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Hiking with Romeo: it's an adventure!
If you are looking for a serious workout, try hiking with Romeo! What's the old Navy slogan, "It's not just a job. It's an adventure." Yep, same goes for hiking with Romeo. (October 2010) For [...]
Dog on the loose
Friday morning I was driving down Highway 105 south of Sedalia with Romeo in his crate. The speed limit is 50 mph, but many people drive 55, 60 or faster. As I came over a [...]
Give me a break!
When I was a kid, we had chores to do around home. One thing I noticed even back then was that everyone has different work styles and habits. I preferred to plow through the work, [...]
Celebrating an anniversary
Ed and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past Saturday (September 2010). Each year we celebrate by going back to our outdoor wedding site overlooking the Continental Divide at Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA outside Fraser, [...]
Putting “leave it” to the test
The other night (September 2010) I was watching TV while snuggled up on the couch with Romeo. Jahzara, the Greyhound, was sleeping on her dog bed nearby. Freighter, the cat, was somewhere nearby as well. [...]
History of pets in America
I read Pets in America: A History by Katherine C. Grier. The book takes a look at records related to pets primarily in the Northeast U.S. in the mid- and late-1800's and early 1900's. It [...]
Did my dog eat a toxic plant?
When you have a puppy, you learn to "puppy proof" your house quickly as s/he can get into new things every day. As your dog ages and is supposedly better behaved, you start to relax [...]
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 [...]