Dog Toys

Choosing the appropriate toys will make your small dog's play time richer, while lessening his chance of accidental injury. Safe toys for your small dog can be purchased from pet supply stores or even made from household items, but it's good to keep these few main safety concerns in mind.

Size Matters With Small Dog Toys

In general, small dog toys should never be small enough to fit entirely in your dog's mouth, or be capable of being broken into smaller pieces that can stick in his throat. A dog toy that's too small can easily bounce back in your dog's mouth and obstruct his windpipe, meaning he could suffocate to death if you aren't in the immediate area to intervene! Sadly, this has happened to more than one dog. For that reason, small smooth balls just aren't the best choice for most dogs.

Tennis balls and the larger, hard rubber balls are big enough to stay out of the throats of most small dogs (make sure both kinds of balls are still whole and strong and not cracked). The small pull ropes found in pet aisles are also a good choice of toy for your small dog, unless you find him attempting to eat the rope when you're not busy playing. In that case, small fibers and threads from the rope can get stuck in his throat which again can be dangerous, especially if you're not around to help.

Very high quality, unusual shaped dog toys like Kongs are also a good choice for small dogs. Even much larger dogs find it virtually impossible to chew Kongs into smaller pieces that can lodge in the throat and cause problems, not to mention Kongs can be made infinitely fascinating to your dog by stuffing them with dog treats, peanut butter or frozen beef broth.

Ever thought of getting your small dog a pool? Most dogs love water, and will adore chasing their toys in and out of the pool. For small dogs, however, it's terribly important to make sure they can easily clamber out, even when heavy and wet from the water. Make sure the sides of the pool are low and that your dog's head easily clears the water. Avoid pools entirely for the toy dogs.

Is your small dog a ripper, or does he play nicely with his toys? Dogs that are gentle can play relatively safely with a wide variety of toys, including small plush animals and squeaky toys. Other, more aggressive dogs need to be kept safe from toys with ribbons, "googly eyes," or toys containing a squeaker, which can be chewed loose and pose a danger if swallowed.

Materials Matter For Small Dog Toys

No matter how carefully constructed, most dog toys are capable of splitting or crumbling at some point, and being ingested by your dog. This poses two problems. Most dog toy materials are naturally not meant to be eaten, and some can cause digestive trouble. Worse, if the piece in question is sharp, it can even puncture the dog internally. So it makes sense to select non-toxic small dog toys that don't contain any brittle materials. The safest route is to stick to high quality latex and vinyl toys crafted specifically for use with dogs. The manufacturers of higher-end products, such as Kongs, have gone to great lengths to eliminate these kinds of risks.

No matter what small dog toys you select for your pet, keeping these main safety points in mind should help you choose appropriate toys for your small dog that leave him happy and entertained -- and safe.

Dog Birthday

It was recently reported that over 700,000 pets in the United States have had birthday parties thrown for them by their owners. This “pet party” trend has also taken off in other nations such as China, Japan and England. If you were thinking of throwing a party for your pet (specifically your dog), here is a list of party safety guidelines to ensure that all of the party animals in attendance have a fun and safe time. This list is by no means fully comprehensive, but it gives you a good starting point for your pet party safety. You should always use your best judgment to determine if something is appropriate for your pet, and the other pets in attendance at the party. Without further adieu, here are the dog party safety tips:

- All dogs attending the party should have at least one person who the dog feels comfortable around present at the party. If a guardian for the dog is not able to attend your party, the dog should not attend either. Unless you feel comfortable enough with watching the dog yourself, you do not one to be held liable if something happens to the dog.

- In case any of the dogs’ guardians do not bring waste bags for their dogs, make sure to have plenty on hand. This is especially true if the party is at a dog park or other public facility. Be sure to leave the location in the same condition that it was in prior to the party.

- To avoid any potential scuffles between the party animals, only invite dogs that your dog already knows and feels comfortable with. If your best friend’s dog is sweet, but just doesn’t get along with your dog for some reason, it may be best to leave them off of the guest list. If you want to invite a dog who your dog has never met, set up a meeting between your dog and the other dog so that they can become acquainted before the party. Definitely leave canine bullies off of the guest list.

