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We all have that friend, relative, or rival who walks their dog with expert leash-wielding skills. They aren’t being pulled down the block, tied 'round trees, or tangled up with the friendly neighbor dog who’s also out for an afternoon stroll. I don’t know about you, but I silently envy the person and pet that can walk side-by-side without breaking a sweat. And I have to admit, good leash walking skills are important for more than just showing off your pet-parent talents. “From a relationship perspective,” explains Sarah Fraser, a certified professional dog trainer and co-founder of Instinct Behavior & Training in New York City, “if your dog is walking nicely on a leash, it likely means that your dog is paying more attention to you, making it easier for you to provide direction and guidance as needed along your walk.” A leash-puller can also run the risk of accidentally breaking away from your grip, which can pose multiple dangers to your pet if he or she continues to run

Cats and kittens are naturally inclined to cover their waste, so they instinctively understand the box most of the time. Happy & Polly offers some tips and tricks that'll help ensure that your litter training experience goes smoothly. Basic Cat Littering Training Supplies To litter train a cat, you're obviously going to need a cat litter box and litter. But it's important to know what you need to get. For your box, a small cheap shallow box is where you want to start with these little guys. In fact, when they're first learning you can just use the cardboard trays as their first training boxes. The cardboard trays that hold canned food are perfect for litter training kittens. They're so shallow the kitten can just walk right into it. And once they get really gross, you can just toss them in the trash. This means a clean box for the kittens, and less hassle for you. If you're working with kittens under 8 weeks old, we recommend using a kitten safe

Do you really know the age of your puppy? For many years, we have been told 1 dog year equals 7 human years. But according to a new study released in July, 2020, scientists find out a new way to calculate dogs’ ages, which proves the 1:7 ratios to be an inaccurate measure of age. In this article, Happy & Polly will show you this new way to calculate a dog’s ages. Dog Age Research The research was done by scientists of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. They worked with genome experts to devise a more accurate formula to calculate a dog’s age. This formula is based on the chemical changes in the DNA. To learn more about dogs’ aging process, scientists gathered and analyzed blood samples of 105 Labrador retrievers, with different ages from a few weeks to 16 years old. They sequenced the genomes of the Labradors to tune “DNA methylation”, which is a process that many species undergo as they age.

Have you ever thought that your kitten might be stressed out? Cats are extremely sensitive as well as being susceptible to change. It's no wonder that most cats will experience periods of stress or anxiety at some point during their lifetime. In this article, Happy & Polly brings you 10 common causes of stress and anxiety in cats and ways to help your cat relax a little better. It's important to remember that stress is actually a response in the body to the appearance of certain stimuli. This could be from within or without either way. It can affect the well-being of your cat. This could be in the form of behavioral changes or even help encourage the development of certain diseases. Here are the causes and some tips. 1. Visiting the Vet Most cats hate visits to the vet. This could be due to the use of a carrier or simply being out of their normal comfort zone when taken to a new place. Ideally, you should let your cat get used to spending time in the carrier befo

It could be so frustrating when you're working really hard to teach your puppy to walk on a dog leash, but it still isn't working. Here are the top five mistakes that people are making while doing dog leash training. And Happy & Polly will give you tips that you can take to help you to be more successful. 1. Train in the right environment The first thing is the simplest one: environment. When you first start to train your dog, it's really challenging for both you and the dog. We need to be building on a solid foundation of success. We need an opportunity that we can reward our dog, we can acknowledge the fact that they're in the right position. But it's really hard to do if there are so many distractions around. Find somewhere less distracting. You can go to your backyard or start practicing in your hallway where there are very few distractions. But you must give your dog an opportunity to be right.   You are both learning how to make this work. It

When you're working with kittens, sometimes you feel like a human chew toy. Their teeth are so prickly and sharp, and they do have an instinct to bite. Today, Happy and Polly is going to teach you how to get cats not to bite you. So before we begin, it's important to know that cats are a predator species. So if you're raising a kitten, you're literally raising a micro-panther. These guys have a biological instinct to stalk, hunt and kill their prey just like a lion or a tiger does. Your kitten might be raised indoors, and have all of their needs met like shelter and food. But we have to remember that they have evolved for thousands of years to have certain behavioral and biological needs that help them to survive. One important psychological need they've evolved to have is the thrill of stalking, pouncing and biting their prey. Just because you fulfill a kitten's physical needs does not mean that you'r

Are there cats tend to prefer their environment to be a degree or two warmer than we humans usually choose? The recent hot weather has really tested them and can at times be too hot for them. So Happy & Polly provides a choice of ways for cat owners to keep their cats cool in the heat. 1. Get a fan for your cat Let’s start with a really easy one get your cat a fan. It sounds a bit weird, but you need to get one for your cat, and you can put it next to the bed. If your cat is a bit nervous, definitely play some relax music in the background as you're introducing your cat to your fan. 2. Provide cool places Did you know that cats can actually get sunburnt? Cats that have lighter colors, or white cats or cream cats, their noses and ears and anywhere where there's not a lot of fur can get sunburnt. The best ways to avoid this is to keep your cat inside during hot times of the day. When the sun is a little bit cooler, t

When you first bring your puppy home, they might follow you anywhere. Over time though, they will become more confident and comfortable in their environment. This is a very impressionable time for your puppy and you need to be giving them good information. Happy & Polly will give five tips for keeping focus and listening skills from your puppy to keep them safe and maintain your sanity. I. Using Your Crate Correctly A dog crate is a great way to keep a puppy safe when you aren't able to supervise them. It's also really important way to give them a consistent location that's just their own. What's important is having a plan for when your puppy comes out and also to instill some listening skills. The plan doesn't need to be complicated, but be impactful for your puppy. Every time your puppy comes out of their crate, you're there to train them. You're there to entertain them, to engage with them. It's time to take your puppy out of crate,