As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, you may observe something that seems odd for a body preparing for winter: Your dog is shedding more than usual.

But rest assured, it's perfectly normal. Dogs typically lose their winter coats in the spring, when it's replaced by a shorter, lighter summer coat. In the fall, this cycle is reversed -- the summer coat is shed to make room for heavy, protective fur for winter.

The change is most obvious in "double-coated" breeds such as collies, Samoyeds and malamutes. These breeds carry a protective overcoat of long hair, and also an insulating undercoat that's softer, almost downlike. They lose masses of fur from both these coats in spring and fall.

The amount of shedding varies widely from breed to breed. German shepherds, for example, are prolific year-round shedders, while poodles seem to lose very little fur at all. Shorthaired breeds may shed as much as the longhairs, but since the hair that light-coated dogs shed is easily overlooked, it may seem as if they are shedding less.

All shedders -- even the heaviest -- can be tamed by a regular and frequent schedule of combing and brushing. After all, the fur you catch on a comb won't end up on a rug.

If you have a purebred, or a dog that has the characteristics of a purebred, seek out breed-specific advice in regard to the proper kind of grooming equipment. The slicker brush that works fine on a close-cropped poodle may not make much headway in the thick mane of a full-coated chow at the height of a seasonal shed.

My favorite grooming tool to control shedding is the one with a loop of metal with teeth on one side, attached to a comfortable handle. For my medium-coated dogs, this tool is all that's needed to keep coats in fine shape; for my double-coated dog, the shedding loop pulls out the clumps of loose fur and then I follow up with a thorough combing and brushing to catch the rest.

No matter what the breed or mix of dog, shedding is normal, but some heavy shedding can be a sign of health problems. Skin allergies and skin parasites may trigger shedding, and poor nutrition or other health problems can also be a cause of coat problems.

Become familiar with your pet's normal pattern of shedding, and ask your veterinarian for advice if their coat condition seems too dull, or you notice excessive hair loss.

Something else to think about in fall: Are your pets ready for colder weather? It's important at this time of year to assess your pet's condition, age, weight and level of exercise, and make adjustments for the cold.

In general, healthy, normal-weight pets who spend most of their time indoors need less food in winter (to offset a decrease in activity), and while those who spend more time outside need slightly more (keeping warm requires energy, and food is the fuel).

While you're evaluating your pet, be sure to assess his surroundings as well. If your pet ever sleeps outdoors, be sure his shelter is adequately insulated and placed in an area protected from wind gusts and bad weather. It's also essential to have a source of nonfrozen water available at all times.

Cold weather is especially tough on older pets. For elderly animals, it's not ridiculous to help out by putting a sweater on them when they go outside. Boots, too, may be a mercy for tenderfooted house pets who enjoy a daily walk. Outside or in, heated beds are a good idea, and there are many models to choose from in pet-supply catalogs, stores or Web sites.

THE SCOOP

Pat Miller is board president of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) and an editor at one of my favorite publications, the Whole Dog Journal (www.whole-dog-journal.com). Her training articles, as you might imagine, are wonderful, but I like her product reviews even more. Which was why I was delighted to see her favorable review of a harness she says works well to control even strong dogs on leash. The SENSE-ation Harness has the leash attachment on the front, and is designed to put steady pressure on shoulders of dogs who insist on pulling as if they're running the Iditarod. Prices run a very reasonable $20 to $30, depending on size, with the harness available from SofTouch Concepts, toll free (866) 305-6145 or www.softouchconcepts.com.

PETS ON THE WEB

Everyone has days when it seems the world is conspiring to bring unhappiness. When I'm having one of those days, I know one thing that will bring a smile to my face no matter what -- Joop's Fotolog (www.fotolog.net/joop).

