behavior | Pet Show Blog

sad-dog This time of year is always exciting for families. Kids head back to school, and parents are either cheering or crying. But other members of the family – our pets – are noticing the changes, too. Watch for signs of separation anxiety. For example, your pet may chew more than normal or go to the bathroom where he shouldn’t.

PetFinder.com offers this advice to help your furry pal deal with the back-to-school blues.

Start early. Begin working with your pet as early as possible. Leave and come back without a lot of fanfare. Start with short separations and work you way into longer time periods.
Promote independence. Don’t over-bond so that your pet relies on you every minute. Encourage her to sit or stay, leave the room and then quietly praise her when you come back.
Invest in entertainment. Get toys or treats that will distract your pet, like a pet-sitter video or kong ball.
Exercise with your animal before you leave. Go for a walk or have your kids spending time playing with your pet before you head out the door.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

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Pets in the paper – squirrels are sneaky

Posted by petblog

on August 13, 2009 at 9:40 am

Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -

Event to help more dogs. (Oklahoma City)
Pet Tales: Sneaky squirrel jars couple with tit for tat. (Oklahoma City)
Chihuahua serves as fire alarm for two men. (The Village)
Dungy says Vick’s choices limited. (Indiana)
Eighty pit bulls seized in raid. (Indiana)
Wolf release raises questions. (New Mexico)
Rachel Ray planning pet charity contest. (California)
Help available for storm-phobic dogs. (nationwide)

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

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Want to see something cute?

Posted by petblog

on July 17, 2009 at 12:36 pm

Our friends over at the L.A. Unleashed blog have the story about a pair of red panda cubs being raised by a dog after they were abandonded by their mother.

The cubs were born June 25 at the Taiyuan Zoo in northern China. They were immediately abandoned by their mother, leaving keepers looking for a surrogate. They found a willing foster mother: a white mixed-breed dog who had recently given birth to a litter of puppies.

Apparently mom is loving and attentive of both her pups and the cubs.

Photos are from the Associated Press.

redpandas1

redpandas2

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

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Pet Show – taking your furry friend on the road

Posted by petblog

on July 16, 2009 at 10:56 am

dog-talk-book Listen to Pet Show! Our guest this week was the illustrious Harrison Forbes! He’s the host of the nationally-syndicated Pet Talk show and author of the book Dog Talk. He’s an expert who’s been heard all over the world. (And as a side note, he’s been interviewed by Larry King. So in a way, the Pet Show crew is almost as awesome as Larry King. Admittedly, we don’t have suspenders.)

Anyway, Harrison’s impressive resume aside, he spoke to us about traveling with your pets this summer. Anybody who’s ever tried to load up a dog or cat and go for a road trip knows this is no easy task. Harrison gives us some great advice for keeping your pets calm and happy during the drive.

Our Tale Tips for the show are more than necessary considering the horrific heat in Oklahoma these days. Dawn shares info about how to protect your animals from the heat:

Keep up with your regular vet visits.
Pets need water and shade when outside.
Look for symptoms of heat problems – panting, difficulty breathing, drooling, weakness, collapse, seizure, vomiting or high temperature.
Don’t leave your pet in the car. Seriously.
Keep animals that can’t swim away from the pool.
Don’t leave windows open in upper stories. Pets can be attracted to the air flow and fall out.
Haircuts are good – shaving to the skin is bad.
Keep your pets off hot asphalt, which can burn the pads of their paws.
If you’re boosting your lawn with chemicals, use them carefully and away from animals.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

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