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We ship Monday-Thursday via UPS Priority Overnight. We need orders in at least one day ahead of when you would like us to ship. Orders can be held for up to a week. If you need a certain delivery day add a note at check out. Thank you.They are restricted almost totally to seagrass microhabitats in shallow water, particularly in association with the seagrass Zostera. They are most common in bays during periods of high salinity, in coral reefs, floating vegetations, and between roots in mangrove swamps.Males carry between 3 and 55 soon-to-be younglings in their brood pouch for around 10 days before releasing them. Just born dwarf seahorses are 7 to 9 mm long, while the diameter of the eggs in the pouch was around 1.3 mm.Females initiate courtship behavior by entering the male’s territory. Once she has entered his territory, the male initiates the actual behavior. In the first courtship phase the male and female change color and take turns quivering. This phase lasts for one to two mornings before copulation. The following phases of courtship behavior occur on the day of copulation. During the second phase the female displays a pointing posture with the head pointed upward. In return the male displays quivering and pumping behaviors in response to the females pointing. In the third phase the male assumes the pointing posture in response to the female’s pointing. Finally, in the last phase of the courtship behavior, the pair repeatedly rise in the water column. The male pumps his tail toward his body and eventually the pair intertwine their tails. The female inserts her ovipositor and transfers the eggs into the male’s brood pouch during the final rise in the water column. After eggs are deposited, the male rocks back and forth to settle the eggs in its pouch.

Dwarf seahorses remate within 4 to 20 hours after the young have been released from the brood pouch. This may occur throughout the breeding season. The breeding season starts in mid-February and ends in late October, depending on day length and water temperature.

H. zosterae are found on the western end of the Atlantic Ocean, precisely in the coastal Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Florida Keys, Florida’s east coast, Old Tampa Bay, Lemon Bay, Pensacola, and Texas.Once the offspring are released in the environment, they are completely independent of their parents. They are able to swim and feed immediately, but their weak swimming ability and high predation diminishes their rate of survival.It is most often white in color but can range from tan, brown, yellow and green. In the wild, it often has small skin growths called cirri that resemble algae.The growth of H. zosterae is relatively rapid, especially during the summer season; both male and female are fully grown after 3 to 4 months. Sexual maturity of the male can be determined by the presence of its brood pouch.

During their growth in the brood pouch, dorsal fin rays develop first, followed by anal fins. The mouth apparatus’s development follows, but it is not functional until juveniles are released from the brood pouch.

The dwarf seahorse (Hippocampus zosterae) is a species of seahorse found in the subtidal aquatic beds of the Bahamas and parts of the United States. It is threatened by habitat loss. According to Guinness World Records, it is the slowest-moving fish, with a top speed of about 5 feet (1.5 m) per hour.

H. zosterae can be distinguished from other western Atlantic species such as H. reidi and H. erectus thanks to its number of fin rays. This species possesses from 10 to 13 dorsal and pectoral fin rays, and 9 to 10 trunk rings. Fully grown H. zosterae adults are usually smaller than these 2 other species.

It can be found in colors of beige, yellow, green, and black and may have white speckles, dark spots or protrusions and is well-camouflaged, the coloring usually matching the gorgonian on which it is typically found. It can change color. Each larva grows and develops in its own tissue pocket which is surrounded by a network of blood vessels. The brood pouch is comparable to a “pseudoplacenta”: after the eggs are deposited, the walls of the pouch thicken and become more porous. The pouch provides protection, oxygen, nourishment, and waste removal. Humans have considered seahorses valuable and powerful for decades based on the magical myths surrounding these exotic creatures, and because males incubate eggs and give birth to their young.They often live as a pair, sometimes alone. Males are rather sedentary and live in a small home range of about 1 square meter, whereas females roam on other males’ territory, around a hundred times larger than theirs.

Chinese medicine is one of the biggest consumers of seahorses, as an estimated 20 million seahorses are used each year. The supposedly have cholesterol decrease virtues, preventing atherosclerosis.The seahorse’s role in the ecosystems is vital, as they regulate populations of their marine preys, but also help their predators by becoming the prey themselves. Dwarf seahorses’ predators include tunas, dorados, skates and rays, crabs, and water birds. Although the adults can protect themselves with their camouflage abilities, the young are not capable yet and are thus at a greater risk. Seahorses are important in education and research. The unique reproduction and mating system of seahorses, and the fact that they form monogamous pairs, a rare model of pair bonding in fish, makes them important for scientific study.Although, as every other seahorse species, it is the male that carries the offspring, they must still compete to access a mate. Males will tail wrestle and snap their heads toward each other and make clicking sounds during competition for access to a female. They display an eloquent courtship dance that begins each morning until copulation takes place.

