Cats can be difficult to understand. The way cats communicate is quite subtle. But they have a lot of ways of telling you how they’re feeling and what they need. Cats communicate using:

• Tone of voice (chirps, meows, groans, and growls)
• Eye contact and blinking
• Posture and body language:
  • Position of ears
  • Tail position and motion

This blog focuses on cat body language. Specifically, how your cat’s ears, body, and tail react when your cat is happy/excited, interested/alert, scared/anxious, or aggressive/agitated.

All cats are different. Your cat may have other ways of communicating with you. The above table describes basic cat body language. Remember when meeting a new cat to be on the lookout for behaviour in the last 2 columns.

Tail Positions

The tail positions might be hard to visualize. The below graphic shows what your cat is trying to tell you with his tail.

Source: http://www.catwows.com/cat-care/cat-body-language-tail/

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Common Training Mistakes

Training plays a huge role in determining what kind of life you and your dog are going to share. There are many training methods to choose from there’s no one right way. Whatever method you choose both you and your dog will make mistakes and that’s ok.

There’s a lot of information about dog training available. We looked at 7 articles from dog trainers, dog behaviourists, and vets and came up with this list of the 6 common mistakes people make during training. If you can avoid these 6 mistakes you will not only successfully train your dog, you and your pup will build a lasting, loving friendship.

Important: choose a training method that works best for your pup. Dogs are individuals and what works well for your friend’s dog may not work for yours even if they are the same breed.

Your Behaviour

The way you behave while training your dog will affect how well your dog learns. Avoid these mistakes:

1) Having a bad attitude and negative demeanor:

• Try this instead:
  • Remember, dogs are pack animals – you must fill the leadership role if you want your dog to behave. Be the leader – have a positive attitude but a calm demeanor
  • Remember to be emotionally stable – don’t get too happy when your pup does well or too angry when she doesn’t listen
  • Be calm, cool, collected, and patient

2) Training with inconsistency causing confusion:

• Try this instead:
  • Stick with your chosen training method and try not to mix in random elements from other methods
  • Use the same word for a command. Avoid switching between 2 different words for the same thing – the command is either “sit” or “sit down” not both
  • Always apply the same rules – your dog is either always allowed to jump up on you or she isn’t; the rule should be the same whether you’re wearing a dress or yoga pants
  • Your dog is not a person, remember to treat you dog like a dog not a child – avoid assigning human emotions and thought processes to him

3) Sessions are too long or too short:

• Try this instead:
  • Make sure sessions aren’t so long that your pup becomes bored and begins to ignore you
  • Training sessions should not be so short that your pup doesn’t learn anything
  • Training session length depends on your pup’s attention span and ability to learn
  • Remember to end training sessions on a success that follows in praise and reward
  • Remember, training is a lifelong activity that needs to be practiced every day, not just on weekends

4) Focusing on negative behaviour:

• Try this instead:
  • Positive reinforcement tends to work better than negative reinforcement
  • Dogs see attention as a reward, remember that by reacting to an undesired behaviour your may actually be reinforcing it
  • Negative reinforcement and correcting a behaviour are not the same thing
  • Reinforcement is only effective when it occurs immediately after an action – rewarding your dog for completing a command 5 minutes after he completed it has no effect on future behaviour

5) Relying on too many treats:

• Try this instead:
  • Don’t depend on treats – use a mix of different rewards include verbal praise and affection in your reward system
  • You can use anything your dog loves as a reward but that means you will have to control your dog’s access to it – it isn’t a reward if she can have it whenever she wants
  • Slowly wean your pup off treat based rewards to praise, a favourite toy, some play time, or something else he loves

6) Having unrealistic expectations:

• Try this instead:
  • Make sure to set reasonable training goals that your pup can reach – don’t become discouraged if your pup doesn’t become the world’s best behaved dog over night

There’s a lot of research on the subject of dog training. If you’d like to read more you can check out the articles we use to write this blog:

1. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/08/16/6-dog-training-mistakes.aspx
2. http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/are-you-making-these-10-training-mistakes/29092
3. http://www.canadianliving.com/life/pets/6_common_mistakes_pet_owners_can_avoid.php
4. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_5/features/Positive_Dog_Training_15931-1.html
5. http://www.dogfathertraining.co.uk/articles-and-tips/4-dog-training-mistakes-to-avoid-like-the-plague
6. http://www.pawnation.com/2012/05/31/10-dog-training-mistakes-to-avoid/
7. http://www.alphapaws.com/common-training-mistakes-that-can-be-avoided-with-dog-obedience-lessons/

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Mutt versus Pure Bred

There is a long standing debate among dog lovers and breeders; who is better, the mutt or the pure bred?  (Pure bred dogs include designer dogs like Puggles and Labradoodles).  There hasn’t been much study on the subject – so really there’s no definitive answer. What we do know is that mutts tend to get the short end of the stick.  Mixed breed dogs make up the majority of shelter dogs and are euthanized far more often than their designer counter parts.  Mutts are great dogs and make amazing pets. There are some upsides to mutts – a more diverse genetic background generally means that the pup will not suffer from congenital diseases.  Also, mutts don’t suffer from breed-specific health problems.  Mutts are also able to perform any task a pure bred can including search and rescue. So how do we get the word out about our mixed breed friends?  The answer is National Mutt Day.

What is National Mutt Day?

National Mutt Day is a 2 day campaign to raise awareness about mixed breed dogs.  Did you know that mixed breed dogs are euthanized far more than pure bred dogs?  Due to the popularity and demand for designer and pure bred puppies mutts are neglected and often end up in shelters. National Mutt Day is celebrated on both July 31^st and December 2^nd.  The extra day helps increase awareness about mixed breed dogs that need and deserve a good home.

The Goal The ultimate goal of National Mutt Day to get 10,000 mutts adopted on July 31^st and December 2^nd.

How Can You Help?  Why adopt a mutt of course.  But if you can’t adopt a mutt there are other ways to help.  The following have been suggested by Mutt Day founder Colleen Paige:

• Donate $5 to a local animal shelter
• Donate other items needed by shelters (food, toys, beds, poop bags)
• Volunteer at a shelter

To find out more about National Mutt Day check out their website and Facebook page: http://www.nationalmuttday.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/NationalMuttDay?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser Is your pup mixed breed?  Share a picture of your mutt with us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DoonGo?ref=hl