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It was just in the newspaper – how the mailman delivered the post while the owners held back the big snarling dog; meanwhile the little dog dived between them, jumped up and drew blood from the postie’s leg!

Just one of the many reasons why realtors and prospective house buyers alike do not like to view an empty home with a dog in it! Of course he is friendly – and yet …..why take the chance?

Pointing out the problems of showing a home that also houses a pet can often make pet-owners defensive; it is often inconceivable to them that their little “Tootsie” would offend! Even the most friendly of pets can become troubled about strange people coming into their home.

One of the solutions often used is to shut them in the laundry room, which will then make most prospective buyers want to give your laundry room a miss. If they do brave it and open the door, the dog rushes out, maybe too over- friendly at the chance to finally interact with ‘friends’ and plants its paws prints all over their new cream pants.

What’s worse, the dog will not go back in the laundry room and the realtor can’t seem to leave the house without the dog coming too! This type of scenario is not in your favor, as it does rather distract the prospective buyer from remembering the unique points about your home – although they will remember the color of your dog!

It would help if the dog was in the garage or some place where a) there is alot of fresh air and b) where it is not necessary for the buyers to enter. The laundry room will certainly have a ‘doggie’ smell after your pet has roared around it all day, whereas the garage has fresh air coming in from all sides.

This brings us to the smell of the home, another touchy subject. Often non-pet owners will notice a smell in a house that seems associated with a pet. When the dog bounds up to confirm this suspicion, many possible buyers will start to wonder if they will be able to get rid of the smell once the dog has moved out.

Rather than putting your friends on the spot by asking them if your home has its own smell, play it safe and assume that it does. If you have a pet, wash all its blankets and keep them clean. Encourage your pet to sleep outside more often if possible. This clean routine will apply to other pets in the house: guinea pigs and hamsters can also leave an odor in the home, but this does usually go when the cage is removed.

The new type of air fresheners that plug in and keep the air sweet for 24/7 are very effective. However, if they do manage to disguise the smell of a dog, they will not be able to fool anyone who has a real allergy to your pet.

Some buyers have allergies and they do not care if they see an animal or not – they simply do not want to go into a house if an animal even lives there. This is especially true for people with a severe allergy to cats.

In these cases, you have to come clean and be up front with the realtor; even if you have removed all traces of cat. The troublesome allergens just float in the air and are completely undetected by most of the human race.

The prospective buyers will have to trust that if the listing realtor says no animals, he is speaking the truth – so ‘fess up and don’t put your realtor in the dog house.

How to bath a cat easily!? Cat Bathing made simple for both humans and cats.

[1] Make sure that the Water Temperature is right for Bathing Cat.

The water should be luke-warm when going to bathe cat, more on the room-temperature side, because if you put hot water on your cat, it will get burned.
Cold water is always a better solution for bathing cats or kittens. Cats don’t mind the cold. Unlike myself.

Yet water should not be tooo cold when bathing a cat-  you know what I mean – not so freezing cold that your poor cat shakes and its teeth chatter… Just pleasantly luke-warm, like for a baby bath.

[2] What Should You Bathe Cat In?

Choose a shallow bathing tub that your cat can easily stand in. Deep buckets might cause cats to panic and feel as though they’re stuck in a narrow clastrophobic well.

Best would be a shallow plastic container or a small laundry bucket, that is safe for cats and not slippery.

We plan on introducing our cats to water in a gradual way and not throw them into a 6 foot/2m pool and have them get a heart attack from fright.

Place a towel around the dish so that your cat can stand on it afterwards and get dry. Also the towel aroung the cat bath will prevent your house from drowning under water. ;-D

You can also use a rubber mat for the bath bottom, so the cat won’t slip, but it isn’t a ” must have “.

If it’s a slippery tray, then the rubber mat is advisable, but if it is a plastic dish, then you don’t need to worry about it. Anyway, it’s a shallow cat bath so there is no risk.

[3] How Deep Should The Cat Bath Waters Be?

Start bathing your cat with just enough water to be above cats  feet.

For the time bathing kittens or washing cats, just place your cat in the tub and let cat play around in there. Cats will get used to the bath and think it is fun.

Tips For Playing With Your Cat In The Tub:

If you play with your cat inside the cats bath with a string, or with some other toy  your cat will enjoy bathing and want to get in there again.

Make it the place where you play with your cat with a certain item (like a mouse on a string or some kind of “cat bathing” toy.) you only use in bath. Your cat will be glad to jump in there and want to play with you.

Another cat bathing motivator is giving your cat a few yummy cat treats when he baths.

