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Don't 'Cha Wish Your Walker Was Hot Like Mine?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Mon, 05/19/2008 - 09:25

Imagine you just got a new puppy or dog, you're educated about puppy or dog care because you've done your homework and read both Dr. Ian Dunbar's Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy, perhaps you even downloaded the book BEFORE from this site. You know that a new dog, especially a young pup, needs to be crate-trained and let out frequently for elimination opportunities, exercise, and companionship. But you work all day, you’re often gone 9 -10 hours at a time.

You’ve considered your local dog care options including coming home for lunch, doggy daycare, and dog walking services and decided a midday walk would do the trick. You research your options only to find there are no fewer than 20 dog walking services in your immediate neighborhood. How do you choose one?

Breeds that Need a Firm Hand

Cindy Bruckart | Tue, 05/13/2008 - 05:54

I often meet with slightly nervous new puppy owners who explain to me that they’ve been told their breed needs a firm hand from an early age. While this is actually a good idea for any dog, it’s a rather vague statement, isn’t it? I mean, what is firm, exactly?

“A firm hand” is one of those things that can be interpreted differently by many different people. It can be an intimidating challenge for those who are afraid they’re not up to the task, or it can swing way over to the other side and become an excuse for those who are bent on punishment. So, let’s get clear on what the word itself means…

Firm:

1 a : securely or solidly fixed in place b : not weak or uncertain : VIGOROUS c : having a solid or compact structure that resists stress or pressure

2 a (1) : not subject to change or revision (2) : not subject to price weakness : STEADY b : not easily moved or disturbed : STEADFAST c : WELL -founded

3 : indicating firmness or resolution

Cloned Drug-Sniffing Dogs?

Nicole Wilde | Mon, 05/12/2008 - 10:14

If you saw a team of five identical-looking Labrador Retrievers coming toward you, you might just wonder if somebody slipped something into your morning coffee. But it’s not a hallucination—South Korea, the country that brought us Snuppy the Afghan hound, the world’s first cloned canine, is planning to put cloned dogs on duty to sniff out drugs and explosives.

The Scoop On What To Do With Poop

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Wed, 05/07/2008 - 15:59

Dog lovers and experts may not agree on much, but there is one thing that is irrefutable, dogs poop. A lot. It may not be the most pleasant subject but it is inescapable and important at the same time because when you ignore it you end up stepping in it. And that is what this piece is about.

I walk my dogs, feed them high quality food, and make sure they’re exercised and entertained nearly every day. I am a stickler about picking up any waste my dogs deposit and throwing it away. I even pick up other dog poo when I see it because, frankly, any poop on the streets or walkways reflects poorly on all of us dog lovers, and the anti-dog sector doesn’t need any more fuel for their diabolical cause.

Recently it dawned on me that my effort to be a responsible dog owner might well be causing harm to the environment. Suddenly I find myself at an ethical impasse. You see, I love my dogs and I am also quite fond of our planet Earth.

It Never Happens…Until it Happens

Gillian Ridgeway | Thu, 05/01/2008 - 08:34

The calls come in to our office on a consistent basis. Dog owners suddenly caught off guard, dealing with a dog they now don’t seem to know. The calls come in many forms. The 7-year-old lab cross that has always been great with kids and who, suddenly, snapped at a neighborhood child. The 5 month old puppy who seemed to turn into a different pup overnight and is reacting to every bit of noise and movement with sharp, no-nonsense barking. The 18-month-old poodle that had been a lovely family pet up until the point last week that she started to use the living room carpet as a toilet. All these scenarios are quite common to dog professionals, but to the people living with them they come as a surprise. The line “he has never done that before” is heard time and time again.

Pass it on

Marie Finnegan | Mon, 04/28/2008 - 08:04

I am a die hard bibliophile. I love books and have for as long as I can remember. If one day all reading was done on computers, I would still have a collection of real books to hold, fondle, smell and re-read at will. It's not just the book itself that I love, but the contents awaiting me inside. I am not sure when the love affair started. Perhaps in my youth when reading was an escape.

These days my collection includes much dog training and behavior related fare. Being a trainer with a heavy interest in behavior gives me an excuse to add to my book shelf regularly. And I have with gusto.

Lost Dog

Cindy Bruckart | Sat, 04/26/2008 - 06:56

It’s the ultimate nightmare. Your dog has run off and you have no idea where she is. The sheer panic of this situation is heart wrenching.

In the past few months I have seen two dogs find their way back to their homes after being lost. One of these dogs was gone for 17 days! In both cases, the owners did the following things in an effort to find their lost family members.

First, they made flyers with a current picture of their dog, a description and information as to where the dog was last seen. The flyers were emailed to everyone they knew with a request to pass the flyers on to everyone those people knew.

Posts were made to their local Craigslist and any other appropriate online resources available.

Next, they printed flyers and posted them on every pole and window in a ten mile radius from their home or the last place the dog was seen, or both.

AVSAB Releases Position Paper on Early Socialization

Nicole Wilde | Wed, 04/23/2008 - 19:21

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) recently released a position paper on the importance of early socialization for puppies. It states that because the first three months of life are the most important time to expose a puppy to new people, animals, things, and places (in a safe and non-threatening way), “...it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.” The paper goes on to state, “While puppies' immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination, and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem.” Well, hallelujah! I know trainers everywhere will join me in rejoicing at this progressive statement. The paper even recommends having puppies enrolled in group classes prior to three months of age. Imagine if owners took this excellent advice!

IS MY DOG SPOILED?? ….AND WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

Gillian Ridgeway | Wed, 04/23/2008 - 09:01

When you hear the word spoiled, do you think about spoiled food or spoiled children? And does it make a difference? When you think of the word spoiled it doesn’t conjure up any good feelings and yet dog owners seem to say the word with pride. To them, it is a term of endearment or said with a shrug and a smile attached. It is an interesting phenomenon when dog owners are starting to think that spoiling their dog equates to loving a dog.

My Dad and I

Gillian Ridgeway | Sun, 04/20/2008 - 06:35

While other girls were busy with boys and makeup, my passion for dogs did not seem to be wavering. Since I can remember, I have loved dogs. One of my earliest childhood memories was of watching Border collies do their job at a local fair in a park near my home in Birmingham, England. It seemed enormous, and the sight of the collies herding the sheep seemed to be a miracle. It wasn’t until years later, on a trip back, that I saw that park for what it was…a large plot of grass in an otherwise cement-laden neighborhood. The fact that it seemed so small years later did not take away the magic of that day.