For those who haven't run across Fotolog, the service offers thousands of people around the world the chance to keep an online diary, using images instead of words. Joop is a handsome dog who lives in a lovely village in Holland, and whose owner takes a picture of him in his surroundings almost every day. (My friend Kevin, also in Holland, tells me "Joop" is pronounced "Yope.") The whimsical pictures show a picture-perfect town and its farmland surroundings, with an impish black-and-white terrier as the tour guide. I want to visit!

QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK

Q: An information sheet from our local shelter states that plastic bowls are a safer choice for feeding outside pets in the wintertime. It said that there's a chance of both food and the pet's tongue freezing to the stainless steel. Would you please pass that along? -- C.S., via e-mail

A: Their point is well-taken, but it's not the whole story. Plastic bowls may be a little safer when left outdoors, but the contents in them will still freeze.

I know people who have sled dogs housed outdoors in winter, and they use stainless steel for the reasons I mentioned -- they're durable and easy to keep clean. They are careful to limit the amount of time the bowls are available: The bowls go down, the dogs eat and the bowls are picked up.

Water dishes are a different matter entirely, since neither stainless steel nor plastic bowls will keep water from freezing. An investment in a heated bowl or drop-in heating element is a must-have item for dogs who spend time outdoors.

Q: We recently bought a hand-fed baby cockatoo. It was a big outlay, not just for the bird, but also the cage, a play gym, toys, perches and more. The bird shop recommends buying an air cleaner, too, but I wonder if that's really necessary. We want to do things right, so if we need it, we'll get it. What do you think? -- D.B., via e-mail

A: Paying attention to air quality is good for your bird and good for you too. Some species of pet birds --- your cockatoo is perhaps the best example -- give off a lot of feather dust, a natural, powdery grooming material that originates from the powderdown feathers over the flank and hip areas.

How bad can it be? I once spent a few minutes snuggling with an adorable Moluccan cockatoo at my bird's veterinary hospital, and ended up with my dark T-shirt almost completely covered in white powder.

The problem is more than aesthetics, though. One dusty bird can really reduce the air quality of a room. More than one bird can make it downright unbreathable for both you and your birds. (Remember: Feather dust is not a problem when a bird's in his natural outside environment.)

It's a matter of personal preference, of course, but if you're living with one or more dusty birds, you really ought to spring for the air filter. You and your bird will both breathe better for your decision.

Another related item to consider is a humidifier. Our climate-controlled houses are often too dry for our birds, many of whom are most at home in tropical rainforests. Frequent misting or bathing of your bird is a great idea, but so is keeping a high moisture content in your air with a humidifier.

If you live in Hawaii, southern Florida or another tropical environment, lack of humidity isn't a concern. In other parts of the country, however, dry air can make your bird uncomfortable, especially in wintertime, when home heating systems make the atmosphere inside very dry indeed.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to writetogina(at)spadafori.com. You can also read her frequently updated Web log or view her column archives at www.spadafori.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Late last year, in the midst of a relationship that was starting to feel like something permanent, I made a rather bold decision: I bought a new bed.

Not just any bed, mind you, but the biggest bed I could find. When I was informed by the saleswoman that it would take three months to be manufactured and delivered, I chidingly asked the man in my life if he would be there when the bed arrived.

"Oh sure," he said. "And if I'm not, you have plenty of pets to take up all that space. They'll love it."

Which is, of course, exactly what came to pass. The bed came, the man left, and the animals are still here, same as always.

I'm not sure what that says about the relative constancy of romantic relationships and pets, but I have to give the man credit for being right. The animals do indeed love the big new bed. And I'm glad to share it with them.

Every now and then I hear from someone who wants me to write about how awful it is to have dogs or cats on the bed. I've had grandparents who want to convince their sons or daughters that a pet on the bed is unhealthy for children, and new sweethearts who disagree about where a pet should sleep.

"To have pets in the house is bad enough," wrote one frustrated women, who clearly had much larger issues with her daughter than the younger woman's pets. "But to have them on the bed? That's dirty and disgusting!"

