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Learning how to teach your parrot bird not to bite is one of the most important skills for a pet parrot owner. However it takes a lot of time and commitment. Given the right circumstances, parrots can learn a lot of things because they are intelligent birds. Repetition will teach your bird to stop biting and your friends and family will enjoy its presence. Where there are children, it is really necessary that your parrot adapts to the surroundings and not bite anyone because the beak can really hurt little fingers.

One of the main reasons why parrots behave this way may be that they are being left alone by themselves for far too long. This causes them to become withdrawn and would retaliate when approached. Socialize your parrot by introducing it to your family members, friends and even to your other pets to build confidence of being in the company of others. It is natural instincts for a parrot to cause hurt when it feels that its territory is being threatened by strangers. With adequate time, your bird will settle down and feel at home.

As an alternative, give your parrot a toy to nibble at. There are plenty of toys available specifically for parrots to bite. Ask a pet shop owner for recommendations. If the bird refuses to let go of your fingers, give it a blow on its face as a sign that you disapproves of the bird biting you. Do this over and over again each time this happens and your pet bird will get the message.

Verbally tell your parrot ‘no’ and place the bird back in its cage as a form of punishment. Cover the cage and leave it alone for some time. The parrot, being an intelligent bird, will sense that it is being disciplined.

Observe your bird’s behaviour. African Grey parrots, especially, are temperamental and if you find that your parrot is moody, leave it alone. Just like humans, there are times when it needs to be by itself and not be forced to learn new tricks. Be sensitive to your bird and the biting can be stopped.

Take your parrot to new surroundings for a change, such as different rooms in the house, the balcony or outside on the lawn. Imagine being at the same location all the time, your parrot will lose it sense of balance. Let it enjoy new company and breathe new air. It is also a good idea to take your parrot for a drive. In adapting to different environments, your parrot will become less defensive and unlikely to protect itself by hurting others.

Lookout for mood changes, frustrations and irritations in your bird and avoid coming close to it when this happens. Let the bird overcome this behaviour with time. When your parrot hurts you on the finger, try not to show any reaction because it may do that again just to see the same reaction from you. Gently remove yourself from the situation. Do not retaliate by shaking the bird.

The affectionate and energetic Cavalier King Charles Spaniel makes a perfect family dog or companion. These dogs, and especially puppies, are best in a home with older children that can understand how small and fragile the dog is. It can be dangerous to have very young children around puppy Cavalier King Charles Spaniels as the children may not know the dog’s limitations and delicate size. For great family recreation, the dog can be walked several times per-day as it requires steady and frequent exercise. It is important to understand that a small dog, such as the Cavalier are not ones for long walks, but rather many short jaunts. Even a short stroll in the back yard is sufficient, but be sure to recognize that this little guy still loves his time outdoors. Have each family member take him out once per day and he is assured adequate fresh air and exercise. The Cavalier King Charles also typically loves to chase cars and run after small animals. Keep this in mind if you intend to keep your dog occupied with unattended outdoor time. Make sure the environment is safe for your little friend and check on them frequently.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has historically been known as a well-behaved lapdog. They love plenty of company and attention and will grow to be very obedient if trained from the beginning. They are perfectly happy to be with you or on your lap at all times. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel gets along with most people and animals, as they are naturally good-natured. This dog truly admires its owner and will not be happy to be left alone all day long. Understand that this family pet wants to be a part of your life, rather than just a side-note addition.

The docile character of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel makes it easy to train them for showing and their charming mannerisms make them great show contestants. This dog aims to please and obtain praise and the best in show arena is no exception. As with any dog it is best to begin training a show dog early for optimal performance. Their obedience and beauty have the capability to get them all the way through the competition.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a highly intelligent breed that understands well, and is generally quick to respond the owner’s commands. This reinforces their suitability for show and overall pleasant personality. In addition, because the Cavalier is a descent of hunting dogs it loves the outdoors. Yet given its smallness, does not require more than 45 minutes of exercise per day. Be sure to give your Cavalier a minimum of 30 minutes of outdoor time per day as this breed is predisposed to becoming overweight. Keep in mind that treats and table scraps are to be limited at all times and also be sure to administer a sensible eating plan. If you can keep the dog at a healthy weight and provide it with plenty of love and company, you are assured a lively companion.

