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Every dog lover knows the smell. If you blindfolded us and tested us, we could all pick out the smell of “wet dog”. It is a fairly distinctive scent, even for our noses which are really quite feeble among the noses of the animal world.  So why do dogs stink when they are wet? The answer lies partly in the way noses work. In a nutshell, mammalian olfaction (the ability to smell) is a complex interaction between scent molecules and receptors … Read more

Our dogs’ noses are visible to us (and often in our faces). We can easily note any changes in something that is so apparent to us and vets often get asked about warm and dry noses. In the past, people have said that a dry and warm nose means that a dog is ill. Dogs are not like humans in the way their bodies manage heat and moisture. Your dog cannot sweat in the way that you think of perspiration. … Read more

Many of us love chocolate, and our dogs may seem interested in the tasty treat they see us eating. Our dogs can smell it (even better than we can) and they see us indulge. But they do not know that chocolate can make them very ill, or could even be fatal. There are two ingredients toxic to dogs in chocolate, theobromine and caffeine. Caffeine can cause tremors, increased heart rate, and other cardiovascular side effects. Theobromine is actually the more … Read more

[IHD_Article-Above] We know the scenario. You have a snack and your dog is watching you expectantly, even though you know she just ate. It makes you wonder if you are feeding her enough or maybe it was someone else’s job to feed her today and they have forgotten. The sound of candy wrappers will summon your dog like nothing else. Someone who did not know would swear he was starving, but you know he is not. Why does your dog … Read more

We all love our dogs from the tip of their nose to the tip of their tails, but dogs’ butts are not usually the topic of dinnertime conversation. A dog’s anus and the surrounding area (called the perineum) are not what we think of first when we think of our dog, but there are some important things that all dog owners need to know about their dog’s butt. Butt It’s About Multitasking A dog’s butt is more than just a … Read more

There are two camps of people in the world, dog people and… everyone else! I am only kidding, but there are people that think dogs are “only animals” and do not need all that we provide them with. For those people I have a thought: our dogs are not wolves and not even wild animals at all. We have taken them into human society and they have adapted to it. This process is domestication. Domestic pets, especially indoor dwelling ones … Read more

Some dogs really hate the mail man. We humans know that the mail must be delivered and that there must be someone to do it. We are grateful for the delivery and often wish that our dogs would feel the same. Some delivery people carry dog treats for the dogs along their route and not all dogs seem to hate them, but many do. The ones that do hate delivery people seem to really hate them fervently. To get to … Read more

Fortunately dogs do not crave salty fattening snacks like some of us (specifically me) do. They tend to be more opportunistic eaters and are grateful to get a taste of whatever we offer. If you indulge in salty, greasy snacks, it is not great to share those, but you can choose from the better alternatives and be healthy for you both. Read on for some of our favorite snacks to share with our dogs! Blueberries Blueberries are tiny powerhouses. They … Read more

Have you ever walked up on your dog wearing a hat and she seemed to panic like she did not recognize you? Frightened dogs can start to bark furiously and seem like they cannot be reasoned with. It can be a scary experience for you both. We humans surmise that our dogs are not able to recognize us when we have head gear on, but have you thought about why? It seems crazy. Our dogs know us. They know our … Read more

Ear infections are one of the most common presenting complaints for dogs in the United States. Veterinarians across the nation regularly see patients with ear disorders. The most common is called Otitis Externa or more simply “inflamed outer ear”. Ear infections can also be in the middle and inner ear, but these are less common than otitis externa. Although otitis can be caused by a bacterial infection, there are many causes and complicating factors, like fungal infection, parasites and allergic … Read more

Every dog needs medications at some point in his life. Funny thing is… we are supposed to be the smart ones, right? Then why is it that our dogs completely have our number when it comes to taking medications? There are lots of reasons that your dog knows what you are up to and we have to consider each one to win this battle. We know that the way to a dog’s heart is through his stomach, but we also … Read more