Due to its tiny size, the dwarf seahorse remains very popular in the aquarium market. Several Florida located fisheries’ core business lay around dwarf seahorses capture and trade.Like other seahorses, the dwarf seahorse has a head angled at right angles to its body and swims upright using its dorsal fin to propel it and its pectoral fins to steer. It grows to an average length of 2 and 2.5 cm (0.8 and 1.0 in), with a maximum length of 5.0 cm (2.0 in). Compared to an adult seahorse, offspring within the brood pouch have a rounded tail instead of tetrahedral tail, a wider and shorter snout, a dorsal fin that is closer to the tail, and pectoral fins that are closer to the back of the head. Although females could technically mate with several males, seahorses form strict monogamous pair bonds for an entire season at least, a rare sight in fish species. Female seahorses remain faithful during the pregnancy by returning to the male’s territory each day for an early morning greeting. During the greeting, the pair change colors and dance together for about 6 minutes. Adult dwarf seahorses are iteroparous, meaning that they have multiple reproductive cycles in the course of their lifetime, in this case 2 per month.

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Welcome to Hayden Systems Seahorses, we having been breeding strong healthy seahorses for many years, so people can buy true aquarium bred seahorses without having a detrimental effect on the wild ones in the seas. The seahorses we breed are not exposed to all the issues wild caught seahorses have, so live longer in your aquarium. We have recently moved premises to Norfolk where you can visit and see our amazing seahorses for sale.It may be best if these little guys are in a tank just for them so they do not have to compete for food. I recommend feeding them newly hatched brine shrimp with the Artemia species being the best quality. I would also suggest a tank with a low current and no coral. If they attach to coral it may burn them. Soft Corals (like Gorgonians) are safe. About 90% of our Caribbean products are hand collected by our team. This is important as it puts less stress on the marine life. They go from the ocean, to our holding tanks, and finally to your door. Our fish are kept in medicated systems treated with Copper and Nitrofuracin Green. All free, and sent to you by email. All we need is your name and email address. We keep your details safe, and you unsubscribe any time, so nothing to lose by giving it a try! Join and start getting those VIP perks you’ve always deserved!

Dedicated species setup required. Not suitable to be housed with most fish, some inverts, and some corals, all of which may eat the Seahorses, or, out compete them for food. Sign up with your email address, and we\u2019ll add you to our free VIP mailing list. You\u2019ll then get occasional email updates featuring our most exciting news, and special VIP only offers! As strange as this might sound to those familiar with these animals, we get a surprising amount of enquiries as to whether Seahorses are real creatures. They certainly look pretty strange, and having; an external skeleton, no teeth, no stomach, a pouch like a Kangaroo for the baby Seahorses, and with it being the male Seahorse that becomes pregnant and also gives birth to the baby Seahorses, they are certainly very unusual creatures. But, unlike unicorns, faeries, and other such mythical animals they are real creatures, and Seahorses can be kept as Pets. This section is THE SUMP, it’s at the bottom of all the main pages on the website. On almost all the pages if you scroll all the way down the page you’ll get to here. This can be a handy way to navigate around the website. These tiny little Seahorses get to just 5cm at full size. They are not suitable for a standard reef aquarium. They need a dedicated nano tank, setup with them specifically in mind. They need slow to moderate flow, very bright lighting, nothing that will eat them or out compete them for food, and suitable decor with hitching posts. We feed them on a continuous supply of live copepods and live mysis. They can with care be weaned onto frozen Mysis, but will then need feeding every 2-4 hours all day, every day, which is very time intensive, so live feeding is preferred. Live brine shrimp are not a suitable food. The live food you can buy in small bags is not practical as you would need many bags per day. Previous experience with easier species of Seahorses is essential. It can be difficult to find Seahorses for sale in the UK, so we are only able to get this species occasionally.

