Newsletter chitchat - May 13, 2025

[Cassel]

Do you have pets that had to learn to do something or use something?

Let's share how smart our pets are.

[Corrie Kinkel]

I have no pets but my daughter in California has 2 dogs which I showed in day 2 of the Affinity Template Workshop. Because the family became annoyed with opening and closing the door for them my daughter installed a doggie door with a similar kind of flap as your screendoor. Their poodle is a full size poodle and just fits through that doorflap and after a day or two he understood how it worked and he uses it since them, even if the other door is open! The little one is afraid of the flap and he will go through when my daughter removes the flap, but although they live in California even there it can become uncomfortable and chilly with an open door. She researched the comments on the internet and there it was stated that a schnoodle will need a couple of years to get accustomed to such a doorflap. When I was with them I tried to learn him how to do it and with some treats I got him hesitantly to use it, but he flatly refused to come in through it and was patiently sitting outside with his little head a bit tilted and big asking eyes. I'm afraid it will not work in the near future!

[Gerry Landreth]

My cat, Rudy, has become increasingly arthritic, so I got pet steps to help him get on the sofa. Catnip got him to the steps, but he would only graze on the first step. I picked him up and placed him on each step until he understood how to navigate them. It took a few tries before he felt comfortable.

Dogs are so much easier. Years ago, I had an arthritic dog. I patted my hand on the top step, and he walked up with no problem because he knew he would get a chin scratch for his effort. Cats are not so gullible.

[Bonnie Ballentine]

My cat, Poppy, loves grass. I have to find the very tender shoots but it soon became evident that she would do anything for grass. I taught her to sit, shake hands, sit up, high five and ring a bell on command...all for grass.

My cat, Penny, was jealous of the attention and treats Poppy was receiving. She learned the tricks by watching Poppy. Now I have 2 cats who will do tricks on command.

[Bonnie Ballentine]

[Rene Marker]

My bed sits up high (almost too high for me) and Peyton has a hard time jumping up on it. When she jumps she goes straight up instead of leaping forward. She has been able to jump on to the bed so I know she can do it. But evidently when it gets in her mind she can't do it, she won't even try. She has no problem getting on any of the furniture, just the bed. So a couple years ago I bought a Rubbermaid 2 step molded plastic stool and taught her how to use it to get on the bed. It has nice wide steps and I use it when I need to reach the top shelf in the closet (dual purpose item 🙂 ) Like Gerry I had to place her paws on the steps and helped her get up to learn how to do it. Took less than a week, maybe 4 or 5 days. She can go down it as well but only does that in the middle of the night when she has to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, she jumps off the bed. Silly girl.

When it is dinner time, she jumps straight up in excitement. Her head goes past the top of the counter... she is a small dog with the top of her head about 13 inches from the ground.