You've Got To Be Carefully Taught

You've Got To Be Carefully Taught is a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific.
Basically the song implies that we aren't born prejudice. We have to be taught to hate.

Safe Room Part IV

Instead of confining your dog, try confining your stuff.

Safe Room Part III

More options for dogs who are not yet acclimated to their crates.

I tried positive. It didn't work

Why are people so quick to give up on positive, reward-based training methods but remain fully committed to using punishment -- even when it's clear that is not working?

Lost and Found - Scam Artists, Pranksters, and Opportunists

People who lose their precious fur kids are often distraught; and understandably, will do anything to get their babies back. 

Scam artists and opportunists know this and will use this to their advantage. Sadly there are also pranksters.

Lost Pets

What steps should pet parents take when they discover that their companion is missing?

Why reactive dogs should stay on leash

Do you live with a dog who charges humans or other dogs other animals?  Whether this is due to fear, frustration or aggression, it's best to keep your pet on leash when you are not in a secured area.  Here are a few reasons why

Cat Room

Continuing the Doggie Den discussion

Good Cops

In my last post, I wrote about things that pet parents can do to possibly protect their pets from shootings.
While pet guardians should always be prepared, we should not fear all first responders.

Protecting our pets from those who protect and serve

A friend was just lamenting to me about all the cop-on-dog shooting cases he had been reading about. He said that his house already has his address displayed in two highly visible areas, and he was considering a third (since some of the shootings involve mistaken addresses)

I started thinking about other ways that we can protect our pets from accidental shootings

Doggie Den

Do We Look Like That?

One day when you have time, leave your pup at home and go to a park that usually has dog walkers. Observe people and their dogs. What do you see?

How Private is Your Privacy Fence

Does your dog go into a barking tirade when your neighbor opens his/her back door?  Do your dogs fence fight with neighbor dogs?
There are reward-based training techniques that can reduce this behavior but we have to start at point where our dog isn't reacting.

The Whole Dog

I have temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). In lay person's terms - basically, my jaw muscles are all messed up. 

Old and little

I recently saw this blog post about a mechanical stair lift for dogs.  Although this looks dangerous, with some modifications, this would be a great tool for helping senior, small or overweight pets navigate stairs.

It got me to thinking about all the ways that pet parents can accommodate dogs who have trouble traversing their human-centered household.

Canine Epilepsy - Check Your Dog's Food Ingredients

Seizures can occur in dogs because of  many different reasons - like immune disease. Pet parents should also be aware that certain foods can cause or exacerbate seizure activity.