Is it possible to train a dog or puppy to leave a bowl of food that you place down on the floor in front of him/her and not eat the food until you give a command? Sounds impossible you might think, but it really is achievable to train a dog or puppy to do this.

Ok, but why would you want to get a dog or puppy not to eat the food until you say so in the first place? Seems a little strange, as dog owners we have their health and welfare at heart. Surely his/her dietary needs are high priority and to stop them eating when the food is in front of him/her is just cruel?

Consider this, dogs are basically descended from wolves and as such it is instinctive in your dog/puppy to behave in a certain way. In the wild it really is each dog for himself and only the strong survive. That is nature’s way and those that are not able to fend for themselves die.

Like wolves, dogs are pack animals; again they will exhibit behaviour that is instinctive when it comes to eating. There are rules about who eats what and when in a pack situation. The dominant alpha male will always eat first and have his fill, after that it really is a case of be bold, aggressive and strong in order that you eat and live.

When you first get your puppy, he/she will have come from a pack environment, having spent the first few months of life in the company of litter brothers/sisters. During this time a pecking order will have been established amongst them all.

When you place food down in front of a dog or puppy the speed at which he/she will dive in and polish off the lot is quite breath taking. In a pack situation he/she can never be sure when or where the next meal may come from. So it is very important for a dog or puppy to eat as quickly as possible in order to ensure that he/she survives until the next meal and also so that another dog cannot steal his/her food.

When you take all these things into consideration just because your dog/puppy is now living in a house, as far as they know he/she is still surrounded by pack i.e. you and your family. So it makes sense that in his/her mind there is still a pecking order. This is why it is very important that you establish authority over a dog or puppy as alpha dog in your pack. You must be the one to give your permission for him/her to eat when you say so.

When you first get a dog or puppy from day one, as soon as food is placed down in front of him/her, hold the collar gently and say the word wait or sit as a command. Either word is fine but be consistent and use the same word each time you do this.

Hold the dog or puppy back from the food (of course he/she will be desperate to dive in at this point!).Then, after a short time say the word yes and let him/her eat. At this stage he/she will have no idea of what you are telling him/her to do but, it will soon sink in that until you give the command as top dog, no food is allowed to be eaten.

This can in some cases take time and patience to train on your part but it is well worth the effort to become the alpha dog in your pack.

Teaching a dog or puppy anything can be made easy by learning and using the correct training techniques. There are plenty of Secrets to Dog Training that very few pet owners are aware of that make training your dog as easy as following A, B, C. The Best Dog Training Guide online has helped over 200,000 dog owners so far and is well worth reviewing.

Sometimes a cat will not like the location of his or her litter box.  This can occur for several different reasons:

• Some kind of pain at the location of the box
• Something that has caused the cat to be afraid at the location
• An odor around the location of the box

Where is the best spot to put a litter box?

• Most cats prefer an easily accessible spot, but one with privacy
• Avoid placing the box near a noisy appliance like the washer, dryer or furnace
• Experiment with types of boxes:  some cats like the privacy of closed boxes, and most like large boxes, but some like small ones.

In general, cats usually dislike having to eliminate near where they eat, so avoid putting the food and water bowls near the litter box.

Stress or anxiety as a source of cat litter box location must always be considered, but is not as frequent a cause of house soiling.  It has been said that one cannot have too many litter boxes.  A household of three cats would probably fair much better with four boxes.

