Plants provide vital natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that many of today’s commercial diets just don’t provide, what with poor-quality and over-processed ingredients. And in our increasingly urbanized environment, many dogs don’t have the opportunity to forage and ingest healing plants they instinctively seek out when feeling distressed. From herbal treatments, animals […]
The game of Tug has an undeserved bad rap in some training circles, while others, most notably the Agility world, have fully embraced it as an excellent activity to create focus and high arousal. Those two extremes aside, its a great game just because its fun, many dogs adore it, it’s the perfect play activity […]
Pet food manufacturers and the veterinarians courted by their sales representatives have convinced most Americans that because commercial pet foods are designed in laboratories by people with academic credentials and because their labels contain long lists of nutrients and claims of being scientifically balanced and nutritionally complete, they are superior to anything an animal might […]
A roomful of dog trainers will never agree on the best equipment for walking, training, or exercising a dog. How do you decide which training equipment is right for you and your dog? First, understand that you, alone, are responsible for choosing appropriate, humane, effective training equipment for your dog  not your trainer, spouse, your […]
Positive does not mean permissive. We just have different ideas about the necessary nature of the negative consequence. When one is needed, positive trainers are most likely to use negative punishment (taking away a good thing), rather than positive punishment(the application of a bad thing). As an adjunct to that, we counsel the generous use […]
Living with multiple dogs brings a whole new set of challenges. Adding a second (or third, or fourth) dog means more fun, more love, more joy and more wonderful doggy companionship. But it also means much more from you: more time, more money, more energy, and more working through problems. When choosing a new dog, […]
Fat has more than twice the calories per gram of protein or carbs, so the amount you feed should be limited. Fat, however, is also what satisfies the appetite best. A diet that is too low in fat will leave your dog feeling hungry all the time, making it harder for you to stick to […]
When adult dogs suddenly lose fur, muscle mass, and appetite and seem to stop playing and participating, it may be the onset of Addisons Disease. This imbalance of the adrenal glands is very treatable. Nonetheless, owners often make the mistake of thinking the new behavior is early aging or simple laziness. The disease is far […]
Pumpkin is very good for dogs, and dogs usually want a piece of pie. Make Fido his own dog-friendly pie and he’ll never come begging for yours. Whip together 1 can pumpkin (not pie mix), 3 eggs, half a cup of skim milk (or unsweetened soy milk), half a cup of brown sugar (it is […]
Training does not happen in the majority of dog-owning households. Sometimes I ask why, and people tell me that they think their pets don’t need training because it is only for competition dogs. I find this sad, for everyone’s sake and if you haven’t trained a dog, you don’t know what a rewarding experience you […]
