Questions tagged [psychology]
Regarding a pet's mental status, or motivation for behaviors or attitudes.
264
questions
1
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1answer
24 views
Dog won't walk unless the whole house walks with him
My dog is almost five and a rescue.
I work from home so he spends all day with me; he's always been funny about going on walks without me if I am in the house. If I'm sick and want to stay in bed, he'...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Why does my cat “catch and run”?
I have one of those feather toys on a long stick. If you move it around fast enough, it sounds like feathers flapping. All the girls go nuts for it, as they run and jump around trying to get this fast ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
New Kitten is scared/wary of me when approaching her directly
About two weeks ago, I've bought a new, 3 months old kitten. I had her in a small room at first, to get her used to the smells, my other cat, etc. She plays a lot with my other cat and I think they're ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Is my cat morally evil?
When my cat is napping and I go to pet her, she is fine with it. But if she is sleeping because she is tired and I wake up her, she makes noises to make me understand that she doesn't like what is ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
I need help with training “Drop it” command
I have Labrador and he is such a foodie. I want to teach him "drop it", but everytime he smells or senses treat nearby, he just never holds, catches or fetches anything except to eat the ...
3
votes
1answer
101 views
Is my cat lonely?
We adopted an adult cat from an animal shelter (about 1 year old), he was very skinny and slept a lot, and soon we discovered he is FIV positive.
So far he underwent treatment, gained some weight, and ...
2
votes
0answers
48 views
My cat is afraid of me after bringing him to the vet
I tamed a rescue cat, took a long time. He became really loving and friendly after a few months and we became the best of friends.
Yesterday I had to bring him to the vet because he had a cold for a ...
1
vote
2answers
147 views
Why our dog seems to protect me but not my significant other?
My wife and I got a dog about two months ago. It was 8 months old when we got him and now he is 10 months old. We have noticed a funny behavior of his, which is that it seems that he defends me ...
2
votes
1answer
98 views
My kittens are terrified of my dog after we got the dog groomed
I have 2 one-year-old kittens and an old dog who we get groomed (shaved) in summer. The kittens were cuddly with the dog before. We have recently got the dog shaved and the kittens are terrified of ...
4
votes
0answers
78 views
Both cats “yowling” in a specific location of the home
I am trying to understand an oddly consistent behavior. I have two cats in my home that will "yowl" at a very specific point of the home, a small hallway leading back to a bathroom and ...
3
votes
1answer
51 views
Attachment Issues in Adopted Dog
I'm a dog trainer, and I have been working with a family that adopted a 2-year-old dog from a shelter not too long ago. The dog is very well-behaved and is responding well to training, but the family ...
2
votes
1answer
246 views
How to soothe dog when startled by noise?
When walking the dog around 22:30 before going to bed, there are some kids playing with fireworks around October, November, December and January. This can be kilometers away, but you still can hear a ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
Husky howling repeatedly - what can be done for it?
I am wondering what can be done for a husky who howls whenever the owner is leaving and then absent from his or her home.
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Dogs and cane toads
Our dog is five months old, and we often take him for walks at night. We live in Australia, so often at night, especially after rain, there are lots of cane toads out. I know that cane toads give off ...
3
votes
1answer
290 views
Lost/Abandoned cat wants to enter house; advice needed
Few days ago, we noticed a cat hanging out around our house and it kept meowing pitifully, so we fed it and offered water and a little card board box in case it wanted a place to rest. The first night ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
How to stop dog chasing any ball she sees
My little Jack Russell X French bulldog has an obsession with footballs, tennis balls, rubber balls, ANY balls. To the extent where she will go over and steal it from the owners. She's very excitable ...
8
votes
1answer
3k views
How can I get my cat to stop pooping on my kid's bed?
Our cat is 5 years old male British shorthair. We had a baby 9 months ago and our cat started to poop on our son's bed. It happened 3 times in last month. Before the baby, he never did such a thing. ...
22
votes
6answers
7k views
What can I do now that my cat is terrified of me after I broke up a fight involving her and two other pets?
