Help Cats Cope with Stressful Situations
by Misty Hampton It’s not uncommon to hear that someone is using calming supplements, a safe space, or a ThunderShirt® for their dog during stressful events, such as holidays, when there are fireworks going off, or strangers coming to visit. There are lots of tools to help dogs cope with stressful situations. So, what about cats? Here, I’ll explore the use of tools like supplements, calming music, pheromone sprays, aromatherapy, and medications to help create a calming feline environment. Specialty Foods and Supplements In my experience, clients are more open… Continued
Beyond the Backyard: Why Your Pet Dog Is an Athlete (and How to Prove It)
by Niki Tudge If you’ve ever successfully navigated a crowded park or managed a calm “stay” while the mail carrier arrived, you’ve performed an athletic feat! Dedicated dog guardians know living with a dog in the modern world is a sport. It requires focus, coordination, stamina, and a whole lot of teamwork. Your dog isn’t, “just a pet;” they are a partner in training. Through the Pet Dog Ambassador (PDA) program, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) recognizes this partnership. Pet Dog Ambassador is a program for pet dog guardians to… Continued
How Can We Assess When It Might Be Time?
By Don Hanson In September, I discussed my dog Muppy’s cancer diagnosis and my anticipatory grief. Today, there is less sunshine in our lives. My wife, Paula, and I helped our dog Muppy cross the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday, March 24th, after she courageously battled kidney disease and bladder cancer since June of 2025. I believe sharing our story can help others facing similar journeys with their dogs. I hope my experience makes your path a little easier. Daily Assessment Questions Within days of Muppy’s diagnosis, I developed a list… Continued
How We Talk About Dogs: What Does Our Language Reveal?
by Louise Stapleton-Frappell Language shapes how we think, how we teach, and how we relate to the world — and that includes our dogs. This isn’t “just semantics.” The way we talk about dogs reflects the ethics, empathy, and science behind how we teach them skills to live successfully in our human world. Commands vs. Cues – More Than Just Words You don’t need to bark “commands” at your dog to train them. You don’t need to be a “pack leader,” issue “orders,” or demand submission. You don’t need to… Continued
Behavior Pros Say Your Pet Wants You to Do These Four Things Starting Today
by Tasha Attwood A recent Pet Professional Guild Advocacy Panel discussion centered on the question, “How can guardians and professionals work together to create a kinder world for pets?” It was a follow up to two previous discussions about helping to make our pets’ world a little more friendly and kind. This series of PPG podcasts began with asking specifically what we, as pet guardians, can do. The next discussion explored how pet professionals can help. And now, this third installment brought it all together by asking how guardians and pet… Continued
Dog Training for the Real World
by Daniel H. Antolec Is your dog prepared to cope with the “real world”? Recently, I saw social media posts from two force-free trainers offering helpful tips. Each post was attacked by Trolls, using identical language, asserting that reward-based training falls apart in the “real world.” Some personal insults were added for acidic tone. It seems common for proponents of aversive methods (choke, prong, shock) to attack force-free (no fear, no force, no pain) practitioners online, and it appears this “real world” text is the meme du jour. However, that… Continued
Here’s Why You Should Care About Cooperative Care for Pets
by Misty Hampton Poop happens. Sometimes, it’s messy! My longhaired cat, Linus, sometimes gets feces stuck in his fur. When this happens, he hesitates to groom his rear end. (Who could blame him?!) We needed a way to clean the feces off his bottom, and I wanted to be able to do “sanitary trims” to prevent recurring poopy messes. It needed to be a cooperative procedure because I didn’t want him to be stressed. Historically, Linus tends to respond to restraint with aggression. If stressed and afraid, he’d likely struggle… Continued
Book Review – Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell
by Don Hanson If you include a cat, dog, or horse as a family member, you and everyone who helps care for your companion animal will benefit from reading Beyond Belly Rubs: The Compassionate Pet Guardian, How to Truly Connect with Kindness & Love – Your Guide to A Lifelong Bond by Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell. More Than Words This book is not about training your precious pets; it is about something even more important: living a full, mutually beneficial, harmonious life with them. With our pets as family… Continued
