Mom knows best, especially in the animal world. A glimpse of these mothers at work and play with their little ones is proof that the special mother-child bond is a celebration our animal friends share. Cute critters rely on mom to teach them the ways of the world, so in honor of our moms — and theirs — here's a look at some of the cutest animal moms and their babes.
We love our pets and want to make sure they are happy and safe even when we're not home. And there are lots of fun apps and easy-to-install cameras for capturing your furry friend's activities while you're out of town or at the office. If you'd like to set up your own webcam to watch your dogs or kitties during the day, it's as easy as following these six steps to get started. Happy viewing!
It's the holiday season, and we're getting in the spirit with our fourth annual 18 Days of Holiday Giveaways! Every day for the first 18 days of December, one of the POPSUGAR sites will feature a new fabulous giveaway. 
For our 15th day of holiday giveaways, Wag.com is supplying two winners with $500 gift cards to spoil their pets just in time for the holidays!
This giveaway has ended.
After you enter our giveaway above, don't forget to enter BellaSugar's giveaway to win $1,500 to Sephora, CasaSugar's giveaway to win $1,500 in home decor from Anthropologie, CelebStyle's giveaway to win $1,000 to Piperlime.com, ShopStyle's giveaway to win a $5,000 shopping spree to LN-CC, FabSugar's giveaway to win a $1,000 H&M shopping spree, and BuzzSugar's giveaway to win one of three Kindle Fire HDs.
It's nearly the most fur-raising time of the year as humans and pets alike prepare creepy getups for All Hallows' Eve. But if this is your pet's first time going incognito — or he's a little spooky around dressing up — it's important to take it slow. You may think his costume is the cat's meow, but he's going to need some extra TLC while getting comfortable with his cute new outfit so you don't end up in the doghouse!
Kitty, Meet Costume
It's important to introduce the costume and allow him to get acclimated to the actual item before his big debut. I recommend starting at least a week before Halloween, especially if he's not used to being dressed up. First, let him sniff the costume and get used to its scent. Then place it on top of (but not fully on) him and reward him with praise and a treat. Consider this your pet's dress rehearsal!
A Pup in Disguise
Never force a pet to wear a costume. Talk to your pet in a soothing voice as you dress him up. Some pets dislike certain parts like the over-the-head or under-the-belly process, but this shouldn't be a huge struggle. If your pup doesn't appear to approve of your costume choice and fights back, by all means stop.
Have a Happy Halloween!
If at any time during the festivities your pet looks uncomfortable, take off the costume. Make him feel extra special by lavishing him with praise and special attention. And watch out that the clothing doesn't get caught on ordinary household items. That can ruin the fun of a costume really quickly! Since Halloween comes only once a year, don't forget to take plenty of pictures of your pet and his awesome disguise, and feel free to provide him with an extra pet-safe treat or two!
Since Halloween is coming soon, I've got skeletons on the brain — do you know anything about those belonging to other animals? Make no bones about it and test yourself in this trivia quiz!
Take the Quiz
Without a home but not without hope, animals in shelters have to fight uphill battles based on all the myths about their situations. We've come up with 10 common misconceptions about these pups and broken it down into the honest truth — get started and see for yourself in honor of Adopt a Shelter Dog month!
Fall's coming and although we've tackled poisonous Summer wildflowers, that season's (sadly) almost done. Let's get into the Fall spirit by looking at more flowers — each of these either begin blooming in autumn or continue through September (or later!) in some climates, so check out the pretty plants and see how well you do!
Source: Shutterstock
We want to learn more about you — our readers! So help us by taking our short survey; we promise it won't take long. To sweeten the deal, at the end of the survey, enter your email for a chance to win $1,000 and three months of POPSUGAR Must Have. So what are you waiting for? Take our survey now!
Official Rules
Talk with your hands! While tiny treats are key motivators to any positive training session, there's something else you should be doing — In addition to using the chosen words for sit, stay, and more, also select a distinctive gesture for each command. It's really up to you to choose the hand movement that feels natural, as long as you stick to it once you settle, but get inspired by standard signals and start this slideshow.
