Safer Dog Chews

From the mailbag: What do you give a puppy to chew on. I was giving him bones, but he's not very interested, and after reading this blog, they are out. I also gave him duck's feet...Are chicken necks bad?

Dog Doesn' t Like New Puppy

From the Mail Bag
My dog doesn't like the new puppy nor any puppies she sees, and I don't know what to do?

What Does Pain Look Like?

In yesterday's post, I speculated that what might appear to be anger in a pet might actually be pain.  I starting thinking about other quotes I've read on various lists and forums - where people described behavior that I thought could have been pain related:

Dangers of Choke Chains

From Bill Campbell's
Behavior Problems in Dogs
Page 247. According to a Swedish Study by Anders Halgren of 400 dogs of owners who agreed to have their dogs' spines X rayed - 63% had spinal injuries. Of the injured dogs with neck (cervical) injuries, 91% had experienced harsh jerks on the leash or were serious leash strainers. Among aggressive or overactive dogs, 78% had spinal injuries.

When Someone Says It Doesn't Hurt, It Probably Does

I have never heard a trainer say, "The clicker doesn't hurt." nor "Praise and treats don't hurt."

Does Your Pet's Topical Flea/Tick Medication Hurt?

I'm a member of several dog training and dog health lists. A couple of months ago,  on one of my lists, someone had posted that she had never seen animals have any trouble with flea and tick medications except for a cat who would get mad after an application.  She said the cat would walk around sulking for an hour.