One thing that cats and dogs have in common –they are pack animals. In fact they have that in common with us! A pack animal is a creature that, when in the wild, survives in a group. This group is based on a pecking order. This structure, which is based on many politics, was evolved to support nomadic, breeding and hunting activities.
Pack behavior is most noticeable in dogs. It is part of the nature of the beast!
The reason it is so important for you to understand pack behavior is because it gives you the secret as to why your dog knows how to control you and get away with it. In a wolf pack, there is a social structure in which each canine has a well-defined role. It is like the military. This is why dog obedience experts say that your dog actually likes being told what to do. His natural instincts actually embrace the idea of being controlled, because in a pack, the pack leader would give him commands. This means that you must learn to be your puppy’s pack leader if you are to train him. From birth, a wolf is assigned his role in the pack.
Genetics have a lot to do with it. A leader is born hard wired with alpha dog characteristics. There are very little opportunities for social climbing. A lot of it is based on looks and ability. A pack member’s superiority in the pack determines where it sleeps, if it gets to eat first or last and whether it is going to dine on fat or bone. The dog that is the leader or alpha dog cares for the whole pack. In the wild he sleeps at high point so he can protect them all and see the entire territory. He gets to decide who mates with who and is the main aggressor.
As this is something that is usually determined by birth, it is not easy to teach a dominant dog, who thinks he is an alpha wolf, to be a pet. He thinks he is protecting you or your family and that you are members of a pack.
This is why a dog that is aggressive is not necessarily a bad dog. He may simply be an alpha dog who, however inappropriately, might be trying to do his job. To harshly discipline a dog that is “doing right by you” really causes chaos and frustration.. The animal can lash back at you.
Primal pack instincts can also come up during a walk in the park. For instance, when two dogs are first introduced to each other, you may have noticed that they have an inherent need to decide which dog is superior to the other. The subordinate dog will usually adopt a submissive posture such as rolling over to display his tender underbelly. This rolling over to expose the underbelly is the doggie equivalent of “I surrender.” Or “I am at your mercy.”
Sometimes there is a scuffle to try and figure out dominance or submissive urination. This behavior is part of an ancient survival instinct that dictates that animals in a pack cannot be equal. There must be a chain of command. This is why you must ask yourself who is “top dog” when it comes to the chain of command in your house.
Have you just got a new little kitten? If so you have to be as attentive to them as you would be a toddler. They are curious and always getting into everything.
Some people make the mistake of thinking that kittens have all of these natural instincts that protect them from danger. This is definitely not true. They are as out of it as human toddlers. They will eat the wrong food, chew on the wrong plant and misjudge distances.
Like all kids, kittens are on a learning curve and they do need to be protected from danger in their immediate environment for at least the first seven months of life. Here are some ways that you can kitten proof your home so that it is safe for the little critter.
Check your dryer drum before you to turn it on. Kittens love warm areas and they like to sleep inside dryers. They could be killed if they are trapped in a dryer.
Get rid of toxic house plants. A young cat does not necessarily instinctively know which plants are bad for it and which ones are good. The safest thing to do when you have a new kitten is to just get rid of your houseplants. Use fake flowers or plants instead but be careful there are no small plastic parts on the articial flower that the kitten can pull off and choke on.
Remove rocking chairs. These are very easy for a kitten to get trapped under. Keep your kitty out of the garage (especially in the winter.) Kittens are attracted to the taste o poisonous antifreeze.
Wrap up electrical cords into bundles. The texture of an electrical cord is attractive to teething kittens. Of course chewing on an electrical cord can also cause elrotcution. When purchasing appliances look for ones that have cord retractor or ones where the wires are concealed. This is also good if you have human toddlers tripping around the house. If this is not possible then wrap the cords in heavy plastic tape. Don’t let cords from window blinds dangle. Tie them up as kittens can get caught in the loops and hang themselves accidentally.
Don’t leave plastic bags with handles lying around as kittens like the crackling sound they make. However the handles are a real strangulation hazard! Also never leave something like a plastic drycleaning bag around as they could suffocate.
Keep your windows closed in a way that a kitten can’t slip out the window and fall out. Make sure the window screens fit in there securely.
Take all big cushions off of the couch. When they are little kittens like to crawl under these big pillows and have a nap. The danger is that they could be sat on and crushed. Protect your kitten from people who are mentally ill, moody or who have addictions. Pets, especially cats, can be the targets of anger, frustration and other human emotions. T
he biggest danger to cats is letting them outside. If you live in a rough area know better then to expose a tiny vulnerable kitten to all of the predators (both human and animal) that are out there.
Did your doggie or kitty have another accident on the carpet? Try using baby powder or cornstarch as a quick fix for the problem. This is cheaper than using commercial powders.
Baby powder is very absorbent because it contains cornstarch. The idea here is to sprinkle the baby powder on the urine as soon as possible so that liquid is soaked up by the powder and stopped from seeping into the floorboards or carpets.
You should also work quickly. All you need is the baby powder and some paper towels. As soon as the accident happens you need to sprinkle baby powder all over the mess. Then press down with paper towels to try and absorb any liquid that the baby powder did not get. Quickly clean up the residue and then vacuum.
Cleaning up pet messes with baby powder is cheap however for this method of clean up to be effective you have to get to the mess while it is still a puddle on the floor.
Are there any drawbacks to using baby powder on pet stains? Well for one thing a lot of people don’t like the smell. In that case you can try to find unscented baby powder and use that instead. The main disadvantage is that the particles of silica in Baby Powder can be inhaled into the lungs of children or pets, which can be irritating and make them cough. Yet another drawback is that it does not clean the bacteria that breeds in a pet stain. Any urine left will simply continue to degrade and cause that ammonia stench.
If you are a purist then you might want to try baking soda. Baking soda is for purists who don’t like to use bleach or soap on upholstery or carpets. It is also better to use if your pet urinated on a more delicate fabric.
This method also works best if you can clean up the mess as fast as possible. First soak up any water with paper towels. Then sprinkle baking soda over what is left until the stain is completely covered. Let it stand for two minutes and then remove the excess. Take a scrub brush and scrub vigorously with an inwards motion. Don’t scrub outwards or you will spread the stain. Add water if you need to and keep blotting the stain with paper towels so that you can soak up as much urine as possible. As a final measure completely cover the stain with baking soda and leave it orvernight. Vacuum the excess off in the morning.
Of course the bonus to using baby powder is that it may help combat some odor and prevent some kinds of fabrics from staining. However the drawback is that it may not get rid of all of the odor. Baking soda is also not antibacterial so it may cause bacteria to breed over time. There is also a danger that the scrubbing motion and the water that is used in this method might press the urine deeper into the carpet.
