Fighting like Cats and Dogs? Actually, dogs and cats can really get along! Science has even proven it. Researchers who studied the relationships of cats and dogs living with humans, published their findings in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. According to the study, cats and dogs are more than adept at reading each other signals and dogs will even adapt their own greeting behavior to accommodate the cats in the house. When encountering each other, cats tend to sniff nose to nose while dogs prefer a nose to tail sniff. When cats and dogs live together the nose sniff becomes the universal greeting. Read more about this interesting study at examiner.com

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Taking your new pet (whether dog, cat, hamster, or any other living thing) to the veterinarian should be your first priority. This is especially true if you have other pets. It’s a good idea to make sure your new pet is healthy and doesn’t have any diseases or viruses he or she could transmit to other animals in the house.

Your first veterinarian visit should be an enjoyable experience. You’ll learn all kinds of things about your new companion! Plus, you’ll want your veterinarian to get to know your pet during times of health so he or she will easily be able to recognize abnormal behavior if your pet ever becomes ill.

Here are three essential questions for your new vet, for detailed information check our What to Ask The Veterinarian Guide.

3 Essential Questions For The Vet

• How often does my pet need a checkup?
• Does my pet need to go to the dentist like I do?
• What kinds of preventative treatments might my pet need?

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This week we’re highlighting one of our quick guides, covering lost and found pets. Losing a pet is certainly a dramatic experience. The bad news is that one-third of pets at some point get lost, but the good news if you do lose your pet, 90% of the time you will find it. Clearly, the best way to avoid a lost pet is taking steps to prevent it happening in the first place.

3 Ways To Prevent Pet Loss

• Keep up-to-date tags on your pets at all times & microchip your pets
  
• Train your pet to come when called
  
• Check your fencing condition every month
  

3 Ways To Find Your Lost Pet

• Check along routes where the dog is walked
• Post flyers immediately
• Visit all local animal shelters, at least every other day
  

These are only a few tips, click here to read our complete Lost & Found Pet Guide

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A pet is sometimes just like a toddler, and left alone they will explore every inch of the house. In light, if you are planning to adopt and have not had a pet in the household before take note of these items that can harm you’re new pet.

• Chocolate
• Coffee/coffee grounds
• Raisins and grapes
• Cooked bones can splinter and cause internal injuries
• Avocado
• Onions and onion powder
• Macadamia nuts
• Alcoholic beverages
• Prescription drugs, Always keep well out of reach
• Fabric softener sheets dogs and cats love to play with these, but they’re toxic
• Fertilizer and plant food
• Antifreeze smells sweet, so pets love to lick it out of a puddle on
  the street, too

When in doubt, assume something is poisonous for your pet. Better safe than
sorry!

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When people adopt a dog, many people don’t realize the importance that spending time training your dog can have on keeping you and your dog happy. Dog training gives you a reason to spend quality time with your dog while training him or her. Your dog will get the pleasure of learning how to work well in your home, and will even get a reward for their efforts!

Training your dog is also about training you and your family on how to communicate with your dog in a loving and clear way. It’s really just communicating clearly to your dog what the rules of your home are, and since dogs are eager to please, once they know the rules, they are happy to get with the program. This is especially true with a rescue dog who is so appreciative of the love you are giving, and who may not have been given the chance to learn how to work well with people in his or her previous home. When you, your family and your dog know what is to be expected in terms of behavior, everyone is happy! Click here to check out this article on training your dog to do sports on Petcentric.com

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