Such folks won't find much agreement from me. I like having pets on the bed. In the wintertime, they're like heating pads that you don't have to plug in or recharge -- and they'll readjust automatically every time you move. This surely won't mollify anyone who believes pets are disgusting, but I've always kept things clean by putting a washable cover on top of the bedding to catch all the dirt and stray hair.

Still, there are good reasons to keep your pets off the bed and maybe even out of the bedroom, among them behavioral problems and allergies.

For dogs who have dominance issues, allowing access to the bed isn't recommended, since it gives the animal the idea that he or she has status equal to or better than the human family members. For these dogs, sleeping elsewhere will likely be part of a retraining program to modify the animal's exalted opinion of his own value. (As with all dominance issues, please work with a veterinary behaviorist or trainer with experience in aggression to modify the dangerous behavior of such a pet.)

For people with allergies, turning the bedroom into a pet-free zone is common medical advice that ought to be followed. Maintaining a pet-free bedroom is part of an overall strategy to minimize the impact of pet dander. It will allow them to sleep without sneezing or wheezing, and awake rested without allergy symptoms or headaches. For those with allergies, keeping pets out of the bedroom gives them enough "breathing room" to make it possible to keep both their pets and their overall good health.

And what about those couples who don't have pet-behavior problems or allergies, but still argue over letting their pets on the bed? That's the sort of thing you have to work out for yourself, since I have enough work giving pet advice without venturing into relationship counseling.

If you're lucky, though, you'll be able to find a bed big enough for everyone to be happy in.

THE SCOOP

Every year many shelters temporarily halt the adoption of black cats in the days leading up to Halloween. In theory, it's to keep those who practice "satanic rituals" -- or kids who pretend to -- from getting animals to torture.

But at least one expert says taking such cautions is pointless. It's an imagined problem, part of a handful of myths in the sheltering community that have been passed around as common knowledge for years. Writing in the ASPCA's Animal Watch magazine, Stephen L. Zawistowski, senior vice president of animal science for the New York-based group, argues that perpetuating such myths keeps shelters from understanding the true nature of cruelty and overpopulation. And that, he says, keeps them from focusing on what works and what doesn't when it comes to helping animals.

PETS ON THE WEB

Rural Area Veterinary Services (www.vet.utk.edu/ravs/) is a little-known program affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States that functions as a sort of "Doctors Without Borders" for the animals of the world. The RAVS volunteers travel to poverty-stricken parts of the world (including many in the United States) and help people by caring for their animals. The volunteer veterinarians, technicians and students provide a real service, bringing the basic care so many of us take for granted to people who often don't know about it and probably couldn't afford it if they did. RAVS is always in need of donations, by the way.

QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK

Q: Would you please offer a different point of view on cats leaving paw prints on cars and your advice to buy car covers? I've used a cover on my car for years and, yes, it does keep the cat paw prints off, but I go through approximately one car cover a year (and these are better-quality custom covers, not cheap ones) thanks to the cat across the street.

He spends his time alternately spraying my cover or shredding it with his claws. When he walks on my car he doesn't leave paw prints but does scratch the paint, digging his claws through the cover. -- K.J., via e-mail

A: I said I'd get mail on the subject, and I certainly did, not only from people who wanted to keep feline paw prints off their cars, but also from those who wanted to keep the cat spray off their porches and cat mess out of their flowerbeds. Most of these people aren't cat haters -- although a minority are -- but instead folks who don't want to clean up after pets belonging to the neighbors.

On the other hand, I heard from people who believe that dealing with roaming cats is just another part of life. "The next thing you know," wrote one person, "these people will be complaining that about the rain on their car."

I'm just smart enough to realize I can't resolve this dispute. I've long been in favor of people keeping their cats from roaming -- it's much safer for the cats -- but I cannot advocate killing free-roaming cats, which is more than likely what happens when a cat is trapped and dropped off at the pound.

