matm, Author at Forrest Animal Behaviour - Page 2 of 3 Archive

Why use Muzzles for dogs?

You might have seen a lot in the social media around muzzles explaining the reasons muzzles are needed in the dog world. There can be a range of necessary reasons for a dog to wear a muzzle. Whatever the reason a dog might need a muzzle, what is important is that we ensure dogs are…

Water fountains can help your pet’s health!

Do you use water fountains for you pets? Water fountains can encourage more drinking for your cat or dog. It is important for health, as water intake can help kidney function and improve gastro-intestinal health. This in turn can help improve behaviours related to internal medical drivers. For cats the visual sight of moving water…

How does the weather affect my pet?

Maybe its rainy and your cat is grumpy? Maybe its windy and your dog is hyper? When temperatures get cold your pets routine might be change. This is especially important for our feline companions, who might be spending more time inside the house. For both dogs and cats, weather can be an direct or indirect…

Cats can train too!

When we think about training, we normally think about dogs. However, cats can learn just as well as dogs too! Although cats have not been shown to benefit from social learning (watching others do an activity first), they have been shown to learn very well with directed and problem-solving learning. This means we can teach…

Let Long Lines Drag!

Do you or have you used longlines before? When working on recall or behaviour modifications, they can be used as brilliant devices to bridge the gap from on or off the lead. Once you have established a recall or wanted behaviour and you are now working on distractions or busier areas, long lines can be…

Neutering

As we can never truly fully assess the amount that sexual hormones are involved in a behaviour, the total removal of a hormone can have a big knock-on affect. Therefore, Neutering pets can have a variable outcome or very limited outcome, depending on the behaviours involved with your pet. This could be from no affect,…

Does your dog urinate during greeting?

These are often called "Excited wees" or "Happy wees" Spoiler alert: It is not a happy or excited behaviour! Urine contains pheromones as is used by canines to gather information about others. This is part of the reason they like to sniff and urine mark on walks, to communicate and pass the information on about…

All behaviours have emotions!

All behaviours have emotions behind the physical actions displayed: These emotions can be: Fear Frustration Desire Lust Panic/Grief Care Hate Play Pain If you only look to stop a behaviour, it can act as a band-aid to temporarily stop an unwanted behaviour. However, the emotion driving the behaviour remains unsolved. This can then lead to…

Why don’t they listen?

Have you ever had to shout and shout your dog, and only after the fifth time, they look at you really puzzled? Dogs can have selective hearing when they focus on one sense, however it is not always their fault. Have you ever been reading a book, on your phone or watching TV and someone…

When should I start Firework sound training?

As soon as you find your pet has any noise concerns, a veterinary visit and behavioural assessment should be considered. If your companion struggled during the fireworks, behaviour modifications should start as soon as you can following the new year, before the next November when it all starts again. This gives us the longest time…