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How to Choose the Right Puppy For Your Lifestyle
Many people pick fluffy, cute puppies; when in fact they should be choosing a puppy that fits their lifestyle the best. This is the most common mistake when looking to make a puppy a part of your family. Some families are looking for a dog that will lie around the house with them and their children, while others are looking for a puppy that will be able to go hiking with them on their weekend camping trips. Although this task of choosing a puppy may seem easy, it is something that be done with a lot of thought and research … Continue reading →
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6 Tips for Keeping Your Car Clean From Dog Hair
If you ever read my blog, My Kid Has Paws; you know that Rooney is the kind of dog who loves to swim in mud puddles as much as he loves to swim in swimming pools. Not to mention, he sheds, a ton! So, one would imagine that my car isn’t always in the best shape. However, my car is new, so I try not to let the dog hair in my car get out of control. Today, I would like to share with you some tips that you can use to keep your car clean from dog hair. … Continue reading →
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Why Guard Dogs Should Not Be Aggressive
I own a Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) named Zeus. If you are unfamiliar with the breed, think 100-pounds of muscle in the form of what many think looks like a giant Pitbull. People constantly cross the street, pick up their small children, and shoo their dogs away when we are walking by. I know this is because people are afraid of Zeus, they assume he is aggressive and would harm them. If only they knew how well behaved he is and that he will not attack at any given moment. When most people think of a typical guard dog … Continue reading →
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DIY Hanging Doggie Poop Bag Holder
Poop is a big part of being a dog mom – we all have to deal with it and the grossness of picking it up! As a result, poop bags are an essential part of life. It’s been driving me nuts to see poop bag rolls all over our house, in drawers or left by the door. And, of course you can never find a roll when you need one, or forget them when you’ve gone on a walk. I sought to alleviate this problem without spending a bunch of money on a new container. Enter the hanging poop bag … Continue reading →
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Resource Guarding or Space Invasion? Reasons for Aggressive Outburts in Dogs
Labels like Resource Guarding can blind us to other possible explanations to aggressive outbursts by our companion dog. The common understanding of resource guarding is that your dog may show the following behaviors: tense, stiff, give you a non-wavering gaze, lip retraction to show teeth, growling, snapping, and/or biting when a person or other animal approaches. This behavior usually occurs only when a person or other animal approaches your dog while: meal preparation, eating, sleeping, has a toy, by a “favorite” place or there might be a “new” item brought into the house, food/treats/vomit, anything related to meals – … Continue reading →
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Everything You Need to Know About Shaving Your Dog
When the temperatures rise and the sun is at its strongest, you’re not the only one feeling the heat—just think about how your dog feels under all that fur and hair! Many people consider shaving their dog a necessary part of their hot-weather preparations. However, this may not be the best idea for your dog. To Shave or Not to Shave? If summer or hot weather to your dog translates to unlimited time inside with the cool air conditioning, there’s absolutely no reason to shave his coat. Your dog’s coat has been specially adapted for those times he’ll need … Continue reading →
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5 Reasons Why Adopting a Senior Dog Beats Buying a Puppy
While everyone loves puppies with their playful ways, perky personalities and plump, cuddly bodies, the ‘cute factor’ is less obvious with our older canine friends. This means they’re often overlooked when it comes to people thinking about bringing a dog into the family and shelters struggle to find them homes. This is a real shame as seniors have a lot of cute, plus more, to offer if we open our hearts and homes to them. Seniors Know Everything Well, maybe not everything that would be weird, but where puppies need to be taught the lot, older dogs have already mastered … Continue reading →
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How to Choose the Right Dog for Your Family
I once had an 85 year old man come to me because his niece gave him a Jack Russell puppy because he had had a Jack Russell before. This match was difficult from the start. Jack Russell’s tend to be intelligent and highly active. They usually need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. This dog was no exception. The man did not have the skills or the desire to teach this puppy. He tried to keep her for a year but had to finally find another home for her. This was devastating for the man and the puppy. I often … Continue reading →
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What’s The Difference Between Male and Female Dogs?
Being owned by both male and female Siberian Huskies, I often get asked which is better, and/or which I prefer. This is no simple answer, but there are some differences between male and female huskies, which I will highlight for you today. So let’s have a little fun with Male VS Female Dogs. Keep in mind that these are my opinions, and are from my own experiences from a life time of being owned by dogs as well as cats. All pets are different and these are just guidelines for you to follow. Let’s Start With Male Huskies/Dogs: In my … Continue reading →
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Holistic-Integrative Pet Care: The Wave of the Future
Holistic veterinary care is in great demand these days. The term “holistic” implies that the entire being; body, mind and spirit, is being addressed. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This concept stands in direct opposition to the Western reductionist view of life. Modern medicine tends to break systems down into smaller and smaller pieces, reducing them to their basic building blocks to gain an understanding. Often, the modern doctor loses sight of the forest for the trees. Holistic medicine takes many forms, but there are common principles among these various techniques. First of all, health … Continue reading →
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K9 Collagen: An Effective, Easy-to-Absorb Supplement for Your Dog’s Joint Issues
Our dogs’ joints, like humans, take a pounding from running after tennis balls, hiking and jogging around with their pals. Joint problems are common in many dogs and can affect them in a variety ways from minor irritation to great pain and discomfort. Joint problems can hinder walking, exercising, or any activity in your pup’s everyday life and is no fun for anyone. And, unfortunately, joint issues can start an early age making it best to prevent your dog’s osteoporosis or joint issues ahead of time. And K9 Collagen does just that and more! Dog Joint, Hip or Bone Pain … Continue reading →
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The 4 Quadrants of Dog Training: Are You Doing All Four?
There are four ‘quadrants’ when it comes to dog training; positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. To summarise quickly… Positive reinforcement is when you add something to the dogs environment that he likes for example if he sits he gets a piece of cheese. This increases the chances of the behaviour happening again. Negative reinforcement is when you remove something the dog doesn’t like from the environment; for example stopping an electric shock when the dog eventually sits down. The dog learns that by sitting he avoids the shock thus increasing the chances of the behaviour happening … Continue reading →
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