Has there been progress on this issue? I think so. When I started writing this column, almost no one besides show breeders kept their cats inside, and few animal groups advocated it. Now, many cats stay happily inside, and groups such as the Humane Society of the United States have launched campaigns to educate pet lovers on the benefits.

According to the HSUS:

-- The average lifespan of free-roaming cat is 3 years, compared to 15-18 years for an indoor cat

-- Fewer than 5 percent of "found" cats who are turned in to shelters are ever reclaimed by their families. (Since adult cats have the lowest rate of adoption of all animals, this means that many of these pets are killed when not claimed or adopted.)

You can find out more about the HSUS "Safe Cats Campaign" on its Web site, at www.hsus.org/ace/13960.

Q: Please solve an argument I'm having with my mother. How often should a dog be bathed? She says it's bad for them to be bathed more than once every six years. -- T.V., via e-mail

A: The simple answer: Dogs should be bathed as often as they need it. The old idea of bathing once or twice a year probably traced back to the time when most dogs were kept outside. You wouldn't want to live with a house pet who saw the bathtub that infrequently.

Most healthy dogs can be bathed as often as once a week, especially if you use a conditioning shampoo. Regular bathing with daily brushing will make your dog a pleasure to have in your home.

For dogs with skin problems, please consult your veterinarian about bathing frequency and which products to use.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to writetogina(at)spadafori.com. You can also read her frequently updated Web log or view her column archives at www.spadafori.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Most sunny weekends I can be sure that at some point I'll hear a gentle knock on my front door. I know who it is, so I quickly put the three big dogs out the back door so as not to scare my little visitor, grab a leash for the small dog, and open the front door to see a darling 6-year-old girl.

"Can Chase come play with me?" she says, in a shy whisper.

Chase, the toy spaniel, is already wriggling in anticipation. He and the little neighbor girl have been friends since we moved in to this house at the beginning of the year.

Their friendship was formed when winter winds blew down a portion of the fence between her house and mine. I hurriedly put a piece of wire mesh in the opening to keep my dogs from exploring the yard next door, but I soon discovered that my little dog and the little girl were spending a lot of time at that spot. Her hand was just small enough to fit through the mesh and pet the dog.

When her father fixed the fence, he left one board out and I left the mesh in place. We just couldn't bear to break up the fence-line friendship.

The love these two have for each other represents the very best of the relationships children can have with dogs. To see the worst, you need to look no further than the news reports for a recent account of a dog attack.

Most dog bites, like many other accidents, occur at home, and can be prevented with some common sense (a topic I covered in last week's column, available in my archives at www.spadafori.com). But even though most bites will be at the jaws of a dog the victim knows, there's no doubt that unknown dogs present a danger, especially to children.

Which is why, with school having started, I like to remind parents that they need to teach their children how to handle dogs that their sons and daughters may happen across.

Here's what every child needs to know:

-- Never approach a loose dog, even if he seems friendly. Dogs confined in yards, and especially those on chains, should also be avoided. If a dog is with her owner, children should always ask permission before petting it and then begin by offering the back of the hand for a sniff. Teach your children to pat the dog on the neck or chest instead of the top of the head, and to avoid fast or jerky movements.

-- "Be a tree" when a loose dog approaches, standing straight with feet together, fists under the neck and elbows into the chest. Teach children not to make eye contact. Running is a normal response to danger, but it's the worst possible thing to do around a dog, because it triggers the animal's instinct to chase and bite. Many dogs when faced with a child in "tree" position will just sniff and leave. Teach your children to stay still until the animal walks away, and then to back away slowly out of the area.

-- "Feed" the dog a jacket or backpack if attacked, or use a bike to block the dog. These strategies may keep an attacking dog's teeth from connecting.

-- "Be a log" if knocked down: face down, legs together, curled into a ball with fists covering the back of the neck and forearms over the ears. This position protects vital areas and can keep an attack from turning fatal.

It's not enough to talk to your children about these protective measures -- role-play them until they are ingrained.