Source: Shutterstock
Bengal cats are becoming popular pets, and we can see why. Bengal cats are relatively new; they are a cross between a domestic feline and an Asian Leopard cat. They get their wild markings from their Asian Leopard heritage. Not only are they absolutely beautiful to look at, Bengals are active, lively, and love being outside and getting frisky. Click through for more shots of the playful felines!
Source: Flickr User latch.r
This Chow Chow looks ready to chow down or, at the very least, enjoys accompanying an owner for a coffee and snack at a sidewalk café. It's the perfect way to get some yums, and for a dog to enjoy the fresh air.A couple tips to keep in mind when heading out:
Time to be seated! Learn what to do to help ensure a pleasant meal when you keep reading.
Q: My dog has the very annoying habit of begging for food. It's especially bad when we have people over for dinner – he literally walks from person to person waiting, sometimes jumping with paws up on their laps to see what's on the table or go for the food right off their fork (or plate) – help!
A: Consistency is key to solving this problem. After all, dogs can't magically tell the difference between "OK begging" and "not OK begging" so you must make begging never OK. While banishing a dog to another room is one option, space may not make this possible . . . and, with enough effort, you can retrain your pup.
I'd recommend never giving your pet any treats while you are making or eating food. (Right before dinnertime is not the time to work on a sit-stay.) Teach your furry friend that he's not going to get food just because you're preparing food. In fact, I make North do a full sit before I put his dish on the ground – he's not allowed to go to it until I give him the release command.
Now that you know what not to do, check out five simple steps to improve communication with your canines. From offering commands to issuing corrections, there's a lil cue for every step of the way!
Source: Shutterstock
Crisp Fall days are on the horizon, but we're still amid the dog days of Summer. As today's dose of cuteness, check out some pups exercising their R.T.B.T. — right to bear tongue, that is. From Frenchies to Boxers to breeds in between, there's plenty of cuteness to drool over and slobber right up in this slideshow.
Source: Flickr User miggslives
While there may be no proof that your pet can understand English exactly, it's clear that dogs react to tone and intonation as well as your gestures and motion around the house. Check out six things you've likely done at least once in the past, and get some tips to remedy the canine confusion.
Source: Shutterstock
This week, we learned that for pets fighting the battle of the bulge, losing weight is more than just switching to diet food; understanding his target weight, his daily caloric needs, and the content of his food bag are vital to a healthy weight-loss plan. But even armed with this knowledge, I still succumb to a common doggie-diet wrecker: treats. We adore our pets like children, so it can be difficult to say no when they've accomplished great feats or just need a little love. The good news is that you don't have to forego treats altogether. Just tally up the calories behind your pup or kitty's reward and factor them into his daily caloric intake. Take our quiz to see if your pet has eaten his fill of these common treats!
Take the Quiz
I'm always seeking special ways to switch up my pup's treats with some healthy human alternatives. He already loves frozen carrot bits and canned pumpkin but his latest love affair is with watermelon.
Offering up a tiny bit of seedless watermelon is a safe snack and I chop the fruit into squares and serve it ice cold for the steamy season. Not only is this fruit a great low-calorie treat, but its high water content gets fluids into the bodies of pets who turn noses up and away at the sight of an ordinary bowl.
Flickr User: redjar
The Summer Olympic games can provide inspiration to human- and pet-kind to celebrate the world of sports and get in shape. But if your pet is significantly overweight, no amount of exercise can overcome a diet with too many calories. It's hard to resist giving pets that extra treat (or four), but little indulgences turn into a lot of pounds and long-term risks of arthritis, heart and liver problems, diabetes, and more. If your furry friend needs to lose a few, exercise is just one part. Check out our six gut-busting feeding tips!
It’s a sweet idea to include pets in your trips, but isn’t always the smart thing to do for money or safety reasons. See five points to consider before including a pet on vacation this Summer when starting the slideshow.
Source: Flickr User Vagabond Shutterbug
Whether your pup's ears regularly stand at alert or drag through the dirt, they probably fall into a handful of ear shapes with whimsical names. Candle flame, tulip, button, and rose aren't just code names: they actually describe the form that a dog's keen listening devices might take. Click through and see if you can spot the ear that most looks like those found on your own dog!
