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Dogs don’t just lick you for flimsy reasons, when they do; there are cogent reasons for the act. She’s probably doing this to communicate submission or express deep affection, as an indication that she respects you as her master. Licking you once in a while is not a problem, in fact, it can be so endearing. But it could get tiresome very quickly if she gets obsessive with licking you or your guests every now and then. Obsessive licking could often be a sign of high level of anxiety, and should be addressed not only for the sake of your dog, but for your own sake as well. Learning and mastering the techniques of curbing the tendency of your dog licking you may assist you in determining if it’s just an outpouring of affections, or signs of something more serious. So, here are some techniques that can be of great...
Continue reading » BehaviorNo Comment In many ways, dogs are just like human children. They require mental stimulation, quality time with a “parent,” and can be destructive when bored. Interactive dog toys, which force a dog to solve a puzzle in order to earn a reward, can provide all of the above mentioned needs. Interactive dog toys come in many sizes, shapes, and difficulty levels. Perhaps the first and most well known interactive toy is the KONG, which forces dogs to figure out how to get all of the cheese, peanut butter, or kibble out of the rubberized toy. A more difficult toy may hide treats in compartments that the dog must figure out how to open in order to find the tasty reward. No matter your dog’s skill level, there is sure to be a toy that fits his or her needs. Mental Stimulation Dogs require mental stimulation throughout their day in order to...
Continue reading » BehaviorNo Comment This is extremely common. Most dogs are afraid of the vet and this happens due to a number of reasons. Unfortunately, the vast majority of veterinarian professionals have had little or no education on dog behavior. As a consequence, they fail to notice the subtle signs of fear and stress that end up escalating into aggression a few months later. Everything starts to fall apart right at the first visit, when the dog is still a young puppy. The first time he goes to the vet, he feels scared and uncomfortable; then, he is taken into a room where a strange person touches him and invades his personal space. That weird person places a thermometer in his booty, opens his mouth, grabs his ears and, in the end, stabs a needle into his skin! By the time the puppy is leaving, he already hates the vet. I mean, who wouldn’t?...
Continue reading » PlanningNo Comment Dogs go through a few different sensitive periods during their lifetime, when it comes to their physical and behavioral development. Some of these periods are quite important, due to the impact they’ll have on the dog’s personality and behavioral health. We can identify nine different phases; in this article, we’ll discuss some of the particularities of each of them. Phase One The first phase is the fetal period. This includes the development of the fetus up to parturition. During this period, the puppy will be influenced by the mother’s experiences. If she’s exposed to high levels of stress, the puppies will be prone to develop anxiety and fear. It is also during the fetal period that the male’s brains will go through a masculinization process, due to the production of testosterone. This will make them more likely to exhibit typical male behaviors such as urine marking, roaming, inter-male aggression and...
Continue reading » Behavior, Dog Health, PlanningNo Comment If it’s time to travel by air flying with your dog may be the only choice, or perhaps your perferred choice to get from point A to point B. Preparation will help you to fly safely and mindfully with your best canine friend. If you take the right steps you can have an easy transition from one location to another with minimal problems. Traveling is already stressful for both you and your dog, so make sure you can minimize that as much as possible with these 6 easy steps. Step 1: Within 10 days prior to traveling, take your dog to your local veterinarian for a wellness check and an update on his rabies vaccination if you are flying within the US. If you are flying outside of the country, further vaccinations may be required depending on where you are headed. Make sure you know all the health requires for...
Continue reading » Planning, Randon StuffNo Comment As dog owners, it saddens, frustrates, and upsets us to see our dogs filled with anxiety. We want to help, soothe, and comfort them, and show them that there really is nothing to be afraid of. But sometimes no matter what you do, you cannot calm them down. Most dog owners turn to medications for severe anxiety, however if you want to avoid medicating your dog, you should try the ThunderShirt first. The ThunderShirt is an anti- anxiety vest (also known as a pressure wrap) and it was created for dogs who are petrified of thunderstorms. The company started out with just the ThunderShirt, and over the years has evolved into an entire company on anxiety relieving products for both dogs and cats, and now goes by the name ThunderWorks. The ThunderShirt is of course still their best selling product. The best way to describe how a ThunderShirt works is...
Continue reading » Behavior, Dog Product ReviewsNo Comment It drives me crazy when people get dogs and are not prepared, and then get rid of that dog without thinking much about it. I bet you know someone that has done it. “the dog just didn’t work out”, or “it was to much work”, “he was crapping all over the place” etc. Where do you think those dogs go to? Given to someone else that does the same thing? Dropped off at a shelter? All because the first person expected that puppy to come home, be cute and be no trouble. That is not fair to the dog that they took the responsibility to care for. I’m not trying to scare you into not adopting a dog, I just want you to know what to expect. After reading this, I might also suggest reading my article The New Puppy Checklist! Are You Prepared? When you pick up your new...
Continue reading » PlanningNo Comment We’ve all experienced it: we’ve all walked into a friend’s house, an owner of a tiny pocket dog, and had that dog jump up on our legs, on our lap. Small dogs can often be the most aggressive, and while some people may chock this up to a Napoleon Complex, it does stem for an actual evolutionary need. Because of small size, they have to make up for physical dominance with personality dominance. And while some people believe this to be cute, most people are disturbed and annoyed with these small dogs. Though they have small jaws, their bites and barks can be just as bad as a large dog’s. In addition, small dogs are far more likely to jump up onto a lap and demand attention than large dogs are. This can be extremely annoying to visitors, especially if they do not like dogs, or if they have an...
Continue reading » Behavior1 Comment Have you heard of a chew proof dog bed? If not, this is for you. If so, see below for a couple reviews of the best I have found. If you have large, nervous dogs like I do, you know that at any time of the day, you might be in danger of discovering something has been chewed up. We have a large German Sheppard mix and a smaller, but more nervous blue-heeler/St. Bernard mix, both of whom like to get their teeth into things. Luckily, my dogs have been trained to the point that they usually only chew the little plastic ends off of shoelaces, however, especially if I have to leave them home alone during the day or sleep through their yipping in the morning for breakfast, there is still the possibility that their old habits will return and I will find something chewed to pieces. One of...
Continue reading » Dog ProductsNo Comment As much as we love our pets, it is unavoidable to leave them at times. While some people do choose to leave their pet in their own home with a sitter, others find it is better to board them, where they will have round the clock care and attention, as well as plenty of room to play and other dogs to play with. Once you have chosen a boarding facility (some veterinarians provide boarding services, or you may have overnight doggy daycares in your area), there are a number of questions you should ask before leaving Fido there by himself. What kind of kennels or crates are the dogs kept in? Though you will probably be able to see how the dogs are housed at night, it will be beneficial to ensure that the accommodations are adequate and do not feel overcrowded or like a pound. Especially if you have...
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