Cat

I live in England and this year there have been so many ticks, we have had maybe 5 ticks within the past 10 years of owning pets. This week alone I've had about 10 ticks on my pets. We have three dogs which we take out every day and two cats. The only pet which hasn't had a tick is one of our cats who doesn't go outside. I literally caught a tick trying to crawl into my dogs fur and had to pull it off with my hands before it bit him. I HATE ticks they are disgusting and I hate removing them, I feel so sick whenever I do it. Many of my friends have had dogs with ticks lately too and I'm scared of getting them myself!

I refuse to remove anymore ticks so I want to find a good tick repellent. We use frontline and have never had any fleas or mosquito bites or anything really but the frontline is obviously not repelling ticks. Are there any other things we could buy to repel ticks? I can't stop taking the dogs for walks and locking the cat indoors isn't ideal either. Please help! I will pretty much try anything effective which isn't harmful to my pets or me.

Today I went to visit my friends house with our dog. As usual, let them off to play. Casper (my dog) got more&more hyped up, frantic&over excited which is not usual for him because usually Enzo (the other dog) is the one who's too excited. So we decided to go on a little walk to calm down. Casper is quite focused on other dogs as he loves playing but the whole evening he'd been extremely, weirdly focused&intense on Enzo, not leaving him alone etc which is usually the opposite for them. Anyways as soon as we put them on leash Casper was absolutely desperate to get to Enzo and he is extremely big&strong (100 lbs and 27 inches). He is good on the leash mostly but he literally would not stop pulling. Always trying to get to him, panting, whining, chocking himself absolutely desperate to get to Enzo. Then he would just lick his genitals like frantically, shoving his whole (big) head under the little dog and lifting him up. It was gross but he kept doing it the whole time and absolutely desperate, panting and whining whenever I separated them. Anyways, took him home, he's been sitting here and whining ever since just staring at me. Just whining every few mins. Whats going on with him? Why did he suddenly act like this and lick his penis? The other dog just went to groomers earlier. They saw each other two days ago and were normal? We have 2 other dogs and he hasn't done this to them. The dogs have been best of friends since 7 weeks old and never acted like this before.

Im just a bit curious because many dog breeds are "out of bounds" for inexperienced dog owners and tell you that you have to have experience with that breed or a similar breed of dog before getting it. Lets say I wanted a GSD but I couldn't get one because I needed to have had one before, how does that even work if I can't get one in the first place? Or instead they said I had to have work with other large working breeds but all other large working breeds say you have to have experience first. How are you meant to have owned similar breeds if they all require you to have owned one before? Yes of course you can go to shelters and work with those types of dogs etc but its still not the same as living with the dog and raising it as a puppy.

Is saying this just meant to scare of irresponsible dog owners who only want the dog for its looks etc or do they actually mean it? I doubt they do. I know there are many bad dog owners but there are also new but very hard working dog owners who are willing to devote lots of time and effort into their dog to raise it properly and train it right. So do you really need to have had experience with the similar breed or do they just mean be prepared and learn a lot before getting this dog? Im just curious but I would like to know.

I am wondering if there is actually any scientific or psychological explanation for a human's stereotyping? Do we just do it because we have been raised to do that? Or do we do it because evolution made us so? Or do we just do it because we do?

One of my friends who I dont see very often have lots of dog. They had this big slobbery hairy st bernard which was very old (died 2 years ago at 13, old for that breed!!). I hadn't seen her for ages but the other day I saw her and they got a new St bernard. It was HUGE. I mean I've seen big dogs and their other dogs are giant (all mastiffs, bernards etc giant breed dogs) but I mean I honestly think he was the size of a small pony.

I am about 159-160 cm's tall, not very tall, but the dog could reach my face literally just lifting its head without reaching or anything (if i looked down at it, not if i looked up at it) and its head was so big. Haha dont worry the bigger the better for me. He wouldnt leave me alone, kept cuddling me, trying to lick me, kept wanting belly rubs and I kept hugging it and petting it (ended up with hair all over me haha). His paws were bigger than my hands and his back was up to like my lower rib cage. I looked at some pics on the internet and none seemed that tall, more heavy. He was quite slender and not furry, he had quite short fur, and he didnt slobber or anything. I liked their other dog but i wouldnt of gotten a st bernard but now this one is so much prettier/nicer and omg gianter than their last one and I dont understand why. Both were apparently purebred. The old one was a girl and this ones a boy but it was such a big size difference, also she was a lot thicker/wider than him though. Anyway is he unusual for a bernard or would I be able to find one like him? He was just the biggst, cuddliest bear ever and now I really want one when I'm older haha!

