Guinea Pig Love

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Our Two Loveable Guinea Pigs

©Copyright by Jeannette Gardner (March, 2012)

I never really knew how smart guinea pigs are, and that they can actually have you wrapped around their little finger by their cute demands.

 

We adopted two guinea pigs, mother and daughter of 1 and 3 years old in October of 2011.  After buying a house, we wanted to get a pet, and decided against getting a dog for now. Instead, we are proud parents of two loveable guinea pigs, Harmony and Melody.  Hey, you don’t have to walk them at all hours of the day or evening!

 

Our two adorable piggies have out smarted us in a lot of funny but very cute ways.  They know our schedules for eating, and by this what amazes me is that they know of the exact “timing” of different hours for our meals, and for them to get their pellets and their treats.  I’m normally the first one up, get the coffee on and check up on our guinea pigs.  It’s really funny to watch them at that time as they are both standing up on their little front legs on their empty bowl looking at me, and squealing for me to give them their pellets.  After eating their pellets, they will have a nap for a while as they somehow know my Husband will be up shortly.  Our piggies know what they will get from him; their treat of different fruits. Each morning, my Husband cuts up fruit for his breakfast, and they actually know that it’s him in the kitchen preparing this, and not me.  While he’s cutting up fruit, our piggies will be watching him and squealing and running around like crazy. When I go into the kitchen getting my breakfast, they don’t even make a sound!  They even hear me opening the fridge door where their fruit is kept, but they are silent.  When I’m preparing my breakfast, our guinea pigs know that I’m not preparing fruit for myself.  They know I’m the one to give them their pellets in the morning.  It’s so amazing how they know each of our meal schedules and they know who they are getting their fruit and pellets from.

 

My Husband and I are night hawks, and we do our own thing with our music in our studios after our late dinner.  After dinner, I will make our little piggies their salad plate.  They know what I’m preparing in the kitchen for them while they are watching me, as I am also watching them for their reactions.  But they are silent again, just watching what I’m preparing to give them at a later time.  It’s amazing that our piggies know they will not be getting their salad plate at this time, but instead later in the evening. Even though they watch what I’m making for them, they don’t make any of their squealing sound affects.

 

My Husband and I normally meet in the TV room around 1:00 a.m. and we get comfortable on the couch to watch TV.  Wouldn’t you know it, our piggies are looking at us from their cage waiting patiently, and we know what they are waiting for.  They will look away from us on and off while nibbling on their hay for a while.  Then a short time later, their high pitch squealing begins with the amazing sounds of opera singing, or what almost sounds like an electric guitar playing.  We just love these incredible loud sound effects from them.  They run around in their cage like crazy, as they know it is almost “time” for their salad plate.  Each time this happens, we glance at the clock, and their timing is normally the same time of around 1:30 a.m. every night; the time that they demand their salad plate which is truly amazing.  As soon as I get up to go into the kitchen, our piggies go crazy, squealing again in their high pitch sound as they know I’m getting their prepared salad plate for them to eat.  I will walk towards their cage, and by this time they are running around in their cage with excitement, standing up on their little hind legs begging and waiting for me to put their salad plate down in their cage.  They are very happy at this time while guzzling down their salad.

 

This unusual knack of them knowing the exact time they will get their final treat of the night before my Husband and I go to bed is incredible. It boggles our minds on how they know of this unusual timing thing that they have developed with us.  There have been times though when we both messed up and got off schedule.  They knew we messed up by showing us their anger, which is expressed by them pushing their little beds up to their empty bowl, letting us know it is empty and time to fill with pellets.  They both really know they are the boss of the house!

 

When it’s time to pick them up, they will run and hide from us which is normal for guinea pigs.  When we pick one up, the other piggie will know it is her turn next.  She will hide in every place possible so she won’t be picked up but once we do pick her up, she will calm down and be ready for floor time that guinea pigs need out of their cage for exercise. They will play and run in and out of a tunnel on the floor which is so cute to watch.  Oh yes, they love chewing on the box as well which is good for filing down their teeth which constantly grow.

