Does a wagging tail always signify a happy dog?
In most cases, the answer is yes. According to Stanley Coren, in his book What Do Dogs know? “Tail wagging is similar to a human smile in that it is a social sign meant to communicate emotional state to someone else. Psychologists have learned that dogs reserve their tail wagging for living things . . . If a dog is alone, however, it simply doesn’t wag its tail. Thus, when you give a dog a bowl of food, it will wag its tail to say, -Thank you.”
However, pet owners need to be aware – dogs do wiggle their tails when they are agitated, tense, anxious, annoyed or ready to fight.
Is it okay to give my dogs bones from my dinner table?
Pet owners need to know that not all bones are good for dogs. “Many bones can splinter when chewed and cause dogs to choke.” According to Judy Carey and Jack Block, D.V.M. “Offer a nylon bone or rawhide instead.”
Pet owners should be advised that all dogs should have supervision while chewing any bones, even the nylon bones or rawhide.
Does “Butt Scooting” mean my dog has worms?
The fact is that this could just be a behavior that alleviates discomfort from infected, full, impacted or ruptured anal sacs. Your veterinarian can empty the anal sacs and check for possible infection.
Cats are aloof and prefer to be alone.
The surprising fact is that most cats don’t like to left alone. According to many sources, feral and stray cats have been known to form colonies. Many cats need to have company and are pretty social.
