Top 10 New Year’s resolutions for keeping your dog healthy and happy in the new year and beyond. Another year has gone by, and it’s time to start a new page in your life – and your dog’s. Among the New Year’s resolutions you might make for this year, be sure to include your best friend’s…
Follow these tips to ensure your four-legged friend stays safe and stress-free during the upheaval of the holidays. The holidays can be hectic. Amid the whirlwind of guests, parties, gift-giving, shopping, traveling, cooking and decorating, you might not pay as much attention to your dog or cat as you usually do. This can generate stress…
Combining veterinary care with acupressure-massage can help heal these dogs, both physically and emotionally. Pet shop puppies are adorable. Your heart melts and you have to go inside to see them. The sales clerk assures you the pups are pedigreed and from a reputable breeder. You want to believe her, but you’ve heard that pet shop…
Introducing a new dog into your home can sometimes be a challenge. By easing into things at a neutral location, and avoiding some common mistakes, you’ll help lay the foundation for a lifelong friendship. My former neighbor, Tracey, has a large, lovable, laid-back yellow Labrador named Cody. Last year, she wanted to add a new dog…
Studies have shown playing the right music can have a powerful and calming influence on dogs and cats. Sound is a major factor of our surroundings, especially in today’s loud, fast-paced world. Noise pollution can be a significant stressor for both animals and humans, while healing music can calm us and improve our lives. Sound…
Does your dog have behavior problems? Find out why a dominance approach doesn’t work, and why a positive training is so much better. You’ve heard the term “positive training”. But what exactly does it mean? Positive trainers are opposed to the dominance/submission approach still used by many trainers. They often work with fearful and reactive…
Set your dog up for success with these suggestions for positive training. Training simply means educating your dog in a safe and loving environment, and teaching her she can get whatever she wants through her actions, as long as she checks with you first. Training should begin the moment you first bring your dog home,…
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…
Find out how certain dietary nutrients and calming supplements may curb aggression, anxiety and other unwanted behaviors in dogs. Did you know that nutrition plays a role in canine behavior? Aggression, anxiety, begging, destructiveness, excessive barking and house soiling are just a few of the unwanted behaviors dog owners sometimes contend with. Socialization and training…
Does your dog freak out every time you leave the house? Here’s how to deal with his separation anxiety. Separation anxiety in dogs is a very complex issue. This is a behavior issue that would truly benefit from working one-on-one with someone local to you. You can find professionals at www.apdt.com or www.iaabc.org. Keep in…