 

One of the funniest moments we’ve had with our piggies was when we put a large carrot on the floor and took them out of their cage to see their reaction.  Oh my God!  They started having a tug-of-war, grabbing it from one another and constantly grabbing it from each other’s mouths.  It was so hilarious to watch that we were laughing hysterically with tears in our eyes.  We just had to video tape their performance, and posted it up on YouTube.  It can be viewed by goggling “Melody & Harmony (Our Guinea Pigs”).  If you want a good laugh, it’s certainly entertaining and worth watching!

 

If anyone is concerned about getting a dog, I highly recommend guinea pigs as the next best pet to a dog.  They are like little puppies when you hold them and so loving.  They are very smart little animals, and once they get to know and trust you, they are wonderful to have as pets which we have experienced for the first time owning our guinea pigs.  They are like having little babies, and that’s exactly how you have to care for them.  Of course I would recommend getting two piggies of the same sex, as they are very sociable animals and will tend to get lonely or depressed if you only have one guinea pig.  Eventually, they will out smart you and will be very demanding in a very nice cute way!  They are certainly entertaining pets we have adopted.  We just love our two piggies, Harmony and Melody!

Help for Bear.

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Our dog Bear has had alot of medical problems this past year. He has gone through heartworm treatment, surgery to remove a rectal polyp and dental surgery, where he had to have twelve of his teeth removed. He also was suffering from kidney problems, we were told that it could be the start of kidney failure. He had to have medicine and special food for two months, his kidneys are finally back to normal now. He was just recovering from his surgeries, when he started to develop swelling in his face. The swelling went from the size of a marble, to the size of a small egg in under two weeks. They thought at first it was an abscess, so he was on antibiotics for quite a while, almost a month. The swelling got worse, so we took him in to the vet. He examined him and said the area was very hard, and was not an abscess after all. The vet took x-rays and consulted a couple of other veterinarians who said it might be cancer, and that he would need to get a biopsy done. We got the results about a week later, confirming it was cancer, The kind of cancer he has is called Chondroblaftic Osteogenic Sarcoma, which is canine bone cancer. We were referred to an oncologist, so we can see if it’s treatable, or if it’s too far progressed. We have started a fundraiser on GiveForward.com to help with Bears medical bills and pain medications he’s taking to keep him comfortable for now. You can visit it at http://www.giveforward.com/helpforbear. We write updates on there anytime we get new information and take him to the vet. Bear has his appointment with the oncologist Tuesday (June 14th) we will be updating our GiveForward page after the visit. We also have a twitter account http://www.twitter.com/HelpforBear and a Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_229228317091987&ap=1 where we post updates and pictures. Bear is 7 years old and is a mixed breed. We have had him since he was born, we actually had to help deliver bear, he got stuck when his mom was giving birth and we had to help pull him out. He was, and is a fighter and has always been a very special dog. There was just something about Bear, and when we had to get rid of the puppies, we just couldn’t give up Bear. We have his mom yet, and her sister. They still treat him like a puppy grooming and cleaning him everyday, he really loves his mom and aunt. Bear loves to play with his many toys and enjoys eating his favorite treat, pup corn. Even with being as sick as he is, he still tries to play with his toys occasionally. Bear is a very loveable dog, everyone who meets him just loves him, and he always has kisses for anyone who asks. Bear is my little shadow, I wouldn’t know what to do without him. He follows me where ever I go in the house, and has to sleep right along side of me on the bed at night. He loves to wake me up by climbing on top of me and licking my face until I wake up. When I’m sitting at my computer and he wants attention, he will hit the back of my chair until I turn around and pet him.

Tick Season – Flea and Tick Control for Dogs

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As the weather warms deer ticks and fleas begin to flourish. Removing ticks from your dog is important for a few reasons. One of the most important reason is Lyme disease from deer ticks. Of course, the fact that a tick is a parasite on your dog is not good either.

The best way to keep ticks from attaching to your dog is to prevent ticks in the first place. So, now that ticks are here, what can you do? Here are a few tips to control ticks:

  • Check your dog for ticks daily.  Rub your hands all over your dog and feel for any ticks.
  • Brush your dog after walking in the woods.
  • Keep your grass mowed so reduce the number of ticks in your yard.

