Obsession Toys! Teaching your dog to behave in a Sarah Minute…

April 15th, 2013 byJen D

boulder1As a dog trainer, I’m blessed to work with both dogs and people—two of my favorite species!  I spend most days interpreting dog or puppy behavior, and coaching people to teach their dog English as a second language.  Dogs, like young kids, want desperately to be a part of things.  They excite, sometimes over-enthusiastically, to every day transitions, like people coming to the door or family members leaving.  When training is overlooked, a dog or puppy often responds by over-reacting.  This often brings a flush of excitement from the person involved, which is construed by dogs as play posturing or confrontational.  Therefore, the dog or puppy becomes more reactive—more jumpy more nippy more destructive, instead of less.

Over my nearly 30-year career, I’ve learned to interpret human innuendos, as well as dog behavior.  When a client says, “Rocco is pretty READ MORE...

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An easy step-by-step guide to cleaning your dog’s ears

April 12th, 2013 byJen D

clean dog earsFor humans, spring cleaning means tackling those boxes of junk that have been accumulating around the house since Thanksgiving. It means replacing storm windows with screens and taking all the rugs outside to beat the dust out of them. For dogs, on the other hand, the whole process is a lot simpler. They shed, and then they get a bath.

Help your dog clean up his or her act with plenty of brushing to help loosen that heavy winter coat and a good scrub to get that fur fresh and soft. But there’s one part of a dog that often gets overlooked during a bath and brushing: the ears. Rather than let your dog’s floppy ears get dirty, take this springtime weather as an opportunity to clean them so your pet is looking sharper and hearing better than READ MORE...

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Rules of Paw at the Dog Park – Basic Etiquette

April 9th, 2013 byJen D

dog park rulesNow that it’s spring, you can bet that the dog park populations are going to soar. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy the sunny outdoors with their favorite pet, after all? But before you head off to your local play area with your dog, make sure you’ve got your dog park etiquette down pat. Consider these highlights.

Make a trip to the veterinarian. Dogs at the park should be up to date on their inoculations, so be certain your pet is ready to tackle spring head-on with a clean bill of health. A springtime checkup is a great idea even if you’re not headed to the dog park any time soon.

Clean up after yourself and your dog. This practically goes without saying, but don’t litter at the dog park. Always use trash receptacles (which should have lids) and clean up READ MORE...

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One Duke Professor is Ready to Call your Dog a Bona Fide Genius

April 7th, 2013 byJen D

smart dog“Who would ever call a book ‘The Genius of Dogs’?” author Brian Hare asked a gathered crowd at a bookstore in Chapel Hill, N.C. “They drink out of a toilet bowl. They chase their tail. But I’m here to tell you they are.”

According to Chapel Hill News, Hare’s new book – which he co-wrote with his wife – is not a training manual. Instead of helping you teach your dog to sit, heel or fetch, it delves into how amazing it is that your dog can quickly catch on to these commands.

So why dogs? The authors, who previously studied the intelligence of apes and wrote a book about it, say that dogs are just as smart as, say, apes or dolphins – and in some ways, even smarter. When speaking to the crowd at the bookstore event, Hare READ MORE...

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What Does a Dog’s Bark Mean?

April 3rd, 2013 byJen D

Barking DachshundWe’ve all heard it, probably billion or two times: a dog’s bark. In fact, we know it so well that some of us are pretty sure we can decipher what different kinds of barks mean. That loud, throaty one means “Look over here!” while the howling, mournful one means either “Come back!” or “Why aren’t you paying attention to me?” Meanwhile, a sharp, quick yelp is a sign of discomfort or pain, and any barking accompanied by impatient paws stepping back and forth probably means “Let’s go outside!”

The fact of the matter is no one on the planet can actually speak “Dog.” But we do tend to have a good idea as to what our pets need or want. The PBS educational program NOVA even has a quick test up on its site. The program points out that Hungarian READ MORE...

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