From keeping a spider as a pet to a biting puppy – your pet queries answered

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.”

Q) ARE spiders good pets for a six-year-old?

I want to encourage my kids to love minibeasts and not be scared of them.

But are spiders relatively easy pets   — or should I think again?

JANINE DORMAN, Scunthorpe,  Lincs

 Sean says: Tricky one, because I kept spiders as pets as a kid, but they weren’t really pets as such.

I mainly just studied them and then let them go after a while.

I would strongly urge everyone to get their kids interested in nature — we need future conservationists.

Bug hunting and pond dipping are a great way to do that.

But I’d advise against taking wild creatures, even spiders and insects, into captivity for our entertainment.

Nature is in enough trouble without removing creatures from local  habitats.

You could consider a tarantula later if your kid is spider mad, but they’re not a great pet for a six-year-old.

Stick insects could work — much easier to handle, fascinating and super easy to keep.

Q) MY six-year-old tabby Jasper waits at the top of the stairs and swipes people’s feet or slippers with his claws when they pass.

He used to do it on and off, but now does it every time we pass.  

He doesn’t tend to do it anywhere else. We have tried distracting him with a toy.

What’s the best way to stop him? We got him from a rescue centre as a kitten and his mother was absent.

LISA DAY, Wellingborough, Northants

 Sean says: That’s a fun game for a predatory little animal like a cat.

But being serious, Jasper being without his mother as a kitten may be part of the problem.

Mum would have set boundaries and taught Jasper’s litter how to behave and what’s not appropriate.

Because he may have been lacking in that direction, he may not realise that some behaviours like stalking and hunting you are too much.

If you played “hunt my hand” with him as a kitten (which many people do) then this may have reinforced what he sees as a really fun game.

What you need to do now is limit his ability to perform the behaviour, and redirect his motivation elsewhere.

So temporarily block the area of the bannisters with duvets or cushions.

Then use fishing rod toys to let  him play out his killer instincts.

Hopefully after a time this stair roulette situation will resolve.

Q) I HAVE a 13-month-old German shepherd that seems to think it’s great fun to bite us when he wants to play.

He chases us to do it if we are busy in the garden. Or even when we are just sitting out there, he will come up and nip then run.

Any ideas? We have tried time out in his pen, and a small water spray.

Nothing works. He has loads of toys such as  balls etc.

SHEILA THACKERAY, Guildford, Surrey

 Sean says: This is a really common issue so don’t fret. Pups just explore and play with their mouth.

You need to teach him that while it’s fine to rough play with other dogs, it’s not OK to use his mouth to play with people or control their interactions.

He would have learned the start of a process called “bite inhibition” from his mum and littermates.

It’s up to you now to carry on those lessons. Redirecting this behaviour towards more appropriate targets like chew and tug-of-war toys is a good idea.

As is withdrawing all interaction and ending the fun when he starts to perform this behaviour.

It can be tricky at first, so a session with a behaviourist to watch him, as well as you and your family reacting, is a really worthwhile investment.

Star of the week

TALKING cat Sirius gets a takeaway breakfast from a neighbour – then trots home to say, “Hello!” to his owners each morning.

The nine-year-old Bengal, along with his brother Lupin, is owned by Dan and Sara Norman, of Bexley, South East London, with their son Ellis, six, and daughter Eloise, 12.

Dan, 45, said: “Six years ago Sirius started his routine of going out to ponce his breakfast off our neighbour.

"He then heads home, and we have an exchange of ten or 15 ‘Hellos’.

“It’s a great way to start the day, it makes us smile. The children adore both of them.”

Building bonds wth your pooch

OUR dogs’ happiness is directly affected by our own state of mind, the author of a new book has revealed.

Verity Hardcastle, author of new book Happy Dog, Happy You, has compiled everything canine owners should know on building the ultimate bond.

She said: “Our happiness is interlinked. Dogs are so in tune with those around them, feeling energy and reading micro-cues.

"Take a moment to recognise how you feel and what you are grateful for.

"It may brighten your morning, and that glow has warming effects on your sidekick.”

Her top tips include...

Get outdoors: Nature has amazing healing properties for you both.

Wrap up, head out and you will feel energised, while your dog is content having exercised their mind and body.

Allow your dog time to sniff: Sniffing lowers their stress levels and makes them optimistic.

Allow your dog to lead the route with their nose on the next walk.

Encourage your bond: There are many beneficial bonding activities you can do to that require nothing except your time – like massage, cuddles and games.

• Happy Dog, Happy You by Verity Hardcastle (£16.99, Yellow Kite) is available now.