My Pet World: Achoo! Should I be worried about my cat’s sneezes?

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Mar 30, 2022

Dear Steve and Caroline,

Dogs have to be trained to walk on leashes. It’s not something that’s natural for them to do. If he will wear a leash after being in the car, go with what works and build from there. Put him in the car before every walk and put a leash on him while giving him treats. Give more treats during the walk to encourage the behavior.

When he gets used to that, start leaving the leash around the house where he can see it. Give him treats if he looks at it and doesn’t run away. Over the next few days or weeks, move the leash closer to where he sits or sleeps (always giving treats for not running) until he can be next to it without any issues. In time, you should be able to put the leash on him in the house and take him for his walk.

As for the barking, that is always a little more difficult to halt. You can’t stop a dog from barking. They are going to alert you to any and every person or dog that walks by. So, all you can do is block his views to reduce the alerts or thank your dog for alerting you and then asking your dog to “leave it,” so he knows he did his job and can stand down. Please also work on his recall command so he learns to come when called because that is another way to stop the barking. Use a clicker to re-teach your dog to “sit” so he learns that a clicker marks the desired behavior, and a treat will follow. Train him when there are no distractions around, increasing the level of distractions over time. (If you have to corral him, use a broom to gently guide him so you are not getting nipped.)

Finally, if he is relieving himself on your tile floors, clean the areas with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of biologicals (urine or poop). This should help remove his temptation to mark your floors. If he is still wetting the floors after this cleaning, put pee pads on the floor so you can at least communicate where you want him to pee.

========

(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)