Dog Afraid of Children

From the mail bag: My dog is afraid of kids. She will stick extremely close to me and recently, while my niece was playing in the house (jumping and thumping on the floor) my dog went up and barked at her. It was a single bark. But before that incident she seemed fine. Let my niece pet her, licked her, her tail was wagging, ears alert but content. I don't know what made her bark at my niece but I worry it could cause huge problems later. May I have some advice and tips to help stop bad behavior around kids before it gets to be a problem?

Loose Leash Walking. Part 8. What if a Loose Leash Were the Human's Responsibility

What if it were up to us to maintain a loose leash instead of the dog? What if we strived to use the leash as a backup/safety device instead of a steering wheel.  What if loose leash walking were all about what the dog wanted and not what we wanted? What would it look like?

Silence Does Not Equal Agreement

 Years ago, when I was still young and adventurous, I went on a ride at a state park called Free Fall <http://tinyurl.com/c6cjen9>. The concept is as it sounds. Riders are placed in a bucket and hoisted high in the air. Then the bucket is dropped and riders plunge straight down.  It was a pretty scary ride.

Baths. Part IV. Dogs Who Hate Baths

So far we have discussed not bathing our dogs, alternatives to pet shampoos, and what might cause our pets to be stinky.
Today begins our discussion on dogs who hate baths. Before we start talking about counter conditioning (in a later post), lets look some aspects of the bathing process that might be scary or uncomfortable for our pets.

Treats. Part II. Special Diets.

If you read my last post on treats, you might surmise that I'm a fan of just plain meat (no enhancements - like broth).  I know lots of folks like to make recipes, but seems to me just plain meat is easy and most dogs like it a lot.
Pet parents can set aside a portion of the human family's meals (before adding spices) for the dogs.

But what if you have a dog on a special diet or what if you want to use just your dog's food but your dog isn't very motivated by it?  Consult with your vet and consider the following:

Treats. Part III. My Dog is Not Motivated By Treats

So far we have talked about ways to save calories and ways to make tasty treats for those dogs on special diets. But what about dogs who have trouble taking treats? Dog who don't seem to be motivated by treats?

Baths - Shampoo Alternatives

Dog shampoos can strip natural oils from our pets' coats. Some shampoos are heavy with unnecessary perfumes and chemicals. If you like to use pet shampoos, ask your vet to help you pick out a brand that has as few harmful ingredients as possible.

Stinky Dogs

Does your dog stink even though he or she gets bathed often?  Consider some of these causes of stinky dogs

It's Been a Year Since My Dogs Have Had a Bath

It's not because of neglect.  I have made a conscious decision to not bathe them. (maybe not never but definitely less often).  It wasn't a decision that I came up with all at once. I just sort of evolved into it:

Treats

Pet parents who want to train using positive reinforcement should be ready to reward their dogs with tasty treats.  Pet parents who want to use counter conditioning to help their dogs feel better about scary things (nail trims, other dogs, loud noises, etc..) should be ready to give a lot of tasty treats.