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Dear Warren,
We have 3 short haired miniature Weiner dogs which we love to death. They're the smartest animals we've ever had and we can teach them just about anything. But the one thing we haven't been able to break them of is the crazy barking. They'll sit on the back of the couch and if so much as a bird lands on the bush they begin insanely barking as a pack of dogs. We cannot stop them. We've separated them, we've tried a lot of things and we still cannot get them to stop.
Mark in Laguna Hills |
Hi Mark,
Let me explain something about Dachshunds to you. Dachshunds are like owning a Great Dane in a little dog's suit. They have a bit of a Napoleon complex and pound for pound are one of the toughest dogs out there. Actually they were used as badger hunters. One of the things I'm going to recommend you try with them is, an airhorn. I would actually like you or a friend of yours to hide underneath the window where they would normally hop up and bark. That is the person that has the airhorn. The minute they start to bark I want one or two blasts of the airhorn and that's it. If that shuts them up, hey then I'm a genius. I want them to think that this noise is coming from God. Let the correction come from outside. I don't want the person to pop up, I just want the airhorn out there. If they know the person is out there that's going to make them bark. Do that a couple of times and I think your problem will be over and done with.
I hope that helps,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I have a 3yr old Chihuahua and she's fed like clockwork. 8 o'clock in the morning, 5 o'clock at night. I feel like she spends her whole life looking for food. Why is that? She can hear a cheerio drop if she's in the other room. We only feed her dog food. Why is she always looking for something else?
Ron in Santa Monica |
Hi Ron,
You know if there's a plate of spinach in front of me and a yodel on the other side - yodelayehoo, I'm eating that chocolate covered cake. Dog's don't eat with their mouths they eat with their nose. Human foods smell so much better from the dog's perspective. Plus, it's something new and something to explore. So if you don't want to give her the occasional cheerio I would just ignore it. Their life is, they're in the house and they're always looking for new things.
I hope that helps,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
We have 4 cats, all indoor cats. When we come home through the front door one of them is always there with his nose almost outside. I'm so afraid he's going to get out. I know he's greeting us and looking to be fed, but I want him to move back. How do I get him to do that in a friendly way?
Gloria in L.A. |
Hi Gloria,
What I want you to do is take a large piece of flat cardboard and cover it with double stick tape. Make it about 2 feet wide. Put it down in the house and this way the cat will start to learn that she can go up to the door but she's not going to really be thrilled about walking on the double stick tape. You can gradually start moving it away, and putting it back sporadically using variable reinforcement. Eventually you should be able to walk into the house without worrying about your cat leaving.
Hugs & Kisses,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I'm stressed out! We recently adopted a 6 month old kitten from a shelter. We're trying to get her integrated with the cat we already have. We've done scent exchanged, room exchanges, but are still having problems. When we introduce them, the kitten - who is a pretty big kitten - jumps on my cat and wants to play. But my cat thinks it is aggressive and then they get into a brawl.
Debbie in Irvine |
 Hi Debbie,
Here's what you need to do Ok? When you're introducing the kitten to the cat, about 10 or 15 minutes before, you need to become a cat. You need to get down on the floor and play with this kitten in any way, shape or form. You need to get that energy out of her. The other thing to do is, sit alongside the other cat while holding the kitten. Just sit there for a ½ hour or so every night. I think sooner or later the older cat is going to let the kitten know that this is not acceptable behavior, and it's going to have to be worked out amongst the two of them. Your cat will let this kitten know, "Listen you little whipper-snapper..." But the bottom line is, when you have two cats, sometimes the best thing to do is to let them work it out on their own. There is a whole chapter in my book How To Get Your Cat To Do What You Want that is very pertinent to what we're discussing here. The chapter is called First Pet Psychology. It will go over this issue in a lot more detail.
Hugs & Kisses,
Warren  |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I take my two dogs for a walk in the park every day. All the sudden they'll find something that smells very good to them and start rolling over on their backs onto this smell. What are they doing when they do that?
Sydney in Huntington Beach |
Hi Sydney,
The fact that dogs roll around in odors when they're in different locations is generally one of two reasons. It goes back to the hunting instinct where if they roll around with items in the area, they will blend in with the environment. Therefore what they're hunting will not smell the dog, it will just smell the regular environment. This makes it a lot easier for them to hunt. The other end of the spectrum is, if they're not predatory they may be rolling in that scent specifically to get the scent on them so if there are predators out there, they won't be coming after them as well. That's part of the reason for it. But there's a 3rd reason that no one else but Warren would tell you about! It's called Doggie Nirvana. If there is something smelling great in the backyard, some plant, some grass, some wildflower, they will smell it and get a little "doggie buzz" so to speak and just roll around on their back as if they are in nirvana. That is the 3rd reason that they do it. Now you can sleep at night right?
Hugs & Kisses,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
Someone gave me a Persian kitten. He's ten months old and he has a little blood when he goes to the bathroom. I've taken him to the vet, and she said she thought it was colitis from all his hair that he's ingesting. The only information I have said it sounded like I fed him too much or it was a rectal disease. Everything I've read said there would be a lot of diarrhea if it was colitis and that's not the case.