- If you plan to have an outdoor party at a dog park or in your backyard, make sure that you have a contingency plan in the event of bad weather.

- In regards to the length of the party, you can plan the party for as long as you see fit, just keep in mind that dogs can become restless very easy. If you notice that many of the guests are getting cranky, don’t be afraid to end the party early.

- Wherever you choose to have the party, make sure that it is safely enclosed and that there are no “cracks” that any of the party guests may be able to slip through. This is especially true for the smaller guests at the party. If your Rottweiler has started digging a whole under your fence in the backyard, make sure that the hole isn’t big enough for your friend’s Shih Tzu to crawl through. If you think that the whole may become problematic, fill the whole before you host your party.

- At treat time, make sure that every puppy has his or her own treat. Also, allow each dog’s guardian to give the treat to their respective dog.

- If you invite dogs that have not yet been spayed or neutered, make sure that you alert the parents of the other dogs at the party. Also, if you think that it is necessary, make sure that the parents of these dogs keep an especially close eye on their pet.

- Make sure to only provide treats that are deemed safe for dogs. If you are unsure about the dog toxicity of any of the treats that you want to give out at your party, consult your veterinarian. Also, it is a good idea to talk with the owners of the dog party guests beforehand to check if their dog is allergic to a particular food or ingredient.

Intractable Cat

Cats are almost always depicted as loners, the lords of their realm, snobbish and downright stubborn. This is a type of animal that is quite proud, going their own way and rarely following orders. Think Garfield.

While this could be quite unfair to the cat, they are almost always compared to the loyalty and obedience of a dog, qualities which make them a popular pet all over the world.

That is why it is recommended to all cat owners or those who do plan to get a cat to train them immediately. This establishes the role of each person in the household.  Cat training allows for the cat owner to train his or her cat and eventually leading up to a long lasting loving relationship between owner and pet.

Just like having a child, a pet cat that knows how to follow orders and is a source of pride and joy will be given great attention and love as well as more rewards.

But, before you start training your cat, you must know first its natural instincts and behaviours. As cat owners, we must respect what is but natural to every cat so we don't encroach into those natural instincts.

It is not uncommon for some cats to feel depression and stress, so do not mistake this for stubbornness or hard-headedness. This may cause a rift between you and your cat. The more you scream at it and the more you hurt it, the more the wedge and rift grows, making it harder to do cat training.

Have your cat checked out by a vet first before any cat training. There are many factors to consider first. If the vet gives the thumbs-up sign then your good to go. Cat training will provide for a happier and healthier cat-owner relationship.

Cat Toilet Training

One of the first things as an owner that wants to toilet train your cat is to know about your cat.

The behavior of a cat; the does, and don’ts of training a cat.

Since we are going to talk about potty training a cat, we need to set some basic rules down. Most important one is that if you do not catch the cat going potty on the floor at the very moment; it will not make any sense to the cat what you do to them about it. Cats remember things like that only shortly. No rubbing the nose of the cat in it, that will only cause pain, or do anything that would harm or hurt your cat. By doing any of these painful acts will only make the cat afraid of you and you will have a very hard time training your cat to do any behaviors, or taking care of your cat.

Let us look over the potty training a cat. Having a cat potty trained on any household toilet will save you thousands of dollars in kitty litter. Will keep the cats area clean, safe and dry, and since a cat does not like messes this is a great way to get rid of the mess for you.

Now you are wondering why someone would want to have the cat use the toilet and not the litter box. In the fecal, of the feline, when mixed with kitty litter can cause people of all ages to get sick. When the cat comes out of the litter box to a person, on its paws are the germs from the litter box. When you or family member is sick or aged people, they are very expectable to this disease.

With a cat being potty trained, the fecal goes under the water this will help prevent the disease from spreading. There are devices on the market that will help you potty train your cat. The devices come with books to help and support you with toilet training your cat.