I don't want to make children afraid of dogs, because I know well -- and see it most every weekend at my own front door -- how wonderful dogs can be for children. But I do know that dangerous dogs are a reality in many neighborhoods, and that a child who knows how to behave when threatened may be spared a brutal or even fatal attack.

THE SCOOP

Stainless-steel bowls offer lifelong quality: They're durable and chew-proof, and they sterilize wonderfully in the dishwasher. "Crock"-style bowls of colorful high-impact plastic are another good choice. Both stainless-steel and high-impact plastic bowls come in sizes made for pets, from the smallest mice to the largest dogs. They're a great investment for the life of your pet and beyond: I have bowls that are still looking great after more than 25 years of service.

PETS ON THE WEB

As I mentioned recently, my friend Christie Keith has launched a joke campaign (www.caberfeidh.com/Skye.htm) to put her dog Skye in the California governor's mansion, with my dog Heather as his running mate. Because of the "campaign," I heard from a wonderful site -- Petradio.com, which has added an endorsement to the Skye campaign.

Petradio.com is an Internet "radio station," with features, product reviews, commentaries and special offerings for children, all played through the audio program on your home computer. The pieces are interesting, entertaining and largely professional in their execution.

QUESTIONS FROM THE PACK

Q: I have recently adopted a calico kitty. He's full of life and keeps me on my toes. When I adopted him, the rescue group suggested I have him neutered at 14 weeks, but my veterinarian would prefer to wait until 6 months. That's a big difference! What is the right age for neutering? -- T.B., via e-mail

A: Kittens and puppies can be safely altered from the age of 8 weeks on. In fact, this procedure is now fairly routine at such early ages. Many sheltering organizations will not let a kitten or puppy leave before the animal has been altered, often by an in-house veterinarian.

The drive toward early spaying and neutering came from the sheltering community, which was searching for a way to prevent the revolving-door syndrome that resulted when people who adopted kittens never got around to getting them neutered. Since many shelter kittens are the result of "oops" litters, early spay-neuter has proven to be a big part of the answer to this particular piece of the pet overpopulation problem.

Some veterinarians aren't comfortable operating on the youngest animals, however, and choose to wait until kittens and puppies are older.

If you like your veterinarian and respect his or her advice, there's little harm in waiting a couple of months. Especially with your cat, because if you do have a real male calico, you have a rare genetic abnormality who's most likely sterile anyway.

Surprised? It's true. Male calicos are what's known as "Klinefelter" males, possessed of not only the XY chromosomes of a normal boy cat but also an extra X. Since you need two X chromosomes to get a calico, you need the XXY combination to get a male calico. It doesn't happen very often -- about 1 in 3,000 calicos are male.

"Rare" in this case does not mean "valuable" in a monetary sense, by the way. Do get your pet neutered -- even if he doesn't need it for fertility, he'll be a better behaved pet after surgery -- and enjoy him for the special fellow he is.

Q: Would you please pass on another tip for giving pills to cats? I advise most of my clients to crush the pill into a powder, mix with a small amount of honey, jam, peanut butter or other sticky substance and blob the mixture onto the cat's nose.

Most cats don't mind you doing this, as you don't have to open their mouths, and it doesn't matter how horrible the taste of the medication is because they will groom it off to get themselves clean again. -- E.F. via e-mail

A: It seems there are as many ways to pill a cat as there are cats! Of all the suggestions I've received on this topic over the years, there's still one that stands out for ingenuity -- "hanging" a cat by his claws from a screen door.

I'm not sure how many cats would appreciate such treatment, but the person who told me about it swore his cat didn't mind. When held up to the screen, the cat naturally put claws out and into the screen material. Immobilized, the animal was easier to get a pill into -- or so said the reader.

Seems this way of administering medication would be hard on both the cat and the screen, but since it worked for one cat and his keeper, I guess it's worth passing that tip along with the rest.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to writetogina(at)spadafori.com. You can also read her frequently updated Web log or view her column archives at www.spadafori.com.

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600