Obviously, the tips to control ticks only help reduce the chance of finding a tick on your dog. They do not protect your dog from ticks. In some areas, where Lyme disease is prevalent, a tick prevention product is almost mandatory. There are several products to prevent ticks. Topical products like Frontline, Revolution, Advantix, and bioSpot are  applied monthly to prevent ticks. Another option is a tick collar, such as the Preventic collar. With all tick prevention products it is very important that you follow the directions.

Our favorite topical treatment is Advantix because it also helps protect against mosquitoes.

How do you prevent ticks? Are there any special home remedies that work for you?

If you were too slow and found a tick already attached, there are several ways to remove the tick. I’ll cover that in an upcoming article.

Disobedience

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Some times a dog’s disobedience can be due to incomprehension. For example, if your dog disobeys a command because they do not understand what it is you want them to do, then behavior is not the problem. It suggests, rather, that you should spend more time with your dog. True disobedience occurs when your dog understands what you are asking, yet deliberately does not obey the command.

A dog’s disobedience can not only be an inconvenience, but it is a serious issue. Aside from being dangerous for your dog (like when you command your dog to stop when heading towards a moving car), disobedience says volumes about how your dog feels about you. When your dog disobeys you, the act demonstrates that the dog does not respect your authority.

Allowing disobedience can create a passive-aggressive dog. This is not something that the dog will just grow out of and can actually get worse. It is vital for your dog to accept you as a higher ranking member of the social hierarchy of the household. In order to maintain a healthy, functional relationship with your dog, you need to accept alpha status.

Your dog will actually be happier when the realization sets in that somebody else is accountable for making all the choices – even those day-to-day behavior and obedience ones. Your relationship as a sensible owner and obedient dog will not be sustainable if you are not understood as the clear-cut authority figure. Your dog must understand that he’s beneath you within the chain of command.

It should be obvious that your first step in dealing with disobedience is to reestablish your dominance. Here are some recommendations on doing that:

When leaving the house and the car, you need to always leave before your dog. This is unmistakable alpha behavior. To a dog, only the alpha leaves first. By allowing your dog to leave first, you are saying, “You are stronger than me and the decision maker, so you should go first”. Before going through a door or leaving the car, make your dog sit and stay. Once you have gone through, release the stay with an unharness word. Give verbal praise and/or reward with food.

Make your dinner time come before your dog’s. If this means your dog will eat a half hour after you and your family, then so be it. Keep the feeding schedule varied so that your dog is aware that you are in command of the food. Don’t allow your dog to dictate when the food should be given. When you do place the food down, make your dog sit and wait until you unleash them to eat.

Don’t allow your dog free, uninhibited access to the house. Remember that the house is your den. You’re just permitting the dog to reside inside. Remind your dog of this fact. Being in your den is a privilege, not a right. Continue to keep bound areas of the house strictly for your own (like your bed, certain items of furniture, or some rooms).

Never allow your dog to initiate play. If they nudging you for attention or to start out a game, you will assume that it’s cute and affectionate; however, what the dog is really saying is, “I’m the boss and I’m telling you to play with me right now.” If your dog starts bothering you for attention, ignore for several moments then get up and do something else. Wait till the dog has given up before you initiate play. Playtime may be a fantastic way to bond with your dog, but it should be done on your terms.

Ignore your dog when you get home; at least for 3-5 minutes. Upon arriving home, avoid rushing straight over to your dog to shower them with affection. That’s not alpha behavior! An alpha dog, upon arriving home, doesn’t reassess to the other dogs and throw himself at them, saying, “Here I am! I missed you guys! Let’s have a cuddle!”. The alpha dog ignores everybody else, relaxes for a bit, perhaps has something to eat, and solely interacts with the others when good and ready. Although you’re probably good and prepared to interact with your dog when you get home, it can underscore your authority.

Another approach to counteract disobedience is to start and maintain a basic obedience training plan. You don’t have to try and do something fancy or super-demanding. Just 10 minutes a day can be a sufficient amount of time to dedicate to the learning and implementing of commands.

