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Posts Tagged ‘soft’

One of my cats, Cooga, is a Burmese. He is genetically designed to enjoy human company and cuddles. He is an attractive cat and his humans can hardly walk past him without touching him. He usually allows us to cuddle him like a doll…he will relax into our arms and enjoy the attention and warmth, rubbing his head against our faces. Cooga is likely to be cuddly all his life. He is bred that way and we are lucky to have him.

My other cat, Coco, is sweet, but not so cuddly. She enjoys a pat while standing on her own four feet, but detests being held. When we first brought her home from the shelter, she was far more skittish, but now she readily climbs onto our laps while we watch TV.

Can any cat become cuddly? Not all cats have the same interest in human company and affection. Some cats are of such a nervous disposition that they find cuddles too overwhelming.

If it is important to you to have a cuddly cat, it helps to choose carefully, and to know what to look for. Most kittens seem happy to be cuddled, but naturally cuddly kittens seek it out. They will quickly relax into your hands, eager to curl up in your lap, and enjoy face-to-face contact. Kittens that stop playing to show interest in you or who worm their way into your hands, show that they like a lot of contact.

Cuddly adult cats are even easier to spot. Unlike kittens, they might not show immediate trust, but if you look at adult cats in a shelter, the people working there will know the cuddly ones and will be delighted to help one of their favorites find a home, where they can get all the cuddling they need.

Once you have a cuddly cat, you can train it to retain these happy characteristics. With kittens, it is a matter of helping them stay that way, while with adults it’s more a case of letting them relax into it.

Regardless of the cat’s age, the following principles will help you to keep your cat cuddly, or to encourage a reluctant cuddler to enjoy it more:

* Wait for the cat to make the first moves. Let them get used to their new situation, and keep your hand around for them to rub their face on. Then you can move your hand down to their chest or stroke their ears. Full contact hugs are for relationships of great trust. Be patient.

* Know when to swoop in, and when not to. Resist the urge to interrupt your cat’s play or mealtimes. Make your move when the cat is already relaxed and open to your overtures, or comes near you. It’s coercive to demand that a cat stops everything for a cuddle. It is essential to good cuddling to be sensitive to, and respectful of, their moods. You will build trust this way.

* If the cat wants to get down, let it go. If you insist, you are not getting a cuddle, you are making a prisoner out of your cat.

* Cuddling should be fun for both of you, and stay that way. Never turn a cuddle into something else, like a good opportunity for eye medicine or a flea treatment. They will mind, and you will sabotage their trust in cuddling you.

* Keep the moment soft and sweet. Squealing into your cat’s ear about how cute they are, or conversely not saying anything, will send the wrong reinforcement. A soft voice will strengthen your cuddling bond.

* You can begin or end a cuddling session with treats. Mealtimes lead to a full tummy, when cuddling might be uncomfortable, but telling your cat how much you love them with a tasty treat is just another form of closeness.

By using these techniques, you can establish whether your cat can be cuddly, if it is not already. It can take time for trust to build and for a cat to appreciate the pleasures of close contact with you. These are especially good rules to teach children who want to get close to a cat.

This world could do with more respectful cuddling!

Corgis are usually easy dogs to train, having a natural ability to understand what is wanted and being anxious to please. One kind of behavior problem, however, is nipping. Corgis were bred as working dogs, and in some regions of the world they are used to herd cattle. They nip at the cows’ heels to get them to go where they are wanted. Thus, corgis like to nip, especially moving objects, such as your heels. If your puppy is less than ten weeks old, he or she cannot understand what you don’t like, so wait until the pup is at least ten weeks old to start your Corgi Training. Here are five practical methods:

1. In a wild dog pack the leader will hold the puppy’s neck or muzzle and keep it still for a few seconds to give it the idea that nipping is unacceptable. If you do the same, the dog will understand that you are the pack leader and will not tolerate nipping. As you hold the muzzle or neck, use a command such as, “No nip,” and use it consistently.

2. Another method is to hold the skin at the back of the neck and lift the puppy so that its front paws are off the ground for a few seconds. This, too, shows that you are in command. Again, say, “No nip, ” No bite,” or some other words consistently during dog training.

3. If you prefer, you can hold the puppy down, using two hands to hold it at the shoulders and lower back. Hold the pup until it stops wiggling, again saying a command that it will learn to recognize.

4. A bottle or glass of water, or a squirt gun can also be used. When the puppy nips, squirt it in the face or pour water over its head. If your puppy seems think this is a fun game, then abandon this method.

5. Distraction is another method you can use. Get a soft chew toy or rope for the puppy to chew, and substitute this object every time the puppy tries to nip your heels.

If the above methods do not work for you, then take your pup to a veterinarian or trainer before he or she gets any older. It is best to nip bad behavior in the bud as soon as possible.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes your dog has really bad breath and you’re not even sure why?  You’re certain that your feeding them healthy food and not feeding them any treats or other foods that are sources of bad breath.  Did you ever stop to consider the fact that maybe you’re not brushing your dog’s teeth enough.  This could be the number one cause of bad breath in dogs.  