Also is it normal to have such differences between the same breed? Also anymore info on what its like to own these dogs because i might want one when I move out!

Thanks :)

I want my dog to get one of those good citizen award things. She is a purebred Lhasa Apso and has like generation pedigree and has papers. She is 5 and is a pretty good dog but she doesn't like other dogs too much so could I avoid dogs or not? What does it entail you to do?

Also I want to do some obedience competition stuff for fun and I was wondering how you go about doing that?

I'm 15 so am I allowed to do these? Also how do you do all these things? I dont really know how/where to start but I think it'd be fun.

I am looking for dog training/behaviour books. There are so many but I want to buy only the best books. I want one that is helpful for teaching an old dog new habits etc, one about how to train dogs out of aggressiveness e.g growling and one for training/living with working dog breeds and understanding the working dog. So thats 3 books which you think are best.

Thanks

I'm getting a new dog this year and I was wondering when you should spay it?

There are a lot of different opinions. I want to get a male, so I'd like to know for that, but I might get a female so I need to know for both genders. I heard its different depending on the breed so I'll be getting a Greater Swiss Mountain dog which is a large, powerful dog (kinda like a rottweiler or bernese mountain dog).

I'd like actual evidence to back up the claim. So many people say "after first heat" or "as soon as possible" but WHY? Please explain to me why you're right and everyone else is wrong haha, thanks!

Okay so for years and years everyone believed you had to be the top dog to have a good dog. I used this theory and to be honest it worked. When I wasn't alpha dog to my first dog she bit, snapped, growled, didnt listen etc and when I got another dog and read books about dogs (about the alpha theory) life got easier. My other dog is so obediant, sweet, respectful and loving and good with everyone. And my first dog hasnt bit me for years, listens more often than not and is so much better.

But nowadays apparently its wrong, cruel, abusive and so so so terrible and doesnt work. To be honest I think thats bulls**t but I've read articles about this and the whole wolf pack as families makes sense. So how are you meant to treat your dog now? I treat my dog nicely (of course haha) but I punish them when they need to be, I make her sit before giving them things or taking them for walks and sometimes I roll them on their backs for a while. What am I meant to do? Cuddle them when they do something bad? Positive reinforcement is great and all and I always praise my dogs and give them treats but I find it absolutely ridiculous I'm meant to "redirect" their attention a.k.a give my dogs attention/toys/treats whenever they do something bad to distract me. They will just behave badly then so I can "distract" them (basically I'm rewarding them for being bad). But I guess if the alpha method is so wrong and doesn't work (although it did for me) what am I meant to do? I'm getting a new dog this year and its a strong, dominant breed and I want to teach it the supposedly 'right' way.

Thanks!

p.s

I'm not trying to offend anyone but I do find it stupid to just praise your dog and how does keeping your dog on its back and making it sit before doing something cruel?

The dog whisperer seems to have two things in life- lots of people who think of him as almost the devil, or some people who think of him as God.

I've watched his shows, I've even read one of his books. I tried some of his methods on my dog a few years back and they worked for the long term. I got another dog and used more clicker, positive reinforcement etc methods and they worked too. My dog used to be aggressive and bite me, I used a bit of Cesar Millan and now she's fine. I used positive reinforcement on my dog who was more scared and now she's more confident and not as shy. So really both ways work, so why does everyone either love him or hate him? I think he's okay, he's an actor and he doesnt actually teach the dog all that in like 15 minutes and I think pushing the dog into scary situations can be bad. But overall his methods seem to work and some people say he is violent and abusive when all I've seen him do is tap a dog or pull it back etc. To be honest if a giant, snarling, barking dog was coming to attack you I could guarentee nearly everyone would not act as calm as he does and wouldn't just twist a lead a bit or put it on its back and keep it there for a while.

But I dont see why people think he is so amazing either, many other dog trainers used the same techniques before him and other methods work too. (to be fair, he doesnt claim his way is the best way). But some of his fans are like crazy, like really. There is not just one method and just constantly punishing bad behaviour isnt good, you should punish the bad and praise the good which Cesar doesnt do too much. Some fans are so nasty to the non fans but the non fans think everyone who likes him is a dog abuser and brain dead.

I just think Cesar's a nice guy (for all the stuff he's done for dogs in shelters etc), a good actor and has some useful methods. I think he can be harsh but its acceptable sometimes, obviously only for extreme aggression cases, but people dont understand that you shouldnt use all his methods. I mean it even says that you shouldnt use these methods at home. Its a TV show, if the pets were okay and peed on the couch sometimes no one would watch it, thats why they choose the dangerous/dramatic cases to entertain people. That means unless your dog is like that dont use those methods, or call a proffesional dog trainer. Why dont his fans understand that? Also why dont his critics understand he doesnt want everyone to use his methods and he doesnt need them for normal dogs, just the really bad ones?