It is culturally expected that most human beings shower or bathe everyday. We can even bathe more often as circumstances present themselves. We all know that gross feeling we get when we know we need a shower and we may get kind of paranoid that we smell bad. Your dog has no such concern. She does not care how bad she smells and probably even rolls in bad odors just for the fun of it. WE care how our dogs … Read more

Lots of dogs are afraid of thunder. We are fairly sure that the sound is what triggers the fear for most dogs, but some believe that barometric pressure and other features associated with storms may also elicit fear. A dog has learned that storms are unpleasant and for certain dogs, the tendency to develop phobias is already present. Fear is a natural response to a threatening situation and thunder can seem threatening to many dogs. Fear becomes classified as anxiety … Read more

Some dogs truly adore riding in the car, to the point that the excitement associated with opening the doors can make them tremble or jump up and down. On mornings when I can take my dog, Skye, to work, she is overjoyed. She races back and forth to the door out to the garage if I do not come along as quickly as she would like. It makes me smile and I love to take her because she seems so … Read more

Everyone knows their own dog’s voice. But does it surprise you to know that dogs seldom bark to communicate with other dogs? I think we can all agree that barking is a form of communication, but our dogs have learned through watching our responses that certain things will prompt us to perform certain actions. They bark for our benefit! 1 Animal experts agree that barking is certainly an attempt to convey a need: physical, emotional or social. A bark could … Read more

Everyone that has ever met a dog has been jumped on. Puppies do it almost reflexively and it is a behavior that seems to be present in most dogs and must be trained away and replaced with something else. Animals do things for a reason (even if that reason is merely that they like it). I think that there is more to jumping up than just a bad habit. It might help to try to see the world through a … Read more

No one has even been able to completely explain how our dog friends came to be our friends. It is a special and unique interface that we have. Dogs live with us in our homes and walk with us on the paths of our lives every day. We want to reward them for their friendship, but since we cannot ask them which rewards they like best, we just don’t know exactly how. Dogs seem to like food rewards and they … Read more

Have you ever seen a dog lying down asleep, but his muscles are twitching and jerking? Actually, it happens to humans too, but we are asleep and probably don’t notice! Involuntary muscle twitching is called myoclonus and it routinely occurs in both species. Dogs are actually a lot like us when they sleep. Polysomnography (a sleep study that records brain waves) proves that dogs experience similar brain changes when sleeping as humans. They can engage in all kinds of movements, … Read more

“Humping” in our pet dogs is awkward to us because it is not a behavior that we exhibit in public. Sexually explicit behaviors are not well received in human society and are even against the law in some cases. But those social rules only apply to humans. To dogs, mounting is not particularly associated with sexual behavior.  It is just another way to communicate when one cannot use words. So we have to subtract our human nature and try to think like … Read more

Anxiety Disorder in humans is characterized by fear that impacts quality of life. Dogs feel fear too, of course. Fear is a normal response to a frightening stimulus, but normally is transient. Normal fear keeps an animal safe by helping him respond and escape from threatening situations. Only maladaptive fear causes self-harm or prolonged misery. Separation anxiety is when a dog responds fearfully when separated from their owner. It is a maladaptive fear disorder that can cause profound damage to the human-animal … Read more

Many people these days find running to be a great way to keep in shape and they wonder if they can take their dog along. Veterinarians and physicians alike agree that exercise is a wonderful way to maintain health, both mental and physical. If you want to take your dog along on your runs there are a few things you should consider. How rigorous are your runs? Make sure you are not asking too much of your dog who may not be … Read more

We all delight in watching our dogs play and some dogs have specific ways of interacting with their toys. Sometimes this will include tearing the toy completely apart and rendering the squeaker ineffective. Many dogs seem bent on removing the squeaker as if they want it to stop. We know when we play with our dogs the squeaking sound seems to really fire up the play. Some dogs seem to be very excited by the sound and this could be … Read more

All dogs have toenails and all toenails need some management. The best way to trim a dog’s nails is to achieve the following goals: the nails become shorter and blunter and no one gets traumatized or hurt. You might think these are lofty goals if you have a dog that resents a pedicure. First we have to understand the basics of training animals. Nail trimming is not something that your dog naturally thinks is a good idea, but he doesn’t … Read more

