Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear

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Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear
Kitten/Cat Advice: Spraying
Kitten/Cat Advice: Spraying What is spraying? Spraying consists of a cat backing up against an object with their tail upright, spraying short bursts of urine which…
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Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear
Kitten/Cat Advice: Scratching
Kitten/Cat Advice: Scratching Scratching objects is a normal, instinctive behaviour for cats. Cats do this to express a wide range of emotions. Cats can scratch when…
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Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear
Kitten/Cat Advice: Dental Care
Kitten/Cat Advice: Dental Care Regular dental checks are important to check the health of your cat’s teeth and detect issues early if they arise. Cats accumulate…
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Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear
Kitten Advice: Preparing Your Home
Preparing your home Bringing your new kitten/ cat home for the first time is incredibly exciting. We must however take into consideration how stressful this transition…
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Calmness should be encouraged whilst at home in everyday life. It allows puppies to switch off and can prevent over arousal. To encourage this behaviour, you can create a safe space using a blanket or small bed placed onto the floor. Then sprinkle treats onto the bed without giving eye contact so they do not associate you with the treats but the bed instead. Once they associate the bed with good things wait until they show calm behaviours before rewarding like laying down/ resting head. This concept of using a bed and encouraging calmness would benefit you at home and once old enough it can be taken outside to cafes/ pubs/ picnics if you wish. When your puppy shows desired behaviours, such as settling without being asked or taking themselves to bed they should be rewarded, using the ‘reward nothing’ technique.
Puppy Advice: Calmness
Bringing your new puppy home is an exciting time for all involved. The first few months of life for a puppy are key to shaping their…
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Mental enrichment should be a huge part of your puppies’ everyday life as it helps build a happy and more confident puppy. It can also help with unwanted behaviours by giving them an outlet to express natural behaviours. Digging and shredding are natural behaviours for some breeds therefore they must be given an outlet to express these behaviours in a safe way. There are 6 categories to providing enrichment: Toy – Engage in toy play to help strengthen your bond using a flirt pole/ tug toy. Having a toy rotation system is a great way to prevent puppies getting bored. Food – Mealtimes should never be wasted in a bowl whilst their brain is developing. Encourage them to use their nose to search for their food, try scatter feeding on grass or hiding in a rolled-up blanket. Sensory – This is to stimulate their senses, sight/ touch/ sound/ taste, and smell. Creating a scent garden of dog safe herbs are a great way of stimulating several senses at home. Doggy TV and bubbles are also easy to provide whilst they are in between vaccinations and not yet ready to venture into the wide world. Physical – Making your puppies living space fun and exciting giving them outlets to perform certain behaviours such as a giving them a dig pit/ tunnels and playing scent games. Cognitive – Problem solving/ brain games. Using interactive toys or puzzle feeders are a great way to keep them thinking, allowing them to gain confidence. Social – Spending time with people/ play mates and new environments. Dogs are social animals and by allowing social time it can improve their communication skills and reduces the chances of reactivity and fear.
Puppy Advice: Enrichment
Bringing your new puppy home is an exciting time for all involved. The first few months of life for a puppy are key to shaping their…
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Blythman and Partners - Veterinary Practices in Tyne And Wear