It just really annoys me that everyone thinks they are right in this matter. I think everyone should just go with what works for them.

So why does everyone either despise him or detest him? He's not that great but he's not that bad..

--Let me just say I'm not trying to offend anyone or say Cesar's methods are bad or Cesar's methods are great, I just want to know why people think he is so great/bad--

I want to know it from real dog breeders or trainers. Whats it like? Do you like it?

I'm only 15 but ever since I can remember I have loved all animals (especially dogs & cats) and 5 years ago I got my first dog, then my second one 2 years ago and I'm getting another this year. I also have 2 cats (3 a few months ago) and we are probably getting more pets. Oh yeah and I own pet snake. One cat, the snake and our new dog are my pets, my repsonsibility, and more mine than the rest of my families although I'm the main caretaker. I don't feed my pets but I'm the one who walks the dogs, plays with the pets, feeds the snake&cleans his cage, gives the dogs fresh water etc. Anyway I have taught my dogs everything they know (over 10 commands/tricks) and considering they are small, stubborn dogs who are not meant to be "easily trainable" or anything like that (according to people on the web) I'm quite proud of myself haha! But I've read soo many dog training books etc and now I walk around and see all these people with their dogs and I just want to correct them and tell them what they should be doing and tell them how they should be treating their dog and all this stuff. Obviously I dont because people would hate that but i just want to help people help their dogs. So many dogs end up in shelters and stuff and are killed because they are 'aggressive' or 'badly behaved' when really the owners just have NO idea of how to treat their dogs or what the dog needs. It irritates me beyond imagination that these stupid people blame the breed and not the owners. Ok I'm going to stop my rant but basically I want to train dogs and teach people how to care for their dogs etc. Is it a fun job? What's like your normal day? How much do you get paid, enough (im not too bothered about money but would i need a different job as well)? Tell me anything about this.

Okay and now dog breeding. Yes I know many dogs are killed in shelters and these puppy mills and BYB etc and I know you lose more money than you make when you are a dog breeder but their are so many great (popular) breeds out there for instance rottweilers, GSD's , labs etc which are slowly being ruined. Rottweilers have already been victims of media's attacks and nowadays people cant even own these wonderful dogs because you can't get them insured because stupid people have labeled them dangerous and blood thirsty. I just want to clear their name, show everyone that good breeding, good training and a good owner makes a good dog- not its breed. I would love to help rarer breeds not die out or help popular over bred breeds to go back to being healthy and good which was the thing that made them popular at first. I want to stop breeds being ruined and I would love to do it. But whats it like? I want an honest answer, tell me everything!

I am trying to decide what I want to be when I'm older and its always been either author, poet, dog trainer, dog breeder or working with animals in general (e.g rspca officer, zoologist, ranger etc). How to you become a dog trainer or breeder?

Thanks!

I'm moving from UK to Cape Town, South Africa, next year. I have 5 pets, well 6 soon- two dogs, two cats and a snake. My current two dogs are Lhasa Apso's (small fluffy) and our new puppy will be a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (and yes we have to get it even though we are moving, there are no breeders in Africa). Neither of these are made for warm weather but we keep the Lhasa's coat short and my friend had a swissy in south africa that was and still is absolutely fine with the climate. How do we adjust them to a different climate though? Also how do we make it less stressful for them? Its a 11-12 hour flight, how do we make it easier after and before and during even? How do we introduce them to the new house (we have had this house for years now so it smells of us but the dogs havent been there)? There are so many q's so general answers on moving with dogs would be helpful haha!

Okay cats. One of my cats is 12 years old, very anxious, high strung, stressed sort of cat when she's at home doing nothing, let alone in this whole new world and the whole airplane journey? I'm not moving until next year but i want to be well prepared! I want to know how to make it easier on both my cats? And how to help them adjust to their new enviroment? The other cat is an outdoor cat so I'm worried she might get lost etc if I let her out but its quite cruel to keep her in when she's used to being outside sometimes.

I'm not too worried about my Snake but any info would be great too.

Any tips would be helpful, thanks!