Specific kinds of stress such as separation anxiety, previously seen only in dogs, but now believed to occur in cats also, usually occurs when there has been a prolonged absence of the owner, typically 8 hours or more.  The house soiling typically occurs 8 to 12 hours after the owner’s departure.  This behavior can also involve diarrhea and destructive events, and can be treated in much the same way dogs are treated.  Training through graduated departures with a lot of skill, time and patience as well as medications help separation anxiety disorders.

Some owners report cats that are naturally shy or fearful.  This type of personality may not want to come out into the open to go to the litter box.  If there is an identifiable cause such as a certain person, cat dog, object or sound, try to remove or modify it.  You might also try using a litter box in a “safe” location for the shy and fearful type cat.

Overcrowding

Some cats may enjoy the company of 20 other cats, while others are unhappy with just one other cat in the household or any other kind of animal.  It is actually not natural for cats to live in social groups all the time as they spend most of their time in solitary circumstances, getting together for breeding and sometimes raising kittens together.  Cats usually see all living objects, including people in the home as part of the social group.  Adding to the group in any way can be upsetting to a cat.  One way of solving a multiple cat home environment is to provide plenty of nesting spots vertically like cat trees and shelving so as to give each cat a place of its own away from the others.

For new kitten owners, there are a few things you can do to help avoid house soiling problems.  They include:

• Make the litter box location easily accessible, private and in a low traffic area
• Try to provide at least one litter box per cat
• Use finely-grained, non-scented litters
• Do not put food and water beside the litter box
• Scoop the litter box at least daily
• Change clay litters at least once weekly
• Change scoop able litters every 6 to 8 weeks
• Avoid frightening the cat in the litter box, trapping or catching it there
• Never punish a cat for house soiling
• Make changes to the litter box filler or location very gradually
• Call your vet when house soiling occurs to rules out any medical problems that may be causing the problem

Disclaimer:  The information in this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any kind of health problem in your cat.  You should always consult with a trusted veterinarian for all health problems.

Source:  The Winn Feline Foundation Online

Guinea pigs are one of the most popular household pets, next to dogs and cats.  These fluffy little creatures require very little care and take up hardly any space.  Given proper care and nutrition, they can live for many years and we can form quite an attachment to them.  A proper diet that mimics as closely as possible is the best way to insure that your pet guinea pig lives out all his years in good health.

Guinea pigs have diets in nature that are extremely high in fiber.  This fiber is essential to the proper workings of a guinea pig’s intestines and digestive system.  They require both fiber that is indigestible, that helps move the digestive process along as well as digestible fiber for nutrition.  The proportions should be near equal in ratio, so it’s important to feed the guinea pig the right mix of the two foods in order to avoid problems.

The best and easiest way to ensure that your pet is getting the proper nutrition is to feed them a high quality pellet specifically designed for guinea pigs.  These animals cannot produce their own vitamin C and therefore they require supplements.  Specifically designed guinea pig food allows for this through supplementation.  These pellets are a mix of a wide variety of plants, seeds and vegetables.

The pellets alone provide satisfactory nutrition, but you are free to spice up the diet with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables..  Carrots, lettuce and broccoli are good choices and help provide additional nutrition as well as variety.  Guinea pigs can eat almost any vegetable so don’t be afraid to experiment with different things.  Fruits are also a welcome treat for guinea pigs.  Strawberries, melon and apples are some of their favorites.    Some form of hard to chew food should be given since the pigs need to grind down their constantly growing teeth. A fresh supply of hay will help with this, round out the diet and keep the animal healthy.  Uneaten food should be removed from the cage before it begins to decompose and become a health risk.

Processed human foods should be avoided.  Even cereals that are mostly grain contain fillers and sugar which will not be good for the animal.  Just like humans, guinea pigs will quickly develop an affinity for these types of junk foods and will forego eating the healthy food they are given.

Last of all, fresh drinking water should always be on hand.  A high fiber diet requires a lot of water to digest.  Follow these healthy diet tips and enjoy your guinea pig’s company for many years.