When you take your dog for a walk, who is that walk for? You? Your dog? Both of you? Here are some profiles of dog walks that I often see occurring in my neighborhood. Stop That Sniffing! Dogs experience the world largely through olfaction (smell). Compared to our six million olfactory receptors in the human … Continue reading Whose Walk is it, Anyways?
For many pet owners, their worst nightmare is a pet going missing. That brings us to the topic of today’s blog post: if your cherished pet goes missing, what should you do to maximize your chances of bringing her home? Let’s start by going back in time. There are some steps you can take before … Continue reading Homeward Bound
If you are a dog owner, chances are that at some point you have seen or heard one of these: a clicker. You may have wondered, what is the fuss with these little chirpy cricket things? Why do some trainers seem so obsessed with them? Are they necessary? Are they effective? Are they just a … Continue reading CLICK IT OR ZIP IT?
Imagine this scenario: You are walking with your dog off leash at the neighborhood park where people frequently exercise their dogs. You see a dog on leash up ahead. You wave to the owner and say, “My dog is friendly!” as your dog rushes up to greet the other dog. You hear the other owner … Continue reading DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DINOS?
Puppies! Everybody loves them! Well, when they’re not eating your favorite pair of shoes, anyways. Many people know it’s important to socialize a puppy, but oftentimes people don’t know the specifics about what this means. Let’s look at the details of how to set your puppy up for success. PUPPY POSITIVES The renowned Dr. Ian … Continue reading Puppy University
According to the ASPCA, inappropriate elimination is the most common behavior problem reported by cat parents. Let’s take a blog post to examine a behavior dreaded by many cat owners: urinating in the house. FIRST THINGS FIRST: Is your cat SPRAYING or URINATING? Spraying is characterized by the cat spritzing a small amount of urine … Continue reading CRYPTIC CAT BEHAVIOR: STOPPING THE SPRAY
If you spend 30 minutes looking for dog training videos on YouTube, you will find two very different schools of thought on the best methods to train your dog. Some videos, including those promoted by celebrity dog trainer Cesar Milan, promote dog training methods centered on dominance theory and being a “pack leader” for your … Continue reading On Positive Reinforcement and Pack Leaders
Perhaps you’ve seen a picture like this pop up in your Facebook feed. Maybe you saw one at the State Fair. "Is it a rat? Is it a squirrel? Is it a bat?" you ask. It’s a sugar glider! Sugar gliders are adorable, soft, fuzzy, and wonderful! However, sometimes the full responsibilities and truths of … Continue reading What’s a Sugar Glider?
As a dog owner, I bet you have either experienced this dreaded moment yourself or cringed watching it happen to someone else: you call your dog, and he blissfully ignores you. Perhaps your beagle smelled something extra tasty on the ground that is far more interesting than you, or maybe your husky has decided that … Continue reading See Spot Run
Once upon a time, when we adopted our Miniature Schnauzer, Ada, I had so many epic plans for all the great adventures we were going to go on together! We could go on road trips! She could come with me to dog-friendly coffee shops! I could spend blissful afternoons in the dog park, chatting with … Continue reading “THE DOG PARK IS FOR EVERYBODY!” FACT OR FICTION?
