HE is on a mission to help our pets . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.
Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years. He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”
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OUR two-year-old neutered male cockapoo Loki can get very aggressive.
He sometimes snaps at our younger, but bigger, male cockapoo Remy.
He is possessive over certain toys and treats, which I really don’t want to deprive him of, but I am starting to throw things out.
This is obviously not fair on our other pup as he loves the toys, but it isn’t worth the stress or aggression.
He has bitten my husband in the past when he took his treat away after Loki had stolen it from Remy.
This was obviously awful and very upsetting.
He also snapped at, but didn’t bite, my teenage son, who did nothing but walk past him in his bed!
I don’t ever leave him unattended with our children because I just don’t trust him. He went to a trainer whose advice didn’t make a difference.
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I just don’t know what to do with him. Please help.
JACQUI WOODSTOCK, Bucks
Sean says: All of this sounds like it may be resource-guarding, which is a serious behavioural issue and probably could do with more than a single session with a standard dog trainer to get under control.
It can be quite complex to tease apart the triggers and why he’s doing it, especially in a household with multiple people and multiple dogs.
This is because Loki (you may have been asking for trouble with that name!) will have different feelings and interactions with every individual in the household — human and canine. In complex cases like this I always strongly recommend seeking out an accredited canine behaviourist to come and help, observing you all in your home environment.
You can’t solve a resource-guarding problem in the home by sending a dog away to be trained.
The advice needs to be tailored to the situation and you guys will have lots of homework to do to resolve it.
Got a question for Sean?
ONE of my rabbits, Pete, keeps breaking out of his home, which is in the garden.
He has a good run but I put him to bed at night in his hutch, which is the largest I could buy.
But often I get up and he’s broken free and is out in his run. His run is secure, but I just worry about predators. Should I stop putting him to bed? My other rabbit, Bob, seems happy to be tucked in at night.
CATHY SMITH, Loughborough, Leics
Sean says: Oh, that is rather risky. Having recently lost all my hens to a fox, I’m very wary of allowing small pets out to free range unsupervised or even in a run overnight if there is any chance a predator could break in and catch them.
You must be able to find a lockable solution?
Or maybe you could pop them in a hutch in a lockable garden shed or garage overnight if he really won’t be beaten on the escape front.
MY 50-year-old tortoise is coming out of hibernation and we are going to move him into his garden home when the weather warms.
He has a shelter each night and we put him to bed. We’ve typically given him a bath and lots of leafy greens.
What else can I do to give him the best possible start?
MAY KING, Nottingham
Sean says: You should definitely invest in a combination of UV light and heat lamp.
Our weather is changeable nowadays and spring emergence in tortoises is a challenging time when a cold spell can really set them back.
Supplemental heat and UV light to mimic sunshine will kick-start his metabolism and get him going again.
Detailed information on this is available on the Tortoise Trust website.
Star of the week
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BENGAL kitties Duke Paws and Queen Duchess are celebrating the Coronation weekend at their home, known as Cattingham Palace.
The six-year-old pair are owned by Karen Harris, 59, and husband Andy, 61, who trained as a gamekeeper at Sandringham in the Seventies.
Karen, of Sudbury, Suffolk, said: “They rule the roost and we call our home Cattingham Palace – as we have everything a cat could want.
“We’re having a family Coronation party and the cats are guests of honour. Sadly we don’t have thrones but they’ve got their own special cushion on the sofa.”
WIN: BIG HEDGHOG AND LITTLE HEDGEHOG BOOKS
AFTER King Charles recently adopted three hedgehogs, Prestel is offering 12 readers a chance to win two £10.99 Big Hedgehog and Little Hedgehog children’s books, I’m Not Scared and Take An Evening Stroll.
To enter, send an email headed HEDGE-HOG, with your name, address and phone number, to: sundaypets@the-sun. co.uk by May 21.
For stockists, see prestel.com. T&Cs apply.
The popular breed fit for a king
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LOOK out corgis, there’s a new pup vying to become royal top dog.
The Jack Russell terrier, a favourite of King Charles and Queen Camilla, is soaring in popularity, The Kennel Club has revealed.
There has been a 38 per cent increase in their puppy registrations so far this year, although they have yet to eclipse the Pembroke Welsh corgi, famously owned by the late Queen. During last year’s platinum jubilee, Corgis recorded their highest numbers in nearly 30 years.
Bill Lambert, from The Kennel Club, told us: “King Charles and Queen Camilla own two Jack Russells, named Bluebell and Beth, and the breed has seen a boom in popularity coinciding with King Charles’s ascension to the throne.
“This is similar to the Corgi popularity, which often ebbed and flowed in line with Queen Elizabeth’s ownership of the breed.
“In 1944, the year her first Corgi was born, the breed jumped by 56 per cent in popularity.”
Bill urges prospective owners to check out if the high-energy breed is right for them.
He said: “Just because a certain breed may seem to be ‘fit for a King’, does not mean they will be the right match for everyone.”
