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Pets

Dogs and cats at home: feeding, training, grooming, costs, and living with an animal in a rental.

Articles in this topic

Latest in Pets
A tidy living room with a folded sofa throw, dog bed and pet blanket drying in the adjoining laundry.
Australian homes

Keeping a house with pets smelling normal for visitors

Start with the places your pets actually use, then work through laundry,…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A dog bed cover drying on a rack beside its separate foam inner and a folded blanket.
dog bed smells

Keeping a dog bed from smelling

A clean cover is only part of a clean dog bed. Work…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A dark grey dog harness laid out flat and unbuckled on timber decking beside a coiled lead and a collar with a blank tag.
collars

Fitting a collar and harness properly

Most dogs that escape a harness were not being naughty. They were…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A rolled and clipped pet food bag standing inside an open airtight container on a pantry shelf, with a scoop beside it.
cats

Storing pet food so it does not go off

The single most common mistake is tipping the bag into a plastic…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
kitten to dog
cats

Introducing a kitten to a cat or dog you already have

Almost every introduction that goes badly went too fast. The resident animal…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A quiet room corner set up for a kitten with a cardboard hideaway box, a small scratching post, a blanket and a water bowl.
cats

Kitten-proofing a home

Puppy-proofing is done at floor level. Kitten-proofing has to be done at…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A low view along a lounge room floor towards a baby gate fitted across a doorway, with cables routed along the skirting.
dogs

Puppy-proofing a house and garden

Do it at puppy height, on the floor, before the puppy arrives.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open back door at dawn looking onto a dewy lawn, with a dog lead hanging beside the door and thongs on the step.
dogs

Toilet training a puppy, including the nights

There is no trick. Toilet training is a supervision problem solved by…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An empty grey dog bed in the corner of a lounge room beside a couch, with a view through to the hallway.
dog beds

Where to put a dog bed, and why it matters

A dog that ignores an expensive bed and sleeps on the tiles…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An older dog standing with its nose down in grass beside a shaded path, lead slack, in early morning light.
ageing

Exercise for a dog that is slowing down

Less distance, more often and far more sniffing is the shape that…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A continuous path of rugs across a timber floor leading from a low dog bed to a back door, with a water bowl beside.
ageing

Making the house easier for an older dog

Hard floors are the biggest obstacle for an ageing dog in a…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A broom gathering a clump of dog fur into a pile on a timber floor beside a skirting board.
australian families

Dog fur, floors and a clean house: what actually works

Most of the fur on your floors was removable before it got…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A damp towel laid over a section of pale carpet with an unlabelled spray bottle beside it and a fan behind.
australian families

Getting pet smell out of carpet

Ordinary cleaner does not work on this because the problem is organic…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A dog sitting on a kitchen floor looking up at a hand holding a small piece of food.
australian families

Clicker training in ten minutes a day

A clicker is a stopwatch, not a remote control. What the marker…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A dog lying calmly on a mat working at a puzzle feeder in an empty living room with a closed front door behind.
australian families

Stopping a dog from destroying things when left alone

Boredom and separation distress leave the same wreckage but need opposite responses.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A dog walking beside a person on a footpath with a visibly slack lead looping between them.
australian families

Lead pulling: three approaches compared

Dogs pull because pulling works, every single time. Three approaches that change…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A litter tray on a laundry bench beside an open window, with a scoop next to it and a bag of litter below.
australian families

Litter tray smell: fixing it properly

Deodorising products treat the symptom and often make the cat avoid the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A hooded litter tray with its flap removed, on a mat in a tiled bathroom corner with the door wedged open.
apartment living

Where to put the litter tray in a small home

A cat has five requirements for where a tray goes and they…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team