Betty in Long Beach |
Hi Betty,
We're going to resolve two of your problems. Number 1 - get a second opinion. Number 2 - it is a Persian Cat. That means it's going to be shedding a lot. Very often with the long haired cats you're going to find that they're ingesting a lot of hair. I would recommend your kitten starts with Hugs & Kisses vitamin/mineral supplements. The number 1 ingredient is lecithin which really keeps the shedding and the dander down to a bare minimum. This means the hairballs will be reduced as well. Plus the fact it's rich in antioxidants. But my feeling is this-when there's blood involved and it's not clearing up in a day or two days or three days, a second opinion is definitely warranted. You're vet might be right on target, it may be nothing but stress or it might be colitis. But if it is colitis what are we going to do to treat it? Telling you what it is and not giving you a treatment are two different things. Get a second opinion.
Hugs & Kisses,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I have a friend with quite a few cats. She recently took in a feral cat. The cat had two litters which we were able to get adopted. Before she could have any more, my friend locked her in the garage. She's been the prisoner of the garage for over a year now. My friend feeds it, gives it music, air conditioning, everything. She sits on a chair and visits with the cat regularly. Once in a while the cat will come up and let her touch her, but usually she can't get close to it. We want to catch it so we can take it to the vet to be spayed so it can be free again.
Thank You,
Dale in Anaheim |
Hi Dale,
The cat has been living in the garage for over a year. I am 100% behind the spay or neuter-that is the right thing to do. I'm just not so sure re-releasing her is a good idea. What I would try to do is work with some of the feral cat organizations in your area. They will easily be able to trap the cat in your garage (they're used to doing it outside). Once it's spayed or neutered they can either find a home for it, or release it into a colony. That would be their decision based on what you and they talk about.
I hope that helps!
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
We are getting new carpet soon and I know you say to put a piece of the new carpet in the house beforehand. My question is, do I need to put a piece of the carpet in every room? Also, we recently had a new yard put in and one of my guys is a kicker. When I see him doing it I pound on the window like your air horn. Do you have any suggestions how to stop that?
Thank You,
Sandi in Huntington Beach |
Hi Sandi,
What I would do is try to get a piece in every room that the new carpet is going to be in. Each piece should be about a foot square. Also, spend some time sitting in the room after you add the carpet swatch. Ideally you should have the carpet installed on a Friday so that you have the weekend at home with your animals. The more time they spend around the new carpet with you, the quicker they will adapt. Usually once they get used to the swatch and being around the new carpet in your presence, they're usually right on target.
As for the other thing, the good news is he's going outside. The bad news is ... leave it alone. I mean that seriously. The reason the dog is kicking up afterwards is not only to spread the scent, but they also have scent glands on their feet. I call it " the dance of doody." What I want you to understand is, it's instinctive behavior and I don't think you should play with that. My feeling is-how important is a perfect lawn? Your carpeting will be fine, but your back yard will have little nooks and crannies in it.
Hugs & Kissses,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I have a Chihuahua/Pekinese mix who is the cutest, most lovable and playful guy. Everybody falls in love with him. I even have people on the freeway wave at me to say how cute he is. My problem is-he peed on my girlfriend. He's very good at doing his number 1 & 2 on the pad. But one day my friend came over and he just peed on her for no reason! Ever since then he's been occasionally going where he's not supposed to.
Thank You,
Leah in Encino |
Hi Leah,
Let me tell you what I think has happened here. I assume your dog is familiar with your friend and has met her before. I think she somehow came around with the scent of another unfamiliar dog on her. Pay attention to how high your dog lifts his leg. The higher a dog lifts his leg, the more dominant that dog is. The higher he pees, the more scent in the air will be taken up by the dogs urine, which will make him more territorial. I really think your girlfriend brought the scent of another dog into his house. Here's what you need to do. You need to clean up with the American Kennel Club Gold Stain & Odor Remover - that's number 1. Number 2 - What I'd like you to do the next time the dog pees in the house is to take him to a different area of the house and put him on his leash and collar to confine him. Dab a paper towel into the pee (even if it's dry it will get the scent) and put it in front of him. Leave him there for 10 minutes. Come back every 5 minutes and say no. At the end of that time, untie him and forget about it. Once he realizes that any time he pees he's going to have to stay with it, your problem is over and done with.
Hugs & Kissses,
Warren |
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asked:
Dear Warren,
I have an 18lb black velvet cat. And the 18lbs is my problem... She came in off the streets and is just so intelligent. I estimate she's around 7 years old.
Thank You,
Maggie in La Jolla |
Hi Maggie,
The normal weight for a cat is around 10-12 lbs. Your cat is way overweight. The best way to get the pounds off is to start giving her a food specifically made with reduced calories. You need to get her on that food right away. Let's remember, the same things we need to do to diet, our pets need to do to diet: less food, but with more frequent feedings throughout the day. Also, let's make her investigate more. You've heard me talk about bringing paper bags and cardboard boxes into the house because cats like changes. Even if your cat doesn't play with it, it's okay. Just getting her up off the couch to go check it out and decide she doesn't want to play with it - is getting her to burn some calories walking over to the box. We need to increase the exercise and decrease the calories.
Hugs & Kissses!
Warren |
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