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Are you interested in
discovering the latest facts and information about well
known people or celebrities and how they either work or share
their lives with dogs and other pets? Why not browse through
our up-to-date collection of some of the most interesting
people we have had the pleasure of being able to interview. |
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Dr Barbara Fougere,
Veterinarian, Author, Lecturer.........
Charlotte
Reeves, Pet Photographer
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Interview:
Kate Mornement has
always loved animals and been fascinated by their behaviour
and decided to become an Animal Behaviourist. Kate runs her
own consulting business called
Pets Behaving Badly and
writes for various print and online publications including
That's Life! Magazine (The Pet Whisperer). Here Kate takes
time out to answer a few questions for us........ |
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Q.
What made you decide to become an animal behaviourist? |
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I decided to become an animal
behaviourist for lots of reasons. Number one - I love
animals! Secondly - I have always been fascinated by animal
behaviour and how an animal's environment influences it's
behaviour. Thirdly - I worked in a pet shop for a short time
and found that many people did not understand why their pet
behaved the way it did, especially when the behaviour was
problematic. I was constantly giving advice and realised
their was a niche for this kind work - helping people and
their pets. |
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Q.
What do you think are the most important things people
should consider when selecting a new pet? |
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The most important things
people should consider when selecting a new pet are: Can I
provide the animal with an appropriate environment? Do I
have the time to devote to the care and training of the
animal? Can I afford the costs (food, vet bills, boarding
etc) associated with caring for the animal? Can I commit to
the long-term care of the animal? If the answer is 'yes' to
all these questions, then the research should start to help
them decide what type of pet is best suited to their
lifestyle. |
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Q.
What's the first piece of advice you would give someone who
has a new pet? |
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Ideally I would give the person
advice BEFORE they got their pet. The advice would be to
research as much as you can before deciding on the pet that
best suits your lifestyle and living situation. A pet is a
long term commitment and by doing lots of research before
choosing your pet you are more likely to make a good choice. |
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Q.
What's the number one thing most people misunderstand about
their pet's behaviour? |
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The number one thing that most people misunderstand about
their pets is why they behave the way they do. Animals do
things (behaviour) that gets them what they want. If a
behaviour isn't rewarding it is less likely to be repeated.
Most problem behaviour that is ongoing has been
inadvertently rewarded by the owner. |
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Q.
How important is a pet's surroundings i.e. backyards etc? |
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A pet's surroundings is
incredibly important! Most pets, including dogs, cats and
parrots, evolved to live very different lives to the one we
provide for them in a domestic situation. These animals need
opportunities to express normal behaviours to ensure they
don't develop behaviour problems. |
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Q.
Why do you consider that obedience training is one of the
most important things a dog owner can do with their dogs? |
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Obedience training is so
important because it teaches dogs appropriate behaviour. It
also socialises them to different people, dogs, children and
situations. This helps to ensure dogs remain friendly and
sociable. Obedience training should be ongoing. In the wild,
dogs learn appropriate behaviour from their pack. As their
human pack, it is up to us to teach our dogs appropriate
behaviour. |
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Q.
You have owned many pets, is there any one in particular
that had characteristics and personality traits which stood
out from the rest? |
All of the pets I've
owned have had their individual personalities from a
soft and cuddly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called
Lucy to a rough and rambunctious Rainbow Lorikeet
called Oscar. I would have to say that out of all
the pets I have owned my Boxer Archie stands out
from the rest. He has such a strong personality and
makes me laugh every day. I have learned so much
about animal behaviour from him and I look forward
to learning so much more.
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We would like to thank Kate Mornement for taking the time,
out of her very hectic schedule, to answer our questions and
hope you, our readers, found the interview as insightful as
we did. Carol and Monika |
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