Here are some tips on how to implement a sensible coaching program:

When your dog chooses to disobey you, never give a command that you can not reinforce immediately. Every time your dog takes the opportunity to ignore your command, the dog is learning that it’s easier (and more fun) to ignore you.

Your dog should remain on an extended line or retractable lead until completely reliable with your commands. This will allow you to enforce them if necessary.

Use your voice to have a powerful effect. Your dog will make a distinction between your tones of voice. Praise ought to be in a very lightweight, cheery, happy tone of voice.

When giving corrections, your voice should be an exceedingly stern tone. This does not mean you want to shout, but your voice ought to be low and authoritative. Verbally interrupting your dog with “OI!” or “Ah-ah-ah!” rather than with “No” is a more effective way to catch their attention. This is because the sounds are more clear.

Do not repeat a command. Repeating yourself teaches the dog to attend for the command to be repeated at least once before he obeys you. If your dog decides to ignore you, give a short, sharp tug. Remember, you must be training on a leash or a long line.

Spend five to fifteen minutes per day training your dog. Fifteen minutes of intense training, where your dog is concentrating on what you would like, is sufficient to send even the most energetic dogs to their beds for a nap after wards.

Once your dog has mastered the basics, you can move on to additional advanced training and ‘tricks’. Formal obedience training classes is another option. They offer a nice manner of socializing your dog (he gets to interact with different dogs, and those dogs’ house owners), and conjointly teaches focus on what you would like despite the manifold distractions taking place in the environment. It’s also very useful to have face-to-face contact with a skilled trainer. They can make you aware of any mistakes you might be making, and provide you recommendation for tightening up your coaching techniques.

Visit the Secrets to Dog Training site to learn more.

Destructive Chewing

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Among dogs, the act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference. Some dogs love to chew and do so as a pleasurable activity. For other dogs, chewing is an activity that only sheer boredom can initiate.

The phrase “destructive chewing” simply refers to inappropriate chewing. It is important to note that all chewing is destructive, but not all chewing is inappropriate. Because dogs have strong jaws and sharp, pointy teeth, anything they start to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it within minutes. Inappropriate chewing, on the other hand, is the kind of chewing that is focused on your possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

Three Reasons Why Dogs Chew:

  • Natural desire.  Most dogs like to chew because it’s fun, it feels good, it passes the time, and it’s an overall self-rewarding/ self-reinforcing activity.
  • An outlet. For some dogs who are nervous, bored or lonely, chewing can provide an emotional outlet. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is actually soothing. You can think of it as the doggie equivalent of comfort food.
  • Energy burner. Dogs that are under-exercised will often use chewing as a way of burning built up energy.

Ways to Prevent Destructive Chewing

With a little time, effort, and patience (mainly on your part), your dog can learn to chew the things you want them to. Here are some suggestions to help you train your dog to be an obedient chewer:

Manage Your Own Possessions. Your first step should be to take control and dog-proof your home. Dogs explore the world with their mouths. Even the best-behaved dog will have its self-control tested with a multitude of items laying around. So dog-proof your home.

Dog-proofing your home requires taking whatever you don’t want to end up in your dog’s mouth and making it unavailable. This may mean taking it completely out of sight. Consider the size and agility of your dog when deciding whether something’s out of reach. For example, can your dog jump, climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object?

Common household items that dogs will target include books, eye wear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It is also imperative that all food is put securely away. Don’t leave snacks on low tables or even on counter tops (yes, dogs can be very acrobatic when it comes to getting what they want). For some dogs, the occasional dirty dish may even need to rinsed of scraps before left in the kitchen sink.

Don’t Blur the Boundaries. It is impossible to expect your dog to understand the difference between your cast-away clothes and the ones you actually want to wear. To avoid this confusion, simply don’t offer your possessions (old or new)-towels, socks, or shoes to your dog to play with.

Provide Tasty Alternatives. Remember that most dogs need to chew. If our dog is young (a puppy-three years old), the need is more pronounced. Provide a variety of attractive and interesting chew toys. If the environment is relatively barren of approved chewing objects, you can hardly blame your dog for chewing on your possessions. Buying a variety of toys and rotating 2-3 every few days will keep things novel and interesting.