I have two small dogs and we are planning on getting another puppy (a big dog). They are both female Lhasa Apso's (one is 5, Lexi, the other 2, Pepper) and the older one is quite nervous or aggressive to other dogs. When we got Pepper we put them both in a room which Lexi didnt really go into or know that well where their were no like distractions or things to fight over e.g toys, food. Lexi just ignored them and growled but the next day they were outside together and started playing and since then have been best friends. Pepper loves other dogs unlike Lexi but I when another dog enters our house she actually is a bit barky and watches them very carefully. Our new dog will probably be bigger than our two when we get him (and it will most likely be a him) will be a greater swiss mountain dog which are not known to be aggressive. But we want him to learn to play gently and stuff because he will be much much bigger than the other two, how do we teach him this too? (sorry another q). Is the way I introduced my dogs last time good or is there a better method?

Okay and now onto cats. I have two cats, at the moment, maybe I will have more by the time we get the puppy (one of ours died last year). We have a 12 year old cat who doesn't like dogs but after trying to bother her and getting a good stratch on the nose they dogs leave her alone, and she generally avoids them. The other one is 3-4 and is good with dogs, Pepper actually washes her and like cuddles her haha. But neither of our dogs is big or potentially dangerous (they do chase the cats once in a while but never hurt them) so we want to make sure our new dog respects the cats and treats them gently. Whats the best way of introducing the new puppy to the cats? When we got our last two we didn't really 'introduce' them we just brang them into the kitchen with both cats there, picked the dogs up to sniff them and then put them down, and from then on just told them off if they annoyed them, chased them etc but they were fine. Obviously thats not the proper way to introduce them but since it works, should I do that again? Or can any of you suggest a better method?

Any other tips on house training, making sure the dogs dont pull and any more info on Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs would be much appreciated! So to sum up:

-How to introduce two older dogs to a puppy?

-How to teach a dog to play gently with other dogs (and cats too)?

-How to introduce cats and a puppy?

Thanks.

Basically I'm a 15 year old girl and my vagina is really tight. I dont understand why though because last year my boyfriend fingered me and its fine. But I've not done anything else since that time last year. I dont masturbate cause I cant fit my finger in and it doesnt feel nice. I dont understand how he fingered me with two fingers and I cant put even one finger up there (and my hands are tiny)? Also I cant put tampons in. I've tried and I tried putting it up in different positions and putting a little lube on the tip before and stuff and it did go in (once again this was last year) but it felt weird and hurt. I pushed it in further and like more comfier and it hurt less but when I pulled it out it hurt sooo much. I havent like put anything in my vagina not a tampon, finger or anything since last summer really. Anyway so I was shaving my netheregion today and I found out i cannot even put my finger in there anymore. I do a lot of sport and stuff maybe that has something to do with it? I'm not planning on having sex right this second but I do wanna be ready for it when I do, like in the next 2-3 years, but I dont know how im going to do that. When my ex boyfriend fingered me it hurt quite a lot at first but when he used one finger it felt better but still didnt feel much, just felt a bit weird. And I did try finger myself last year too but it always felt weird to do that. Anyway so I dont know what to do. How can I like stretch my vagina? I'm really nervous about sex and stuff but I do want to do it but I dont want it to hurt (I cant stand pain, ive got a low pain tolerance) so I wanna be less tight. I know tight is good but not so tight that his penis wont be able to go in or whatever!

Should I keep trying to put tampons in? I really hate the idea of some cotton stuck in my vagina.. makes me shudder. Should I try masturbating? I cant really relax when I do it I just find it feels weird and uncomfortble, not enjoyable at all.

Oh yeah is it weird to masturbate and stuff at my age? I've never asked my friends but am I the only one who thinks about these things?

I'm not talking about morally, religiously or whatever. I'm talking about physically and biologically, when is your body ready/made to have sex? After your first period? When you become an adult (in your body/brain)? When you hit puberty? After puberty ends?

I dont want answers about when it feels right or only after marriage or only when you want to or whatever. I want the scientific answer at which age your body is ready and prepared and meant to have sex.

Thank you!

I'm moving to South Africa, Cape Town, next year and I am getting a dog sometime before that. Originally we were going to get a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (NO, not a bernese mountain dogs, and just because they have short hair doesn't make them ideal) and I still REALLY want one. But apparently they dont handle heat too well. Does anyone know anything more about this? Cape Town is quite windy and its not actually that hot all the time though it does sometimes get really hot. Anymore info about this breed would be helpful. So if anyone could suggest some dog breeds that are:

Large

Handle heat well

Dont drool too much

Good with cats

We were thinking about a Rhodesian Ridgeback but we dont like the colour (dog has to be black and tan, black and white, black, white, grey, silver really. Basically no brown or ginger dogs--> dont ask why, I think its stupid too). So what other dog? Or anyone know if a swissy could be okay with the temp? (obviously we'd not walk it in the middle of the day, have air con, lots of water etc but i think its unfair on the dog if it makes it sick/have stroke etc)

I currently live in south east England. Next year (summer time) me and my family are moving to South Africa, Cape Town. I have 2 dogs currenltly. They are both meant to be long haired, but I always keep their fur short. Their breed is Lhasa Apso and originate from like the Tibetan mountains and are proper cold dogs. Later this year/early next year I am getting another dog- A greater swiss mountain dog (NOT A BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG), and they originate from the Swiss mountains. So they are all cold dogs but we are moving to a sunny, beachy Cape Town and I am worried about how they will adapt. Any tips/knowlegde about this? )Also if anyone knows anything about GSMD's pelase tell me anything you know about them at all) Will they do alright there?

