Read8 min read
Getting your puppy used to the lead and harness, one step at a time
A puppy is not born knowing how to walk on a lead. Getting it used to the gear indoors, before walks, prevents fear, resistance and chronic pulling.
Dog
Animiyo blog
Puppies, kittens and growth
The first twelve months decide much of future health and behaviour. Here you will find the time windows that genuinely matter, the growth parameters worth measuring, and the choices better made with data than with habit.
27 articles
- Read8 min read
Puppies and children: building a safe relationship from the first days
Most bites to children happen at home, from a familiar dog, in predictable situations. Here is how to build a safe relationship without blame.
Dog - Read8 min read
Puppy play and biting: teach it to control its force, not to stop
Nipping is part of a puppy's development. The goal is not to stop it entirely, but to teach the puppy to control its force. Here is how, step by step.
Dog - Read8 min read
Hand-rearing an orphaned kitten: bottle, timing and risks of the first weeks
A kitten with no mother depends on you for warmth, food and stimulation. Here is the safe sequence for the first weeks and the mistakes that can cost its life.
Cat - Read8 min read
The cat's adolescence from six to eighteen months: what to expect
Between six and eighteen months a cat is no longer a kitten but not yet an adult. Here is what changes in energy, body and behaviour and how to manage it well.
Cat - Read8 min read
Parvovirus in puppies: how to recognise it and how to truly prevent it
Parvovirus strikes puppies and can be fatal within days. Recognising the early signs and completing vaccination changes the outcome.
Dog - Read7 min read
How much exercise a puppy really needs without wrecking its joints
With puppies it is easy to overdo it or do too little. Here is how to dose exercise by size and age, protect the growing joints and know when the pup has had enough.
Dog - Read8 min read
Your puppy's first bath: when to do it and how to make it positive
A puppy's first bath is not as urgent as it seems. Here is when it is really needed, how to prepare it step by step, and why today's calm matters for life.
Dog - Read12 min read
Protecting the growing skeleton of a large breed puppy
A giant breed puppy grows for twelve, eighteen months and more. In that window the wrong movement marks the joints for good.
Dog - Read9 min read
Hypoglycaemia in toy and small breed puppies: recognise it, act and prevent it
Small breed puppies have tiny sugar reserves and can crash quickly. Here is how to read the first signs, the immediate response and prevention through a meal routine.
Dog - Read8 min read
Choosing a puppy from the litter: what to look for
The cutest puppy is not always the right one for you. Here is what to observe in the litter, which health signals matter and which red flags should stop the purchase.
Dog - Read9 min read
Teething and mouthing in the puppy: a phase, not a vice
Mouthing is not a whim: it goes with growing teeth and is a need. Here are the stages of teething, what to offer safely, and how to redirect biting without suppressing it.
DogCat - Read8 min read
A puppy's first nights at home: sleep, crying and routine
A puppy's night crying is not a tantrum: it is the distress of one who, for the first time, sleeps away from mother and littermates. How you handle it says a lot about the weeks ahead.
Dog - Read7 min read
The puppy's fear periods: spotting them without doing harm
A confident puppy that suddenly fears familiar things has not regressed or been spoiled. It is going through a fear period: here is how to read it and what to do, and not do.
Dog - Read9 min read
A dog's first heat: when it arrives and how to handle it calmly
The first heat is a normal growth milestone, not an emergency. Knowing when it comes and how the dog behaves helps you handle it clearly and without surprises.
Dog - Read8 min read
Kitten socialisation: the window that closes early
A kitten's sensitive window closes much earlier than a puppy's, often before it even reaches home. Grasping this changes the expectations and strategies of whoever takes it in.
Cat - Read8 min read
Puppy sleep: how much they really sleep and how to support rest
Many puppies described as hyperactive are in fact over tired. Understanding how much they should sleep and how to protect rest changes daily life and training.
Dog - Read8 min read
Getting your puppy used to handling and care
Trimming nails, cleaning ears, being examined: these are lifelong gestures. A puppy learns to tolerate them only if we teach them while it is ready to accept them.
DogCat - Read7 min read
Getting ready for a puppy: the essential checklist before day one
The worst time to realise what is missing is when the puppy is already home. Here is the essential checklist, what you really need and what can safely wait.
Dog - Read7 min read
Teaching a puppy to stay home alone without anxiety
Being alone is not natural for a puppy: it is a skill you teach. Here is how to build it step by step from the first days and prevent separation anxiety.
Dog - Read8 min read
House training a puppy: physiology before methods
Cleanliness is not forced, it is guided as control matures. Here is the outing routine that works and the mistakes that stretch the timeline.
Dog - Read9 min read
A puppy's first walks outside the home, without forcing it
A puppy's first walk is not about covering distance nor about teaching lead walking. It is about meeting the world at the right speed, building confidence instead of fears.
Dog - Read10 min read
Kitten growth: the milestones that actually matter
Kittens grow fast and their useful windows close earlier than a puppy's. Here are the observable milestones, the numbers to record and the signs that cannot wait.
Cat - Read11 min read
Weaning and the growth curve: following a puppy with the right numbers
A single weight says almost nothing, a series says everything. Here is how to follow growth in puppies and kittens and which deviations deserve a phone call.
DogCat - Read9 min read
Dog adolescence: why it looks like a regression and is not one
Recall stops working, the lead is tight again, old fears return. This is not a training failure: it is a developmental phase with a beginning and an end.
Dog - Read10 min read
The puppy vaccination course: why the intervals are exactly those
Three or four doses are not excessive caution. They cover the window in which maternal antibodies block the vaccine but no longer block the disease.
DogCat - Read11 min read
Puppy socialisation: the weeks that count and how to use them
Socialisation is not exposing a puppy to everything. It is a short window, with a precise quality criterion and a list you can genuinely work through.
DogCat