This species has specific requirements and is not suitable for a typical reef aquarium. To ensure that this animal is correctly cared for before purchasing this species you must have approval from James at Salty Revolution that you will be able to house and care for this species. Any orders for this species that are placed without prior approval will be cancelled, and a cancellation fee may be applied. Proof will be required of previous experience of keeping Seahorses. This species will not be sold to anyone without previous proven experience with Seahorses.Delivery news – Special offer code – New fish – Torch corals – More new fish – My top picks on mushroom corals – New graphics for The Sump – Our coral grading system updated – Plus even more new fish! Be amongst the first to see the new arrivals. Get first pick of the hottest items. Special VIP only offers, VIP store openings etc, by joining El Presidente’s VIP club! High-quality frozen mysis shrimp is the optimal primary food choice with spirulina-enriched brine shrimp being suitable as well. They may also eat oyster eggs, fish eggs, and a variety of other small-particle-size, specialty frozen foods. Live foods such as brine, amphipods, and ghost shrimp are also safe to offer. Just remember, the food has to fit into their small mouth and snout but also has to be big enough so that they can see it and catch it.Most seahorses available to hobbyists are going to be tropical meaning tropical water temperatures are necessary. Should you source sub-tropical, temperate, or cold-water horses, the only difference in care is going to be the temperature ranges outlined below in most cases.

Always defrost the food in a small container of tank water first. Proceed to feed the aquarium using a bulb syringe, tube feeder, or feeding station. Leftover food should not be left in the aquarium longer than 30 minutes.When searching for a responsible source for horses, it is important to do some research and speak with others in the aquarium community. Joining a forum is a great way to get in touch with experienced horse whisperers. There are a few reputable websites here in the U.S. that sell Seahorses direct to the public. A quick Google search for “captive-bred seahorses” will point you in the right direction and be sure to talk directly with the company to get advice about the specific animals you are interested in keeping.Approach tank mates with caution, for example, a pair of mature clownfish can become problematic as the female becomes more and more territorial. Some Blennies and Gobies are territorial and can be persistent enough to stress out a pair of horses. If you notice feuds among the tank mates, it’s best to remove the aggressor before the problem worsens. Fish have personality and no two fish are the same, one fish of the same species may be peaceful while another is downright mean.

Read Article: Secrets For Success: Rules You Should Follow To Keep Your Seahorse Aquarium Thriving to learn more about keeping seahorses happy and healthy inside an aquarium.Always keep a pair of seahorses with a minimum tank of at least 30 gallons. They can be kept in groups with roughly 10 more gallons per additional pair of horses. Keeping in pairs and small groups helps to reduce stress. They are vertically oriented as they swim about so choose a tall aquarium measuring a minimum of 18″ tall. You want the tank to have plenty of “hitching posts” which can be live gorgonians or macroalgae or artificial decor like fake plants, branching coral, or plastic chains work well too. It is safe to use live rock, just be sure to avoid anemones, aggressive inverts, and other stinging corals.

MarcoRocks Reef Saver Live Rock is one of the most unique rocks that are available on the market today. Reef Saver is a sustainable product since it is not taken directly from the ocean and does not impact living coral reef structures in any form. Combined with their chemical-free cleaning process MarcoRocks is always 100% free of nuisance algae or any type of pests.

Caribsea’s Hawaiian Black Arag-Alive! Live Reef Sand is a great choice for new aquarists and new reef tank setups. Arag-Alive sands clear quickly and contain millions of live bacteria, speeding up your tanks cycle and leading to less nuisance algae.A water change schedule is required to keep the nutrients under control and maintain stable pH, temperature, and salinity. If keeping corals, be mindful of their water requirements too. In a seahorse tank, temperature, salinity, and pH are going to be your critical parameters.

If we had to choose a single type of sand for any tank, it would be the Arag-Alive Fiji Pink sand. It is by far the most popular sand for its medium to large grain size, high amount of total available surface area, as well as just its overall beauty.While most all of the species available to aquarists require identical care, be sure to talk with the breeders or the supplier directly to inquire about specialized needs.

Proper feeding is one of the most important parts of keeping a seahorse healthy. Offer high-quality frozen or live foods 2-3 times per day at a very minimum, more often if possible. They eat slow and deliberate, therefore you may need to develop of feeding routine in order to successfully deliver the necessary nutrients to all of your horses. The good news is they can be trained to use a feeding station, you just have to be persistent. These trained feeding behaviors are the best approach to keeping seahorses successfully in the long term because it means they are able to obtain sufficient nutrition.Perhaps, exactly why keeping them in an aquarium is something so many of us desire. As with any pet, it is critical to gather information and do your very best to provide a stable, healthy habitat for the pets in your care. Seahorses are no different, and in fact, can be great aquarium inhabitants if care is given to their specialized needs.

