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Ready to Rally?
For anyone who has met Romeo - or any other adolescent Vizsla - you know there is a LOT of energy there that needs to be channeled to appropriate outlets. That, along with the fact [...]
Does your dog have a job?
Most breeds of dogs were originally bred for a specific job or a variety of jobs, but most dogs rarely perform those jobs these days. Herding dogs were bred to herd livestock, most terriers were [...]
How to ruin a perfectly lovely puppy
Sometimes I wonder why certain people bring a puppy home. They clearly have unrealistic expectations and little patience. Not a good combination for someone living with a puppy. I met this particular puppy last summer. [...]
Is your dog at risk of being strangled?
Most of us don't give much thought to the possibility that our dog could be strangled to death, but it happens more often than you might think. I have two clients who have experienced this [...]
Favorite chew items for dogs?
I solicited feedback from as many people as possible on this topic back in September 2010. What are your dog's favorite things to chew on? Allowable and unallowable items. Is your dog a heavy duty [...]
Dog nutrition – are vets the experts?
When it comes to nutrition advice for your dogs, most people go to their veterinarian, assuming he/she is the expert on canine nutrition. But is that really the case? Another topic discussed in the book [...]
Dr Dodmans Well-Adjusted Dog Seminar, part 2
One of the topics Dr Dodman discussed in his seminar was aggression and "dominance". While people often confuse the two for being one and the same, they are not. Dr Dodman was careful to point [...]
Are dogs colorblind?
If you toss a bright red toy into the green grass, your dog can find it if the toy is bouncing or rolling but might not if the toy has stopped moving. The toy’s location [...]
Dr Dodman's Well Adjusted Dog seminar
I spent a weekend (August 2010) at Dr Nicholas Dodman's Well-Adjusted Dog seminar hosted by the Boulder Humane Society. Dr Dodman is a Veterinary Behaviorist at Tufts University. There are only around 40 Veterinary Behaviorists [...]
Training your dog should be fun!
As a professional dog trainer, I generally have fun training my dogs. However, I know for a lot of people the thought of training your dog sounds more like another chore you have to do, [...]
Regulation of the pet food industry
In a prior post, I recommended reading two books that look at the pet food industry: Feed Your Pet Right: The Authoritative Guide to Feeding Your Dog and Cat by Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim [...]
What is safe to feed our dogs?
There are so many choices when feeding our dogs today, and everyone has a different opinion about what is best, what is safest, what is right to feed. One source will tell you that commercial [...]
The boy (dog) who cried wolf
Many of you are probably familiar with Aesop's fable of the boy who cried wolf. In the story, the boy cries wolf to attract the attention of the villagers even though there is no wolf. [...]
14 months – on the road to maturity, but a long way to go!
Romeo is now 14 months old (August 2010). He is still most definitely an adolescent and will be for some time yet. But he has definitely matured over the last few months. He does not [...]
“Irrational” fears are not always irrational
On our morning walk a few days ago (August 2010), Romeo stepped on a branch that was partially buried under some leaves. When he stepped on it, it moved, and he leapt into the air. [...]
When your dog doesn’t care about your treats
Last Friday (August 2010), I took Romeo to another new park. Actually, he had been there once before, but he was only 3 or 4 months old at the time, so I’m sure as far [...]
Is your dog distracted at the start of training class?
I recently started a new class with Romeo (August 2010). We meet at a variety of parks and focus on improving our dogs’ leash manners. Even though I am a professional trainer and work with [...]