behavior

World Spay Day is February 28

February 25, 2023 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

The last day of February is World Spay Day. As the world moves away from winter and outdoors into spring, consider the benefits of making sure your pet is spayed or neutered.

Spaying your pet is just one way to help keep homeless pet populations down. Without enough homes for pets they often enter into the shelter system where millions are euthanizes each year.

While there are medical and behavioral benefits to neutering pets, let’s consider a few myths that still exist. According to the ASPCA, two common myths that simply aren’t accurate are:

Spaying or neutering will not cause your pet to become overweight.
Neutering is not a quick fix for all behavior problems.

What is true is that you can oftentimes enjoy medical benefits from spaying your pet. For example, your female pet will be less likely to experience breast tumors or uterine infections resulting in a healthier, longer life. Your male pets will be less likely to experience testicular cancer or prostate problems.

There are behavior benefits as well. Your male dogs are less likely to roam as far away from home when mating season rolls around. This will limit attempts to escape to find a lady friend and potentially incur injury from traffic or other hazards. Your female cat won’t go into heat which can sometimes include a great deal of yowling and urination, sometimes all over your house.

Contact your veterinarian or seek out a low-cost clinic to find out how to spay or neuter your pet. Do what is best for your pet’s health and research what makes the most sense for your pet.

How Well Do We Know Your Pets?

January 17, 2023 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

January 19th is Get To Know Your Customers Day. We feel pretty confident that we know your pets pretty well, but we always want to learn more.

Let’s talk about how we get to know the Floofins in your household.

First, we alway do a meet and greet before taking on new clients. We get all of the information on your home, your pet’s schedule, the feeding preferences, etc. It’s important to us that we make your absence feel less stressful to your pet by keeping them in their routine.

We also spend regular time with them. If you are a midday walk client, we know the pace your pet likes to take and are able to notice when they speed up or slow down or even when something is askew.

As a client, I have had my Floofins staff member note any small lumps or bumps and any odd behavior (like that time Ginger insisted she take her water buffalo horn on her walk). It’s helpful and informative.

But did you know that you can always contact us with additional information above and beyond what is in your profile? We always document information there for consistency between staff and the office. But, you can always reach out to us with feedback about our service and staff. We encourage communication.

Finally, if you are satisfied with the service you receive, consider leaving a Google Review, Yelp Review, or a Facebook Review. Those words of praise and affirmation make a huge difference when potential clients are researching pet care companies. We note it and appreciate it.

So, tell us more about you, our customers. And if you want, let others know how you feel about us. We believe in hearing our customers, so always let us know how we’re doing.

Avoiding Separation Anxiety

June 17, 2020 by Jennifer Houghton Leave a Comment

I have a confession: my dog sometimes pees on the rug. It’s nothing personal and we don’t talk about it (much). It is a symptom of her separation anxiety.

My dog, like most people, has a routine. And she likes to keep things in the rut in which she has grown accustomed. There is no question that her actions come from a past life (she was an adult rescue). Just like humans, pets need to acclimate to new normals in order to mitigate the most severe reactions of separation anxiety that could occur.

As Illinois begins to transition from its period of strict stay-at-home orders, people and pets may find themselves struggling to readjust. Just as you would prepare your children for bedtime hours in the days leading up to the end of summer vacation, you should consider how to manage your pet. [Read more…] about Avoiding Separation Anxiety

Barrier Frustration in Dogs

October 26, 2014 by Gail Brasie Leave a Comment

What Does Barrier Frustration Look Like?

Barrier Frustration is a tough-sounding term for a fairly common issue many dogs and dog owners face. When handled properly, it’s a behavior that can be corrected; if not, that barrier frustration may morph into aggression.

What is Barrier Frustration?

Barrier Frustration in dogs can take several forms, but a few common examples of this behavior include: [Read more…] about Barrier Frustration in Dogs

Is Your Dog’s Diet Linked To Their Behavior?

July 15, 2014 by Gail Brasie Leave a Comment

Your Dog’s Diet and Their Behavior May Be Very Closely Linked.

There is an increasing number of people who see a link between a dog’s diet and their behavior, similar to old and new research examining the role of nutrition in mood and behavior in humans. Too many fillers, sugar, and grains are believed by some to cause hyperactivity and even aggression in dogs. It is believed that by replacing a low-cost, grain-based dog food with one containing high-quality protein and carbohydrates these behaviors can be adjusted.

But there’s no definite, singular consensus on what your dog should be eating. Just like the Paleo Diet supporters don’t agree with the vegans about what they should be eating, the same is true for nutrition and dogs. Some dog parents are proponents feeding their dogs raw diets, limited grain diets, organic diets; some even feed their dogs a vegan diet, while others oppose this vehemently.