How can I teach my dog to let me trim her nails? She hates having it done, and it’s so stressful for both of us that we often forgo it entirely Your dog isn’t alone in her distaste for nail trims. Many dogs cower or flee the room at the mere sight of clippers. The […]
Collars are a vital part of dog ownership. They allow pet parents to walk their pup on a leash and they provide a place to hang ID and vaccination tags. However, if used in the wrong way, collars can lead to serious or even fatal injury. Here are five ways collars can potentially harm your […]
I admit it: I talk to my pets. I even have a different voice for each one. My non-animal friends think it’s silly and more than a little crazy to carry on these one-sided conversations. But Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago, disagrees. He feels it’s perfectly normal to engage in […]
Sickeningly Sweet Within 15 minutes it can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar, within 30 minutes it can cause seizures, within 24 hours it can cause severe liver damage, and without emergency veterinary care, irreversible brain trauma occurs, and the patient dies, so deadly a couple of sticks of it can kill a small […]
Just like people, dogs can get stressed from time to time. And while there are plenty of external elements that can get our dogs stressed, sometimes we, the owners, can create that stress without even realizing it. No dog owner wants an unhappy dog and this is why it’s important to take notice and learn […]
If your dog does not perform a simple sit-stay, there could be an underlying issue that isn’t being addressed. When the role of the leader is not determined or is inadvertently handed over to the dog, it could be the cause behind many behavior problems that the dog is having or difficultly experienced during training. […]
Teaching your dog/puppy to understand the meaning of leash pressure is extremely important. Pressure from the leash, whether created by the handler or the dog, is going to be a factor in your dog’s life, in one way or another, so it’s important that they understand it’s correct meaning. When properly understood, a dog will […]
Dog owners have reported this summer that their pets became fatally ill after swimming in freshwater lakes and ponds, apparently after ingesting water laden with toxic blue-green algae. Intense blooms have led to swimming bans from lakes in the Pacific Northwest to the entire Mississippi seacoast, to Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest lake. Algal blooms […]
All puppies go through critical stages – important times when the environment profoundly influences later behavior. There are several critical stages in your dog’s psychological development, and some excellent books on the subject. Here’s information that will help you handle your puppy properly. Early socialization is critical to a dog’s healthy psychological growth. Think it’s […]
The bonds between humans and animals are powerful. And the positive correlation between pets and mental health is undeniable. According to a 2015 Harris poll, 95 percent of pet owners think of their animal as a member of the family. And that’s true no matter how old we are. Children, adolescents, adults, and seniors all find […]