Think Positive!
“Lassies are made, not born.”
—Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.
Train your dog effectively and humanely with books by Dr. Patricia McConnell. We carry numerous books by her covering every topic from housebreaking, separation anxiety, chewing, barking etc…
“Your dog didn’t come into the world with the ability to understand English or to know the social conventions of our culture. By the same token, You were not born instinctively knowing how to train a dog.” (Introduction from The Puppy Primer.)
You’ll learn how positive reinforcement makes training fast and fun!
Food in the Litter Box? Yes!
We carry the complete line of small animal products by Oxbow Animal Health.
Food, hay, bedding, treats, tunnels and toys are all available for the little critters in your life. Oxbow Animal Health is an internationally-recognized brand committed to serving the needs of small animals. Here’s an interesting tip about having food in your small animals’ litter box excerpted from their “Haywire” newsletter:
Animal Health Tip by Oxbow Animal Health
Grass hay should be available free-choice every day, and feeding hay in the litter box has proven to be an effective and widely adopted method used by house rabbit societies and pet owners alike. Rabbits are intelligent animals and can readily distinguish between what is food and what is not. In addition to providing a hide box for your animal, litter containers seem to provide yet another psychologically comforting area of the cage. The walls provide a sense of privacy, familiarity, and contentment for these easily stressed animals of prey. Frightened by changes in the environment and comforted by regularity of routines, rabbits are most lively when feeding and bathroom routines are constant. For this reason, changes in diet or housing should be done gradually and with patience.
OH, BABY!
Check out this excellent advice from Dr. Karen Becker on preparing your pet to welcome a human baby into the household.
Prepare Your Pet to Welcome Your New Baby
The best way for pet parents to help a companion animal cope with the arrival of a new baby is to plan well in advance of delivery day. Goals should include:
- Designing a daily schedule that covers all your pet’s needs for good nutrition, physical activity, and social interaction/playtime.
- Making gradual changes to your pet’s daily routine before bringing the new little person home
- Reviewing training needs, especially for dogs in the household. If your pup’s response to commands and general behavior needs some fine-tuning, the time to do it is now, before your hands are full with a new little one
- Familiarizing your pet with all the new gear that comes with baby, especially in the nursery
Before Baby Arrives
As I often say, preparation is priceless. And I can’t think of a more important time to plan and thoroughly prepare than when you’re an expectant parent.
You want to give both your new baby and beloved pet the time, attention and nurturing they require. And ideally you’d like to keep your sanity in the process! So you really need to lay out a detailed picture for yourself of how life will be once the baby arrives. (click here for the full article!)
Enjoy the upcoming weekend :)
Your Friends at End of the Leash
Please remember that us folks at End of the Leash are not veterinarians, and no information on our website is intended to replace the indispensable and professional advice of your veterinarian.