Recent Articles from Steven Applebaum
Cat Trees Are a Perch with a Purpose
Cat owners are faced with a bewildering array of product choices. These include quality food, litter boxes, cat litter, food and water bowls, cat toys and a collar with tags. Owners who start shopping with eager, excited expressions quickly develop a bit of sticker shock as the dollars add up. Include a scratching post and […]
Catnip Guide for Cat-Owning Customers
Catnip is a herb belonging to the mint family. It is sometimes known as catmint or catswort and native to parts of Europe, China and the Middle East. Today it also grows in North America, Northern Europe and New Zealand. Catnip can act as a hallucinogenic for roughly seven out of 10 cats. The plant […]
Offer Pet Owners These Summer Tips
As we move into the dog days of summer, I want to talk about common challenges your dog-owning clients may be dealing with and might ask you about. While not all of the solutions to these issues are directly related to product sales, the more knowledgeable you and your staff are, the better you can […]
Get Ready for Summer and Pet Safety
Summer time! Hot days, warm nights and a time of the year when people are outdoors more with their pets. As part as my mission to assist pet retailers, here are some dog tips I have been giving to clients for decades. Pet Travel Encourage owners who take their dogs for hikes or long trips […]
Reducing Pet Anxiety
Every year I notice a marked increase in the number of people contacting me with concerns about their pets reacting negatively to Fourth of July celebrations. With the holiday coming, this seems like a good time to discuss stress/anxiety behaviors in dogs and cats. First, let’s define a few words: Fear is a reaction in […]
Advising Customers on Canine Fitness
With spring here and summer approaching, a great many of your customers plan on taking their dogs outside for fun and exercise. Outdoor excursions can be healthy for pets and owners alike, but only if they go about them with caution and common sense. While advice on the topic of exercising with pets might not […]
Going into the Bowls with Cat Owners
At first glance, the topic of “correct” food and water bowls for cats might seem strange. What’s the difference and don’t many owners purchase bowls based on their color and design preferences? While it is true that some customers select bowls that appeal to their aesthetic tastes and others simply choose them based on convenience […]
Advising Customers on Litter Issues
Cats who fail to use their litter boxes or use them consistently can cause real distress for their owners. This can negatively impact the relationship between them and is frequently cited as a reason why owners give their cats up for adoption. Pet retailers who offer basic tips to help their cat-owning clients get a […]
Offer Advice for Dog Chewing Problems
We live in a time when pets have become beloved members of the family in a fashion that would have been considered outlandish a century ago. This isn’t to suggest that Americans haven’t had a long-standing love affair with their pets, but the sheer volume of toys, food and every other imaginable product and service […]
Nutrition and Training in Dog’s Well-Being
Dog trainers and pet retailers have several things in common. Both work with many of the same people and are trusted to offer educated advice about products, services and behavior. Nutrition can be a difficult topic for pet owners. There is a tremendous and often bewildering amount of data about dog food. This causes dog […]
Help Customers Better Understand Aging Pet Limitations with Training Tips
We’ve all heard the old adage: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Seldom has something recited so often been so untrue. The truth is that you can train older dogs and cats to learn new things. In fact, some people find training older pets to be easier than training younger ones—older pets are […]
Go Mobile to Stay Connected with Customers
We have all heard the term with an increasing frequency: Millennials. Are they spoiled, coddled whiners or tech savvy saviors that herald the changing of our society? Actually, this article won’t tackle those larger societal questions. I will say this: every generation in positions of leadership and power feels unease when a changing of the […]