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1. Good management skills: Puppies can get into trouble very quickly. A new puppy owner needs watch her puppy all of the time. When you can not keep an eye on your puppy, it is a good idea to use some type of confinement. I like to use crates. A crate is a great way to manage your puppy’s behavior when you are not home. As a former animal control officer,

I have seen many young dogs that have been injured when left on their own. Almost all dogs at some point in their lives will be exposed to a crate. An overnight stay at the Vet’s office, a grooming appointment, or if you have to travel will all require your dog to go into a crate. It is much better to teach your new puppy to love her crate than it is an adult dog.

2. Start training early: For many years dog owners have been told that they could not start training their puppies until they were six months old. This is just simply untrue. A good reward based puppy class is the most important thing that you can do for your young puppy. Your puppy will become well socialized and many behavior problems can be prevented before they ever start.

3. Socialization: You can never over-socialize your puppy. The first four months of your puppy’s life are the most impressionable. To become a confident and stable dog, a young puppy needs to be exposed to many different people, dogs, places, sounds and scents. Bringing your puppy in for grooming is a great way to introduce him/her to new environments, sounds, smells and people.

4. Puppy proof the house: Anything that you value should be put away until after the puppy stage. Also, keep a close eye on you puppy around electrical wires. Puppies love to chew on wires. A crate is a great way to keep your puppy safe when you can’t be right there to watch her.

5. Going to the vet’s office: Drop by the vet’s office when you don’t have an appointment. Most veterinarians will allow this but give them a quick call before you come by. When you get to the vets, give your puppy some treats and have the office staff give some treats also. For the rest of your dog’s life going to the vet will not be a chore. You can also do this at a grooming shop.

6. Consistency: Have a game plan for everyone in the house to follow. Bad habits develop and many dogs become confused when half the family allows the puppy onto the furniture and the other half scolds the puppy for being on the furniture. Consistency is very important in training your young puppy or dog.

7. Take lots of pictures: You will be amazed at how fast your puppy grows and changes. You will be thankful down the road for those pictures.

Cats are independent and proud animals. Unlike dogs you will never teach them to obey orders but you can take advantage of their natural habits and use them to build a harmonious relationship.

Dogs are used to live in hierarchic societies and to respect the authority of the leader from the very origins of their species. However, cats are lonely hunters and do not accept any social structures or other authority other than their own. Therefore, you need to get used to the fact that you are not the owner of the cat but a creature he shares his territory with.

Here are some tips that will help you to avoid little troubles you might have living with a cat.

Do not try to change the cat’s attitude. Screaming or punishing your pet in any way is useless. The cat may run away at the moment you scream at him but he will do the same thing again when you will not see him. Above all, never hit the cat because he is a revengeful animal and he will not forgive you so easily.

If your cat scratches your furniture try to create alternative ways for him to scratch his nails. Do not get mad at him. What he is doing it is natural. Cats mark their territory by scratching trees or objects. Today, there are many solutions for this problem. You just need to go to a pet shop and they will help you with this. If you do not want to spend money on special equipment you can build a scratcher for your cat. All you need is a piece of wood without any paint or varnish on it and put it in a vertical position so it will look like a tree. If your cat still prefers scratching your furniture take him to the scratcher with patience and make him pay attention to it. It is likely that sooner or later your cat will learn to follow your scratching policy.

Cats do not eat much in comparison with dogs. Besides they will never eat food that is not absolutely fresh. Therefore, never put a lot of food in the cat’s bowl. When you see that the cat has finished his food, give him more, but if you see that he did not eat it for a while, throw it away and the next time give him less. Make sure that your cat always has enough fresh water. Change his water every day. This is especially important if the cat mainly eats dry food. If you see the cat drinking water from the tap or any other place that might be a sign that his water does not please him, so change the water from his bowl. As for premium food or cat candy, it is not advisable to give him that kind of food very often. If the cat gets used to this kind of food he will reject regular food and will keep demanding candy all the time. You better ration candy and make him associate that type of food with a concrete time of the day. Having a routine is essential to any cat. Never feed the cat with human food because it contains salt and spices that are very bad for the cat’s health.

Take care of your cat’s health by taking him to the veterinary’s at least once a year. Get information on the vaccines and special medicines he has to take throughout the year.