When toilet training a puppy, the most important thing you can bring is patience. Some pups will get it within a few days, while others can take months. Here’s our VetChat vet’s checklist for toilet training your puppy: Prevent accidents in the house by providing plenty of time outside. For inside time, have a designated […]
Some cats just love to lick their owners. Hands, ears, toes, hair! Nothing is off limits! Why do they do this? It would be really nice if we could ask our kitties this directly, until then here are some explanations as for why: Maybe you just taste good They just love you. Mummy cats lovingly […]
Whilst very disagreeable to us, many dogs and cats will eat their own (or others) poop! So why do our pets chow down on a meal of poop? Well popular belief is that it indicates there’s something lacking in the diet however, there’s actually no scientific data at all to back that up, and from […]
All dog lovers surely have had experience with brown patches of grass all over the lawn. It is easy to see where your dog’s favourite pee spots are! But do you know why it happens? Well, the answer is Nitrogen. Nitrogen that is excreted by the kidney into the pee, burns grass. The more protein […]
When your dog is going to meet another dog at the dog park, the way you facilitate this is really important. Should you have one on the lead? Both? Neither? My advice, in most cases, is that they are both off-lead. Introductions can be stressful, especially if you’re not sure how your dog will react […]
We do know that dogs experience a type of sleep phase known as ‘rapid eye movement’ sleep (REM), and that REM is also a stage of humans sleep, which is associated with dreaming. Human and dog brains are also not dissimilar in structure, and extrapolating from what we know of humans REM sleep, this may […]
Eating of poop (their own, other dogs, or other species) is a behaviour that is more frequently seen in young dogs and it’s usually something that they grow out of. The problem for poop eating enthusiasts is that they will be exposed to all sorts of nasties – most notably intestinal worms, bacteria and others […]
We’ve talked about why dogs lick themselves but what about when they are licking you?! Whilst licking is a completely normal behaviour and an important form of communication, it can be a sign of an issue when it’s done excessively. Firstly, licking you (or the floor or the couch etc!) can indicate a gastrointestinal problem […]
From the boisterous puppy that doesn’t realise their play can be painful, to the dog that saves this behaviour only for your guests, here’s some tips to protect your guest’s and their ankles! AVOID WHAT YOU DON’T WANT THEM TO DO! In the short term, the behaviour needs to be avoided, so that it is […]