and cognitive disabilities as well.” – Handbook of Applied Behavior and Training, Steven R. Lindsay.

I followed this advice, took my new pup into stores, banks, walked him by school yards, and brought him to all my son’s baseball games. He went to the beach, learned to swim and played in dog parks. We attended puppy class and took long walks. He was the only puppy at 10 weeks of age in an adult agility class. The results were a very conﬁdent, well adjusted adult dog who ﬁt perfectly into my life and could happily accompany me anywhere.

There exists a window of time during a puppy’s development where he is curious and open to new experiences. It is easy for him to approach and investigate new situations with conﬁdence.

He forms permanent impressions and social bonds. This is commonly known period, it is important to introduce you pup to new situations, even if he is reluctant or scared, so he can develop the ability to deal with stress. This will increase his overall conﬁdence as an adult.

One way to ensure your puppy is receiving proper socialization is to enroll in puppy class. It is my experience over the years that puppies who attend puppy classes can learn at a rapid rate if the method is right. A good puppy class should have a structured play session. This will not only teach proper social skills but will help your pup acquire bite-inhibition skills. All obedience exercises should be taught with positive reinforcement to ensure the puppy is imprinted properly to cooperate socially.

Stages

Your puppy will go through many developmental stages on the way to maturity. An understanding of these stages can help you guide your puppy properly.

Human Socialization Period: 7 to 12 weeks

The brain waves of the puppy are the same as a mature dog, but the puppy is a clean slate. This is the age that the most rapid learning occurs and the greatest impact on future social behavior happens. The window of opportunity is closing and socialization is critical. This is a great time to enroll in puppy class but remember your pup’s attention span may be short.

Fear Imprint Period: between 8 to 11 weeks

Anything that frightens the puppy during this period may have a lasting gentle guidance and management and continue to socialize.

Seniority Classiﬁcation Period: 10 to 16 weeks

During this time, your pup will attempt to determine who’s in charge. It is important to provide structure and leadership during this time. I like to call this time the calm before the storm.

Flight Instinct Period: 4 to 8 months

Most calls to obedience schools happen in this stage, when your puppy may really try to test his wings. Just like a teenager going through puberty, your pup may test everything you tell him to do. Enrollment in obedience class may be critical at this time and continued structure and socialization is a must. Your pup may also require additional exercise and stimulation at this time.

Second Fear Period: between 6 and 14 months (this period could extend in large breed dogs).

Many dogs will show a rise in aggression or reactivity during this stage. They may become protective and territorial, and may try to dominate their owners. I have personally noticed that this seems to correspond with rapid periods of growth and can occur several times during a dog’s development. If your pup shows fear or apprehension during this time, avoid confrontation and encourage him to work it out on his own. It is better to ignore the situation than to reinforce the fear by trying to soothe your dog. Build conﬁdence through training.

Somewhere between the ages 1 to 4 years we reach the bittersweet time of maturity. Hopefully, we took enough pictures to remind us of how much fun (although sometimes trying) it was to successfully guide our puppy through the stages of becoming a dog. Now we can enjoy a happy, well-adjusted life-long companion.

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Kitten Class Ensures Well Trained Cats

Oscar Mendez — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Just over a decade ago, Dr. Seksel began offering classes for kittens from Down Under, which she called Kitty Kindy. The one hour to 90 minute course meets twice (over the course of two consecutive weeks), and it’s exclusively for little kitties.

Legendary veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar developed somewhat similar sorts of classes for puppies back in the 1960’s, and he calls these sessions for kittens, “potentially far more valuable.” And there may be one hundred reasons why kitties should attend school. Here are a few:

For starters, cats and kittens visit veterinarians far less than they should (on average less than once a year), that’s notably less often than dogs do.

One reason why cats don’t see veterinarians for wellness exams is exhaustion. Take out the carrier and watch what happens. The cat bolts. You might as well join a health club for the calories you burn attempting to snag the cat and then stuff him into the carrier. It’s exhausting.

