Activities for Your Older Dog

Your dog will undoubtedly slow down some as he gets older, but he still needs reasonable exercise to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. A proper diet combined with exercise appropriate to your dog's general health and condition will help keep him a healthy weight and will tone his muscles. It will help his cardiovascular and digestive systems stay healthy. Exercise will prevent boredom and depression, and help your old friend lead the life of a happy senior citizen.

Bathing Your Dog

Dogs love to roll in any stinky thing they can find, from animal droppings to dead fish. When that happens, it's definitely bath time!

Bath time doesn't have to be a wrestling match. Teach your dog that the bath site—probably the bath tub for medium and large dogs, maybe the kitchen sink for small dogs—isn't a scary place.

Teen Drug Abuse

Illicit drug use is beginning to make a comeback among American young people, say researchers at the University of Michigan who have studied the topic. They note a sharp rise in marijuana use and significant increases in the number of teenagers using LSD, stimulants, and inhalants. One of the researchers also notes that the drug problem goes across race, ethnicity, gender, and geographical region.

Dogs with Other Pets

Dogs can and do live peacefully with all sorts of other pets, from white mice and bunny rabbits to parrots and ferrets, as well as with cats and farmyard critters. The secrets to a peaceable kingdom are patience and caution—give them time and keep them safe.

Pick of the Litter

Choosing a Veterinarian

Your dog's vet is an important person in his life, even if he doesn't much like going to see her. With your help, she'll give him regular examinations and provide vaccinations and preventive medications to keep him healthy. If he's sick or injured, she'll diagnose the problem and offer treatment options.

Typical Cat Behaviors

Some behaviors seem supremely feline, and cats modify others to make whatever they do seem feline-specific. Let's take a closer look at a few of these.

Purring

Stepchildren with Problems

A stepchild with problems creates problems for the entire family. High-stress behavior never happens in a vacuum; even one member of the family “losing it” is one too many, and this affects the stepfamily as a whole.

When Your Child Is Cheating

If your child is caught cheating on a test in school or during a competitive activity, your first reaction is likely to be rage, the second, betrayal and shame, and the long term, suspicion. Even though cheating is legion in our society, nobody wants a “cheat” for a child.

Bringing Your New Cat Home

Remember the adage about first impressions being important? The same principle applies to your cat's first encounter with his new home. His experiences as you remove him from the environment he knows and introduce him to his new home will affect how well he adjusts. Let's see how you can make the transition easier for everyone—especially your new cat.

The M2 Generation: Are Your Kids Too Dependent on the Media?

Is the media taking over your child's life? That's what a nationwide survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation seems to suggest.

More: 5 Warning Signs of Screen Addiction

Keeping Your Dog Safe

It's important to consider the weather—especially the temperature—when exercising your dog. One dog's beautiful day is another dog's climatic nightmare. Consider your dog's size, the thickness and length of her coat, and how accustomed she is to heat or cold when deciding whether she should be out, or for how long, on hot or cold days. No matter what her breed, guard her from extremes of weather as well as from other hazards that accompany our changing seasons.

Learning Disabilities: Warning Signs in Teens

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has developed a checklist of common warning signs. The organization stresses that this is merely a “guidepost” for parents. Because all children exhibit some of these behaviors throughout childhood, what you're looking for is a consistent pattern of a group of these behaviors that indicate your teen is not progressing at an appropriate rate.

Correcting Some Common Dog Problems

When your puppy or dog does something you don't like, you need to teach her not to do it. Here are three general ideas that should help you deal with most problems.

Tween Burnout

Scouting, dance lessons, karate classes, chess clubs, soccer teams, swim meets—the list of extracurricular activities tweens may be involved in is endless. Too many structured activities can deprive tweens of the time they need to socialize with friends, spend time with their families, and have time alone with their books, music, and collections so they can relax, unwind, and decompress.

Tween Sleep Facts

It is a myth that by adopting a hands-off approach to bedtime, your child's need for sleep will motivate her to go to bed when she is tired and ensure that she gets enough rest to maintain good physical and mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation is a serious problem that takes a huge toll on large segments of the modern tween population.