Seahorses need to be fed often, so often that you’re going to end up with an excess of leftover food. You will need to swap out your mechanical filtration quite often, almost daily. Be mindful of this and be sure leftover food is always removed within a reasonable timeframe.

You do need to keep the water clean, so proper filtration and maintenance are absolutely necessary. If neglected, elevated nutrients can harbor infections among the horses along with a variety of other ailments. A protein skimmer, efficient mechanical filtration, and any necessary media are safe for use with seahorses. All-In-One tanks or smaller tanks with hang-on filtration can work out great, just keep up with maintaining the filtration and don’t overstock it.Seahorses are one of the most interesting animals you can keep in a home aquarium. The way they look and swim is fascinating and, whether you have an appreciation for aquatic animals or not, most people will agree they are a bit mysterious and almost unearthly creatures. In some cultures, Seahorses embody a mystical symbolism and have fascinated humans for millennia. The scientific name “Hippocampus” actually comes from a Greek and Roman mythological creature.

These are just the most commonly available captive-bred species, there are other cold-water and sub-tropical species and even dwarf seahorses that occasionally pop up for sale in the aquarium trade.

LifeRock is infused with spored bacteria to aid in biological performance, along with millions of micro and macro passage ways CaribSea’s LifeRock Dry Rock is perfect for the environmentally friendly aquarist.

The Kessil A160WE Tuna Blue is perfect for nano and pico saltwater aquariums. Emitting a spectrum range of 10,000K to 20,000K, it’s the perfect light for fast growth and coloration of corals. Pair the A160WE up with a Kessil A-series gooseneck for an easy and quick mounting solution.When we at Bulk Reef Supply set up a tank that we know will have large amounts of flow our instant choice for sand is the Arag-Alive Special Grade Sand from CaribSea. With its larger particle size, it does not get pushed around like most other smaller grain sand sizes available and is great for all tanks especially those with a lot of water movement.

But I would not consider getting a companion for your new pony until you have moved her into a larger aquarium. Attempting to keep two seahorses together in the eight-gallon aquarium would only compound the difficulty of maintaining optimum water quality at all times. Wait until you have established a larger aquarium that can safely accommodate a pair of Hippocampus erectus seahorses, Daphne, and then you can safely consider providing the new seahorse with a potential mate.

How long this training will take to complete depends on your experience level as an aquarist to a large extent. For example, if you have never kept seahorses before and you do not already have a suitable saltwater aquarium up and running, it will take at least eight weeks for your training and preparations to be completed before you can be certified. It will take that long to learn the basics of seahorse keeping, set up a suitable aquarium, cycle the tank from scratch to establish the biological filtration, and optimize the tank to create an ideal environment for seahorses. Only then can you be certified ready to receive your first seahorses.I guess it depends a great deal on your budget, but bigger is always better, primarily for animal psychology reasons as was stated previously. However, if you are unable to afford it, which is the likely scenario, then I think what you currently have is a viable substitute!Ocean Rider seahorse farm is a consistent Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award Winner and “Top 10 Things To Do” Kona, Hawaii attraction. Our “Magical Seahorse Tours” are educational and fun for the whole family.The seahorse training program is a correspondence course that is conducted entirely via e-mail, Daphne, and once we begin the lessons, I will be providing you with detailed information on all of the subjects above and answering any questions you may have about the material I present so that everything is perfectly clear to you. I will also be recommending seahorse-related articles for you to read and absorb online. A small eight-gallon aquarium will be subject to much more rapid changes in temperature, specific gravity, and pH, making it much more difficult for you to maintain stable conditions, and the water quality can go downhill so fast that it would be difficult for you to detect a problem and correct it in time to avoid a disaster. As just one example, in a small, eight-gallon aquarium you might find yourself dealing with a dangerous spike in the ammonia and/or nitrate levels following a heavy feeding or the undetected death of a large snail, and you would need to be prepared to deal with such a situation properly where the health of the seahorse would suffer. Help us save the seahorse and the coral reefs they live in with a tax deductible contribution to the Seahorse Hawaii Foundation. You will be helping to protect and propagate over 25 species of endangered seahorses, sea dragons and friends.Yes, the eight-gallon JBJ is going to be too small for a Hippocampus erectus seahorse in the long run, Daphne. If the seahorses still a juvenile, only a few inches in length, it might do all right in a tank of that size over the short term, providing you can maintain optimum water quality, but the juveniles grow rapidly and it will outgrow the need-gallon tank within a matter of months.