Provide Active Supervision. Provide opportunities for your dog to explore the boundaries of your expectations. It is through this exploration that your dog will learn what is appropriate behavior and what is not. Although it may be convenient to keep your dog penned up in a yard, dog run, or crate, it is not fun, fair, or productive for the dog.

Interrupt With Loud Noises. When you catch your dog chewing something that is on the “not allowed” list, interrupt the behavior by making a loud noise. This doesn’t mean give the dog a heart attack by screaming into a bullhorn, but rather a startling noise in the form of a hand clap or voicing an “Ah-ah-aaaah!”. Once you have the dog’s attention, give a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy). Then, as soon as the jaws close around it, load on the praise. This is a sure-fire way to teach your dog what is appropriate to chew and that chewing those things will win praise from you.

Maintain a Productive Attitude. The most important thing to remember is to stay positive and realistic. It should be obvious that dogs are not humans. There is likely to be an incident or two that leaves a cherished item damaged by your dog’s curiosity. Your dog is not perfect. Make sure you give your furry friend plenty of time to learn the chewing rules-take precautions to keep things out of reach and provide plenty of you-time to make learning faster.

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog s learning.

Visit the Secrets to Dog Training site to learn more.

Are You the Pack Leader?

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Establishing Yourself as Pack Leader

Whether you have just adopted a young pup or an adult dog, you have many things to teach your new companion. You want your dog to be loved, trained and lively, but not spoiled, a robot or uncontrollable. Dogs can be naturals at learning manners and commands, particularly when you understand a key aspect of their nature.

The Alpha Role

In a natural state, dogs would live their entire lives within the closely structure social order of their pack. While young, they would begin to learn the workings of the pack’s social system and, as they grew, begin to establish their place within the pack’s dominance hierarchy. Dominance, submissiveness, leadership, obeying others – these are all concepts that are understood by every dog. These are all concepts that you must understand as well if you are to relate to your dog in a successful manner.

Each pack has a leader, generally an individual who is dominant over all pack members. In wolf society, this individual is called the “alpha.” This is the member who makes the decisions, who must be obeyed. This is the individual that you must be in your dog’s eyes.

Steps to Establishing Your Role as Alpha

Professional trainers know that it is a waste of time to try to train a dog without first establishing themselves as alpha to the dog. Every dog needs a leader to listen to and adore. Without this leader, a dog will feel lost and unstructured. If you do not take the role of alpha, your dog will instinctively take the role himself. Here are some steps to establishing your role as the alpha. Notice that these involve both behaviour and body language – two types of communication that your dog will understand.

1. Always praise your dog confidently. Put your hands firmly on the dog. Hug the dog. Pat him so that your hands get warm from the contact. Do not praise him in a timid way.

2. Praise warmly, well and quickly. Do not drag out your praising of your dog. Do not fawn over the dog just because he did one sit-stay.

3. Reprimand fairly and quickly, then forgive. Don’t hold a grudge. When you put your hands on your dog, do it with confidence and authority. Hands on does NOT mean hitting. Hands on may mean a leash correction, a surprising assist into a sit or down etc. Do it quickly and with authority. Then when you’ve made the dog do exactly what you want – once – reward him.

4. Make the dog obey on the first command. Don’t get into the habit of repeating yourself. A dog’s hearing is significantly better than yours, and you can bet he heard you the first time.

5. Give commands only if you can follow through, and make sure you always follow through.

6. Give permission. Give it for what is about to do anyway as long as it is OK with you. This does not mean you say OK when you see your dog about to steal a plate of food. This means you do say OK when your dog is about to get into the car for a ride with you, eat the food in his bowl, go out with you for his afternoon walk. It means that in a subtle way you are teaching the dog to look to you for approval and permission instead of making decisions on his own. Remember – the better behaved the dog, the more freedom and fun he can have.

7. Deny permission. Monitor your dog’s behaviour. Teach him some manners. Even if you like him to sit on your couch or bed, he shouldn’t behave that way in other people’s homes.

