Polite Dinner Manners In order to achieve polite puppy dinner behavior, you first have to define it. For example, I consider it polite in my household if my four dogs lie quietly at our feet while we eat. If they don’t beg, bark, whine or otherwise nudge us for treats, they get an occasional treat […]
Are Puppy Kindergarten Classes Necessary? You Be The Judge (Part 4)
Most puppy classes show you how to physically handle your puppy, also called “social handling.” By handling puppies often and gently, they learn to accept being touched, including looking inside the ears, touching the teeth, and handling the paws and toenails. This gentle handling makes grooming much easier, especially combing, brushing, and checking for fleas, […]
Canine Hip Dysplasia: The Connection Between Hip Dysplasia In Dogs & Arthritis In Humans
Canine hip dysplasia is a developmental malformation of the hip joint in dogs. The same condition was recognized in humans by Hippocrates in the year 370 B.C. In the past six decades, a lot of money, effort, and time have been used in the study and research of canine hip dysplasia. This calls for all […]
Polite Puppies: Teaching Your Pup To Be Courteous & Well-Mannered (Part 2)
Polite Greetings Everyone loves it when a tiny puppy jumps up to greet them. “Awww, so cute!” they say, but when that puppy grows up to be a full-grown Golden Retriever with muddy paws, it’s no longer cute. In fact, it’s down-right rude! It’s very easy to teach a pup to greet people politely. It’s […]
Polite Puppies: Teaching Your Pup To Be Courteous & Well-Mannered (Part 1)
How can anyone not love puppies, with their milk-breath innocence, soft, baby-sweet expressions and clumsy explorations of a world completely new to them? Rare is the puppy adopter who enters into the relationship with anything less than good intentions for a lifelong commitment to the new four-legged family member. Why, then, do so many adolescent […]
House Training: Is Your Dog Refusing To Follow Your House Training Rules?
Some dogs just absolutely refuse to become house trained. No matter how long and hard you have tried to implement techniques to get your dog to use the bathroom in the proper areas, he still chooses to be “vengeful” towards you by not following your instructions, right? Wrong! The common misconception that your dog is […]
Off-Leash Training (Part 4)
Off-leash training is a transition because it is, most definitely, a slow process. It would be nice if we could just reach down, unsnap the leash, and know that your dog would instantly obey the commands “Come”, “Sit”, “Down”, “Stay”, and “Heel”. Regardless of how proficient a dog may be in basic obedience while attached […]
Commercial Dog Food – You Might Not Like What Is REALLY In Your Dog’s Food
With the recent pet food recall causing all sorts of discussions between dog owners about the quality of the food they feed their dogs, it seems that very little of these conversations are actually asking the important question about whether or not pet food is nutritious enough for their animals. Most people seem to be […]
Off-Leash Training (Part 3)
Making A Correction While Using The “A” Line The only difference between the “A” line and the “B” line is the thickness and weight of each. Shifting the “B” line gave the dog a feeling of freedom as compared to the weight and thickness of the six-foot training leash. The “A” line will give your […]
Are Puppy Kindergarten Classes Necessary? You Be The Judge (Part 3)
Puppy classes also provide a wonderful opportunity for puppies to get to know other people and puppies. This early socialization is vital for the puppy’s general well-being as it grows up. Puppies that are exposed to a variety of people learn that people come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, and that people are […]
