Shelter Dog Meal Donation Count:
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
We all know that puppies will cut teeth. It’s a normal thing for puppies to do. And as humans, we all have things that are precious to us–things that we would prefer not be used as a chew toy. If you have a puppy and you know that chewing and teething are going to be a part of growing up, how do you find the balance between letting your puppy be normal and preserving your stuff? Best Chance for Success … Read more
Most of us have seen a dog wag its tail. When it is our own dog, we are tuned into his emotions pretty well and we know that he is indicating that he is pleased to see us. But can dogs tell us other things about their emotional state with their tails? We, humans, use words as our most common means of expressing our emotions, but dogs do not have any words and very few sounds. In fact, studies have suggested that … Read more
Have you ever noticed a foul odor wafting soundlessly from your dog’s posterior? Then noticed it again later after the first one has dissipated? Let’s face it, dogs fart. But why do some dogs clear the room with their gas all the time? It comes down to where gas in the intestinal tract comes from. Extra air can come from the mouth and be swallowed with food. Sometimes it will exit the other end, but with a lovely added aroma … 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
If you have experienced a loss of a family member or pet and felt grief, you may feel that your dog felt grief too. Many dog lovers can describe behaviors that seem grief-associated in their companions. Emotions are very difficult to quantify (even for people who can communicate what they feel). We know that grief itself is a multifaceted emotion for people and psychologists have long described these feelings in terms of stages of grief. In short, grief is 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
It might seem impossible – you want to give your dog the best life possible, and that requires both time and money. Working takes your time away from your dog – however, it’s a necessity if you’re going to meet her needs! It requires a careful balance that allows you to give your dog the attention she deserves while still making sure you have enough in the bank to meet both of your financial needs. It’s something most of us … 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 all have heard that exercise is good for us. We intellectually agree, even if we do not prioritize exercise for ourselves. The benefits to humans have been proven by many studies. What about your dog? Does she need to exercise? We know that dogs are not small humans. They cannot take the exact same medications we can and they cannot eat some of the foods that we can. Obesity is a common problem and we try to apply what … Read more
Dogs like gross stuff. They sometimes eat poop or roll in dead things. We all know it and deal with it. We understand that it is a part of “dog-dom”. Vets everywhere have removed socks and underwear from dogs’ stomach and intestines. Dogs live in a world of heightened olfaction and there are “scent messages” everywhere. They have the ability to perceive odors diluted several times more than we can and it is thought that although they share some similar … Read more
“Humping” or mounting behavior in a pet dog is embarrassing to us humans because we do not typically communicate in this way in public. Can you imagine the looks we would get if we gave any type of sexually associated movements to others in public? But to animals, this is just another way to communicate and we have to try to understand them on their terms. They do their best to understand our strange human ways. Mounting is merely a … 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
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
Let’s face it, you can learn a lot from poop. It can be an outward manifestation of your dog’s overall health that you can easily check yourself. So take the time to get the “scoop on the poop” every day. What does the poop tell you? Color Poop is brown, right? Well, yes, but the actual color can depend on several factors. If there are dyes in the dog food, it can affect the color of the stool and still … Read more
“You’ve got the cutest little baby face” crooned many singers over the years, but do we really choose who we love based on their facial characteristics? A recent group of researchers thinks we do, at least for our dogs.¹ Dogs are descended from wolves, although our modern dog differs significantly from his lupine ancestor. ² Some people believe that wolves who were more tolerant to human presence took advantage of scavenging opportunities to become the dogs we know today. But then … Read more
Studies have shown that dogs are able to sniff emotions and dog lovers instinctively know it’s true. But did you know that dogs have asymmetrical noses when it comes to fear odors? The suggestion is that they can “feel” or perceive emotional scents differently depending on the source. If you are the source, your dog’s sensitivity is very different than other sources. Although studies in the past have reported asymmetries in the nostril use of dogs when sniffing various emotion based … Read more
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