Pet care guides
We write these because most pet advice online is either thin or written to sell you something. Ours will tell you when a product is not the answer, including our own.
We write most about older dogs, because that is where the questions get hardest and the advice online gets thinnest.
Older dogs
- When is a dog actually old? A Great Dane is a senior at six, a Jack Russell at eleven. Senior age by size, and the changes that arrive first.
- Arthritis in dogs Around 80% of dogs over eight have it. The signs owners miss, the one thing you control that beats any product, and the painkillers that are toxic to dogs.
- Dog dementia Pacing at 3am, standing in corners, accidents indoors. What canine cognitive dysfunction looks like and what to rule out first.
- Beds for older dogs What changes with age, and why a dog choosing the floor is telling you something.
- Best dog bed for an arthritic dog Firm beats soft, the internal measurement is the one that matters, and three things that help more than any bed we sell.
- Helping an older dog into the car Ramps versus steps, why they refuse ramps, and how to lift without hurting either of you.
The practical kit for this stage is in for older dogs.
Dogs: health and behaviour
- Is your dog overweight? Around 46% of UK dogs are, and 81% of owners think theirs is fine. The thirty-second test that settles it.
- Signs your dog is bored Chewing and barking are usually under-occupation, not bad behaviour, and a longer walk often makes it worse.
- How much exercise does your dog need? Ranges by breed type, the five-minute puppy rule, and why flat-faced breeds need far less.
- Why does my dog eat grass? Not because they feel sick. What the research actually found.
Puppies and new arrivals
- A puppy's first night at home Where they should sleep, why leaving them to cry sets you back weeks, and the one thing not to change.
- Toilet training a puppy in a flat For when there is no garden and the usual advice is useless.
- Introducing a cat to a dog Two to four weeks, not an afternoon. Why one chase undoes a fortnight.
Cats
- Cat not using the litter tray? Start with the vet. A straining male cat is a same-day emergency, and arthritis is the cause everyone misses.
- Getting a cat to drink more water Cats do not feel thirsty when dehydrated. Plus the sign that means the opposite.
- Why your cat scratches the sofa And what actually stops it.
- Will your cat actually use a tunnel bed? Probably, but not where you put it.
Beds and sleep
- How to measure your dog for a bed The step almost everyone skips, and the reason most beds are returned.
- How often should you wash a dog bed? More often than you are. Most of a flea problem lives in the bedding.
Travel
- Dogs in cars: what UK law actually says And what actually works.
- Car sickness in dogs How to tell motion sickness from anxiety, because they need opposite approaches.
Feeding
- Automatic feeders: what they cannot do No, it does not mean you can go away for the weekend.
Seasonal
- Fireworks and dogs Why you have to start in September, not November.
- Does your dog actually need a coat? Most do not. How to tell if yours does.
- Christmas and pets What is genuinely dangerous, what is overstated, and the one plant that is an emergency for cats.