I should explain that the key to keeping seahorses successfully in a small, closed system home aquarium is to maintain optimal water quality at all times, and, unfortunately, the water quality can degrade and go downhill very quickly in an aquarium with such a small water volume, especially for an inexperienced aquarist who has never maintained a marine aquarium before. This basic training is very informal and completely free of charge, yet quite comprehensive, Daphne. Ocean Rider provides the free training as a service to their customers and any other hobbyists who are interested in learning more about the care and keeping of seahorses. It’s a crash course on seahorse keeping consisting of 10 separate lessons covering the following subjects, and is conducted entirely via e-mail. There is no homework and there are no examinations or classes to attend or anything of that nature — just a lot of good, solid information on seahorses for you to read through and absorb as best you can, at your own speed, working from your computer in the comfort of your own home. The training course consists of several hundred pages of text with more than 250 full color illustrations, broken down into 10 lessons covering the following subjects: It’s good to see that you are approaching this challenge seriously, and reading up on some appropriate aquarium guide books to prepare yourself for this new project, Daphne, and that’s a very sensible approach.

I understand that you are inheriting your friend’s tank (complete with seahorse) because she is moving away and it would be too much of a hassle to transport the aquarium and its inhabitants to her destination. That’s an exciting development, Daphne, but a lot of responsibility for someone who has never owned a marine aquarium.Please allow me to formally introduce myself, Daphne. My name is Pete Giwojna and I provide tech-support for Ocean Rider (seahorse.com). Part of my duties in that regard include providing a quick training course for new Ocean Rider customers and first-time buyers to get them up to speed on the aquarium care and requirements of seahorses.

No doubt the best possible way for you to prepare for having a seahorse tank in your home is to read through the free Ocean Rider Seahorse Training Program, Daphne, which will explain everything you need to know in order to keep seahorses successfully in a small, closed-system home aquarium in considerable detail.Under the circumstances, Daphne, I think the best way for you to proceed would be to complete the free Ocean Rider training program for new seahorse keepers which will explain how to select a suitable aquarium for your new pony, cycle the aquarium properly, and equip and aquascape the tank properly in order to create an outstanding seahorse habitat. In the meantime, the Hippocampus erectus you will be inheriting should be okay in the well-cycled eight-gallon tank temporarily while you are finishing the training course and setting up a bigger tank for the seahorse to live in for the long term. All we ask in return is that you stick with the highly domesticated Ocean Rider Mustangs or Sunbursts when you are finally ready to stock your tank, Daphne. As you know, Mustangs and Sunbursts are the perfect ponies for beginners. They are hardy, highly adaptable, easy to feed, and perfectly adapted for aquarium life — the world’s only High-Health seahorses, guaranteed to be free of specific pathogens and parasites. On the other hand, experienced marine aquarists and hobbyists that have had seahorses before and already have a suitable saltwater aquarium up and running can be certified much more quickly. I will run through the same basic information with them, but most of the information I provide will be familiar material for such hobbyists and they should be able to review it and get up to speed quickly, plus they should have well-established aquariums ready, fully matured that they can fairly quickly adapt in order to make them more ideal for seahorses. In a case like that, certification can be completed as soon as they have absorbed the material I provide and are confident they have a good grasp of the specialized requirements and aquarium care of the seahorses.My friend is moving so she gave me her 8 gallon tank. The tank has a single seahorse in it. She said she just recently got the seahorse. I was wondering if an 8 gallon tank is too small for a single seahorse. I have bought seahorses: A complete pet owner’s manual. From my observations I think it is an H. Erectus and a female. I guess my main questions are should I get it a bigger tank and if I should get another seahorse as a companion. Thank you.