I really need some help and advice. I have two cats and a dog. This morning, my dog was with me in the kitchen and one of my cats ran up to him and started attacking him. It just turned into an all ...
1
vote
2answers
845 views
Why is my dog playful and lively outside, but docile and inactive inside?
The difference between my dog's indoor and outdoor behavior is day and night. Inside, she refuses to play with any toys (while I'm awake), only eats during the day if I put something on top of her ...
15
votes
3answers
7k views
My old cat died and I don't know how to deal with it
I feel like I can trust you, don't delete please. I need help by making the rest of my cats understand that she's gone and not coming back.
My old cat, Bee, died - and we have two more and I don't ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
Update and some questions about my cats
Hello I'm back with very good news and some questions following up on my cats. Last post I made was this right here: I need help rebuilding my cats trust after abusing them multiple times. Where I ...
4
votes
2answers
305 views
My dog has 2 personalities
I have a 1 year old, 80 pounds (36 kg) male bernedoodle. At home he is a sweetheart, cuddly, and playful but outside he acts crazy. He jumps on people sometimes and he has also bit my hands several ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
Male cat attacking female
My mom and I have 3 cats, a 3 year old female, and a 2 year old male, along with their 1 year old daughter. The male is fixed, however our female is not. We have noticed that he randomly attacks the ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Will behavioral issues occur in dogs that don't leave their mothers?
Information regarding separating puppies from their mothers, generally, only talks about at what age is it appropriate to remove a youngling from its dam.
There isn't much information about whether ...
2
votes
2answers
125 views
Can dogs exhibit politeness?
Can dogs exhibit politeness?
I come from a science background and in general am very skeptical of anthropomorphic claims that people make about their pets.
I also have considerable experience with ...
8
votes
4answers
4k views
Cat associates closed door with getting caught
There are a few questions about closed doors, but I feel my question has a bunch of different angles which makes most replies inapplicable.
One of our three cats has a big issue with going to the vet. ...
4
votes
1answer
579 views
What will be safest and least stressful for my cats? [duplicate]
So we plan to go away for 7 days. So which of the following is the best for my Cats?
Leave them at home and have someone reliable feed them.
Put them in Cat hotel for the 7 days.
The pro for number ...
3
votes
3answers
158 views
New kitten (3 months old) was very affectionate at first, now ignores me
I'm a new kitten/cat owner, and I'm somewhat worried here.
I've only had the kitten for one week yet, so this might just be a "phase" it's going through.
For the first few days after I got ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
How can I tell if my dog wants to go outside to the toilet or to play? [duplicate]
We've got a ~5 month old puppy, a Chihuahua/Yorkie crossbreed. She's just about completed toilet training now in the sense that she hasn't had an accident in the house for a while, but there's a ...
2
votes
1answer
188 views
Should I help my cat defend her territory?
We have an older cat who almost never leaves the house. Our house is fenced but open, if you go to the kitchen during rain you'll get wet. So occasionally other cats turn up in our living room.
...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
How to stop adopted stray/feral cat from scratching trees?
Im in New Zealand. The cat (probably female), has been with us for 5 years, but my parents are sick of her killing our trees with her claws. We think she was abandoned by her previous owners and lived ...
2
votes
1answer
145 views
My dog (border collie half breed) too excited even after workout
We got a rescue dog, vet told us he has a lot of border collie in him, he's about 1 and a half years old. The problem: it seems as if he can't get tired or get calm, it happens everyday. We've had him ...
1
vote
0answers
15 views
How do I keep my leopard geckos cage warm without a heat mat or bulb? [duplicate]
I bought my gecko recently and had a bulb that worked fine, but it broke so I ordered a new one along with a heat mat, but they have not arrived. In the mean time, how can I keep it’s cage warm or can ...
13
votes
9answers
6k views
Can two cats live in one room?
A couple months ago, me and my boyfriend rescued a 6 week old kitten who was thrown out of a car. We decided to keep him, but we live in a two bedroom apartment, with a roommate who is allergic to ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
Social proof for dogs?