8. Do a sit-stay. This is an easy way to reinforce your role as alpha. Put the dog in a sit-stay for five to ten minutes. For particularly dominant dogs, make it a down-stay, and even more submissive position. When he breaks – and he will – put him back. If he breaks 6 times put him back 6 times. At the end of a few minutes, the dog knows you’re alpha. He knows that anyone who holds his leash can call the shots. And this is with no yelling or hitting. Just a sit-stay. easy and effective.

9. Be Fair, but tough. Act like a top dog. Tough, but loving. Always be fair and never get angry. Dogs understand what’s fair and what’s not.

10. Be a model to your dog. The top dog behaves with dignity, confidence, authority, and intelligence. This will help your dog to be calm himself.

Your Dog Will be Happier

Remember, by being consistent in your handling and in your demands on the dog you are being fair. He needs structure to understand what you want and what his responsibilities are.

This article was prepared for us by Professional Trainer, Scott Donald as an introduction piece on dog training. For more free training tips register at www.dogmaster.com.au

Dog Training Benefits Both Pets and Owners

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Whether you are a new pet owner or you have had a pet in your home for some time, you know how delightful, and frustrating, owning a pet can be.

Bringing home a brand new puppy or full grown dog is a great joy for most people. The relationship between an owner and a dog is like no other. After all, you brought your dog home to enjoy as a pet – Right?

Dogs often provide unconditional love and affection, hours or exercise and entertainment, and real friendship. On the other hand, your dog may create random messes, afternoons of destruction and cleaning, and become a real nuisance!

How do make sure your dog behaves in a manner that is rewarding and enjoyable?  If you think your dog’s behavior is based on breed,  you are partially correct. Breed does play a role in a dog’s behavior. However the most significant factor is primarily the training your dog receives. Good dog training resources can go a long way toward helping.

The Benefits of Training

Many pet owners don’t account for the time required to train a dog. Most people are very busy  and there is never enough time in a day to take care of yourself, let alone a dog! The time invested in training your dog will benefit you and your relationship for years.

There are five main benefits of training:

  1. It builds a relationship: Your dog is your friend – Right?
  2. It corrects behavioral problems: Do you want your dog to behave?
  3. It stimulates intellect: You want a smart dog – Right?
  4. It encourages inclusion: Do you want your dog to feel included?
  5. It saves time: Do you like to spend time cleaning or time with your dog?

Let’s dog into each benefit a little bit:

  1. Training Builds a Relationship.There is no better way to create a bond with your dog than through the process of training. You may think that training begins at the time you decide to try new tricks, but it actually begins at the very moment you acquire your dog. Your dog is constantly watching you and learning from your actions. He learns from the way you react to his actions. He looks to you for guidance, for food, for warmth, for comfort, and for playtime.
  2. Training Corrects Behavioral Problems. Barking at anyone who passes by the front window, chewing up your favorite pillows, digging through your freshly planted garden, bolting out of an open door…do any of these actions look familiar to you? When you have developed a trusting bond with your dog, you can teach him how to correct these behavioral problems. He will learn by your reactions whether or not his actions are acceptable to you. No doubt, he will test his limits!
  3. Training Stimulates Intellect.Yes, it is true that dogs are very curious creatures. With exposure to so many unusual smells, sights, and sounds, dogs can’t help but want to explore. It’s in their nature! Most dogs have the capacity to be very intelligent. But, they need to be stimulated first, and then they will be motivated to learn. Training is a huge benefit for stimulating your dog’s intellect.
  4. Training Encourages Inclusion.The sense of “inclusion” is very important to a dog’s security. From the earliest days of being a part of a litter, your dog feels comfortable being a part of the pack. That includes the pack of your household. You may be the primary dog trainer, but everyone in your family or household should take the time to train your dog. When he receives this undivided attention from everyone, he feels like part of the pack.
  5. Training Saves Time. Another huge benefit of training your dog is that it saves you time. Taking the time to train your dog now, will actually save you time in the long run. For example, if you take the time to train your dog to behave properly inside the house, you will actually be saving time cleaning up mischievous messes that he could create in the future-if he didn’t have the training.

For more dog training help and advice visit the DIY Dog Training Website.