Next Stages Of Cat In The Tub

Don’t worry if your cat makes a mess. The towels  you places around the bath tub will mop up most of it.

Gradually you can begin to increase the depth of the water.

Beware: For most cat types, water should never be deeper than cat’s knees.

This should be enough water to give your cat a bath, without creating the fear of drowning panic in your cat’s mind.

How to wash your cat in the cat bath?

Don’t pour the water over your cat or dunk her inside, instead use a wet cloth and dab your cat with it over his or her fur while paying with it in the bath.

Some cats are amazingly expert swimmers, maybe you will have the next “swimming champion”, but don’t push your cat to be one…

For more information visit CatCamille’s website: http://catlovingcare.com

Good luck bathing your cat!

Catscamille

Yorkshire Terriers are cute as can be, especially as puppies, but they also require some effort to keep them safe and to prevent their creating havoc with your property. If you puppy-proof your house before you bring your new best friend home you can save yourself some grief.

Puppies have the same curiosity as toddlers. They want to explore everywhere without any knowledge of where the hazards are. They also have neither received puppy training nor learned the rules of good behavior yet.

Baby gates are a good way to safety-proof your home from the pup. Use them in front of stairs to keep your pup from having falls. A baby fence can also serve to keep the pup in a room without carpeting so that you will have an easy time cleaning up messes before your Yorkie is house trained.

Like a human baby, a Yorkie puppy will feel free to explore the insides of cupboards, so keep the ones at floor level closed at all times. If you have the kind that opens easily in response to pawing, then invest in some locks. This will not only keep your cupboards clean, but also prevent your pup’s getting into garbage and cleaning supplies, both of which are potential hazards.

If you have a cat, you will need to keep cat food away from your puppy. Dogs often prefer cat food to dog food, but it is harmful to them, being higher in protein than dogs can tolerate. It is a good idea to feed the cat on a surface that the dog cannot reach, such as the top of a dresser or washing machine. Dogs also like to eat cat feces, since it still has cat food in it, so keep the litter box away from the pup. A cat litter box cabinet with an entrance too high for a Yorkie to climb into is one solution, or place the litter box atop a large cat scratching post. Cat litter can contain parasites that can hurt the pup.

Puppies have a way of putting everything into their mouths, so keep socks, other clothes, and small household objects off the floor. Garbage should be kept inside cans until it is taken outside, never left in a plastic bag that a puppy can chew through.

Part of puppy-proofing your home is changing your state of mind. Now that you are responsible for a puppy, you must remember always to close doors behind you so that the pup can’t wander out into the street or fall into a pool. Never open a door with much force or move furniture against the wall without checking first to see if the Yorkie is there.

Keep both your new Yorkie and everything in your house safe, and enjoy your new best friend.

For many new dog owners, housetraining is one of the most challenging parts of introducing a new canine into the family. Until that puppy learns how to go outside, chances are that you’ll be spending quite a bit of time cleaning up messes and dreading the smell when you open your front door.

But many people struggle with understanding the best way to teach their puppy how to go not only where you want but also when you want. After all, having your puppy on a schedule for using the bathroom is almost as important.

The solution in most cases is crate training. This is a relatively easy approach to house training that also provides some other useful benefits puppy owners should appreciate.

Why Crate Train?

First, crate training is intended to take advantage of your dog’s natural impulses. Although dogs have been domesticated, they still have some of those old instincts that helped their ancestors survive and thrive for millions of years. Some of those instincts relate to the concept of having a den.

A den is a safe haven for the animal where he or she can retreat without fear of being harmed. The den was the preferred location for sleeping, rearing young, and other activities. But to keep the den protected, dogs also had to keep it from being too easy to find. Since most predators use their sense of smell pretty well to find prey, the den was not a place for dogs to go to the bathroom. Their urine and feces would attract other animals and would endanger the safety of the den.

Dogs simply don’t go to the bathroom in their den unless out of absolute necessity.

The purpose of the crate is to give your dog a den in the home. This crate becomes his or her sanctuary.

But it also provides you with peace of mind. As long as your puppy is confined to the crate, he or she can’t be out doing damage to the rest of your house or getting into trouble by chewing on electrical cords or eating things that could get lodged in the intestines, for example.

Basically, crate training provides your dog with a safe place to call his or her own. Plus, it keeps him or her safe during the day while also working as an invaluable tool for housebreaking. Now let’s see how you can get started.

