Pets Design

Archive for June, 2009

Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. It was then that I began to acknowledge that my beloved dog Caesar was dying. Caesie as I loved to call him, came into our family in 1992. He could talk – he used to greet us in the morning by saying “Hello “and ” Morning “. That used to both freak out and amuse people! He also loved to greet me by lifting his front right paw to shake hands. Caesar had a penchant for lifting up my skirt and looking under me.

I have always kept pets – not only dogs, but birds, guinea pigs,rabbits and fish and for a short time when I was in primary school, a lizard. That is until Mummy discovered my beloved Lizzie who lived in my bedside lamp shade. Well the rest is history – my Mummy killed Lizzie. They play an important part in our lives and many are treated as ‘one of the family’. Pets provide a constant source of enjoyment, companionship and fun, and many thrive in a family and household environment.

Many studies show that pets literally make their owners healthier. Research conducted by the University of Minnesota highlighted the importance of regular contact with domestic animals. In the United States, more than half of all nursing homes, clinics and hospitals use animals in a therapeutic capacity. The effect of dogs or cats is especially dramatic in the clinically depressed patient whose withdrawal can be lessened by the introduction of the pet.

It is common for people to teach their pet dogs or even birds tricks, but what about guinea pigs? Surprisingly, even they can be taught if you have the patience and time. This article will tell you how to get started. You should make your decision based on whether your pet has done tricks before, it’s attention span, and if it will actually be able to remember and perform the trick when asked. Here is a list of tricks, ranging from the easiest to the most difficult:

It will probably walk in circles or lean against things while it tries to figure out how to get the treat, so give it some time. After a few minuets it should stand on it’s hind legs and reach for the treat, in a “begging” position. Even if it does not quite reach the treat, you should give it to them while saying something like “Yay Scotty! Good job!” (of course, this only works if your guinea pig is named Scotty). This will let it know that it has succeeded and it will cause them to associate your congratulations with the treat, and therefore the treat with the trick.

It will likely accidentally knock against the bell in it’s scramble for the treat. When it does this, give them the food. Try putting the bell in without the treat next time, and see if it rings the bell. If not, keep doing it this way until it does. Sometimes these animals can be trained to ring the bell when they are hungry (of course, to train them to do this you have to leave the bell in there all the time, which can get maddening). You can start by taking out all of the food out of their cage.