A kitten’s mind is a terrible thing to waste. “It all began when my clients in puppy classes wanted equal attention for their cats,” says Dr. Kersti Seksel, a veterinary behaviorist in Seaforth, New South Wales, Australia. “Kittens have potential, and kittens deserve an education too.”

Once inside the carrier, the situation gets no better. Cars are enemies of cats. Cats learn a trip in the car means they’ll be poked and prodded by a person in scrubs. Also, being in cars takes cats away from their territories– something most cats aren’t accustomed to.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. An objective of kitties while they’re still most impressionable (from eight to 15 weeks).

Instead of being forcibly chased around the house, and stuffed inside the carrier, owners are taught to properly desensitize kittens to the carrier. Cats actually can be taught to voluntarily jump into a carrier just as dogs can be taught to go inside their crates.

In fact, cats can be taught a whole lot of things. Cats can be taught pretty much anything a dog can do (and often they do it better.) Of course, the question may be, why would you bother training a cat in the ﬁrst place? Just as owners who work with dogs (those who train dogs for agility or obedience, who do search and rescue work, or those who teach their dogs tricks) seem to have stronger bonds than those who don’t, the same logical assumption may be made for people who train cats. No one knows why more cats are relinquished to shelters more often than dogs, but perhaps people don’t have as strong a bond with cats as they do with their dogs.

Also, learning is actually fun for the cats; just as teaching can be fun for their people.

“Cats may sometimes take more patience to train than dogs,” says Karen Thomas, who trains animals for TV and the movies. “Cats will want to be paid for their work, but I think that’s fair.”

Purchase a clicker (available on the Web and at most pet stores). Click the clicker as you feed your cat. Click and treat. Click and treat. Click and treat. Soon cats associate the clicker with something good.

There are two ways to begin. One is simply to wait until your cat does something you like. For example, when your kitty happens to sit. Click the clicker and offer just a pinch of tuna or salmon from a spoon. Sit and wait, and odds are your cat will sooner or later re-create what he did for getting that yummy. Your cat will soon understand that sitting means “I get paid.”

Another method is to shape the behavior. Hold that spoon with the moist food just a tad above your kitty’s head. If it’s too high, he’ll want to bat for the food with a paw or jump for it. But if it’s just the right the height, kitty will lift his head up just a tad. When his head goes up, his rear-end will go down – and he’ll be sitting, it’s feline physiology.

It’s not always easy to teach a cat to come by name, but it’s absolutely possible. Most cats are trained to come to “calling” when the refrigerator opens or the sound of a can opener; you can simply pair the cat’s name with the mechanical device. And absolutely offer a treat when he comes running. Of course, you can do the same with clicker training. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Glen Mills, PA says, “As cats age they typically get bored because we don’t ask anything of them, and we have a problem with obesity in cats. Enriching their lives is necessary, and training is one way to do that.”

In the kitten classes, kittens are passed around the room (so they become accustomed to meeting strangers and being handled by novel people), they also meet dogs (at some point in their lives around a quarter of all cats will have a canine roommate). Family members are taught how to teach their kitties to scratch in all the right places, and there’s a lecture on Litter Box 101. There are also basic care demonstrations, such as clipping nails and brushing teeth; and a discussion about how to enrich the indoor environment.

A few years back when Dr. Illona Rodan heard about Dr. Seksel’s tutoring for tabbies Down Under, she immediately imported the curriculum to her feline practice in Madison, WI. “I’m sure people thought I was a little crazy,” she says. “But I knew these classes would save lives. The number one cause of death in indoor cat’s isn’t heart or kidney disease, or cancer, it’s people who give up on their cats’ bad behavior. These kitten classes are great fun, but they also teach people how to prevent behavior problems, or if they occur they offer a resource for help.”