As for whether or not it would be advisable to provide the solo seahorse with a companion, Daphne, in my experience, captive-bred-and-raised seahorses are very social, highly gregarious animals that very much enjoy the company of others of their kind. For instance, Ocean Rider seahorses are raised by hand from birth at population densities that are far greater than wild seahorses ever experience, and Ocean Riders are therefore accustomed to living in large groups in close proximity with other seahorses (cohorts) of similar size and age. They can be kept individually, but I believe they do best when they have the opportunity to interact with other seahorses. Seahorses are intelligent enough to become bored in captivity and having other seahorses with which they can interact provides them with an important means of behavioral enrichment, especially if they have an opportunity for courtship and breeding.If you would like to take advantage of the free seahorse training, Daphne, just send me a brief e-mail message to that effect and I will send you the complete seahorse training manual, which includes all 10 lessons, to look over at your leisure.Hippocampus erectus are large tropical seahorses, Daphne, and the smallest aquarium I would recommend for these ponies is a tall 30-gallon aquarium. And, for an inexperienced hobbyist who is new to saltwater as well as to seahorses, and aquarium of 40 gallons or more would be even better. That’s because the larger water volume in such an aquarium makes it inherently more stable. You will find it easier to maintain good water quality in a larger aquarium, which will provide you with a larger margin for error and be more forgiving than a small tank that holds only 8 gallons of water.It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a suitable aquarium for your seahorses up and running at this time, Daphne. I will be providing you with lots of recommendations and options in that regard so that you can pick out a tank that is just right for your needs and interests. Nor is it terribly important that this will be her first saltwater aquarium. The training program is geared for beginners and is designed to teach you all of the fundamentals and principles of good aquarium management as you go along, And, of course, once we begin, I will be working with you personally every step of the way through our ongoing correspondence until your new aquarium is ready for seahorses and you are well prepared to give them the best of care, regardless of how long that may take.What’s more, copepod is incredibly tough to catch —it swims at more than 500 body lengths per second, far faster than a cheetah’s 20-30 body lengths per second—makes the seahorse’s hunting ability even more impressive. Gemmell and his team wanted to find out what was behind the little creature’s hunting prowess.

To do just that, they teamed up with Texas Tech mechanical engineer Jian Sheng on a snazzy new method: high-speed digital 3-D holography. First, the researchers put a seahorse and some copepods in a tank. Then they seeded the water with highly reflective particles that would help reveal precisely how the water was moving. Next, they used a microscope, a laser, and a specialized video camera to film a recording showing exactly how the animals and the water moved. “What the laser light does,” Gemmell explains, “is when you shine that beam into a camera and put an object in front of it, that object is going to either reflect, refract, bend, or change the properties of that wave.”Why study this tiny, little-known underwater drama in the first place? According to Gemmell, understanding the links at the bottom of the food chain will inform our knowledge of marine ecology in general—and we live in an era when conservation is key.

Below, watch a clip from one of Gemmell’s seahorse videos. In this video, watch a seahorse sneak up on a copepod, which is one of the fastest escape artists around, and use its “pivot feeding” technique to suck the copepod into its mouth:The holography technique showed the researchers that the seahorse’s head has a “no wake zone”—a shape evolved to disturb the water as little as possible, allowing the seahorse to sneak up on the copepod undetected almost every time. To make sure that it really was about the head shape, and not a behavioral strategy like inhaling a tiny gulp of water, the researchers even repeated the experiment with a dead seahorse. When they saw the “no wake zone” again, they knew their suspicions were correct.

Meet the dwarf seahorse. According to a new study by researchers at the UT Marine Science Institute, this whimsical little creature has evolved an ingenious attack strategy to catch its prey: a head shape that creates a “no wake zone” in the water, allowing the seahorse to successfully ambush its prey of choice, a type of plankton called the copepod. That strategy is what makes the seahorse one of the animal kingdom’s most successful hunters, says research associate Brad Gemmell, who led the study.

Gemmell was working on another project when he noticed that the dwarf seahorse, a species common in seagrass beds along the Texas coast, is an extremely good hunter. “Its success rate is over 90 percent,” Gemmell says. “Most fish have a hunting success rate of 30 to 40 percent, so it’s very high.”“People think that seahorses are docile grazers,” Gemmell says, “but it turns out that they are some of the stealthiest hunters of some of the most evasive prey on the planet.”

• Adrienne attended a college course on canine theriogenology at the University of Minnesota and a course on dog emotion and cognition from Duke University.

