Resources
Resource Library
Food Enrichment for Dogs
Enrichment is a way to mentally stimulate and enhance your dog’s life. It is important that dog’s are given the opportunity to display species-specific behaviours such as investigation, olfactory exploration, foraging and problem solving. Exploration is very important for dogs and providing foraging systems that allow dogs to search for, problem solve and investigate ways to access food can help improve your dog’s quality of life. In this handout, you’ll find link to some of our favourite toys as well as homemade enrichment ideas.
Teaching Your Pet to Love Being Handled
When your pet doesn’t like to be handled it can be very challenging. Giving medications, doing nail trims and teeth brushing can turn into a battle. It is also important to be aware this can progress into bigger stressors for your pet. A surprise tail pull, paw grab, or well-meaning hug from a child could potentially make your pet uncomfortable enough to bite. This handout covers how to classically condition your pet to handling.
Prevention and Management for Destructive Scratching
Cats scratch in order to maintain nail health and remove dead cells from their nails, stretch their body and mark territory, visually and by leaving a chemical scent on the item(s). Nails are also important for maintaining balance, climbing and are used for self-defence. Keeping your cat’s nails short is recommended but there is much more you can do! Here are some tips to help you set your cats environment up for successful scratching rather than destructive scratching.