The hope following the kitten classes is that families continue to socialize their cats, bringing them outside safely in kitty strollers or allowing them to play in the yard in safe cat containment systems. When they learn young, most of these cats enjoy being on a leash and harness, and going places and meeting new people isn’t so traumatic.

Also, by training their cat, perhaps family members will be more tuned into their cat’s needs, even if the signs of illness are very subtle to pick up (as they often are with cats). Without hiding and running from the carrier, expressing disdain about car rides or minding handling by veterinary professionals, the hope is that people will more often take their cats to the vet.

Most of all, imagine how impressed Uncle Buddy and Aunt Sally will be when they see your kitty will sit on command, and offer a high ﬁve.

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Successful Strategies for Welcoming Your New Dog

Oscar Mendez — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:46:42 +0000

Bringing a new dog into the home can be an exciting and sometimes trying experience. If you’ve decided to adopt a mature dog from a shelter, you should expect an adjustment period of several weeks while your new dog acclimates to his surroundings and you get to know his behaviors.

You can expect that your new pet will be slightly off balance or anxious as he starts to explore his new home. Not only is he exploring his new environment, he is trying to ﬁgure out where he belongs in the hierarchy of the pack. It may take awhile for him to want to take direction from you and to see you as his new leader.

Your ﬁrst step should be to control the space in your home. You will need to teach him the rules of your household and he will need to know your expectations as well. If you don’t know very much about his past, you’ll want to observe his habits closely. Selectively allowing him freedom in the house can calm him down and give you time to get to know him.

One way to do this is to set up a crate or kennel. This can provide him with his own “sanctuary” or quiet place to rest. By restricting your new dog to a crate when he is left unattended, you can help him learn proper house manners. Most dogs will not eliminate in their “den” and prefer to be clean in their sleeping area. It will also save your house from destruction when you leave your new dog home alone for the ﬁrst time.

Some training may be necessary to get your new pet accustomed to his crate, although most dogs take to it quite naturally due to their “denning instincts.” One way to make a positive association is to feed him in the crate with the door open at ﬁrst. After several days, gently close the door while he is eating. Gradually increase the time in the crate, ignoring any whining or forms of protest. A satisfying chew bone or a kong stuffed with peanut butter can keep him busy and help ease any separation anxiety.

Now that you have a tool to help control your environment, your next step is to enroll in an obedience class. Obedience training will create a way for you to communicate with your dog. In a basic obedience class, you will learn how to teach your dog to sit, down, stay, come and heel on command. Going to class every week will also help you to socialize your dog around other dogs and people.

It is important when selecting a class to look for an instructor with knowledge of canine behavior who is capable of reading your dog’s behavior and selecting the best methods for his temperament. Sometimes there are lifestyle changes that must be put in place. It may be important that you instill “manners” that go beyond obedience training.

Maintaining a proper relationship between you and your dog may mean that you teach him how to greet strangers properly, that you always go ﬁrst out the door and that you don’t allow your dog in your bed or on the furniture. Decide early in your relationship what behaviors you want to live with and remain consistent in carrying our your wishes. Your dog will respect you for it. Ask your obedience instructor for guidance if you run into problems.

Finally, ﬁnd ways to bond with your dog through physical activity. Your dog is a social creature and requires stimulation and exercise on a daily basis. Although some dogs are content spending time watching a movie with you at home and going for walks in the park or around the neighborhood, many dogs need more. A great majority of dog breeds were originally developed to serve man and have a “job.” These dogs need to exercise their working drives and to use their intelligence productively. You may need to provide activity for this type of dog to fulﬁll his needs.

Consider taking obedience classes that go on to off-lead work, higher levels of distraction training and retrieve work. Or perhaps your dog would enjoy an agility class. These types of classes will encourage your dog to learn because it’s fun and increase your leadership status.

Whatever activities you may enjoy, remember that your new dog needs your time and commitment to develop into a conﬁdent, loving, well-behaved family member. Your extra time will be well worth the years of enjoyment!

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