Liz O’Connell is a Writer for PetHelpful. She’s covered a variety of topics since she began working in the journalism and media field in 2019. Liz is a jack of all trades when it comes to creating content. She writes, edits, and captures photos and videos. She’s even run social media accounts in the past. Her favorite topics are pets, travel and sports.

Not only are these methods potentially harmful to the dog and owner relationship, but according to a survey, they can actually make a dog’s aggression worse.

It is not unusual for dogs to display aggressive behavior after being spayed and developing a phantom pregnancy. To better understand this, let’s take a closer look at phantom pregnancies in spayed dogs and why this happens.

You mentioned your son’s Rottweiler displaying “dominant behavior” towards his girlfriend. The truth is that behaviors that are often defined as “dominant” are more likely to stem from emotions like fear or anxiety rather than dominance.

The term dominance is the most overused and misapplied term we see in animal care today, points out board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Valerie V. Tynes. “Misunderstanding of aggression and dominance has resulted in training methods that make no sense from an ethological point of view and may cause a lot of harm,” she observes.Although the behaviors you are observing in your dog may be purely behavioral, the possibility of them being caused by an underlying medical cause such as PPP is certainly something to explore with the help of a good veterinarian.

For example, if a dog is in pain after a surgery, he or she may be more likely to “lash out” when a child or adult comes near them to pet them. In this way, pain and any associated stress after a procedure can lower a dog’s threshold for acting aggressively or biting, causing them to act in uncharacteristic ways. If a dog had a predisposition to act aggressively, it will likely be exacerbated.

If you can stick nearby, be ready to praise and reward her for going potty and then right afterward, take her outside and take her for a walk or play a game of fetch if she loves those activities.• In 2010, after undergoing 219 hours of apprenticeship under a master dog trainer, she was certified as a dog trainer and behavior consultant by the Italian Association for Dog Trainers and Canine Consultants (A.P.I.C.C).

If you find that your dog has an accident (eliminating in any area other than the grass potty), it’s important not to scold her. This will risk her associating your presence with punishment and may throw a serious wrench in the process as your dog may start to hide to pee and poop. Instead, clean up the area with a good enzyme-based cleaner which will neutralize the odor.• After owning Yellow Creek Dog Training for 2 years, she opened Rover’s Ranch Home, boarding and training in 2011 and her own writing company, A to Z Dog Publishing, where she produces articles, books, and dog-related videos for online and offline publications.

CCPDT requires her to continue her education, so she frequently attends courses to keep up-to-date with the latest dog training and behavior modification trends. Her membership with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) also helps ensure she’s in the loop with the latest methods.In another study based on vet databases in the UK and Australia, it was found that respectively 33.7 percent and 29.7 percent of dogs euthanized at the age of three years or younger were due to behavior issues (Boyd et al., 2018; Yu et al., 2021).

Seahorses make good pets for your saltwater aquarium, but there is a reason why you don’t see them in your local pet store. They are challenging to keep alive. Before purchasing, you need to do your research.• In 2023, she attained a diploma in Canine Behavior Science and Technology through the Companion Animal Sciences Institute (CASI) and graduated with Distinction. This has granted her the title of Dip.CBST. This is a one-year intensive program at the masters level that equips dog behavior consultants with a deep knowledge of the scientific principles of learning and behavior so as to effectively solve behavior problems, including complex cases such as separation anxiety and aggression.

If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs’ behaviors against you or others. If at any time you feel like the process is too long or frustrating and worry that it’s causing your old dog stress or you’re concerned about her holding it for too long (not very healthy as the urine becomes more and more concentrated), consider that there are alternatives and you can always find some type of compromise that will make both of you happy. The only thing that made their day better was a visit from an unexpected visitor. Within no time at all this dog befriended the visitor as if they were long-lost friends. Take a look! Adrienne lives in Arizona with her beloved Rottweilers, Petra and Kaiser. She has worked on earning titles in Rally obedience and Canine Musical Freestyle. She also owns 15 chickens, which by the way, are also clicker trained! Even if a dog’s behavior is found to be triggered by an underlying medical problem, it’s important to understand that there’s a learned component to aggressive behavior too.

Correct timing of the spay surgery is paramount. All dogs admitted for their spay surgeries should be screened for signs of potential phantom pregnancy before undergoing surgery.