The Many Ways Cats Show Us Love
by Allison Hunter-Frederick Once we understood that cats show affection in many ways, we began to notice signs of love everywhere. Cinder is a cat who resists being held, but she curls up at our feet at night, and in that way, she shows us that she loves us. It took us time not to feel rejected when she pulled away from touch. Like many people, we expected love to appear through cuddling or being held. But, research and lived experience show that love from our cats takes many forms.… Continued
Help Pets Avoid These Common Hazards
by Don Hanson Tobacco & Nicotine Although not found in every home, tobacco and tobacco cessation products that contain nicotine can, sadly, be commonly found in the environment. The nicotine in tobacco and smoking cessation products can kill a pet. Nicotine is a psychoactive and highly addictive substance found naturally in tobacco. Tobacco products are a nicotine delivery system. These products include cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff. Since the advent of e-cigarettes and vape pens, humans can now ingest nicotine without ingesting tobacco. Additionally, most smoking cessation… Continued
Why Every Dog Can Benefit from Muzzle Training – Just in Case
by Annie Dowell-Caffrey When many people think about dog muzzles, they picture a dog who is aggressive or dangerous. But in reality, muzzles are simply a piece of safety equipment and muzzle training can be a helpful life skill for any dog. Another Everyday Life Skill The Just in Case campaign from The Muzzle Movement encourages dog guardians to think about muzzle training in a new way: not as something used in emergencies or behavior crises, but as a form of preparation. Much like teaching a dog to walk on a lead or feel comfortable with… Continued
Your Instinct Is Right…You Should Comfort Your Scared Dog
by Sam Wike I get asked by many clients if they’re reinforcing their dogs’ fear(s) by trying to comfort them and the simple answer is NO. We aren’t reinforcing fear with reassurance- we are reducing fear by reassurance. This is not my opinion but a scientific fact. If you’re feeling sad, grieving, scared, unsure, or anxious, don’t you seek out some way to feel comforted? Do the calm words or actions of a friend, loved one, trusted colleague or even a stranger help to mitigate, in some way, what you’re… Continued
Whether to Offer Stuffed Toys to Your Dog Can Be a Messy Topic…So Let’s Tear into It!
by Daniel Antolec There are many ways to provide dogs with enrichment, and providing stuffed toys is one of them. When I discuss this option with clients, many of them are already giving such toys to their pets, but sometimes I hear concerns about doing so. Let’s explore those concerns. “Stuffed toys are too expensive, and my dog just tears them apart.” Stuffed toys can be expensive, and they can also be quite affordable. Toys that I am willing to spend more money on are made of durable materials, though… Continued
Kindness and Cooperation: A Promise to Our Pets
by Niki Tudge The Ethical Case for Kindness: Ten Core Principles 1. Acknowledgment of Sentience: Pets are not tools or accessories; they are sentient beings capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions, including joy, fear, anxiety, and pain. Ethically, we are obligated to recognize their capacity to suffer and we are obligated to actively prevent their suffering. 2. The Power Imbalance: We control every aspect of our pets’ lives: when they eat, where they sleep, and when they can relieve themselves. Because we hold absolute power over their world,… Continued
Choosing Cat Litter: Part Four – Crystals, Pellets, and Others
by Misty Hampton When setting up various cat litter preference tests for my cats, there were some top picks, and then there were some litters that were difficult to report on because my cats rarely (or never) used them. The following litter types and selections were not their favorites. Some notes about non-clumping litter: Non-clumping litter doesn’t seem designed to keep up with odor in a multi-cat household. The litter needs to be dumped out frequently and the box needs to be washed regularly. That just isn’t practical or economical… Continued
Why Do We Keep Punishing Our Pets? It’s Not What You Think.
It’s a scenario many pet guardians know well: you walk in the door to find a “surprise” on the carpet, or your dog barks relentlessly at the mail carrier. In the heat of the moment, a sharp “NO!” or a frustrated tug on the leash feels like the natural, immediate response. And for a split second, it works, right? The barking stops for a moment, the dog cringes, and you feel like you’ve communicated your displeasure. However, here’s the deal: While reward-based training is overwhelmingly recommended by vets and animal… Continued
How Can We Help Create a Kinder World for Our Pets?