Picking the Crate

The first step is to choose the crate you want to use for your pet. Two types are available: the hard plastic models used for airplane travel and the wire types. If you have a big dog, you’ll probably be stuck with the wire type. Otherwise, you can choose whichever you think will be the best choice for your dog.

Keep in mind that the crate should only be big enough for your dog to stand up comfortably, lie down, and turn around. If you give the dog too much room, he or she could use part of the crate for a den and part for a bathroom spot which would defeat the purpose.

To keep costs reasonable, purchase a crate that will be large enough for your full-size dog but use dividers which can also be purchased to restrict the space available to your puppy.

Getting the Puppy Comfortable with the Crate

Next, you have to help your puppy get comfortable inside the crate. Most dogs are not going to immediately love the crate. They won’t like being confined and away from you. But you can make the situation easier by going slowly, using treats and praise to reinforce the desired behavior, and letting the puppy explore the crate on his own.

When you bring home the crate, leave it open so the dog can go into it and sniff it at his leisure. Then you can begin luring your puppy into the crate with treats and praising him for going inside.

After he is doing that well, you can lure him into the crate and close the door. This might cause some crying and whining from your puppy. Let him stay inside the crate for a minute or two then let him out. Do not let him out while he is still crying, however. Otherwise, he will cry every time you try to put him in the crate because he’ll know this behavior will get him released.

Keep expanding the time the puppy is in the crate with the door closed until he begins to feel comfortable. Then you can practice leaving the room, leaving the house, and staying away for longer periods of time. Each time remember to praise your puppy when you release him from the crate but never release him until he has calmed down.

House Breaking & the Crate

To use the crate for house breaking, be sure to give your dog food and water at least an hour before putting her in the crate. Take the puppy to the bathroom, preferably for a walk with a potty break, before she is placed in the crate.

Do not give your puppy food or water in the crate. These things will only make a mess and will cause the puppy to need to urinate or defecate badly.

Keep in mind that young puppies may not be able to “hold it” as long as you would like. For this reason, it’s a good idea to come home at least once during the day to take your puppy to the bathroom. If you can’t, you may want to hire someone to do this for you. Even adult dogs should not be left in crates for longer than 6 to 8 hours a day.

As soon as you let your puppy out of the crate, take him or her to the bathroom immediately. Praise him or her when they do what you want and quickly they will learn the routine.

If an accident does occur in the crate, clean it thoroughly with an enzyme-destroying cleaner so the dog won’t be able to smell the accident and assume that is an appropriate place to use the bathroom. Otherwise you’ll just keep repeating the problem.

Finally, don’t punish your dog for having an accident. You could end up causing them to fear the crate, as well as you.

The amount and type of care necessary will depend both on the water type, the size of the tank and the number of fish that it holds. As a general rule, after the initial set up, regular maintenance of the tank should be relatively straightforward. In fact, an tank that has been set up correctly should eventually reach a state of equilibrium that will require only a minimum level of work.

Water Quality: The Key To Fish Health

Regardless of the type of fish or style of tank, it is critical that you maintain the proper pH levels in the water. Consider your fish tank to be a swimming pool for your fish. Just as a swimming pool that does not have its water tested regularly will quickly turn into an algae-filled swamp, a fish tank that is not monitored for water quality will quickly become poisonous for your fish. You can quickly test the water quality yourself by purchasing a test kit from an aquarium supply store or pet store but the easiest method is to establish a relationship with the aquarium store and take a jar of water to them regularly for testing. The store will also be able to supply you with any chemicals or treatments that your fish require.

In addition to monitoring the pH level and water quality, you will need to make partial water changes as part of your fish tank care. To clean a fish tank it is not necessary to drain all the water, scrub out the tank and refill it with fresh water. All that is necessary is to siphon off around one quarter to one third of the water from the tank and replace this with fresh water from the tap. If you water is chlorinated you will need to add dechlorinating solution to the fresh water or leave the water sitting in a bucket for 24 hours or more before adding it to your aquarium.

Never clean the glass in your tank with soap. The residue is almost impossible to remove and it will almost certainly kill your fish. Partial water changes once every two to three weeks are all that are required once your tank has been properly established.

A sound filtration system and one that is bit enough for your aquarium size also plays an important role in keeping the aquarium clean. A filter that is too small will not circulate enough water and will not filter out enough impurities and your tank will become discolored with algae. Maintaining the oxygen level in the water is important to the health of the fish and an effective filter will also assist in maintaining the oxygen level by recirculating the water.

Following these steps in setting up and caring for your goldfish and they’ll reward you with years of pleasure as you enjoy your aquarium fish tank.