I hear it all the time as a dog trainer. “My dog pooped on the (fill in the blank) because he was made I (left him at home, brought home a cat, etc).” Why Do We Think That? It’s human nature to want to anthropomorphize our pets. When we get home and see whatever is it that she has done, the first thing we notice is that she has “that look” on her face. You know the one – head … Read more

The common belief is that if a dog is eating grass, their stomach must be upset. And sometimes dogs do vomit after eating vegetation. However, what about those dogs that just seem to “graze”? Recently, with the new spring grass, two of my shelties have become sheep – eating up the grass like candy with no vomiting. So, I decided to research why and went to the experts for the answers. Here’s what they said. Fresh Spring Greens Although dogs … Read more

You’ve done your homework, trained your dog “exactly” the way the instructor told you to and yet, his responses to you are spotty at best. You call him stubborn, stupid, and a bunch of other not-so-nice names as you throw the dog training handbook out the window and decide you have the World’s only “untrainable” dog. But did you know, YOU could be the reason your dog is not responding a hundred, ninety, even seventy percent of the time? What … Read more

There may be nothing more stressful then wondering how your dog is going to get along with your new baby (or your friend’s, relative’s, etc.). And the scary news stories about attacks do nothing to calm those nerves. And while you cannot account for everything and there is no SURE way to know beforehand how your dog will be, Robin Bennett, CPDT-KA, expert dog trainer and author of several books and even a DVD series on dog body language, gave … Read more

Probably the worst thing about medicating your dog is having to medicate your dog. While some of them are easily fooled into taking a pill like candy and seem to be unperturbed by shots, the majority of them are not fooled by the “oh look your pills a treat” routine and are not fans of being stuck by a needle. Disguising We are all familiar with the “spoonful of peanut butter to make the medicine go down” trick. However, not … Read more

Although it’s only May, many parts of the country are already experiencing record-breaking heat, with temperatures in the three digits. Wanting to do what’s best for their dogs, many owners believe that shaving their long haired breeds help them cope with heat, in the same way that we shed layers as the temperature rises. But, this myth may actually be making your dog MORE uncomfortable. Their Coat is not YOUR Coat When we get hot, we shed layers. That’s because … Read more

You handle your dog’s poop several times a day. But do you ever stop to think about it? Probably not, or people would say you were weird. However, your dog’s feces can help you determine if they are healthy, on food that agrees with them, and a host of other things that can help you determine if your dog’ systems are functioning normally. Christina Chambreau, DVM, CVH is an internationally known homeopathic veterinarian, lecturer and author, using homeopathy in her veterinary … Read more