Unfortunately, our dogs can’t tell us how they’re feeling. But we can get a pretty good idea by reading their body language. When your dog barks as you enter the house, you recognize it as a joyful greeting. If he whines as you’re eating a sandwich, you know it means “can I have some?” But…
Why are anxiety and aggression so common in dogs and cats, and how can they be resolved? About three years ago, our Irish setter Coral developed a fear of thunderstorms. She was seven at the time, and prior to that, she’d completely ignored thunder and even fireworks. We have no idea why her behavior changed,…
A dog displaying signs of reactivity isn’t necessarily aggressive. However, it’s important to understand the difference between these two states, and to prevent a reactive dog from crossing the threshold into anger and hostility. What does it mean when someone says a dog is “reactive”? This word often causes feelings of uncertainty, trepidation, possibly even…
She’s a picture of happiness. With her twinkling eyes and wide goofy grin, Meryl (on our cover) has a sweet temperament, is wonderful with other dogs, and loves to climb into people’s laps and lick their faces. She lives at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary in Kanab, Utah along with 20 other pitbull mixes originally…