General question:
Is there such a thing as social proof for dogs? I.e. can you "induce" a dog to make something by letting it watch another dog do it?
Concrete question:
Can I "befriend&...
3
votes
1answer
110 views
My cat gets scared and I don’t know why?
so I adopted a cat that is around 1-2 years old three days ago.She was doing really well, using the litter tray, eating fine and all in all settling in perfectly.
But yesterday and today she just ...
2
votes
0answers
65 views
After my 4 month absence, why does my cat only recognize my flatmate as the owner? [duplicate]
Here is an upsetting situation. I was away from home for 4 months because of work. My flatmate took care of my cat when I was away. Now I come back and find my cat run away from me. It has been 4 days ...
1
vote
2answers
87 views
Aggressive dog in certain situations
My wife and I have a Corgi, who is about 9 months old. He is fixed. He gets along with other dogs in general, besides when being picked up by us in close proximity to another dog and sometimes when on ...
3
votes
1answer
184 views
How much time per day should I be spending with my cat?
My cat is 6 years old and a total sweetheart ... when he wants to be. Sometimes, though, he gets extremely needy and obnoxious, demanding a lot of attention from me. I want to make sure he's ...
1
vote
0answers
26 views
Mother aggression towards puppy and impact to the puppy
I'm doing some research into the way mother's aggression (not normal levels of discipline) can affect a puppy as it grows and becomes an adult.
Specifically, focusing on long term behaviour.
Would ...
4
votes
1answer
125 views
Husky shows different behavior between households — is this normal for the breed?
My brother has a 2 year old female Siberian husky, I've been babysitting her since she was 9 months old. She spends majority of her time with me, my kids and pets. He picks her up every other ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
Can dogs be affected by the lack of routine/being kept up at night?
I live with a live-in landlady. I was away at home during the pandemic and on my return I discovered that not only had she been furloughed (so no need for time-keeping), she had also moved in her ...
2
votes
0answers
50 views
My dog was attacked by an owl [duplicate]
My pet chihuahua was attacked by an owl and we took her to the vet. She was just bruised, but I just want to know how do you get your puppy back to normal self, because my dog hasn’t acted her normal ...
4
votes
0answers
51 views
Kitten is cuddly, not playful--typical?
I am fostering a 10 week old kitten, tested negative for feline leukemia (but littermates are positive). He's the sweetest kitten, is very cuddly, walks around the house with me (and that's just after ...
1
vote
2answers
47 views
Dogs begs for attention constantly
I work from home office. This is not due to the current pandemic, I have always worked from home.
In mid-February my wife and I got a dog, a female shiba inu puppy. As of now she is almost five ...
4
votes
1answer
66 views
15 Year old cat used to other cats/dogs now alone
My 15 year old cat (Simon) grew up with dogs since he was born. He actually thinks he's a dog (still plays fetch), so cute. When he was young, I got him another kitty friend, Buddy. They lived ...
3
votes
2answers
111 views
Why does my cat never like to be picked up?
I have a 2 year old neutered male house cat. Had him since he was 10 weeks old.
He has never liked being picked up - no matter how gently we do it. He does not like being petted very often either, ...
2
votes
1answer
542 views
How much play time does a 5-month old kitten need? [duplicate]
First time posting here, and Furry is my first pet ever.
Furry joined us when he was 1-month old. Last month we decided that he was being too annoying at night so we set up an environment for him in ...
3
votes
1answer
65 views
Adult dog aggressive with puppy around my partner but not me
We have two dogs, a male 11-year-old and female 8-month-old, both border collie and Australian cattle dog mixes. My partner raised the male from a puppy, and we got the female when she was about two ...
3
votes
1answer
275 views
Help! My dog wants permission to eat
I was hoping someone might have some advice for a dog who seems to need permission to eat.
We rescued our four-year-old jack russell/pomeranian cross from an animal shelter last year; we know his ...
