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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

 Have you ever come in the door to a blizzard of pillow stuffing? What about the garbage can turned over or the items knocked off the counters? Does it seem like whenever your dog is left to his own devices, he finds mischief? It may seem like it, but it is not always so simple. Think about your dog like the animal that he is and not a little human. He is wired to survive. Humans used to be a … Read more

Have you ever been excited to give your dog an extra special treat or chew and when you hand it over she grabs it and slinks away like she thinks that you are going to steal it back? You are not alone. Many dogs have this custom and it can seem like a personal insult to you as the bearer of wonderful things, right? But don’t take it too personally. Let’s look at why a dog might behave in this … Read more

Our live stream video has spurred a lot of excellent questions. There is always a lot of talk about allergies in pets. That’s because allergic disease is extremely common among dogs. You can view the video by clicking here. Many people assume that an allergic dog will sneeze and have itchy eyes like we do. But actually, an allergic dog is much more likely to have itchy feet. Affected dogs will lick their feet and sometimes pull at their nails … Read more

We laugh when we see photos of very large dogs trying to curl up in tiny dog beds. We wonder why in the world that big dog would choose to lie on that little bed when there is a bigger one visible in the photo. To try to explain this phenomenon we have to look at who the dog is. In such a situation, there are clearly at least two dogs in the environment and one is large and one … Read more

Some dogs will eat feces or “poop” from other dogs or even their own poop, and sadly, almost every dog will eat a cat’s fecal material. This behavior is called coprophagia and it is very hard to train away. So why in the world do they do it? Coprophagia is considered normal behavior (although gross) in canines. All of the reasons why dogs engage in coprophagia are not known, but there are some pretty good theories why dogs eat feline fecal … Read more

We humans see certain behaviors in our dogs and think they are cute, but some of these behaviors, (like tail chasing) can be a compulsion. Compulsions are irresistible urges to behave a certain way and occur very repetitively and often. These behaviors are defined as abnormal because they seem to lack purpose and can impact the quality of life in a negative way. Dogs can be an excellent model for human disorders and compulsive disorder is no exception. Multiple studies … Read more

When someone new arrives on the scene, dogs are alert. Some may even act aggressively or defensively. Dogs are animals and all animals are wired in a way that supports the best chances of survival. If you watch nature shows, you have probably seen wolf packs interact. They respond swiftly to the arrival of a strange wolf and are instantly on their guard for the intentions of the newcomer. New animals could represent a threat to the group as an … Read more

Sometimes you glance up and your dog is staring intently into your eyes. It is as if your dog has something to say to you. Studies indicate that canine species communicate with each other by gazing. Dogs specifically seemed to have evolved to look at humans’ faces even more than socialized wolf counterparts.1 I understand you. Do you understand me? Perhaps your dog not only has something to say to you, but feels that he is also gaining information from … Read more

We are all familiar with a dog’s response when the door bells ring. Some dogs really flip out, but all dogs react in some way to the sound. Have you ever really considered why that is? Much like Pavlov’s dogs who associated the sound of a bell with being fed, your dog knows the sound of the doorbell represents a change. Pavlov’s bell made the dogs salivate in anticipation of feeding and the doorbell sound is a learned association for … Read more

Some people say that dogs are like potato chips and no one can have just one, but is this really a good thing? Can a single dog be happy? Should you have more than one dog? Like so many things, the answer is not one size fits all. It lies in the individual dogs and the individual environment. If you have a lot of time for your dog and can provide regular playtime and exercise, you are probably all your … Read more

As human beings, we have a few societal issues (to say the least) with exposing our rears to other people, both new friends and old. We would much prefer to shake hands with new people and our idea of reaffirming family bonds does not include asking your friends to scratch your rear. But if you were a dog, you would see things differently. We all know that some dogs really like certain smells that seem foul to us. Sometimes they ... Read more

Dog lovers know in their hearts that being around dogs is good for them, but did you know that there is scientific proof? Science is really catching up with what we already know and research dollars are being invested in proving the value of the human-animal bond. Here are just a few of the reasons everyone should have a dog.   Dogs Make You  Exercise and Improve Your Cardiovascular Health Dogs need exercise and mental stimulation and so do you, … Read more