Marking behavior in a pet dog is sometimes frustrating and many veterinarians advocate neutering as prevention and/or treatment. But sometimes neutering a pet will not affect the behavior. It is important that we understand how dogs work to try to explain this annoying behavior. All About That Mate Marking behavior, like urine marking or scratching the dirt, can be a reproductive based signal and intact male dogs certainly engage in it. These intact dogs are using the scents associated with … Read more

Many dogs, including one of my own, spend a fair amount of time leaning against their human’s leg. There have been articles that unequivocally state that I should not allow my dog to lean on me and if she is invading my space, she is disrespecting me. Perhaps they are right in a few cases, but there has never been a kinder and less dominant dog than mine. I think that there are other reasons that she, and probably many … Read more

A fear of darkness, called achluophobia, has been documented among humans for decades. Researchers as early as Sigmund Freud linked it to separation anxiety in humans. Certainly anxiety disorders are diagnosed and treated in dogs regularly, but before you decide that your dog has achluophobia, you will want to be sure that he is experiencing fear and that medical reasons for his fear have been ruled out. The fear of darkness is typically thought to be more of a fear … Read more

There are venomous snakes out there and your dog is a nosy character. Let’s face it, he might just borrow some trouble and bug a snake. If you suspect that your dog has been bitten by a snake, here are some important things NOT to do.  #1. Never risk yourself. It is important to try to identify the snake, but not if it puts you in harm’s way. After all, who will take care of your dog if you are … Read more

Some people say that littermates cannot be trained and raised together. I say that raising two pups of close age might make the owner/trainer’s job a little harder, but certainly can be done. Dogs are descended from pack dwelling wolves, so many people choose to have more than one dog. If you work away from home and have long hours, your dog might be more entertained if he had a canine brother or sister to pass the day with. Knowing … Read more

In light of a recent news story about a woman nearly dying from an infection sourced to her dog’s saliva, “dog licking” is in the news. Some people say that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth is, but the mouths of both species certainly have what is called “natural flora”. These are bacteria that live inside the mouth and seldom cause any type of issue for the host. The presence of different species of natural flora keeps … Read more

Bacon tastes good to dogs. No one can argue that dogs seem to be enticed by the smell and taste of bacon. In fact, people do too. There are bacon wrapped pizzas and bacon bowl kits. Internet headlines announce that bacon makes everything better. Have you ever wondered why bacon tastes good? Scientists have explored the way mammals taste things. In middle school biology, we learned that there are taste areas on our tongues, sweet, salty, bitter, sour and now, … Read more

Everyone is familiar with the scene. You are standing on the driveway in your boxers or bath robe with your dog, willing him to do “his business”. But he meanders and he sniffs, snubbing spot after spot. You can tell by the way he holds his tail or slightly hunches his back that he has to poop for sure, yet much to your chagrin, he continues to search for the perfect alignment of stars and planet to deposit his jewel. … Read more

When a vet asks dog owners about their dog’s water intake, they often respond that she is “drinking fine”, but most people don’t realize that the vets are actually more concerned if she is drinking too much. People equate water consumption with good health because as a species, we are encouraged to drink more water. The difference is that we will notice and can tell someone if we are thirsty all the time and your dog cannot. Increased water consumption … Read more

You may not know that your dog has anal glands. They are located on either side of your dog’s rectum and produce a very pungent fluid. These same structures are slightly modified for use by a skunk to spray, so you can imagine that they are capable of some real stink! For dogs, they seem to serve little purpose other than marking and identification. Their scent tags his body and his feces as his to all who might be interested. … Read more

Stinging, biting insects are a part of summer we could all do without, but chances are, if you and your dog spend time outside, you will encounter one. Dogs are very curious by nature and often have their faces and mouths in places they do not belong. Some dogs are even tempted to snap at wasps and bees and are stung inside their mouths. A bee or wasp sting is usually not a very big deal to most dogs. It … Read more