Let’s look at the potty device, to see what steps are taken to get the cat to use the toilet.

First, you will need to put the device in the toilet. It is basically a small shallow version of a toilet bowl that fits under the ring on the toilet.

The recommendation is to put small amount of cat litter in the small portion of the plastic bowl. Then remove all other cat litter boxes, so the cat will only find litter in one place. Another thought is to cover the plants on the floor, so the cat will not be able to dig in the dirt.

With the device, that you get, there could be some type of fragrances to put on the toilet device to help attract the cat to that area. Leave the cat for a while in the bathroom, with the door closed, privacy is something that cat need and want and will the cat will explore that the litter in on the toilet and use it there. If there seems to be a problem with the cat going, you may want to put the litter box next to the toilet, this way the cat will get use to this and see the toilet, before getting the training started. In this time if you see that cat needs to go, pick the cat up and put it on the toilet with the device on so that kitty will see the device and the litter

This will all take time and lots of patience from you and some good training to the cat. The cat does not have natural instincts to go in the bathroom and go on the toilet. When a cat is older, this can be a real task as the older cats are usually set in their ways and do not like change. With this, you will want to use the slow approach.

In the end, you and your cat will be happy that there are no more kitty litter boxes in the home.

Rewards are very important in this training and hard also; you may not see or catch your cat on there going but remember to reward them when you do see them.

Cat Care 101

There's no question that our cats are full-fledged family members. Their loyalty, their love, and their ability to comfort us are unparalleled. Sometimes, though, their hair or odors can leave an unwelcome footprint in our homes. Just as we clean up the spills made by our kids (or our spouses!), it's up to us to clean up after our cats. Luckily, there are any number of products that make pet care a breeze.

Cat Litter Boxes

Cats are generally low maintenance pets, but their litter boxes often contribute little to you home decor, and can become a smelly nuisance. Today's litter boxes, though, can bring a touch of whimsy to your interior design, while their functionality can put an end to messes and odors.

One line of litter boxes comes in an assortment of patterns and colors, from solid silver and solid black, to polka dot, leopard print and wood grain. The litter tray door pulls out, and a metal sifter rake pulls and lifts litter out of the tray for easy cleaning. Another ingenious design has a triangular shape so that you can easily place it otherwise used corner space.

If you want to make cat care even easier, self-cleaning litter boxes are the answer. One style has an internal grill that traps used litter. You simply roll the enclosed litter box on its side and remove the waste tray. Another type takes self-cleaning to the next level by having a slowly but rotating system that quietly but continuously scoops used cat litter into a receptacle. The ultimate litter box is one that automatically flushes cat waste down your toilet. Instead of cat litter, this box uses permanent granules that are washable. After your cat uses the box, the granules are automatically washed, disinfected, and dried. Liquid and any solid waste are flushed down the toilet with fresh water.

Kitty Litter

When it comes to kitty litter, many cats have a preference for one brand over another. But if you start with the right litter or are persistent, you can find kitty litter that can help eliminate odors while keep your cat healthy. One brand of kitty litter on the market not only neutralizes litter box odors, but also changes color if your cat has a urinary tract infection. Given that urinary tract infections can quickly become life threatening, early detection is key. It's also helpful to have information about a potential infection to give to your veterinarian.

Shedding Tools

Many people who love cats are troubled by allergies, or by the cat hair that clings to furniture and clothes. Products that help with shedding take one of two approaches: either they work at the source of the problem (your furry feline) or they make it a snap to clean up hair off of furniture.

Cats typically shed their undercoat (rather than the hair you see), so a product that helps you remove hair from your pet - a "furminator" of sorts - means you'll never see it on your couch. These products brush out the dead hair from the undercoat (but don't cut it), while bringing your cat's natural oils to the surface. Because this type of product also helps stops over zealous self-cleaning, your cat may be less likely to be bothered by hairballs.

Cat care isn't difficult, and the great litter boxes, kitty litter, and shedding tools make it even easier!