Pet Tips and Tricks
Bathing
Start bathing a new pet as soon as you can. Making bathing into a regular thing will make it much easier once they are full grown and possibly to big to control.
Run bath water and fill tub up prior to bringing a pet into the bathroom for a bath. The noise of the running water can sometimes make animals panic.
Always check the water temperature before yourself putting a pet into it.
When bathing your pet, you can use apple cider vinegar to rinse his or her fur. Fleas don't like the smell or taste.
Pet Safety
If you have an outside pet or one that frequently gets loose, try a pet GPS system that will allow you to track where they are. Animal GPS has a great one here for only $129.
Training
When potty training a new puppy, accidents may happen, an indoor puppy pad helps. But if accidents do happen off the pad, avoid scolding the puppy either on the pad or right before placing him or her on it. This makes the pad a punishment place, and it should be an encouraging one.
Always pay attention to your pet's "I need to go out" signs and let them out. Ignoring these signs early on, can encourage accidents after training is done. This also builds a good owner-pet relationship, if they feel like you listen to them, they are more likely to alert you when they do need to go.
Keep a cat's litter box clean. Scoop out soiled litter daily, and change the entire box every week, putting in fresh litter. You can wash out the box with a solution of water and vinegar to help reduce the odor, and then add a little baking soda to the litter itself. An inch and a half of fresh litter is usual plenty.
Ignore unwanted behavior and reward only desired behavior. If your pet begs or jumps, immediately turn your body away from them. Rewarding them only when they have calmed down.
Fleas
A quick and easy treatment for severe fleas on dogs, if you cannot get to the vet, is to fill your sink up with warm water and dilute a couple cap fulls of pine-sol into the water. Dip your dog into it up to their neck. Making sure to avoid the face, eyes, and ears. This works exactly like a flea dip and will not hurt a dog with healthy skin. This tip is not safe for cats.
Never use dog shampoo or products with Tea Tree oil in them on cats. A cat's skin is very different from a dogs and can have a reaction to certain ingredients.
Pet allergies
That's right some pets have allergies too! If your pet gets a rash, you can use a hydrocortisone cream, found in any drugstore, on it. Avoid the oily ointments and opt for the non greasy cream if you can.