Dog talk

Q & A: Staying hydrated

Q: When we go on walks in the park, my dog refuses to drink water from a bottle, even if I pour it into a small bowl. Is there anything I can do about it? A: I would not be too concerned about this, as long as your dog is drinking adequately at home and

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6 ways to play fetch safely

Your dog is a picture of pure, unadulterated joy when, ball in mouth, he runs back to you as fast as his legs will carry him. Playing fetch is a huge favourite among many dogs and their owners, but does this fun game come with risks? Keeping an injury-free balance Quite a bit of research

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Quiz: how smart is your dog?

Let’s face it: all dogs are smart, and they all have a way to manipulate us to an extent and crawl into our hearts. Some dogs are just a little smarter than others. This is a tongue-in-cheek quiz to find out where your dog features on the ‘smart-o-metre’. Work through the questions and choose an

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Q & A: Switching food

Q: If my dog is used to dry food, how can I switch him to a combination of dry and raw food, while still keeping his weight under control? A: Unfortunately, it is very difficult to regulate caloric and nutrient intake when feeding raw food alone, or even a combination of raw food and commercial

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Training secrets for owners

One of the best ways to spend time and build a strong bond with your dog is to teach him new cues. In so many cases, we teach our dogs every day without even realising it. By following these tips, you can make the most of every training opportunity you and your dog get.  

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Ask Patches: Mocking bird

Mocking bird Dear Patches, For years now, Pollie, our African grey, has been mimicking everything everybody says, sings or whistles, as well as the telephone and the alarm. It is so annoying! And what’s even worse, is that he is so good at it, that I can’t distinguish between him and the real source of

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Average ages of different pets

We love our pets, and we would love it if they could live for as long as we do and grow old with us. But the sad reality is that they don’t. However, some animals live long past their life expectancies to create great memories. Let’s see what the average ages are of some types

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Ask Patches: Tipping the scales

Tipping the scales Dear Patches, Here we go again. It’s the beginning of the year, and Mom is on a ‘let’s-lose-some-weight’ drive to get rid of all those festive season rolls she accumulated. I wish she would keep all that exercise to herself and not try to involve me as well. I’m talking morning and

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