I also have two cats and am planning to get two more sometime this year. My current cats- one is indoors and loves the sun but she is VERY anxious/stressed/high strung and always has been and has never been calm in general, let alone in new situations. She is 12, and will be almost 14 then, so I am very worried about how she will handle it all. My other cat is a thick furred, but not long furred, cat who is on the chubby side. But the thing I'm worried about is she lieks to go outside a lot and usually just spends her time walking around our garden and stalking things. But there are a lot of poisonous snakes/spiders etc in South Africa and we dont have much of a garden in cape town (patio, pool area, big balcony's) so I'm worried she will wander to the mountain/hill behind our house (like our back garden, but giant fence blocking us from it haha) and there are many creatures in that grass. I dont know what I'm going to do. What if she tries to hunt a rattlesnake or something and gets bitten? We also live next to a road here but its quiet but in Cape Town the road by our house is quite busy. What should I do?

My snake will just be chilling in the sun so I think he'll love it, but what temperature should we keep his container in? We keep it quite warm cause its cold here, but in cape town the temp varies a lot but not half as cold as here.

Thanks for any tips.

I am a 15 year old girl and I hate society, people, human race and basically how messed up people are and act. I over think WAY too much and I just find everything pointless. Everything. I just want to be alone, cause I find all the people I know just plain stupid. Shallow, pathetic and just unaware. Anyway I think way too much about how much is wrong with our society and the human race and I just want to not think about it. I want to enjoy life. I want to have fun, even if it means being a common stupid teenage s**t. I dont feel alive anymore, I dont feel like I'm really there and I dont know how to stop. I dont want to talk to anyone about it, let alone my family or friends and definitely not a random stranger just because s/he is a therapist, I just want to forget. Like forget how horrible the world is because its just ruined everything for me. I'm not a loner, though I love to be alone, i'm not scared to talk to people, I just dont want to, I do have dreams in life, but I dont see the point in them. I am just numb, I mean i laugh and stuff but I just dont really feel it. It's boring and annoying and I just want to feel again, whether its sadness or happiness I dont care. (no i'm not going to commit suicide or cut myself nor have I, or ever will, but I cant spend the rest of my life locked in my room but that is all I want to do) I used to want to do things which I still want to do, but I just never have time or never have the energy or the motivation. I wanted to be an author or poet, or save nature and animals. But I know its pointless because most of the population are either stupid, greedy, selfish or vain. I just need some motivation to live because I can't find any in this hell hole we call a world.

Yes I have friends and a family (maybe there not perfect but good enough) and i haven't had a hard life at all. I've had everything handed to me on a silver platter ( which I find disgusting. My generation, including me, are beyond spoilt and believe we are entitled to anything we want which is not the case at all) so I dont see what the hell is my problem. I'm not depressed, I mean I have thought about suicide just because I think life is pointless, but I would never do it because its a waste of life as well and just horrible to everyone around me.

Other than that, who else agrees our society/our species is messed up and doomed to fail?

I know they were made to live in cold snowy mountains in Switzerland but my family really want one but we are moving to South Africa in a few years and I was wondering if the dog would be okay in that climate? Also I was wondering if swissies can go running and hiking etc and if they can learn lots of tricks?

Thanks!!

I am considering getting a dog but I have two cats and two Lhasa Apso's. I was wondering if rottweilers usually get along well with small dogs and cats? My dogs are both females and my cats have been around dogs most of their lives and will fight back/avoid/leave the dogs alone most of the time. My two little dogs are nervous of other dogs at first but usually get along well with other dogs eventually. Pepper loves to play and run with other dogs and Lexi usually ignores them, but she doesnt tolerate stupidness and does get jealous sometimes. But when we got Pepper, Lexi hated her first and then one day later and from them on they were the bestest of friends and do everything together.

So, do rotties have strong hunting instincts? I don't believe all the bulls**t about rotties being aggressive etc, I want to hear it from people who actually know about the breed and have experience with them.

Thank you!!