There are a number of reasons why you should keep up with the task of cleaning your dog’s teeth, and bad doggy breath is certainly at the top of the list.  Sure you enjoy hanging out on the couch watching a movie with your dog right beside you, but not if his breath is so bad that you can’t stand it.  If you start to notice that his breath is bad, then that means that you have failed to keep up with the cleaning of your dogs teeth.  You can also see that your dog needs to have his teeth cleaned by looking at them closely.  You’ll see buildup starting to show towards their gums which is often dark yellow to light green in color.  This is generally what we know as tartar.  

Bad breath is not the only problem associated with not cleaning your teeth properly.  Your dog can also experience forms of gingivitis which is caused by not keeping up with tooth care, as well as a general weakening of the gums that surround the teeth.  In order to prevent this and other types of conditions, you have to keep up with the daily care of your dog’s entire mouth.

So how do you clean your dog’s teeth?  Well it’s actually pretty simple.  The bare minimum tools require is a toothbrush, preferably one that is used for brushing a baby’s teeth.  Since dogs teeth and gums are more sensitive than human teeth, they require a softer brush so they are not scraped or scratched during the process of brushing.  As far as the technique of brushing goes, you can use a similar technique that you would use when brushing your own.  You can dip the toothbrush in a water to provide a more rinsing brush, or if you want to use toothpaste, there are certain types of toothpaste available for dogs that come in all types of flavors.  

Cleaning your dogs teeth should be done on a regular basis in order to keep them as clean as possible and free from any issues such as bad breath, dog gingivitis, or other complications that may arise from not cleaning on a regular basis.  Keeping your dog’s teeth fresh and clean will keep your dog happy and you as well.

Congratulations! So you’ve made the commitment to add a puppy to your family and are shopping for puppy collars. You are off to a good start because your puppy’s collar is an important part of your puppy’s training, safety, and grooming.

With so many types of puppy collars on the market, it’s hard to decide which type of puppy collar will be right for your pup. So here’s a short list of things to consider in helping you find the right collar for your puppy.

• Adjustability. Puppies grow fast, so getting a puppy or dog collar with room to grow is an important feature. You will eventually need to buy another collar to accommodate your pup’s growth, so look for a collar length that your puppy can wear for at least 6 months. A collar that increases by at least 4″ will allow for growth while providing a good fit.
• Comfort. Some Puppies take to collars right away, and others need time to adjust to wearing a collar. It can be funny to watch your pup try to wriggle it’s way out of a collar, but if the collar is lightweight, soft and flexible, s/he will quickly become accustomed to wearing it. Stay away from stiff materials that do not bend or give.
• Safety. Puppies, just like kids, can get into all kinds of mischief, so you want a dog collar that has a quick release buckle should you need to remove the collar in an emergency. Unlike buckle collars, a quick release won’t snag as easily as a buckle collar will.
• Training. The collar and leash are essential training tools for teaching your dog certain commands. A properly fitted collar is important for puppy training. You should be able to fit two fingers comfortably through the collar when on your puppy’s neck. Choke and martingale collars are more suitable for adult dogs and are helpful where traditional training methods have failed.
• Grooming and appearance. There’s nothing more unsightly than a worn and smelly collar on a freshly bathed or groomed puppy. So get a washable collar in materials that will hold a fresh scent. Collars come in many fun designs and colors, so shop for one that suits his/her personality – and yours!

Matting occurs in dogs when its hair gets intertwined and locked. Usually when matting happens, the dog’s hair will collect pieces of thread, cotton and dirt as it moves around. The matting also results in the dog leaving fur and hair all over the place. This is because the hair holds tight to other fibers which results in the strands getting cut. This can be very annoying not to mention the fact that there is risk of it getting into food or children eating it. I have provided here a few tips that will help you prevent matting and where it has occurred; know how to deal with it.

The first step is to study the habits of your dog. Does it play and roll in dirt, in the grass or on carpets a lot? Does it play in water and roll in dirt or grass? Wet fur easily leads to matting and collecting a lot of dirt along the way. Alternatively, if the dog loves to lick its fur, it could also have a similar but lesser effect as water. These habits will advise how often you should wash or brush the dog.

One way that you can prevent matting is to brush and comb your dog regularly. Regular baths are also very helpful in preventing matting since in the process; a brush runs though the hair. Washing in shampoo also helps reduce oils which can clump together and attract hair strands as well. Excessive washing is discouraged since it is harmful to the dog. The good news is that you can comb and brush more often as long as this is done gently.

Brushing the dog’s coat on a daily basis is a sure way of preventing matting. This not only deals with matting but also reduces the dirt that may be accumulating. Brush frequently but brush gently. If you are too rough, you might scratch the dog. Brushing also has a massaging effect. This is quiet enjoyable for the dog as well as having emotional benefits. It is said that dog grooming leads to bonding and you will benefit from such a bond.

We have focused our discussion on activities that prevent matting. Suppose your dog already has matting, what should you do? The first line of action is to do the things recommended above. If this does not work because the hair it tightly knit, go for a “curative” approach. Clip the hair and cut out the entire portion that has mats. Attempting to use force to comb or brush will not solve the problem. Instead, the dog will feel pain which will make future grooming sessions only harder.

If the fur has matted, do not use water to soften it. This experience shows is counterproductive. Instead, start slowly by running your fingers through the fur. If it loosens, then you can move on to using a comb or brush. This is one procedure you do not want to be doing in a hurry. Work on the matted areas by dividing into sections and moving step by step.