by Debbie Sheridan To effectively engage thoughtful pet guardians, the Pet Professional Guild’s (PPG’s) Advocacy division hosts a monthly live panel discussion showcasing a number of experts. On January 21, PPG hosted a great talk discussing how we, as pet guardians, can help create a kinder world for our pets. The panel discussion was hosted by Don Hanson, joined by panelists: Tasha Attwood, Dayle Pierce, Debbie Sheridan, Sam Wike, Kim Silver, Beth Adelman, and Michelle Martiya The first Advocacy Panel discussion of 2026 is now playing on the PPG podcast… Continued
Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Professional Pet Sitter: A Checklist for Clients
by the Pet Professional Guild Pet Care Division Team This resource is a product of PPG’s Pet Care Division: Kat Frizzell, CPPS, FFCP, PFACCI, PLBS; Kristi Jones, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, CET; and Roxanne Dockter, MSc., CPPS, FFCP, CFVA, PFACCI Pet professionals offering pet sitting services are highly competitive and there will be many service providers in your neighborhood. While they will all advertise and offer a specific service or services, they are not all equal in experience, quality, dependability, education, certifications, honesty and integrity. We recommend, at a minimum, you seek to find the answers to… Continued
Is ‘Pet Parent’ Appropriate?
by Don Hanson How we describe our relationship with our dogs matters because, consciously or subconsciously, it affects how we treat them. So, is ‘pet parent’ an appropriate description of our role in our dogs’ lives? While some pet care professionals and other people cringe at the term, I believe it is an accurate description, demonstrating that our dogs are part of our family. While in the US, the law usually tells us our dogs are nothing more than property (like the sofa in your living room), the term “pet… Continued
Choosing Cat Litter: Part Three – Top Picks
by Misty Hampton Combining the findings from Part One (Preference Testing) and Part Two (Comparison), here are my overall top picks, ranked based on cats’ preferences and features that are important to people. Key: Cat Preference Clumping Low Dust Low Tracking Odor Control Economical* Eco-Friendly ⭐⭐⭐(3) My cats used it more than once daily, on average Well-formed clumps Very low Very low Best Least expensive (price by volume) Best ⭐⭐✰ (2) About once per day Crumbly clumps Low Low Better Midrange Better ⭐✰✰ (1) Less than once per day Poor… Continued
Choosing Litter: Part Two – Comparison of Different Types of Cat Litter
In Part One of this series of blog posts, we explored how to set up a preference test to help determine which litter your cats prefer. Now, let’s look at features that are important to people: clumping, amount of dust, tracking, odor control, cost, and sustainability. Table 1 below summarizes my comparison of different types of cat litter, followed by more detailed descriptions of each of the features. Cat Litter Features Clumping Clumping makes it easier to remove soiled litter which, in turn, eliminates odor. It is recommended to scoop… Continued
Fear-Based Fails: Why Shock Collars Damage Pets and Trust
The Pet Professional Guild actively discourages any training tool that relies on pain, force, or fear. Many veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, and behavior professional associations advise against using shock collars (also known as e-collars or electronic collars) as training tools. These devices, which can cause serious psychological and physical harm to pets, often rely on punishment, fear, and pain to discourage unwanted behaviors. While proponents of shock collars often prefer the terms “electronic collar,” “e-collar,” “remote training collar,” or “static stimulation” to differentiate modern devices from older, harsher models, the… Continued
The Pet Professional Guild’s Ethical Stance
Here at the Pet Professional Guild, we have a strong ethical stance on the behavior and training of both pets and their people. What Are Ethics? Ethics in pet training are a set of principles and standards that guide a trainer’s decisions and actions to ensure the humane, safe, and effective treatment of animals. Ethical training prioritizes the well-being of the animal, fosters a relationship of trust and respect, and uses methods that are scientifically sound and aversive-free. Force-Free and Positive Reinforcement Ethical training is synonymous with force-free and positive-reinforcement methods. These approaches focus… Continued
The Top Questions a Pet Sitter Should Ask You at the Reservation Point: A Checklist for Clients
This resource is a product of the Pet Professional Guild Pet Care Division Team: Kat Frizzell, CPPS, FFCP, PFACCI, PLBS; Kristi Jones, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, CET; and Roxanne Dockter, MSc., CPPS, FFCP, CFVA, PFACCI Having completed an initial inquiry and a successful “Meet & Greet” session with your pet sitter, there are now some crucial questions that need to be answered when you make your reservation and pay your deposit. These are logistical and emergency-preparedness questions to finalize plans and prepare for your actual absence. Download the checklist here: About the PPG Pet Care Division… Continued
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