Pets enrich our lives in an almost endless number of ways. Whether greeting us at the door, keeping us company when we are down or simply entertaining us, having a pet in our lives greatly improves the quality of our lives. For all that they add for our lives, we owe it to them to do all we can for them in return. One of the ways to ensure your pet enjoys a long, happy life is to understand the underlying problems behind their behaviors.

Inappropriate Elimination

Inappropriate elimination refers to the unseemly practice of pets urinating and defecating inside the house. The first step is to find out why your pets are having accidents inside of your home.

Young Pets
Puppies and kittens less than nine weeks old are too young to know any better, but for adult dogs there's often no excuse for inappropriate elimination. Products that can help stop this bad habit include:
1. SnuggEase Protective Pants,
2. Puppy Training Pads and
3. Train-Um Dog Training Aid

Medical Conditions
Medical conditions that increase thirst and urination, or in which the bladder or gastrointestinal tract are irritated, may contribute to the house-soiling problems in pets. It is important to have your veterinarian perform a thorough physical examination to determine if underlying medical conditions are a cause of the inappropriate elimination. This is particularly crucial if your dog has had a sudden breakdown of its house training.  Urinary incontinence  may be caused by an underdeveloped urinary system or may arise as a result of aging.  Estrogen deficiency is the most common cause of incontinence among spayed female dogs.  Supplements such as
1. Propalin (Phenylpropanolamine) and
2. HomeoPet Leaks No More can aid your dog by providing them with the proper nutrition to improve their urinary problems.
3. SynerG is a food enzyme supllement that aids with digestion and nutrient absorption.


Territory Marking
Dogs and cats use urine and feces as a method of communication.  Neutering and spaying your pet corrects this problem in most of these cases, but many pets persist in marking for months or years after the surgery. It is crucial to spay and neuter while they are still young and have not picked up the habit.

To prevent future territory markings, clean urine-marked sites with an odor neutralizer such as
1. Crypton Stain Remover and
2. Urine Off Odor and Stain Remover. If the slightest trace of odor remains, your pet is likely go back to that same area to eliminate again. One suggestion is to try
3. Feliway, an electric diffuser that prevents cats from urinating where they shouldn’t. If this measure fails to address the problem, treatment with medication may be a solution.
Use 4. Wag Bags to pick up after your pet should they have an accident.
Separation Anxiety
If your pet is eliminating when you are away from home it is likely that separation anxiety is triggering that behavior. Anxiety-based problems are now treatable thanks to modern medicines and a better understanding of the root cause of these problems. Drugs like buspirone (Buspar®) and fluoxetine (Reconcile®) have revolutionized the treatment of anxiety-based inappropriate elimination problems.
Litter Box Problems
This is a behavior problem in which the cat chooses not to use the litter box for any one of a variety of reasons, electing to use an alternative area for elimination. There are many reasons why your cat may dislike his litter box:
  • Too few boxes
  • Inappropriately positioned boxes (high traffic area)
  • Inconvenient location
  • Hooded box (most cats don’t like hoods)
  • Box too dirty (rarely scooped)
  • Box cleaned with harsh smelling chemicals (such as bleach)
  • plastic liners
  • Plastic underlay (not always appreciated by the cat)
  • Wrong type of litter
  • Litter not deep enough
  • Animosity between cats in the house (guarding of litter boxes)

To get your cat using the litter box try Cat Attract, a litter additive that will naturally attract your cat or kitten to the litter box. Visit our Pet Waste Products and Supplies to choose the best products that will suit your pets’ needs.

Destructive Behaviors

Our pets are capable of creating havoc by chewing and scratching on our belongings.

Scratching is Good for Cats
Although scratching provides your cat with a form of physical therapy for the muscles and tendons of his paws, the behavior can take its toll on your and valuables if not corrected. By gentle and consistent correction and by providing alternative scratching areas, you can persuade your cat to scratch where it is appropriate.

There are several deterrents you can use to discourage your cat from scratching where they aren't supposed to.
Sticky PawsSoft PawsClimb by
Otis and Claude
PetMate Sisal Rope Cat PostTurbo Scratcher

Dogs Love to Chew
Whether it is a bone or your dress shoes, a canine with a penchant for chewing is capable of destroying your belongings. Before attempting to change your dog's chewing behavior, it's first important to understand just why they are exhibiting this behavior.


Well-designed "food-for-work" toys, which can be filled with treats, can keep your dog busy for hours. Other products such as 1. Bitter Apple Spray and
2. NaturVet YUCK! No Chew Spray can safely be used on any washable surface indoors and out to discourage inappropriate chewing.


Anxiety-Related Chewing
Anxiety-related chewing is treated indirectly by addressing the anxiety itself; if you suspect this to be your dog's reason for chewing, ask your veterinarian for help in addressing the problem. Most typically, a temporary anti-anxiety medication will be prescribed - along with a behavior-modification program - to help your dog feel less stressed and react more calmly when left alone or when exposed to storms.


Overactive Pets

Like their owners, pets have a mind and personality of their own. If your pet should become overactive there are things you can do to prevent overactivity from becoming a problem. For dogs, regular extended sessions of excercise and play with a fetch toy such as the
1. Bettie or 2. New Jed Ball from Otis and Claude can keep them from getting getting overly excited. the use of a leash and a head collar such as the
3. Petzen Dogtread Treadmill can keep your dogs overactivity contained.
Reward good behavior
We love our pets that’s no surprise, but what is surprising is that one of the big mistakes people make is focusing on punishing their pets for bad behavior rather than focusing on rewarding them for what we consider good behavior. By rewarding your pet with treats or praising them for going to their designated area to eliminate gives them the expectation that it is permitted only in that area.
Spaying or Neutering pets

Some people still think that spay or neuter their pets is like mentally destroy them.  Aside from the fact that there is a serious pet overpopulation problem, Spaying and neutering your pet means it is less likely to wander away to look for a mate and in doing so potentially get lost, hurt, hurt others, or contract diseases. Overall, spaying and neutering will greatly increase the length and quality of your pet's life.
For males, neutering eliminates the chance of developing testicular cancer and may reduce problems with aggression and decreasing inappropriate urination issues. For females, spaying decreases the chance of developing breast cancer if done before the first heat cycle. It also eliminates the chance of developing pyometra (a potentially fatal infection of the uterus), decreases or eliminates mood swings associated with heat cycles and eliminates spotting.

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