In addition to being joy-spreading, frolicsome, heart-stealing little creatures, puppies are also a great deal of work, and preparation is key to making your puppy’s entry into your life a success all round. Buy puppy equipment. At a minimum, you will need: Food (everyday meals, chews) and bowls. Puppy crate. X-pen or baby gate. Kong… Read more »
Use the Best Equipment. Walks should be enjoyable and pain-free, for you and your dog both. Use humane no-pull equipment that employs natural counter-balance approaches to curb pulling without the use of pain or the risk of tracheal damage. There are many choices on the market these days. Ask a positive reinforcement trainer to help… Read more »
Dogs get stir-crazy, too. If yours is climbing the walls and driving you to distraction, here are five ways to help him chill. Lots of exercise. “A tired dog is a good dog” is a cliché for good reason. It’s easy to be well-behaved when you’re sleeping off a good run. If a run isn’t… Read more »
We all know dogs require daily exercise to thrive. But in the rush to provide our canine companions with a good cardio workout, we may be overlooking another equally important need: The need to sniff. Sniffing is central to a dog’s experience of his environment. Consider the daily dog walk. As we put one foot… Read more »
Ask first, greet later. Always ask the guardian’s permission before you let your dog meet another dog. The other dog might be shy, fearful, leash reactive, or—who knows?—in training to learn better greeting manners. This goes doubly for dogs in off-leash areas: If the other dog is on leash, there’s probably a reason. Call your… Read more »
To a dog, a baby is a very strange creature—tiny, roly-poly, emitting coos and gurgles, and kicking and grasping at everything. What’s more, a baby is an attention magnet and a routine changer. Once baby arrives, life as Fido knew it is never again the same. Some dogs take this in their stride; others struggle… Read more »
It can’t be said often enough: Toys are great. As training rewards, for dog-dog play, for dog-human play—and yes, as mental stimulation when Fido is home alone. Dogs left in a moonscape environment get bored and idle minds often turn to mischief. Toys can make all the difference. However, not all toys are created equal,… Read more »
In a perfect world, dogs would come every time we call. They would reason—with the human logic we so often ascribe them—that obedience is in their long-term interest. They would respect our parental authority or respond out of sheer devotion. Well, dogs may be family members who love us dearly, but they are not people.… Read more »
A simple fact of biology is that all organisms do more of what rewards them. If you received twenty dollars every time you smiled, you’d walk around grinning. If wearing a certain coat predictably unleashed a flurry of compliments on you, chances are that coat would spend very little time in your closet. Dogs are… Read more »
Nonstop barking can drive even the saintly to desperation. Fortunately, there’s help to be had. The approach depends on the cause. Watchdog barking is triggered by visual or auditory stimulation—passersby, slamming car doors, a cat on the lawn. Watchdog barkers were sentries in a previous life. Boredom barking happens when a dog is left alone… Read more »
Motivation is what makes your dog tick. It’s what drives him to do things, like respond to your cues and find doing so worthwhile—even the second and third times you ask. Common canine motivators include: Car rides, a ball tossed, a walk, a leash clipped on or off, playing with toys, access to other dogs,… Read more »
Exercise, we all know, is fundamental to good health. For dogs and humans alike, slothful ways lead to, at best, diminished well-being and poor muscle tone, at worst obesity, heart ailments, and joint problems. In dogs a couch potato existence can also prompt behavior problems. Sometimes just quirks, sometimes full-on neuroses similar to those seen… Read more »
